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“Mr. Colter.”
At the female voice, I turned. Miranda was running up in a black, form fitting dress. It was elegant, and given the jewels she had on, it was clear she wasn’t working. From the direction she’d come, I knew she had been having dinner at the building’s restaurant.
“I need the cops here now. Lock this fucking place down. No one leaves.”
“What happened?”
“Poison. Who brought up our food? I want a name. I want footage of everyone who’s come and left this building in the last hour.”
Rian kept his fingers on Kody’s neck as his eyes searched the large room. “It was a man who gave it to me. Younger. Light skin, light hair.”
“Hold on. Ronnie.” Miranda waved over the man she’d shown up with. I was over six feet, but he had inches on me and at least fifty pounds. “No one goes out. Only authorities and EMS come in.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Tell Hillary to come here too.”
With a nod, he was off. My arms tightened, keeping Kody’s chest against mine as I stared at the profile of her ghostly face. Had she made a sound? Had she stirred in my arms? Something felt different.
“Wait.” Rian’s finger bounced around her neck. “Jase…Jase, put her down.”
“Hell no.”
“Jase, I’m serious; I can’t find her pulse. Put her down.”
Her pulse?
I lowered her body to the floor, replacing my fingers with his. Terror rolled through as I tried to focus and find a beat. Her lips were turning blue, and she was getting even more ghostly by the second.
“Fuck, she’s not breathing.”
“Hillary, find out for me who took up Mr. Colter’s food tonight. I want a name as fast as possible.”
As Miranda talked, her voice faded out. Sirens. I could hear them as I went down, breathing into Kody’s mouth. When I rose, Rian went right into chest compressions.
“Come on, baby. Kody, come back. Come on.”
I lowered, pinching her nose and breathing into her again. One breath. Two.
“Kody. Fight. Fight, dammit.”
Her body swayed with Rian’s movements. Time passed. Another set of breaths. Reality slowed. Nothing seemed real. I didn’t want it to be. I wanted to be back in the bathroom, bathing her. Kissing her. Loving her in every way possible. But I hadn’t stayed. I’d ran. I’d left her on her own. Sure, I wanted to find these sons of bitches who were behind this, but hadn’t I just promised I’d put her first? Hadn’t I made her promise that to me right in front of Rian, too?
A broken-up breath had my eyes flaring open. She coughed, her head rolling to the side.
“Oh, thank God. Hold on, baby. Stay with me.”
Boots pounded into the floor. I looked up watching everyone make room as the paramedics came through. I quickly turned to Rian, trying to hide my fury as I leaned in.
“You have your gun on you?”
“Always.”
“Play stupid on the food and poison. Go upstairs and sweep my apartment. I didn’t set the alarm when I ran out. Set it when you leave. And send me that fucking footage from Miranda the moment she has it. Stay with her. Make sure no one gets to her first. If he’s not here now, he was long enough to see you leave the elevator. Call Rush. Have him be on guard.”
“You got it.”
“Rian?” I stepped back as the paramedics took over with Kody. “Be absolutely aware of everything. Trust no one. One wrong move, blow their fucking brains out.” I stopped, fisting his shirt to pull him closer. “Better yet, hold them for me. They’ll wish they never tried to hurt what’s mine.”
