Page 49 of Rescued By Four Alphas
"What?" I try to sit up, but my limbs feel like they're made of lead. "What are you talking about? Who couldn't get to me?"
The room seems to be spinning slightly, and I realize with growing horror that something is very wrong. "Did you... Did you drug me?"
I try to call out for Leo and Axl, but my voice comes out as barely a whisper. My body feels disconnected from my mind, and I can't seem to coordinate my movements. The ultrasound gel on my belly feels cold and somehow wrong.
"How could you do this to me?"
"I'm so sorry, Dahlia," Dr. Marianna says, and now the tears in her eyes are flowing freely. "I'm so sorry."
The world goes dark.
Chapter 14 - Leo
"It's been ten minutes," I announce, checking my watch. "Time's up."
Axl nods, pushing himself off the wall where he's been leaning. "Something feels off about this whole thing. Did you see how nervous she was acting?"
"Yeah." I move toward the door, my instincts on high alert. "Dahlia said she trusted her, but my gut says otherwise."
I knock firmly on the office door. "Dahlia? Dr. Marianna? We're coming in."
Silence.
Axl and I exchange a look. "Maybe the ultrasound machine is loud?" he suggests, but his voice lacks conviction.
I knock again, harder this time. "Dahlia!"
Nothing.
"Fuck this." I grab the door handle and push it open with enough force that it bangs against the wall.
The office is empty.
"What the hell?" Axl rushes past me, checking behind the desk, under it, anywhere they could be hiding.
I scan the small space frantically. The examination table still has the ultrasound gel on it, as if someone had been using it moments ago. Dr. Marianna's white coat hangs on its usual hook. Her stethoscope sits on the desk. But there's no sign of either woman.
"How is this possible?" Axl spins around, his face pale. "We were right in front of the fucking door! No one came out!"
I pull out my phone and hit Rodriguez's number. "Code blue," I bark the moment she answers. "Dahlia is missing. Lock down the entire building. Nobody fucking leaves."
"Sir, what do you mean by missing? We have eyes on all exits..."
"I mean, she's fucking gone!" I roar onto the phone. "Check every room, every closet, every broom cupboard. Now!"
I hang up and start tearing apart the office. I check the small bathroom attached to the examination room, throw open every cabinet, even look behind the heavy curtains. Nothing.
"Leo!" Axl calls out from behind Dr. Marianna's desk. "You need to see this."
I rush over to where he's staring at Dr. Marianna's open laptop. The screen shows a security monitoring system with multiple camera feeds.
"That bitch," Axl snarls. "She was watching the entire health center. This is not a one-day plan, man."
My blood turns to ice as I look at the grid of camera feeds. "Click on the one showing her office."
Axl's fingers fly over the keyboard, pulling up the footage from Dr. Marianna's office. We watch horror as the events of the last twenty minutes play out on screen.
There's Dahlia, lying on the examination table with ultrasound gel on her belly. Dr. Marianna moves the wand around, and we can see them talking, though there's no audio. Dahlia appears excited about something; she's laughing and crying at the same time.
