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Chapter 11 (Ricardo)
I lean against the wall and ball my hands into fists as I wait for the mob doctor I hired to get off his laptop and give me some answers.
I keep my gaze solely on her, not wanting to take my focus off her until I know for sure that she'll be alright.
She's still passed out cold on the bed, looking so small and fragile it sends another wave of white hot rage rushing through me.
I was almost too late...I almost lost her.
Hell, I still might depending on what the test results are. She was obviously drugged...that's a given...but god only knows with what and how much.
“A small amount of alcohol, and a large amount of Rohypnol along with some traces of GHB were found in her system,” the doctor says, turning his attention to me now. “And based on her blood levels, I can only assume the perpetrator was an amateur, because not only did he use a large amount of one drug...he used two drugs in the same class to render the same outcome.”
He follows my gaze to her. “Now this is strictly speculation, but my guess is that based on the minimal amount of alcohol she consumed, he probably didn't think she was reacting fast enough to the first roofie he slipped her and grew impatient..so he decided to give her a dose of GHB along with another roofie, hoping to speed things along. Not taking into consideration that these drugs take a half hour or more to start taking effect.”
“Will she be okay?”
While I appreciate the science and thought out answers he's providing...there's one thing and one thing only that I'm interested in.
He nods. “Yes. She's going to be asleep for awhile...I'd say anywhere from the next 12-24 hours, maybe longer...and she'll be disoriented when she wakes up...but I see no reason she won't fully recover from this after a few days.”
He types something on his laptop. “She's otherwise physically healthy. Although...” his voice trails off and he looks at me again.
“What?”
“She won't remember anything that happened while she was drugged. She might not even remember much before she was drugged either. Therefore, it goes without saying that when she wakes up in a strange place—”
“What about her stab wound?” I grunt, cutting him off, because I didn't hire him to dish out moral advice.
He waves a hand. “It's fine, only required a few stitches.”
He starts gathering his things. “My guess, due to the lack of depth of the wound, is that he only did it because he saw you approaching and was trying to scare you.“
I suppose that explains why he said what he said right before he stabbed her then...he knew exactly who I was and who I was coming for. There's no doubt in my mind that he worked for not only the P.I. team that I hired...but the one her father hired as well. He was obviously going to play us against one another...see which one offered him the better deal in exchange for her.
Scumbag didn't suffer nearly enough.
I walk the doctor to the front door. “Make no mistake about it though, Mr.DeLuca...if you weren't there to stop the attack in the first place, I'm afraid things would have been much worse for her.”
He shakes my hand. “If you need anything else don't hesitate to give me a call. I'll be by in a few days to check on her.”
“Thank you.”
I close the door behind him and enter the code into the new security keypad that I had installed a mere few hours ago.
The one that's designed not only to keep people out...but to keep people in.
Well, one person in particular.
“She's go
“Yeah.” I brush past her but think the better of it. I know Marlene's scared of me, as she should be.
But I also know she has ulterior motives...based on the fact that I offered her one hell of a severance package four months ago and she refused to take it.
In fact—she pretty much begged me to stay.
Of course, I'm not an idiot—I knew Marlene's intentions better than anyone.
And I'd be lying if I said I never returned one of her flirtatious glances back in the day.
The days before Lou-Lou came barreling into my life like hell on heels.
Either way, Marlene's flirting, as well as mine; was always harmless ...because we both knew I wasn't her real target.
I saw the way she used to throw herself at my father...before she found out how evil he really was and it was too late for her to get out alive.
There was no doubt in my mind she was hoping for a better shot with me this time around—a shot I almost gave her one drunken night—before I came to my senses and made it clear that it was never going to happen.
No matter how loyal Marlene keeps claiming she is to me...there's only one woman on earth, or otherwise; that I want and will ever want.
And she's currently passed out in her new bedroom.
And Marlene needs to understand for once and for all that Lou-Lou comes before everything—and if she wants to continue her employment, as well as breathing—it's going to be her responsibility to watch and wait on Lou-Lou hand and foot, twenty-four-fucking-seven—for as long as I say.
Or at least until I contact the council again, make some kind of new deal with them—because I'm sure that's what they really want from me—and kill that piece of shit for good.
Marlene blinks nervously as I inch my way toward her, no doubt due to the sharp weapon I'm holding in my hand.
“W-what did I do?”
Her voice comes out both high pitched and shaky—a quality I like in my victims but not so much in my women.
Her teeth begin chattering when I hold the blade up to her neck and press down. “I'm s-sorry, Ric—” she starts to say before correcting herself. “Mr. DeLuca.”
I watch the small drop of blood drip down her neck and onto her uniform. “Do you remember what we talked about before?”
I grip her ponytail with one hand and flip the knife around in my other hand.
“Yes. You want me to watch after her.” She nods rapidly. “It's no problem at all. I'll take care of her, I p-promise.”
“Do you remember what else we talked about?”
When she hesitates, I slide the dull side of the knife down her sternum and she yelps frantically, “Yes, I'll never tell her that he's still alive. I swear I won't, you have my word.”
I give her a smile and ease my grip on her hair. “Good girl.”
She returns my smile...and that's when I flip the knife back around. “Because if you do?” I drag the knife down her flesh and she gasps. “I'll slice you.” I make another small gash. “Dice you.”
I tug her hair so hard I can feel her scalp throb. “And feed you your own skin right before I turn you into fish food...capisci?”
“I promise I won't,” she cries, sobbing so loud it echos in the large foyer of my mansion.
I take a handkerchief out of my suit pocket and throw it at her. “Glad we got that sorted. Now clean yourself up, I need a few minutes alone with her.”
She takes off in a flash and I walk back into Lou-Lou's bedroom.
I glance at my watch, remembering the doctor said she'd be asleep for the next 12-24 hours—which should give me plenty of time to take care of what I need to.
I sink down to my haunches beside the bed and run my thumb along her cheekbone before moving lower and caressing that plump bottom lip of hers that drives me so fucking crazy.
Christ, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful she is...even when those gorgeous doe eyes are closed.