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Reaching over, I plucked the phone out of his hand, ignoring his protests. “AndIthought we were having a cell-free night.” I said in the same tone of voice he’d used just a moment before to tease me about my driving.
Marcus glared at me and opened his mouth to argue. I was so sure that we were about to spend the rest of the trip back to the apartment bickering with each other, when Marcus’s green eyes glanced in the rearview mirror. His mouth snapped shut and he slumped in his seat, muttering under his breath. Apparently, Marcus didn’t want to argue in front of our incapacitated charge.
The rest of the drive was done in relative silence, other than the occasional whimper from Madeline in the backseat. I pulled into the main garage of the apartment, and then into the area where the private garages were. We paid an arm and a leg for our four car garage, but it was worth every penny. Especially since Adair had begun to receive death threats when he had served as a congressman. Better to be safe than sorry, especially as the gubernatorial election ramped up.
Pulling Adair’s sports car into the space in between my truck and Marcus’s Bentley, we got out of the car. I held the door open so that Adair could climb out with Madeline.
The elevator ride to the apartment happened in a blink and, suddenly, I was unlocking the front door and leading the way into the apartment.
“We can put her in the guest room,” I called over my shoulder, turning on the lights as I entered further into the apartment. The guest room was the first down the long hallway where all of the bedrooms were located. We hardly ever used it but our house cleaner still changed the sheets and comforter every week, and dusted off all of the surfaces. It was the smallest of the four bedrooms in the apartment, and it was connected with my room via a Jack-and-Jill style bathroom. The bed was a black wood frame that matched the dresser and vanity. It was a bare space, but it would do for tonight.
“How’s she doing?” I asked as Adair lay Madeline on the bed. As soon as she was fully settled into the plush white comforter, her face scrunched up, and her eyes flew open wide.
“Oh god,” she gasped. “I’m gonna throw up!”
We got out of her way as she scrambled, still in her heels, to the bathroom, and proceeded to empty the contents of her stomach. I hurried in after her, and gently brushed her hair out of her face, murmuring quietly that everything would be okay and to just let it all out.
“Well, at least she’s getting all of that shit out of her system.” Marcus said from the doorway, and Adair moved past him to wet a washcloth under the sink.
“Put this on the back of her neck,” he held the damp cloth out to me and I laid the cool material to her clammy neck. I continued to rub small circles into her back as she dry heaved.
I was about to suggest that we move her back into the bedroom, when Madeline turned and practically crawled into my lap, burying her fingers in my shirt as she clung to me. It took me a second to realize that she was crying, and my heart just about broke in two for her.
“Hey, it’s going to be okay, Madeline, we would never let anything happen to you.” I soothed, looking helplessly up at Marcus and Adair, who looked equally helpless as we listened to Madeline sob.
“But what if you weren’t there? That was just luck.” Madeline’s voice was still a bit slurred when she spoke, telling me that she was still feeling the effects of whatever she had been drugged with.
Us not being there was not an outcome that I would ever let myself consider, that thought shook me straight to the core. It had been pure luck that we’d chosen to go out tonight, and that Adair had been looking down into the crowded club rather than paying attention to Marcus and I. So many things had to line up just perfectly for us to have saved Madeline from what would have probably been a nightmare.
I wasn’t a very religious man, not like my parents were, but I had no explanation for tonight's events other than fate.
Instead of answering her, I just wrapped my arms around her tightly, and did my best to comfort her until her body finally went limp in an exhausted sleep. Standing up from the floor was no easy task, but I somehow managed it without dropping her or slipping and headed back into the bedroom.
While I continued to comfort Madeline, Marcus and Adair wandered out of the bathroom. When I reentered the bedroom, Adair was busy pulling the blankets back and making a spot for Madeline to lay under the covers.
“Marcus?” I asked quietly as I laid Madeline down on the bed, and got to work unbuckling her death trap heels.
Adair shook his head, “you know how hard things like this are for him....”
I just nodded, I knew about Marcus’s reticence about betas better than most people, I was just surprised that he’d lasted as long as he did. Adair left after that, leaving Madeline and I alone in the guest room.
I turned Madeline on her side and put a trash can on the floor next to her head, just in case she needed it during the night. Pulling the blankets up around her shoulders, I tucked them around her body like they were armor to protect her while she slept. I was just turning to leave when I felt something tug on my sleeve.
“Please don’t leave me, I don’t want to be alone.” Madeline’s voice was tiny as she held onto me.
A sigh rippled out of me, “are you sure?” I wanted nothing more than to curl around her and protect her, but I was just the coffee shop guy who had a crush on her.
Madeline nodded. “I’m too scared to sleep by myself,” she murmured quietly, her brown eyes were panicked as she clung to me and,shit, she was starting to hyperventilate again.
“Hey...shh...don’t panic sweetheart. I’ll stay.” I rounded the bed, fully aware that her eyes were glued to me, and crawled onto the bed, settling in behind her. I was still on top of the comforter, since that felt safer for all parties involved, but even then I could still feel her body as she snuggled in close.
“Get some rest,” I murmured and I felt her body melt against mine until she finally fell asleep.
