10. Izzy

"Yara, get up!" I shook my friend aggressively, but she just grumbled.

"Don't feel good," she garbled out.

I sighed dramatically. "It was only one bottle of wine and we split it, you are not abandoning me for this."

Yara shot up suddenly and ran to the bathroom. The retching noises were unmistakable.

"You're not pregnant, are you?" I followed Yara and found her a puddle of misery hugging the toilet. Been there, done that. I held her hair and stroked her back as she shuddered.

"Shut up," she gurgled out weakly.

My concern sky-rocketed, this didn't seem normal. Usually she would puke and rally, but this felt like something else. "You're not actually pregnant, are you?"

Yara's response was to vomit into the toilet.

I was officially worried. "Can I get you anything?"

"No." The word echoed around the porcelain.

"You're not going to make it, are you?"

Another dry heave. The noise had me swallowing down my own nausea. Maybe this was a sign I should just bail on the reunion.

And my plans after.

"I'm not. I can't be around those hellions in this condition. I woke up in the middle of the night like this, but I was hoping it would go away." She managed to get the full sentence out before her dry heaving continued. "You are still going through with it. Both things. I have another room booked for you, under an alias. There is a packet I want you to read and an NDA you need to sign. You need this." More puking.

How could I argue with my friend as she became one with the hotel toilet?

Fuck. I was really going to do this. "Okay." I whispered the word.

"Good. In my bag, the folder labeled Come to Bed," Yara yakked out.

I stopped stroking her back, if she wasn't in this condition, I might hit her. "You know, you are going to catch these hands. How did you know what my plans were?"

"You forget, I am your best friend and I know everything. Now leave me to my misery. Nothing to do but wait till this passes. Throw me one of those fifty-dollar bottles of water from the mini bar first though, would you?"

"You've got jokes." I used my hair tie to put her hair back the best I could, so it would not endure the radioactive waste below. The smell of vomit permeated the space and I needed to exit this room. Now.

I grabbed one of the unnecessarily expensive hotel water bottles and rolled it to her. "Feel better. You got your phone in case you need me?"

She pulled back from the toilet long enough to lift her phone and wave it at me. "You mean if you need me? If you bail on tonight, just know I will never let you live it down." She made another disgusting noise before plummeting back to her new home below.

I could not handle any more of that and shut the door with a slink.

"She okay?"

I jumped, turning around. "How does your massive frame always sneak up on me?"

Maddox leaned against the wall across from me. I had not even heard the giant enter. He pointed his thumb at the opened door across from my bed. "Adjoining rooms, not that hard."

That literally didn't explain anything, but that was Maddox. A man of few words.

"Sure. And she'll be fine, I think." I crossed the room to my suitcase. "You're still coming with us, right?" I tried to keep the anxiety out of my tone. I only had the singular plus one, but Maddox was on the list as Yara's since she didn't have anyone else she wanted to bring.

"Wouldn't miss it." His calculating eyes followed my every move. Maddox's military background and close friendship with Oliver made it so I always felt protected in his presence. Except right now. I felt like prey.

Like I was one of his targets. I couldn't understand why I was suddenly feeling that way.

I was beginning to think I was the problem, I kept feeling on edge for no apparent reason.

"What is it?" I finally asked.

"You haven't supplied your plans this evening."

I gulped and did my best to clear my face of emotion. When I agreed to let him be my driver all those years ago, I didn't realize he would act as if he were my bodyguard, too. That he would be with me any time I wasn't in my home or at work. "I uh, am going to meet an old friend."

"No." Maddox's steel gaze was unnerving as I tried to ignore it and take out my outfit for the evening instead. The sparkling rainbow dress was one of my favorite purchases and I knew I would need any support I could get this evening. Even if it was in clothing form.

"You're not my dad. That is Oliver's job if you haven't forgotten."

At that, Oliver stepped from the door adjoining our rooms. The room he and Maddox were sharing.

"What was that?" He surveyed the area. "And where is the gremlin?"

"She is currently occupied on a porcelain throne and will, unfortunately, not be making it." I stood up, dress in hand. "You both have 15 seconds to leave or catch an eyeful of chunk."

Neither made any indication of leaving. Oh well, I wasn't in the mood to argue. I turned and began to strip.

"Isobel." Oliver's tone was threatening. "What are you doing?"

I slid the Mumu over my head, it left me fully naked, but all they could see was my ass. They had seen more than that over the years. Hell, Maddox had walked in on me rubbing one out before and Oliver and I had gone skinny dipping several times back in high school. And besides that? Neither of them wanted me, it made it easier to be comfortable when I wasn't trying to impress either of the men.

I threw the Mumu over my shoulder in their direction. "Getting dressed." I tugged the sparkly sequined rainbow dress over my tits and then my ass.

Maddox let out a disgruntled noise.

I turned back to the men; their expressions were both stormy and I watched as they exchanged a look. "Not anything you both haven't seen before. Anyway, we ready to do this jazz?" I mustered up as much courage as I could.

They swapped one more unreadable look before they both jerked their heads in a nod.