You're the Reason - J. Nathan Page 0,58

but then I don’t know how I got here.”

“An ambulance.”

“Did everyone see?” she cringed, clearly embarrassed by the idea of being taken out of a party on a stretcher.

“The cops pretty much cleared the house before you were even taken out.”

“The party got broken up?”

With a deep exhalation, I nodded. “Something like that. Do you know who drugged you?”

She shook her head.

“The cops think it was Ryan.”

Her lips twisted regrettably, as her eyes dropped away from mine. “I had a bad feeling.”

I shook my head, so blindsided by the news and angry that I hadn’t hit him harder. “He was alone with you in his room.”

She gasped.

“I’m pretty sure I got there before anything happened.”

Tears pooled in her eyes.

“Oh, Val. Don’t cry. You’re safe. He got arrested.”

“He did?”

I nodded. “Chase arrested him.”

Her face fell. “Oh my God, what?”

A nurse walked in. “You’re up,” she said with a smile, pulling our attention from one another. “How’s the head?” she asked as she checked Valerie’s monitors.

“Banging like a drum,” Valerie admitted.

“That’s to be expected.” She frowned. “I’m going to have to administer a rape kit on you.”

Valerie quickly looked to me.

I nodded. “You need to, Val. Just to confirm what we already know. Nothing happened.”

“Okay,” she said to the nurse.

“And,” the nurse hesitated, not wanting to say what she clearly had to say. “There are two officers here who’d like to speak to you.”

Unexpected dread crept into my body.

“Would it be okay if I let them in?” she asked. “Or do you want me to tell them to come back later?”

Valerie’s eyes cut to mine again in question.

I nodded. “Let’s get this over with.”

The nurse walked out into the hall.

Valerie looked to me. “Did you know he was a cop?”

I shook my head. “I’m as shocked as you.”

A uniformed police officer stepped through the door. I breathed a sigh of relief. Then, Chase in jeans and a black Henley stepped into the doorway and followed him into the room.

My eyes dropped away, suddenly realizing where he’d been all the times he’d disappeared. He’d been meeting up with his unit. He had this whole other life I had no knowledge of. Oh my God. Did he have a girlfriend? A wife? Bile inched up the back of my throat and I jumped to my feet. “I’ll be back,” I mumbled to Valerie as I scurried out of the room with my eyes on the floor.

I stepped into the hallway and closed my eyes, dragging in deep breaths.

“You okay, honey?” a nurse asked.

I nodded. “I’m fine.” But I wasn’t. Not even close. Chase hadn’t tried to call. He hadn’t tried to explain. It was clear I’d been part of the job. Part of the elaborate farce. And now he had no use for me.

Despite my broken heart, I needed to be there for Valerie. So, pulling in a breath and steeling my features, I walked back into the room.

All eyes shifted to me, but I kept mine on Valerie as I dropped back down into the chair.

“So, you didn’t see him slip anything into your drink?” the officer asked.

Valerie shook her head.

“But he gave you an open container?” Chase asked.

She nodded.

“How soon after did you start feeling groggy?” Chase asked.

“Almost immediately because I hadn’t had anything to drink up to that point. Then, my pulse started to race. I felt fidgety and sweaty. I knew something wasn’t right, so I called Sophia.” She looked to me. “Thank God she showed up when she did.”

I reached over and took her hand, holding it between mine.

“Has this ever happened to you before at Kappa Sigma?” the officer asked.

Valerie shook her head. “But I have heard other girls say they woke in guys’ beds with no recollection of how they got there. They just thought they were wasted. But now I don’t know.”

Chase shook his head and I could see he was angry. “I’m sorry I let this happen,” he said. “If I’d had solid proof sooner, my unit could’ve moved in and taken him down before you got caught up in his twisted game,” he explained.

Valerie shook her head. “You got him now.”

“If you remember anything else that might help us bring more charges against him, please don’t hesitate to call me or Officer Shaw,” the police officer said, placing his card down on the table beside Valerie’s bed.

Shaw? Chase’s last name was Shaw? Was his first name even Chase?

They turned and walked toward the door. The officer exited, but Chase stopped.

My chest tightened around my