Read Online In the Heat of the Spotlight by Kate Hewitt - Free Book Online
Authors: Kate Hewitt
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shame he felt. He hated locked doors. Hated that damning silence, the helplessness he felt on the other side, the creeping sense that something wasn’t right. Something was very, very wrong.
He got up from the bed, pulled up his trousers and buckled his belt, then headed over to the door.
‘Aurelie?’ No answer. His unease intensified. ‘Aurelie,’ he said again and opened the door.
As soon as he saw her Luke swore.
She stood in front of the sink, one arm outstretched, a fully loaded syringe in the other. Acting only on instinct, Luke knocked the syringe hard out of her hand and it went clattering to the floor.
Aurelie stilled, her face expressionless. ‘Well, that was a waste,’ she finally said, her voice a drawl, and bent to pick up the syringe.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
She eyed him sardonically. ‘I think the more important question is, what do you think I’m doing?’
He stared at her, confusion, fury and shame all rushing through him in a scalding river. This woman drove him insane .
Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t? He’d said he would. ‘It looks,’ he said as evenly as he could, ‘like you’re shooting yourself up with some kind of drug.’
Her lips curved in that way he knew and hated. Mockery. Armour. ‘You get a gold star,’ she said as she swabbed off the syringe with a cotton pad and some rubbing alcohol. ‘That’s exactly what I’m doing.’
And he watched as she carefully injected the syringe into the fleshy part of her upper arm.
Luke felt his hands clench into fists at his sides. ‘Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on here?’
She put the syringe away in a little black cosmetic bag. Luke glimpsed a few clear phials inside before she zipped it up and put it away. She gave a small, tired sigh. ‘Don’t worry, Bryant. It’s only insulin.’
She walked past him back into the bedroom, and Luke turned around to stare at her. ‘ Insulin? You have diabetes?’
‘Bingo.’ She reached for a fuzzy bathrobe hanging on the back of the door and put it on. Sitting on the edge of the bed, swallowed up by fleece, she looked young and vulnerable and so very alone.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘When should I have done that? When I was passed out on the dressing room floor, or after you dunked me in the sink?’
Slowly he walked into the bedroom, sank onto a chair across from her. He raked his hands through his hair, tried to untangle his tortured, twisted thoughts. ‘So when you were passed out in New York, it was because of low blood sugar?’ Just like she’d said.
‘I forgot to check my bloods before I went.’
‘That’s dangerous—’
She let out a short laugh. ‘Thanks for the warning. Trust me, I know. I’ve been living with diabetes for almost ten years. I was keyed up about the performance and I forgot.’ And then as if she realised she’d revealed too much, she folded her arms and looked away, jaw set, eyes hard.
‘Why didn’t you tell me earlier? In the kitchen, when I asked ?’
‘You wouldn’t have believed me—’
‘I said I would—’
‘Oh, yes, you said .’ Her eyes flashed malice. ‘Well, maybe you’re not such a Boy Scout after all, because I don’t think you were telling the truth.’
‘It was,’ Luke said, an edge creeping into his voice, ‘a little hard to believe you were passed out just from lack of food. If I’d known you had a condition —’
‘And maybe I don’t feel like explaining myself every time something looks a little suspicious,’ she snapped. ‘If you were passed out, would someone assume you’d done drugs? Were a junkie?’
‘No, of course not. But I’m not—’
She leaned forward, eyes glittering. ‘You’re not what?’
Luke stared at her, his mind still spinning. ‘I’m not you,’ he said at last. ‘You’re Aurelie .’ The moment he said it, he knew it had been completely the wrong thing to say. To think.
She turned away from him, her jaw set. ‘I am,
He got up from the bed, pulled up his trousers and buckled his belt, then headed over to the door.
‘Aurelie?’ No answer. His unease intensified. ‘Aurelie,’ he said again and opened the door.
As soon as he saw her Luke swore.
She stood in front of the sink, one arm outstretched, a fully loaded syringe in the other. Acting only on instinct, Luke knocked the syringe hard out of her hand and it went clattering to the floor.
Aurelie stilled, her face expressionless. ‘Well, that was a waste,’ she finally said, her voice a drawl, and bent to pick up the syringe.
‘What the hell are you doing?’
She eyed him sardonically. ‘I think the more important question is, what do you think I’m doing?’
He stared at her, confusion, fury and shame all rushing through him in a scalding river. This woman drove him insane .
Would you believe me if I told you I didn’t? He’d said he would. ‘It looks,’ he said as evenly as he could, ‘like you’re shooting yourself up with some kind of drug.’
Her lips curved in that way he knew and hated. Mockery. Armour. ‘You get a gold star,’ she said as she swabbed off the syringe with a cotton pad and some rubbing alcohol. ‘That’s exactly what I’m doing.’
And he watched as she carefully injected the syringe into the fleshy part of her upper arm.
Luke felt his hands clench into fists at his sides. ‘Why don’t you tell me what’s really going on here?’
She put the syringe away in a little black cosmetic bag. Luke glimpsed a few clear phials inside before she zipped it up and put it away. She gave a small, tired sigh. ‘Don’t worry, Bryant. It’s only insulin.’
She walked past him back into the bedroom, and Luke turned around to stare at her. ‘ Insulin? You have diabetes?’
‘Bingo.’ She reached for a fuzzy bathrobe hanging on the back of the door and put it on. Sitting on the edge of the bed, swallowed up by fleece, she looked young and vulnerable and so very alone.
‘Why didn’t you tell me?’
‘When should I have done that? When I was passed out on the dressing room floor, or after you dunked me in the sink?’
Slowly he walked into the bedroom, sank onto a chair across from her. He raked his hands through his hair, tried to untangle his tortured, twisted thoughts. ‘So when you were passed out in New York, it was because of low blood sugar?’ Just like she’d said.
‘I forgot to check my bloods before I went.’
‘That’s dangerous—’
She let out a short laugh. ‘Thanks for the warning. Trust me, I know. I’ve been living with diabetes for almost ten years. I was keyed up about the performance and I forgot.’ And then as if she realised she’d revealed too much, she folded her arms and looked away, jaw set, eyes hard.
‘Why didn’t you tell me earlier? In the kitchen, when I asked ?’
‘You wouldn’t have believed me—’
‘I said I would—’
‘Oh, yes, you said .’ Her eyes flashed malice. ‘Well, maybe you’re not such a Boy Scout after all, because I don’t think you were telling the truth.’
‘It was,’ Luke said, an edge creeping into his voice, ‘a little hard to believe you were passed out just from lack of food. If I’d known you had a condition —’
‘And maybe I don’t feel like explaining myself every time something looks a little suspicious,’ she snapped. ‘If you were passed out, would someone assume you’d done drugs? Were a junkie?’
‘No, of course not. But I’m not—’
She leaned forward, eyes glittering. ‘You’re not what?’
Luke stared at her, his mind still spinning. ‘I’m not you,’ he said at last. ‘You’re Aurelie .’ The moment he said it, he knew it had been completely the wrong thing to say. To think.
She turned away from him, her jaw set. ‘I am,
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