Someone just tried to kill Ricardo. And from the look of it, they almost succeeded.
Resolve chills my veins to ice. My fists bunch my skirt. I’m going to figure out who is behind all of this shit, and I’m going to make them pay. I lock eyes on Ricardo’s face. Memorize every curve and line. I want to commit it to memory so I can feed on this image later, when I’m foisting justice on the bastard who did this to Ricardo.
Bodyguard Steve examines the surveillance room inch by inch without touching anything. There’s nothing there. No loose powders or weapons or traces that indicate that someone else has been in this room in the past few hours. “Are you sure he doesn’t have any underlying conditions?” The man asks, glancing at me from where he’s standing in the middle of the small room, scanning the walls with a practiced eye.
I shake my head, my fingers itching to touch Ricardo. Sitting here doing nothing makes me feel helpless. My eyes flash as an idea hits. Digging my black leather gloves out of my clutch, I slip them on. Ignoring Bodyguard Steve’s shaking head, I pull Ricardo’s head into my lap and stroke his soft curls. My eyes sting as they rove over his face. He’d look serenely asleep if his mouth didn’t look like he recently made out with a blue popsicle. Doesn’t that mean he’s lacking oxygen? But how could that be?
One of the on-duty security guards comes jogging down the hall toward us. “What’s going on here?”
Bodyguard Steve fills him in.
I tune them out, focusing on the boy lying perfectly still on the floor. Hoping it doesn’t end like this. Whatever it is.
My gloved fingers work through Ricardo’s hair. I wish I could slip off my gloves and caress his tresses with my bare hands. A quick scan of his face makes hope alight in my chest. I’m pretty sure his lips aren’t as blue as they were.
“Hey, Ricardo,” I whisper, hoping the men can’t hear me. “Wake up. I’m not done arguing with your stupid face yet. Plus, you have to be around so I can beat you to that internship in Daddy’s office. It won’t be as fun winning if you’re not the one I’m beating. And… and Kenneth isn’t jealous enough yet.” Not the real reasons I want him to wake up, but I can’t bring myself to say them aloud, even if he can’t hear me. “Also, Adrienne will never forgive you if you leave.” Still not the real reason. “I won’t forgive you either.” I swallow. There it is. The truth. I will never forgive Ricardo if he leaves me like this. It’s just not right. I refuse to examine why there’s a deep desperation churning through me at the possibility of losing him right now.
A warm hand reaches up and gently takes my wrist. “So, you kind of like me, huh?” His voice is hoarse from disuse.
My eyes fly to Ricardo’s dark, luscious eyes, which are open and sparkling up at me.
“Ugh, you’re the actual worst.” I swat at his chest, but he catches my other hand. Doesn’t let go.
“I absolutely do not like you. At all,” I lie.
“You do,” he murmurs, not taking his eyes off mine. A sly smile apparent in his features.
“No comment.”
He coughs out a chuckle and tries to sit up.
I shove him back down into my lap. “Stay down until the paramedics get here.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Taking my hands again, he pulls them down around his neck and covers them with his own.
My brain is jumping through hoops trying to figure out why having my arms around Ricardo like this feels so comfortable, so right. There can only be one conclusion.
I am in deep trouble.
Mercifully, Bodyguard Steve interrupts my introspection. “How often does someone clean the air vents?”
The security guard shakes his head, but Bodyguard Steve doesn’t take his eyes off the AC vent high on the wall above the desk. Mumbling something under his breath, the bodyguard climbs onto the desk and, taking a multi-purpose tool out of his pocket, tests the screws in the vent cover. “Strange. These are already loose.”
He’s got my full attention now, despite Ricardo’s thumbs swirling across my palms. I can’t look away as Bodyguard Steve works to pull out the screws, pocketing them.
The scrape of the vent cover being pried off the wall makes me wince. The bodyguard hands the cover to the man below him