everything back in his medical bag. “Is there somewhere I can conduct the test?”
Michael lets out a frustrated breath, threading his fingers through his hair.
“Yes, of course, follow me. We can go into the kitchen.” He turns to me. “I’ll be back, Ariana. Call me if you need help getting up. Don’t you dare attempt to stand up on your own,” he warns with an eyebrow lifted and a finger pointing at me.
I smirk and shrug. I blow out a long-awaited breath, feeling the throbbing pain in my head. Josh follows Michael out, heading toward the living room.
“Where’s Trent?” Josh asks.
“He’s out on the terrace, talking on his phone.”
***
Several minutes tick by, and there is no sign of the men. I decide to sneak up on the guys. With slow movements, I sit up and slide off the bed. I wobble toward the library and manage to get my balance under control and tiptoe into the living room.
I hide behind a threefold canvas divider with a picture of Venice, Italy. I peek from behind and observe the men, listening to them converse.
Josh places a large case on the counter, draws out an unusual machine, and pulls out the swab he used to scrape my inner cheek.
“This baby is the Dräger Drug Tester 5000 Analyzer,” he says with pride. “The analyzer is used to conduct random drug test on employees. I’m going to have it analyze Ariana’s saliva.”
I’m startled by the sounds of footsteps from the terrace. I gasp as I gape at a tall man in a beige sports coat wearing a pair of black jeans and T-shirt. This must be Trent. He might be the youngest of the three, but damn, he’s built larger and taller than the other two. His hair is a golden blond, and he has big green cat-like eyes and long, thick lashes.
“Thanks again for coming so fast,” Michael comments to Trent.
“No problem.” Trent gives Michael a pat on the back.
“Hey, Trent, great seeing you,” Josh says with an enormous grin over his face.
“Same here. What are you doing?” Trent asks with curiosity, inspecting the machine.
“I’m testing Ariana’s saliva.”
I jump as the machine beeps, printing out a piece of paper. I stare at Josh with intensity as he runs his fingers through his hair. Do they all do that?
“Well, what’s the verdict Josh,” Michael asks as he paces the room with a nervous edge to him.
“The results came back with minimal traces of Xanax. She’ll feel tired, but Ariana will be fine.” Josh explains.
So that’s what he tainted the chocolates with that bastard. I fold my arms across my chest. I jump as the divider collapses on the floor, producing an earsplitting crack that echoes throughout the apartment.
“Shit! Not a smooth move,” I mutter to myself, and when I look up, my jaw drops as I watch all three men spin on their heels, alert and ready to attack. I go numb and feel the blood drain from my face and not because of their shocking faces. I’m staring at Trent, who is holding up a gun with a steady hand pointed at me. I freak out and let out a loud scream. “Jesus Christ, don’t shoot,” I squeal out as my knees buckle, and I crumble alongside the divider.
“Damn you, Trent. Put the gun away,” Michael yells and rushes to my side.
The huge gulp of air I sucked in is caught, and I can’t breathe. Everything is a blur. I’m on my hands and knees and my body chooses to go Jell-O on me as I struggle to get my sorry butt off the floor. I think my whole life just flashed before me. What did I get myself into?
Michael grasps me by the arms, his warm hands penetrating into my flesh. I stare at his black shoes and follow the path of his long, muscular legs to his face, and our eyes meet, and a tingling sensation washes over me.
“Now, do you think you can stand on your own?” He asks, and his facial expression changes from concerned to disturbed. The realization hits him. I was instructed to call him if I needed help getting out of bed. I didn’t follow orders from the commander-in-chief.
Michael lets out a frustrated breath, threading his fingers through his hair.
“Yes, of course, follow me. We can go into the kitchen.” He turns to me. “I’ll be back, Ariana. Call me if you need help getting up. Don’t you dare attempt to stand up on your own,” he warns with an eyebrow lifted and a finger pointing at me.
I smirk and shrug. I blow out a long-awaited breath, feeling the throbbing pain in my head. Josh follows Michael out, heading toward the living room.
“Where’s Trent?” Josh asks.
“He’s out on the terrace, talking on his phone.”
***
Several minutes tick by, and there is no sign of the men. I decide to sneak up on the guys. With slow movements, I sit up and slide off the bed. I wobble toward the library and manage to get my balance under control and tiptoe into the living room.
I hide behind a threefold canvas divider with a picture of Venice, Italy. I peek from behind and observe the men, listening to them converse.
Josh places a large case on the counter, draws out an unusual machine, and pulls out the swab he used to scrape my inner cheek.
“This baby is the Dräger Drug Tester 5000 Analyzer,” he says with pride. “The analyzer is used to conduct random drug test on employees. I’m going to have it analyze Ariana’s saliva.”
I’m startled by the sounds of footsteps from the terrace. I gasp as I gape at a tall man in a beige sports coat wearing a pair of black jeans and T-shirt. This must be Trent. He might be the youngest of the three, but damn, he’s built larger and taller than the other two. His hair is a golden blond, and he has big green cat-like eyes and long, thick lashes.
“Thanks again for coming so fast,” Michael comments to Trent.
“No problem.” Trent gives Michael a pat on the back.
“Hey, Trent, great seeing you,” Josh says with an enormous grin over his face.
“Same here. What are you doing?” Trent asks with curiosity, inspecting the machine.
“I’m testing Ariana’s saliva.”
I jump as the machine beeps, printing out a piece of paper. I stare at Josh with intensity as he runs his fingers through his hair. Do they all do that?
“Well, what’s the verdict Josh,” Michael asks as he paces the room with a nervous edge to him.
“The results came back with minimal traces of Xanax. She’ll feel tired, but Ariana will be fine.” Josh explains.
So that’s what he tainted the chocolates with that bastard. I fold my arms across my chest. I jump as the divider collapses on the floor, producing an earsplitting crack that echoes throughout the apartment.
“Shit! Not a smooth move,” I mutter to myself, and when I look up, my jaw drops as I watch all three men spin on their heels, alert and ready to attack. I go numb and feel the blood drain from my face and not because of their shocking faces. I’m staring at Trent, who is holding up a gun with a steady hand pointed at me. I freak out and let out a loud scream. “Jesus Christ, don’t shoot,” I squeal out as my knees buckle, and I crumble alongside the divider.
“Damn you, Trent. Put the gun away,” Michael yells and rushes to my side.
The huge gulp of air I sucked in is caught, and I can’t breathe. Everything is a blur. I’m on my hands and knees and my body chooses to go Jell-O on me as I struggle to get my sorry butt off the floor. I think my whole life just flashed before me. What did I get myself into?
Michael grasps me by the arms, his warm hands penetrating into my flesh. I stare at his black shoes and follow the path of his long, muscular legs to his face, and our eyes meet, and a tingling sensation washes over me.
“Now, do you think you can stand on your own?” He asks, and his facial expression changes from concerned to disturbed. The realization hits him. I was instructed to call him if I needed help getting out of bed. I didn’t follow orders from the commander-in-chief.
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