I didn’t answer that. I could have pointed out that he would have done the same if Wren were the one in trouble, but he was in an actual relationship with the boy. Leo and I had an unhealthy stalkery relationship where we fucked once. And I hadn’t ruled out that he’d only done it because he was still shaken from his accident.
People did weird things after having a near-death experience. The first time I almost died, I decided to turn my life over to the church. I lasted four months before the absurdity of it all caught up with me.
The tension stretched for a second too long before Maxim exhaled sharply and jerked his head toward the back. “Come with me.”
I fell into step beside him without another word. We took the elevator up to the VIP floor. My stomach was in knots because if something bad happened on this floor, it had the potential to develop into more, given the type of people who frequented this area.
Maxim stopped outside one of the private bathrooms and pushed the door open. The smell of stale chemicals hit first before I saw her. A woman sprawled on the floor beside the sink, one arm bent awkwardly beneath her, the other stretched out. Her skin had already gone pale, lips tinged faintly blue.
Everything inside me went cold. It was the nurse. Leo’s nurse. The one who always took the coffee I brought him.
Fuck.
My jaw tightened as I crouched beside her, two fingers pressing to her neck out of instinct, even though I already knew what I’d find.
Nothing.
“She’s dead,” Maxim said flatly.
I straightened slowly, my gaze lingering on her face for a fraction too long before I forced myself to look away. “How?” I asked.
“Overdose,” Maxim said. “Or at least that’s what it looks like. We’ll know more once you clean up your mess.”
My eyes snapped back to him. “My mess?” I repeated, still stunned that I recognized the deceased.
“You weren’t here,” he said simply. “Which means whatever happened on your watch is now your responsibility.”
That familiar weight settled over my shoulders again. I’d done this several times before. There was no reason this time needed to be any different. I didn’t even know her name. She was just a face that smiled whenever she saw me coming toward her, though most people would have been intimidated at the sight of me.
“I don’t care how you handle it,” Maxim continued, his tone turning colder. “But this does not get linked back to Mesmerize. Do you understand me, Sergei?”
“Yes.”
“Good.” He glanced once at the body, then back at me, already done with it. “Fix it.”
Then he turned and walked out, Darius following without a word. The door closed behind them with a soft click, and silence settled in the room. I exhaled slowly, dragging a hand down my face before stepping back out into the hallway where Nik was waiting.
“What the hell happened?” I asked.
Nik grimaced. “I don’t know. One of our staff was doing routine cleanup of the restroom and found her unresponsive.”
“Who found her?”
“Her name’s Celeste. Don’t worry. We still have her in a safe place.”
Safe meant contained so she wouldn’t have access to others and tell anyone else what she discovered.
“Good. I’ll need to speak to her, find out if anyone else saw anything.”
“She’s going to be a liability.”
“We’ll make her understand the seriousness of this matter. If she doesn’t…” Then she had no one else to blame.
Nik’s jaw tightened. “Roger that. Anything you need me to do right now?”
“I need all the footage from last night and call the coroner. Let him know to expect a delivery. We need to know exactly what she took so we know what to look for circulating in our club.”
I glanced back toward the bathroom door, where the body still lay out of sight. Toward the connection I couldn’t ignore.
