unconscious. Quickly, Mac reached for her hands. The gloves were on .
Thank god.
He’d just been about to lift her head when he heard a loud thud behind him. Mac immediately swiveled his head to see Geoffrey–sprawled several yards away, not far from another sliding door. Like some clown act, his shorts were around his ankles. He clutched at them and tried to get up at the same time.
Mac jumped to his feet.
“I didn’t do it!” Geoffrey screamed, putting a hand up in defense.
A roar of pure animal rage erupted from deep in Mac’s chest and he launched.
Geoffrey’s face went white.
“I didn’t have sex!” Geoffrey screamed, his voice impossibly high. Mac was barely aware of the sound of ripping fabric as he yanked Geoffrey up by the back of his collar and dragged him to the deck railing. “ No! ” Geoffrey wailed. “I didn’t–” Mac slammed Geoffrey’s face into the wood. He grabbed a fistful of hair to keep Geoffrey on his feet and yanked his head back. “No,” Geoffrey tried to say around the blood pooling in his mouth.
Even as Geoffrey’s legs sagged, Mac’s entire body trembled with fury. But as he was about to throw Geoffrey’s head down again, Mac realized he heard something. Water dripping. He looked down. Urine was leaking from Geoffrey’s white briefs. Though Mac let Geoffrey sink to his knees, he kept a hold of his hair. Blood poured from his flattened nose and one of his eye teeth was broken.
In the distance, Mac heard the faint sound of multiple sirens and glanced back at Isabelle, who hadn’t moved.
Mac’s jaw tightened so hard his teeth crunched together. As though he were a rag doll, Mac dragged Geoffrey to the lounge where Isabelle lay. He shook Geoffrey’s head viciously.
“What did you do to her,” Mac snarled. “Is it botulism?”
Blood from Geoffrey’s mouth and nose spattered everywhere.
“What?” he said, sounding like he had a cold. “I don’t… No! ”
“Goddammit,” Mac said, putting his mouth right next to the man’s ear. “If you don’t tell me what you did to her, I’m going to rip the lips off your face .”
“Roofie,” Geoffrey said, through the swelling in his mouth, his broken tooth whistling. “ Roofie .”
Mac glared down at him, incredulous.
The date rape drug?
His fist tightened in Geoffrey’s hair and, for a moment, he nearly dragged him back to the deck railing. But, to Mac’s astonishment, the man’s face suddenly screwed up and he cried.
As Mac scowled in revulsion, he let Geoffrey go with a rough shove and turned back to Isabelle.
A roofie. If she’d had it with alcohol …his eyes landed on a glass that had rolled up against a leg of the lounge.
As Geoffrey curled into a fetal position, Mac snatched up the glass and took a sniff. A roofie would be odorless but not alcohol. The two together could be deadly, especially for someone Isabelle’s size. But the glass only smelled of something fruity. No alcohol. Quickly, Mac stooped over Isabelle, lowered the hem of her skirt, and folded the ripped halves of her blouse over her chest. He lay the glass down on her midsection and then gently picked her up behind the knees and shoulders.
Whether Geoffrey told the truth or not didn’t matter. Mac wasn’t going to take a chance. He headed toward the sound of the sirens.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“MAC, REALLY,” ISABELLE said for probably the fourth time. “I’m fine .”
If she’d have let him, he’d have carried her up the stairs. He was nearly doing that now with his arm around her waist. They stopped in front of the apartment’s front door as Mac took the keys from his pocket and unlocked it.
“The doctor said it could be as many as twelve hours,” Mac said, shepherding her through the door.
She wore his jacket, had actually woken up underneath it in the back of an ambulance. Though she’d been disconcerted and groggy, she hadn’t felt nauseous or even dizzy. Even so, Mac had insisted on a blood test. Several
Thank god.
He’d just been about to lift her head when he heard a loud thud behind him. Mac immediately swiveled his head to see Geoffrey–sprawled several yards away, not far from another sliding door. Like some clown act, his shorts were around his ankles. He clutched at them and tried to get up at the same time.
Mac jumped to his feet.
“I didn’t do it!” Geoffrey screamed, putting a hand up in defense.
A roar of pure animal rage erupted from deep in Mac’s chest and he launched.
Geoffrey’s face went white.
“I didn’t have sex!” Geoffrey screamed, his voice impossibly high. Mac was barely aware of the sound of ripping fabric as he yanked Geoffrey up by the back of his collar and dragged him to the deck railing. “ No! ” Geoffrey wailed. “I didn’t–” Mac slammed Geoffrey’s face into the wood. He grabbed a fistful of hair to keep Geoffrey on his feet and yanked his head back. “No,” Geoffrey tried to say around the blood pooling in his mouth.
Even as Geoffrey’s legs sagged, Mac’s entire body trembled with fury. But as he was about to throw Geoffrey’s head down again, Mac realized he heard something. Water dripping. He looked down. Urine was leaking from Geoffrey’s white briefs. Though Mac let Geoffrey sink to his knees, he kept a hold of his hair. Blood poured from his flattened nose and one of his eye teeth was broken.
In the distance, Mac heard the faint sound of multiple sirens and glanced back at Isabelle, who hadn’t moved.
Mac’s jaw tightened so hard his teeth crunched together. As though he were a rag doll, Mac dragged Geoffrey to the lounge where Isabelle lay. He shook Geoffrey’s head viciously.
“What did you do to her,” Mac snarled. “Is it botulism?”
Blood from Geoffrey’s mouth and nose spattered everywhere.
“What?” he said, sounding like he had a cold. “I don’t… No! ”
“Goddammit,” Mac said, putting his mouth right next to the man’s ear. “If you don’t tell me what you did to her, I’m going to rip the lips off your face .”
“Roofie,” Geoffrey said, through the swelling in his mouth, his broken tooth whistling. “ Roofie .”
Mac glared down at him, incredulous.
The date rape drug?
His fist tightened in Geoffrey’s hair and, for a moment, he nearly dragged him back to the deck railing. But, to Mac’s astonishment, the man’s face suddenly screwed up and he cried.
As Mac scowled in revulsion, he let Geoffrey go with a rough shove and turned back to Isabelle.
A roofie. If she’d had it with alcohol …his eyes landed on a glass that had rolled up against a leg of the lounge.
As Geoffrey curled into a fetal position, Mac snatched up the glass and took a sniff. A roofie would be odorless but not alcohol. The two together could be deadly, especially for someone Isabelle’s size. But the glass only smelled of something fruity. No alcohol. Quickly, Mac stooped over Isabelle, lowered the hem of her skirt, and folded the ripped halves of her blouse over her chest. He lay the glass down on her midsection and then gently picked her up behind the knees and shoulders.
Whether Geoffrey told the truth or not didn’t matter. Mac wasn’t going to take a chance. He headed toward the sound of the sirens.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
“MAC, REALLY,” ISABELLE said for probably the fourth time. “I’m fine .”
If she’d have let him, he’d have carried her up the stairs. He was nearly doing that now with his arm around her waist. They stopped in front of the apartment’s front door as Mac took the keys from his pocket and unlocked it.
“The doctor said it could be as many as twelve hours,” Mac said, shepherding her through the door.
She wore his jacket, had actually woken up underneath it in the back of an ambulance. Though she’d been disconcerted and groggy, she hadn’t felt nauseous or even dizzy. Even so, Mac had insisted on a blood test. Several
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