"I don't know." Burke looked overwhelmed, and I realized it was the first time I'd seen him so unsure. "What can you tell me about the caterers?" he asked the concierge.
"I-I don't know."
"Shit, I need Logan." Burke craned his neck, shifting my weight. "There he comes."
Logan's long stride ate up the space between us. "Burke, what is it?"
"She's been poisoned. Shut this place down and lock it up tighter than a nun's cunt."
I wanted to hit him for that remark, but I couldn't feel my arms. "Burke," I whimpered as another pain hit me.
He met my gaze, false reassurance morphing his face into a marble façade. "I'm so sorry you're in pain."
"Not your fault."
"It must be the champagne." Burke focused on Logan. "Make sure no one else drinks it."
Logan scurried off to fulfill Burke's orders, and a pair of EMTs came in the front doors. "What's going on?"
"I think she was poisoned. All she's had is champagne."
"Symptoms?"
"Um, she can't feel her hands and feet, and stomach cramps."
The last thing I remembered was the devastation on Burke's beautiful face before I passed out.
When I next woke, my body felt abused. Burke had a death grip on my hand, and I lay in a hospital bed hooked to several machines. "Burke?"
My voice was scratchy. My body was on fire.
He jumped up, looking terrified. "Kinsley!"
"Thirsty."
"Hold on." He pressed the call button, and I closed my eyes again. "Someone laced the champagne with poison."
All I could manage was a tiny nod. I'd figured as much while we waited for the ambulance.
"Finn is at the house with Caden and Maddie. Everyone has been treated, but only one other person ingested as much as you."
"Prognosis?"
"You'll be fine, but they'll put you on meds for a long time to be certain there aren't any lasting effects."
The door opened, and a nurse bustled in. "What can I do for you?"
"Is she allowed a drink of water?"
"Sure, sweetheart."
The nurse left and came back with a cup which she handed to me after raising the head of the bed. "Drink slowly."
Sitting up felt uncomfortable. "What did they do to me?" I asked after I drank.
"Pumped your stomach. They had to use Prussian Blue, a dye used for paint, because the metal attracts the poison from the thallium and helps it pass through the body."
"Ouch."
