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“Not right now. Just tired.” Cammie drank down half the bottle. “How long have I been out?”
“Four hours.” The nurse nodded as she checked the machine next to Cammie’s bed. “Your vitals are all good. Do you have pain anywhere else?”
Cammie was sore all over, but it was more of an achy pain rather than a seriously injured pain. “Other than some stiff muscles, no.”
“I can give you something for that.” The nurse tapped something on the machine.
“I don’t take painkillers.” And after what had just happened, no way would she ingest another drug, even if it was meant to ease her aches.
The nurse looked down her nose at Cammie, not in a snotty way, more because her glasses were that low on her face. “If you feel up to it, we could have you moved to your suite so you can rest more comfortably.”
“She’s not going to go—”
“No, it’s okay.” Cammie put her hand on Zane’s arm. “I’d like to go to my cabin.”
Even though she hadn’t spent one night there, Cammie knew she would be more comfortable in her own space right now. She needed time to think. Time to deal with the fact that someone had hurt her. Someone had abused her safety and her trust. Not that she’d had a lot of it among the crowd she was with but still, she should have been safe. She tried to convey her need to be alone to Zane but the expression on his face was full of confusion and maybe a little hurt.
“I’ll get the wheelchair set up.” The nurse left the small space.
“Cammie, I think it would be better—”
“I’m okay, Zane.” She cut him off before he could convince her to stay with him. As much as she’d take comfort in his presence, she knew he’d abandon his investigation to take care of her, and she couldn’t let that happen. It was obvious that he’d already spent the last four hours next to her bed instead of working their case. “I need you to figure out who did this.”
Zane’s eyes flashed with what looked like understanding, and she was so very grateful for that.
She drank more water, and with each swallow grew more convinced that this was the right decision. “I need you to find out what’s going on.” She rubbed her head, trying to collect her thoughts. “I didn’t taste anything strange in my soda water, but that had to be what was used to drug me. I didn’t eat anything after our breakfast.” Her drink had already been delivered to the table by the time she and Bill had returned from the private area, but after that, she hadn’t left her seat. “Jasper was near my glass when he came to get his cigarettes and lighter.”
She frowned… Could it have been him? Or Bill, who had knocked her glass in that moment, as well? Could he have been hiding the fact that he was dropping drugs into her drink? She’d like to think that she would have noticed, but she wasn’t exactly on high alert at that point. It was a rookie mistake and so unlike her. Normally she would have ordered something fresh to be delivered while she was sitting there, but Bill had made such a big deal about getting her a fresh soda, and she had felt compelled to brush him off.
“Jasper suspects that we’re PIs.” Zane brow was so furrowed that the indent looked permanent.
“He does?” she croaked around the lump in her throat. So much for being stealthy. Jasper was definitely at the top of her list of suspects now. “So, it could have been him who slipped something into my drink.”
“Him, Bill, Elm, the server, the bartender.” Zane ticked the names off his fingers. “Maybe all of them. Someone drugged you to get you out of the way…to get me out of the way.” He curled his hand over hers. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”
“You have to!” It all made sense to Cammie. She’d been given a drug to incapacitate her because she and Zane had gotten too close to the truth.
“Captain Evans was here to check on you. Chief Ross is investigating.” Zane couldn’t pull off fake reassurance. He knew as well as she did that the security chief could not be trusted to get to the truth. So far, he’d been negligent in following up on anything that involved Cammie.
“You need to find out what’s going on, Zane. You do.” She flipped her hand over so she could entwin her fingers with his. “I’ll be okay. I’ll have my phone. I’ll call you if anything happens.”
“Miss Sheppard, I’m so happy to see you awake!” Ben came into the room with a wheelchair. “I was so worried about you.” He flipped his hair out of his eyes.
“Thanks for helping me, Ben.” Cammie tried for a smile, but even moving her face hurt her muscles. “You were there at the moment I needed you.”
“Oh, gosh, right place, right time.” He waved his hand. “I’m just happy that I could help.”
“Ben is going to take you to your room if that’s okay, Miss Sheppard.” The nurse lowered the side rail of her bed. “I’ll come up to check on you in a few hours.”
Zane helped her out of the bed, then carried her effortlessly to the wheelchair. “You’re sure?” He asked as he leaned into her. “You don’t want me to come?”
Cammie shook her head. “I’m okay. Promise.”
“I’ll take care of her, Mr. Roberts.” Ben put his hand on her shoulder, and she reached up to pat him there. “All she has to do is pick up her phone and I’ll be in her room within seconds.”
“I’m good.” And she was. She just needed to sleep a little bit more.
Zane looked from Ben to Cammie, his expression full of indecision, but then something seemed to click and he squared his shoulders. “You call me if you need anything.”
