“James!” His head pops up at the sound of my voice.
“Victor? Where’s Olivia? Is she okay?” He looks around like he expects her to pop out of thin air.
“I’m trying to find her. Arden brought her out here.” I swallow. “I’m glad you’re okay,” I tell him.
He puts his head back against the raised gurney the EMT has him on. “Yeah, I was getting sick of seeing Donovan’s car parked on the curb. So, I decided to go out there and confront him, but no one was in the car.” He opens his eyes again to look from me to Connor. “I called a towing company to get the car towed. I was outside when everything happened. The damn building pitched forward, causing concrete to fall onto the sidewalk and one of them landed on my leg as I was trying to run away from the debris falling.”
I look toward the building and realize the building is leaning forward. Connor and I share a concerned look as Bec, who is being unusually quiet, bites on her thumbnail. “Will the building collapse into the street?” I ask no one in particular.
“Precautions are being taken. That’s why there’s a barricade.” The EMT I don’t know the name of says. “I’m going to use your radio and see if I can get in touch with Alice.” He looks at me. “Hopefully she was told to move the ambulance and they’re a few blocks away.”
Connor, Bec, and I wait as he goes to the ambulance, but my eyes are scanning everyone. I haven’t seen Arden or Leo either.Where the hell are they?Ansley walks up, looking around like she’s expecting to see Olivia.
“Did you find her?” she asks. Bec shakes her head. Connor wraps his arm around her and pulls her into his side before kissing the side of her head. The EMT steps out of the ambulancewith a shake of his head and the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Something isn’t right.
“Alice isn’t answering,” he says.
Cal, the other EMT, looks up from where he’s wrapping James’ foot and scoffs. “Doesn’t surprise me.”
“What do you mean by that?” I ask him. He looks at me and shakes his head. The look in his eyes makes my lungs seize.
“Alice isn’t reliable. She’s been a loose cannon since she started.” I try to suck in a breath, but it’s like I’ve lost the ability to do that.
“When did she start?” Connor asks. He must notice my distress. I lift my hand to unbutton my collar and I realize it’s already loose. It must have gotten ripped or come undone with everything that happened in the garage.
“About a month ago,” he answers. Something is wrong, but I don’t know what it is. Out of the corner of my eye, I see several men running toward us. I turn in their direction and notice Malachi in the front.
“Donovan has been working with that woman,” he says as he comes to a stop in front of us. Blood thunders in my ears. The woman he told me about at my pub. Her name was Alice.
“Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.” I put my hands on top of my head and begin pacing. Ansley and Bec are holding onto each other and Connor is saying something, but I can’t hear him with the ringing that’s going on in my ears.
“What’s the woman’s name?” I ask him, knowing what he’s going to say. I force myself to focus, so I can hear his answer.
“Alice Brighton.”
Chapter seventy-six
Olivia
Blinking my eyes open, I take in my surroundings.I must have passed out.I look around and try to figure out where I’m at.A warehouse, maybe?The pain in my arm throbs with the beat of my heart and it all comes rushing back to me. The woman. She was an EMT, but it looks like she worked with the doctor to take me. Why? I gulp in air and try to rack my brain.The woman looked familiar, but why?
The doctor is Doctor Chamberland. I met him once, but I’ll never forget him because he did something unspeakable to me. “Ah, you’re awake!” I turn toward the shrill voice and come face to face with the woman. She’s no longer wearing the EMT uniform, though. Doctor Chamberland stands behind her.
“What do you want with me?” I swallow multiple times, trying to wet my dry mouth and throat.
“I had to meet the girl Donovan is so obsessed with,” she says. “Although we have met once before, very briefly. Do you remember?” She walks to my bed and stands over me, looking down at me with such disdain.
Maybe that’s why she looks familiar.But I ignore her question. “Was,” I correct her.
Her eyes flare, and she tilts her head. “What?”
“Was. Victor killed him,” I tell her.
She inhales sharply, but that’s the only reaction she gives. I don’t know if what I’m saying is the truth. I saw Victor shoot Donovan, but I don’t know if he’s dead. My thoughts turn to Leo. I hope Arden was able to help.
“I told him his obsession with you would get him killed one day.” She shakes her head and sighs. “Well, what should I do with you now?”
My mouth is so dry, but I don’t dare ask for anything to drink. “W-what do you mean?”
