Chapter 43

Chapter Forty-Three

K endall paced the living room, waiting for Alex to leave. She needed to call Brent, but she didn’t dare while Alex was home.

Police officers had been here. Alex had let them search her room . Because Brent and Russ had been here when she wasn’t. Russ had assaulted Alex.

It was crazy. Impossible.

But that wasn’t the reason she was ready to lose her mind. What had her freaked out was when she checked the nightstand, the vial of X wasn’t there.

Worse, she’d looked it up online and learned that X—MDMA—was a pill, not a liquid. GHB—the drug Russ Spaulding had on him the night of the party—was usually available as a clear liquid. Just like the vial Brent gave her before the party.

Was it the same vial? How did Russ get it? Why did Brent get GHB not X? Both drugs could be dangerous, but GHB was more so. GHB was used as a date rape drug because when mixed with alcohol, it could cause blackouts, leaving sexual assault victims with no memories of their attacker. Also when mixed with alcohol, even small doses could be fatal.

Had Russ really brought GHB to the party with the intention of drugging Alex? Or had the drugs been planted on him as he and Brent claimed, a ploy to get him fired?

Brent feared very much Russ would be fired. If that happened, Kendall could kiss her dream of a job at Talon the copy stayed in the book. A permanent record that contained every number they had ever needed. Because the message had been for her, she’d left the original in the spiral-bound book.

Now she ripped out the sheet and went to the old desktop computer she and Alex were desperate to replace before they had a catastrophic crash. She typed the number into a reverse telephone directory.

She stared at the screen, not sure if she was surprised or not.

“Where was she?” Brent asked.

“She called me from the Mayflower.”

“Did she give a room number?”

“Yes.”

“Call the hotel. Ask to be connected to that room. It’ll be Talon’s. He’s behind everything .”

She did as Brent said—there was no reason not to—and a man answered the phone on the third ring. “Mr. Talon?” she said, thankful that caller ID wasn’t available in hotel rooms.

“Yes?”

“Oh. Um. Will you be needing maid service today?”

“My room was already cleaned an hour ago.”

“Right. Sorry. My mistake.” She hung up as if the phone was on fire.

She took a deep breath. So. Alex had been with JT Talon last night. So what?

Sure, Talon had it in for Russ—and maybe even Brent—but that didn’t mean he would frame Russ for drugging Alex. That was ludicrous. Alex had spent last night with the guy, and she was fine today.

Or was she?

Was there any chance JT Talon had drugged her? One side effect of GHB was hallucinations. It would explain her claiming Russ and Brent had been here today.

Brent had denied it.

She picked up the phone to call Brent back, but there was a knock on the door.

T he Bethesda police officer was young. A year or two older than Kendall. His nameplate said WILLIAMS in all caps. “Can I help you, Officer?”

He gave her a smarmy grin that made her belly sink. This wasn’t going to be good.

“Ms. Gordon, I presume?”

“Yes?” She didn’t mean to make it a question, but her voice wouldn’t cooperate.

He cocked his head, his gaze scanning her from head to foot. “May I come in?”

Years of watching Law & Order told her to close the door, but the foolish idea that she could clear this all up in an instant had her opening the door wider. “Of course.”

He stepped into the apartment, then closed the door behind him, studying the lock. “New.”

Kendall’s throat was dry. “Yes. Alex changed the locks earlier today.”

“I was here earlier.”

“I presumed that. Why did you come back?”

The man gave an awful grin. “Because I saw the fingerprint results on the GHB vial taken from Russ Spaulding on Friday night.”

She cleared her throat. “What…what are you talking about?”

“I think you know, Ms. Gordon.” He reached for his belt. But instead of pulling a weapon, he unlatched it. “On your knees. Do a good job, and I can make this go away.”

“ What? ”

“You’re a smart woman. A graduate student in engineering. Don’t play dumb with me. On. Your. Knees.” He unzipped his fly.

“Whose fingerprints were on the vial?” she whispered.

“Yours.”

“How do you know they’re mine?” But she knew the answer. She’d been fingerprinted when she worked as a teacher aide at an elementary school years ago.

“Your prints are on file. We got more prints today when your roommate insisted we dust for prints after you gave your boyfriend a key without her permission.”

She’d given Brent the key, but never in her wildest dreams had she imagined this. Were her fingerprints really on the vial? Was it the same one he’d given her Friday night?

Or was this cop setting her up?

Brent loved her. He’d said so. She believed him. He’d never met anyone who made him feel like she did. They were going to have fun together with some consensual enhanced sex. Other people took X and talked about it like it was ice cream on Christmas while watching the most beautiful sunset and riding a roller coaster.

She’d wanted the fun with her boyfriend. The man who loved her. But instead, she was facing down a creepy cop in her living room.

“Don’t make me say it again. We can do this nice-like, or”—he grabbed her mouth and squeezed, making her jaw release—“I can make this less fun for you, but either way, if you don’t suck me off, that evidence is going to the district attorney. Your choice if you want to face time for colluding to drug and rape your roommate. Word to the wise, there was enough drug in that drink to kill her. So you could go down for attempted murder.”

She dropped to her knees.