“Yeah, Princess.” Regret filled his tone, his back teeth crushing together with a tight, almost painful swallow. “They really did.”
Tears formed, causing her pretty blue eyes shimmer beneath the room’s fluorescent light, making him want to tear through the city of Chicago until he found the son of a bitch responsible and made him pay.
Clayton Yorke.
The name popped into Brody’s head almost instantly. It was one he’d be passing along to Liam—the team’s tech analyst—as soon as he had the chance to make the call.
“I thought…” Ro spoke up again, her hands fidgeting nervously in her lap. “I thought I just hadn’t had enough to eat.” She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. “I can’t believe…I mean, I never even realized...”
“None of us did,” Brody reminded her.
You should have known.
“Aurora, are you familiar with the symptoms of ingesting a drug like flunitrazepam?”
“I’m assuming amnesia is in there somewhere, since I can’t remember the last hour I spent at the bar, the ride home, crashing on the couch…” A pinkish hue filled her cheeks as she sent him a quick, sideways glance.
Brody knew she was embarrassed about having been so out of it in front of him the night before. Was probably still wondering if she’d removed her top while he’d been watching, since they never got to finish that particular conversation.
You need to tell her. Ro’s your friend, and she deserves to know the truth.
Dread filled his gut, because yeah. He did need to come clean about last night. Including his part in it.
“Amnesia is one of the most common side effects, yes. But as you know, the victims in these cases don’t realize they can’t remember until the next day. I’m talking about the way you feel when the drug first begins taking effect.” When Ro stayed quiet, the thirty-something doctor began listing off the other symptoms. “Weakness, fatigue, slurred speech, loss of motor coordination, visual impairment… Any of those sound like anything you’ve experienced in the past?”
“Sounds like when I’ve had too much to drink.”
“Exactly.” The kind woman put a hand to Ro’s shoulder. “Please understand, nothing about this was your fault, Aurora. Or yours.” Rawlins turned her blue gaze to Brody’s. “Unfortunately, I see this sort of thing a lot. Always different women. Different bars. Different drugs.” Her disgust toward the assholes who did this sort of thing was obvious. “But in each of those cases—and with yours—theonlyones at fault are the sick bastards who get off on assaulting women incapable of fighting back.”
There was a bite to her words that made Brody wonder if maybe she had more history with this sort of thing than just from her patients. But that wasn’t his business, and his focus needed to stay on Ro. She was what mattered here.
The only thing that mattered.
Speaking of Ro…
He took in her tense form. For the first time since arriving at the E.R., the tension in her gorgeous face seemed to lessen slightly. For that alone, Brody decided he really liked Dr. Kerrigan Rawlins. But the other woman’s words did little to appease his own guilt.
Becauseheshould have known something wasn’t right with Ro last night. The signs were all there. But his head had still been so wrapped up with thoughts of wanting to beat Clayton Yorke’s ass, he hadn’t seen them.
Not when she’d started to sway and slur. Not when she’d nearly fallen asleep in his truck on the drive to her house. He hadn’t even suspected something more than alcohol was involved when she’d taken off her shirt and kissed him.
Jesus.
The woman had unknowingly been roofied, and instead of recognizing the signs, he’d fuckingkissedher.
I’m so sorry.
“For what?” Ro slid off the bed and reached for the olive green jacket she’d worn here. “Wereyouthe one who slipped something into my drink?”
Shit. He hadn’t meant to apologize out loud. Not here, and not in front of a doctor they’d only just met. But he had, and then she’d said—
“Are you seriously asking me that right now?” He shot her an incredulous frown.
“No.” She started putting the jacket on, first one sleeve and then the other. “I’m pointing out that you didn’t drug me; therefore you have nothing to apologize for. I’m just glad you drove me home when you did.”
Me, too, Princess. But you’re wrong about the other. I have a lot to apologize for.
“The good news is,” Dr. Rawlins spoke up again, “you don’t seem to be feeling any further effects from the drug, and by this point, you shouldn’t. In fact, it’ll completely clear your system within a few days.”