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Captain Levi bowed stiffly to the king and crown prince, then escorted Hope and Faith down the hall. He checked their suite before saying goodnight, his gaze lingering on Faith. “Please lock this door behind me.”
“We will,” Hope said.
“Thank you,” Faith called.
He gave her a brief smile before rushing back down the hall, obviously not wanting to keep the royal family waiting.
Hope locked the door and then mechanically went through the motions of changing into a comfortable tank top and shorts, washing her face, and brushing her teeth. If only she could check on Chad. If only she could do something. She loathed waiting and feeling helpless.
When she walked out of the bathroom, Faith was lying in the middle of the huge bed, still in her dress and heels, staring at the television.
“Faith, you need to get changed.”
“I will. I was just hoping to hear what happened first.” She pointed to the television, which was on a local news station talking about the bombing and the wedding, showing pictures of both.
Her phone rang on the dresser. She ran over and picked it up. Chad. She wanted to cheer, but this was a serious call. “Hello?”
“Hey.” Chad sounded drained, not his usual self at all. She’d never heard him speak so informally. “Mum’s all right.”
“Oh, thank heavens,” she breathed. “I’ve been praying.”
“Thank you. I’ve felt that.”
“Chad?” Faith sat up on the bed. “How’s his mom?”
“She’s okay. She’s going to be okay.”
Faith lay back down. “Oh, thank heavens.”
“Are you all right? Are you in a safe location?” Chad asked, the concern evident in his tone.
“Yes.” How like Chad to be concerned for her. “Captain Levi escorted us up to our suite after they checked the castle, and he checked our suite before he left to help the royal family. We’re all locked in.”
He let out a breath. “Thank you. Knowing you’re safe is of utmost importance to me. Ray and Jensen have the castle secured. You’ll be safe tonight. I’m going to stay here and wait for my mum to wake up, but I’ll come for you in the morning.”
“All right. Do they know what happened to her?”
“Her blood sample was full of Alprazolam. It’s a benzodiazepine used for anxiety and depression. It can cause dizziness, confusion, clumsiness, unsteadiness, life-threatening breathing problems, sedation, and coma. Especially given in high concentrations. We think he must’ve put it in her drink.”
“That’s awful. What do they do to help her?”
“It’s called Flumazenil. They gave it to her intravenously to reverse the effects. She’s breathing much better. All of her vitals are strong, but it’ll be a while before she wakes up.”
“Who’s with you?”
“Steffan. He went in the copter with me and monitored my mum while we flew.”
“Are you sure you’re okay? That must’ve been terrifying.”
“It was.” He paused. “Knowing that you’re safe and Mum will be okay is all that matters. But I won’t rest until we find that scum Roger Pitcher. Apparently he and his son Ramone have both disappeared. Fitting.”
“I’m sorry.”
“We’ll find them, and we’ll end this.” He sounded confident and brave, more like himself.
“That was incredible how you knew to grab that present and chuck it like you were G.I. Joe and Peyton Manning combined.” She was gushing.
Faith popped up on the bed and raised an eyebrow, confirming Hope was indeed gushing.
