Rescuing Jenna - Anna Blakely Page 0,18

in and out of focus.

“How much did you say drank tonight?”

“Jus…two.”

Why couldn’t she speak clearly? And why did she suddenly feel as if she was going to either pass out or throw up?

Something’s off. You shouldn’t feel this out of it from two drinks.

“Look at me.”

She did.

“Shit, Jenna.” Marie’s brows scrunched closer together. “Your pupils are the size of saucers. Did you take something?”

“Did I…what?”

“Drugs.” The other woman cupped Jenna’s face to hold her head still. Staring into her eyes with a nurse’s assessing glance, Marie spoke more sternly. “I’m asking if you took drugs.”

“No.” She shook her head vehemently before closing her eyes to stave off another wave of dizziness. “No way.”

The other woman let out a low curse. “That’s it. You’re going to the hospital.”

Jenna half-listened as Marie gave their driver instructions to take them to Gulfside Regional instead of the hotel. Panic began to set in.

She’d never done recreational drugs in her life, so the only way something could’ve gotten into her system would’ve been if she’d accidentally ingested it. Which made no sense.

All three nurses had eaten the same food from the same restaurant, so it couldn’t have been from their dinner. And she’d gotten her drinks straight from the bartender, so it couldn’t have been him.

Jenna willed her mind to focus as she thought back to earlier. Through the thick fog, she remembered that she’d ordered the first drink.

My friend thinks you’re pretty.

The bartender’s words echoed through her ears. At least that’s what she thought he’d said. For some reason, it was getting harder and harder to recall the night’s events.

Blinking to regain a sense of focus, she went back over the moments just before she’d been given the second drink. The bartender had walked over to the other side of the bar before coming back over to mix it. Which he’d done on the lower section of the bar—out of her line of sight—before handing it to her.

Another alarming thought struck. She’d tried putting the drink down, but the one guy had insisted she bring it with her onto the dance floor.

A gnawing feeling grew in her already churning gut. He wanted her to finish that drink. Had encouraged her while they’d danced to ‘drink up’.

There was only one reason she could think of for him to be that interested in her consumption.

Nausea rolled through her from the realization that the attractive man with the nice smile had most likely drugged her.

Oh, god. How could I be so stupid?

On the verge of passing out, Jenna knew she needed to tell Marie her suspicions about the guy, but her tongue felt too thick and heavy to get the words out.

Licking her numbing lips, she was about to try again when the cab’s interior became illuminated by a set of blinding beams. They were coming from Marie’s side of the cab…and they were getting closer.

“What the…” Marie started to turn toward her window.

A fraction of a second later, Jenna was thrown against her door. Her head hit the window with a hard thud as another vehicle rammed into the side of the cab—right where Marie was sitting.

The car they were in spun, the entire vehicle lifting from the ground a fraction of a second before landing back down with a thundering jolt.

Holy shit.

Holding the side of her head—because damn, that had hurt—Jenna did her best to bring Marie’s slumped figure into focus.

She wasn’t moving, and even in her altered state, Jenna could make out the blood running down the other woman’s face. The passenger window was broken, the fissures in the glass creating a spiderweb pattern from where Marie’s head had likely hit.

Ohmygod!

“Marie?” Jenna fumbled with her seatbelt. “Talk to…me. Are you…okay?”

Crap. If she felt nauseated before, it was nothing to the way she felt now.

Ignoring the incessant pounding in her head, Jenna fumbled to work the buckle holding her in place. Her fingers felt heavy. Numb. But she refused to give up. Finally, she heard the blessed click of its release.

With her medical training kicking in, she moved sluggishly across the seat to her friend. Lifting her weighted arm, Jenna pressed her fingertips to the side of Marie’s neck.

She found a pulse.

Thank God.

A low, muffled moan reached her ears, and at first, Jenna thought Marie was coming to. It didn’t take long for her to realize the sound had actually originated from the man behind the wheel.

Shit. She’d forgotten about the driver.

“Sir?” Jenna tapped on the plexiglass partition separating the front seat from the back.