Chapter 30

I've never feltfear like this in my life.

Up to this point, my worst moment was watching my brother get dragged off to jail. The fear and confusion on his face was one of the most difficult things I've ever had to face, and it doesn't even come close to the pure panic I feel right now.

As Lux slumps against me, I look up at Ash. "What the fuck did you give her?"

I can't help but throw out accusations, even though, deep down, I know this shit is my fault. If I hadn't been so determined to prove a point with Jen, Lux wouldn't even fucking be here, let alone drinking to the point of passing out.

Ash looks just as terrified as I feel. He holds his hands up in surrender. "I don't know, dude. She drank something from a red solo cup, then immediately started acting weird."

Fuck.

I pick Lux up, and sling her over my shoulder, then flick my chin at a red solo cup on the ground. "Is this the cup?"

"Yeah."

"Grab it," I order him.

He snatches the cup off the ground. "Where are you taking her?"

"To the hospital, idiot," I snap, heading toward the side of the house, so we can avoid the chaos inside. Ash follows me along the narrow path that leads to the front. A few people are walking toward us, and I yell, "fucking move" as we make our way past them.

When we get to the front, I take Lux to my car, which is parked in front, blocking the driveway. It's not an official parking spot, but the risk of a $200 parking ticket is worth the convenience of parking right in front.

I fish my keys out of my pocket, then toss them at Ash. He catches them with a question on his face.

"You're driving," I tell him.

He doesn't argue, and we get into the car. I stay in the back with Lux as we make our way to the hospital, which is less than ten minutes away.

We're seen immediately, and because of my family connections, we're ushered into a private room. I force Ash to stay, so he can explain what happened. Once that's done, though, I practically push him out the door.

He says something about keeping him posted, but I just grunted and fell back into the hard plastic chair next to Lux's hospital bed. I'm angry at Ash for letting this happen, but if I'm really being honest, I'm more angry at myself. I'm such a fucking idiot. I never should have left that restaurant with Jen.

Sitting back in the chair, I just stare at Lux. She was assessed when she was first admitted to the emergency room, and the doctors assured me she was stable. She'd been drugged, so they gave her fluids, and then cleared her to be discharged. Apparently, there's not much we can do but wait it out.

We're home now, and Lux is in my bed, burrowed beneath the heap of pillows and blankets. I'm sitting in a chair, next to the bed, seething inside, my mind returning to the image of her in that hospital bed. Who would dare hurt her?

Steepling my fingers, I touch them to my lips, my chest constricting tighter with every breath. According to Ash, she'd left her drink inside, unattended, so he didn't see who'd laced it. Fuck. I have so many thoughts and emotions twisting inside my head, that I can't even think straight.

My gaze drifts over Lux's sleeping form. She's beautiful, even unconscious, her long lashes resting on the curve of her cheeks. She looks so vulnerable, so unbearably defenseless that it guts me.

Coward.

Worthless.

I close my eyes and swallow hard. I should have been there. Regardless of who did this—and will find out who the cunt is—I should have fucking been with her.

I remind myself that I'm supposed to hate this girl. But the things I know about her, and the things I'm discovering about her, are tearing me up inside, and for the first time since this whole thing began, I wonder if I can do what needs to be done…