Page 121 of Tempting the Player
“Don’t look at me like that. You’ve been fucking everything up for Mackenzie. Before you came around, she was the one everyone came out to hear. Tonight could have been a big break for her.”
I can’t seem to make sense of anything he’s saying and my pulse is racing.
“I tried to warn you to leave town. I just wanted you to go, but you wouldn’t listen. You were supposed to drink the water before the show. Everyone would think you were too drunk to go on, and Mac would get her moment to shine. I should have known you were going to find some other way to fuck everything up.”
“Mac was in on this?” I don’t know why that makes it feel worse, but it does.
“Don’t be stupid. She has no idea. No one does. And it’s going to stay that way. I did what I had to do. Anyone in my shoes would have done the same. Mac’s my girl. I’d do anything for her.”
I might have thought that was a sweet sentiment if he weren’t so deranged.
“I don’t feel so well. Maybe we should call someone.” I’ve never done drugs. I was always afraid that I’d be one of those rare cases where the first time I tried a drug, I’d die from some weird, one in a million reaction. Highly unlikely? Probably, but I’d never been tempted enough to test my luck.
“You’re going to be fine.” His gaze narrows. “Drink some more water.”
“Where’s my phone? I should at least let Hendrick know where I am or he’ll worry.” Each word burns my throat and is barely audible.
“No. No one can ever know about this. Got it?” He leans in closer. “If you tell anyone—”
“I won’t,” I croak out. I don’t need to hear the end of that sentence to feel the darkness of his threat. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip to stop it from quivering. “You could just take me home. I won’t tell anyone what happened.”
I just want to be in Hendrick’s bed with his arms wrapped around me, telling me everything is going to be okay. He must be so worried. Well, maybe. I don’t have any concept of time. Have I been here minutes or hours? I know Hendrick, and he’ll have figured out by now that I’m missing, but how will he know to look for me here?
A knock on the apartment door makes Ted freeze, but hope blooms in my chest.
“Don’t say a word,” he warns before he moves across the room and then down the steps that lead to the front door. It’s a second-story unit, but the entrance is ground-level. I remember thinking I liked that setup the last time I was here, now it’s preventing whoever is at the door from seeing me.
The door creaks open and Lennon’s voice carries up the stairs. “Hey, man. I tried to call a bunch of times. I thought we were going to Prickly Pear?”
“Sorry,” Ted replies. “Something came up. I’m not going to be able to make it. I’ll call you tomorrow.”
No, no, no. Don’t go. I open my mouth, but my voice is quiet and hoarse. I drag my feet along the floor to get them underneath me, then try to stand.
“Wait.” Lennon laughs uncomfortably. “Is everything okay? You look like shit.”
I manage to get to my feet while they continue to talk, but my legs are so wobbly, and my head is still spinning. I scan the room, looking for something to help me. Maybe I could go out onto the balcony, but it’s too far to jump and my coordination is shit anyway.
My heart races when I see Ted’s cell phone on the counter. If I could just text Hendrick or maybe I should call the police. This is all too much to make sense of right now. Ted drugged me and then took me to his apartment so no one would know, but he wouldn’t hurt me, right?
A full body shiver crawls up my spine. The Ted I thought I knew wouldn’t have, but I wouldn’t put anything past this version.
Ted and Lennon continue to go back and forth. The latter presses him, but Ted just grows more irritated.
“I said everything is fine. Go hang out with your geek friends, Len.” The door shuts, kicking up my pulse another notch.
It’s now or never. I shuffle as fast as I can to the kitchen counter. Each step is painful and the room sways in a way that makes my stomach churn. My fingers wrap around the cell phone with a jolt of relief. It’s locked, but I hit the emergency call button.
“What the fuck?” Ted’s voice slices through the apartment and his footsteps pound up the remaining steps, closing the distance between us. He takes the phone from me. “You were gonna call the fucking cops?”
“I just want to go home.” My eyes fill with tears and my stomach cramps so hard it sends me doubling over in pain. Bile rises up my throat and I heave onto the carpet.
Ted jumps back, curses again, then grabs me by the arm. He drags me into the bathroom and shoves me toward the toilet. My legs collapse and I fall hard onto the floor, hitting my head against the vanity on the way.
He curses again but leaves me alone.
My breaths come in quick, shallow bursts. Panic and anxiety coarse through me.
You’re okay. You’re okay. You’re okay.I lie to myself until the panic abates.
