Kresley had been quietly standing by Cade’s side, listening to his deep baritone voice talk and felt contentment along with some butterflies in her stomach. What she was nervous about she didn’t know. But those butterflies soon turned into nausea. “I’m not sure. I don’t feel good.” And she didn’t feel good at all. She had barely sipped half of her second drink, but she was feeling drunk and it seemed to be getting worse as the minutes went on. Abruptly she doubled over in pain and let out a startled cry, reaching out to Cade for help and balance. She felt his hands go around her waist and hip and grip her urgently.
“Baby, what the hell? What’s wrong? Talk to me”, Cade commanded.
Groaning in pain and with nausea, Kresley couldn’t really answer him in words. Cade took matters into his own hands and stated he was taking her to the ER. He didn’t say this to anyone in particular, but the group as a whole. He swung Kresley up into his arms and headed out of the club, with Boomer, Boots and Ash quickly following behind him. Cade didn’t glance back to see if the girls were doing the same. Something was very wrong with his woman and he needed to figure this shit out quickly.
“Oh garsk, I fweel so fwunly Sade”, Kresley drunkenly stated, slurring her words. Cade looked at her with concern because she wasn’t even slightly drunk a few minutes ago, but now couldn’t even say two words right.
“Kresley, how much alcohol did you drink?”, Cade asked her as they arrived at his truck, putting Red on her feet for a few moments so he could grab his keys out of his pocket.
“Twfoo dinks, Thafs it”, Kresley slurred. Suddenly she bent over at the back of the truck and vomited everywhere. She groaned afterward, clutching her stomach and swaying on her feet. Cade looked at the other guys and silently asked the question he was afraid to say out loud.
Boomer looked at him for a moment, looked at the other guys, who were both firefighters and medics at the FD. They nodded as well, with Ash stating flatly to Cade and Boomer, “yep, her drink was drugged. Probably GHB if I had to guess by how she’s acting. Toxicology tests at the ER will help.”
A roar erupted from Cade and startled Kresley, who began crying and quivering uncontrollably. “Son of a bitch!” Cade exclaimed as he swept Kresley back up into his arms and carried her to the passenger door. Boomer was ahead of him and opened it for him to put her inside. She sat on the edge of the seat, looking at Cade with eyes wet with tears, blood shot from vomiting and sadness.
“Ifm sho sowrry Sade.” Kresley looked so pitiful, so sickly as she sat there in front of Cade and the guys. And she was apologizing, which only made Cade that much more upset, but not at her. Cade was livid at whoever dared do this to her. He took a few deep breaths before trying to speak.
Voice gentle, Cade stated to Kresley, “Baby, stop. You haven’t done anything wrong. But someone did and I’m going to nail their ass to the wall for daring to drug my girlfriend. Ass. To. The. Wall. Come on sweetheart, I’m getting you to the hospital. Let me buckle you up. There you go. Now lay back and try to relax. I’ll get you a bag in a sec in case you need to throw up again.” Cade soothingly talked to Kresley, smoothing her hair away from her face and wiping her tears away.
He closed the truck door and his demeanor abruptly changed as he looked towards the men around him. He barked orders at Boomer as he jogged around to the other side of the truck. “Boomer, I want surveillance video of this place inside and out and I want every bartender and server interviewed NOW. You got this?” He waited for his friend to nod his agreement and take off back towards the club, with Ash and Boots beside him. Damn good friends he was being blessed with, Cade thought.
He saw the sisters and Grace huddled nearby his truck, watching silently, worry and fear evident on their faces. “You girls alright? None of the rest of you feel like Kresley does?” They all shook their heads no, which only made Cade more furious. That meant Kresley was targeted. Alone. Son of a bitch! “I’m taking your sister to the ER so doctors can do tests and find out what she was given. Then I’m taking her back to my place so I can watch over her tonight and tomorrow. Do y’all have her purse?”
Francie quickly came over and gave Cade Kresley’s small purse that contained her wallet and phone. “I promise to take good care of her for y’all. I swear on my life no one is going to touch her in any way, shape or form again.” Cade grabbed a shopping bag from the back seat of his truck and emptied it of the candy he had bought for Kresley earlier, and got into his truck.
“Here baby, take this bag and throw up in it if you need to. I’m taking you to the ER now to get help. Don’t worry Kres, I’ve got you baby. Let me take care of you.” Kresley took the bag from him and lay there against the seat, eyes closed, with a pained look on her face.
Cade tore out of the club’s parking lot and drove fast towards the ER back in Mercy Springs. Kresley didn’t talk much during the drive and would groan with stomach pains every few minutes. Cade held tight to her hand and stroked it with his thumb over and over, trying to reassure her. It was one of the last things Kresley remembered before she passed out cold.
Chapter Fourteen
Kresley woke up with a
