palms down like he's herding a lost calf.
"Where the hell am I?" My voice comes out unusually fast and high-pitched.
"You're at SF General." He remains calm which only freaks me out further.
"Why?"
"We found you unconscious on Arthur Morganna's island." His brow furrows and his voice is solemn, but he can't be serious.
I don't even know Arthur Morganna. I've heard of the famous model manager, but I've never met him. Mace is such a liar. I can't trust anything he says. I try to dash past him, but he stops me with his strong hands on my upper arms. It stings like he's piercing my skin with needles.
"Whoa, turbo. You're not going anywhere."
I try to get my arm up near his face so I can throat punch him, but he's holding me in the iron-clad grips of his massive hands.
"Let me go!"
He wraps his trunk-like arms around my chest and pulls my back to his front. Tiny sparks explode from my skin like I've walked through a windstorm and slid down a metal slide. If I wasn't so weak I could think of a way to disable him, but I'm a mess right now. My arms and legs aren't listening to my brain. The heat from his body penetrates my skin, and I realize I'm wearing a hospital gown with the back open. No underwear. My naked butt is hanging out and scratching against the rough denim of his jeans.
He leans down and his deep voice vibrates in my ear. "Chill."
Gah! I hate him and his bossy voice. He's in total control over this situation, and I'm at his mercy. I want to fly through the roof to get away from him.
"You're still amped up."
"Amped up from what?"
Two nurses come in and pause when they see us in a clinch. He releases me, and I rush over to them. The IV cord pulls out and blood splashes onto the floor. "Oh my God. I'm bleeding."
I can't stop staring at the bright red plasma pumping from my arm. I know blood is red, and I've bled before, but it's never been as vivid as this. Mace turns away and pulls his hair back as the nurses snap into action to reinsert the tube.
They guide me back to the bed and reattach the IV. "How are you feeling?" One of them talks to me while the other finishes cleaning up the blood.
"My arms and back are stinging. I have a headache. My hands won't stop shaking."
"Withdrawals. Drug overdose," Mace says in an accusatory tone.
"I don't do drugs. You're lying. He's a liar." I point at him and talk to the nurses like they are police officers.
"Do you want us to ask him to leave?" The nurse glances from me to him. She doesn't seem to be concerned with his presence and continues working on my arm. That's probably because he's so handsome no sane woman would throw him out of bed.
Mace stands silent in the corner, his face unreadable and brooding. Considering he's the only one who seems to know what's going on here, I probably shouldn't kick him out. "No." I hate it, but I need to deal with him.
"We'll send in your doctor." The nurses leave. I glare at Mace and cross my arms over my chest.
"Don't mess up the tubes again," he says as he folds down into his seat.
"Don't tell me what to do. Tell me what's happening." I'm not interested in sparring with him. I just need to know what's going on, so I can get out of here.
"I told you. I found you unconscious in a room on Arthur Morganna's island. There were needles on the bed. We brought you here to save your life." He sounds indignant like it's my fault he had to rescue me.
"Huh." This whole story is not adding up. I didn't do drugs, and I wasn't on any island.
"What the hell were you doing there?" He goes into accusation mode like I'm a murder suspect.
My mouth opens but nothing comes out. I shouldn't have to defend myself right now. I need answers from him. "What were you doing on the island?" I don't even know what he's talking about, but I'm gonna fake it till I make it.
"Did Giselle bring you there or did you go yourself?" He fires off another accusatory question.
"I don't know."
"You're lying."
Gah! I don't know anyone named Giselle. I've never met Arthur Morganna. I can't process this all right now. My hands fly up to my hair. "This