Chapter 250
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Chapter 250:
Branden appeared at her elbow instantly.
“You look unwell,” he said. “Let me help you to a room p>
He reached for her arm. His touch made her skin crawl.
Suddenly, her intuition kicked in — and screamed.
𝖴p𝘥𝘢𝘵eѕ e𝘷𝘦𝗋y 𝘸𝘦е𝗸 𝗼𝗇 𝗴a𝗅ոо𝗏е𝘭𝗌.𝖼om
Predator.
“No,” she said. Her tongue felt thick. “I’m fine p>
“Don’t cause a scene, Jocelyn,” Branden whispered, dropping the Ms. Wolfe. “Come with me p>
That tone. It was the tone of a man who believed he had already won.
A jolt of terror cut through the haze. The drink. He did something to the drink.
She shoved him away with every ounce of strength she had left.
“I’m going to be sick,” she announced loudly, turning heads nearby.
She spun and rushed toward the VIP Ladies’ Room, stumbling and hitting her shoulder against the doorframe, but she made it inside. She locked the main door.
Leaning against the sink, she breathed hard. The room was spinning violently now.
She fumbled for her phone. Her fingers were numb and clumsy. She tried to call Gaston. The screen was a blur of colors.
He’s mad at me, her drugged mind whispered. He won’t answer.
She dialed 911.
“Help,” she slurred when the operator picked up. “Drugged. Gala. Wolfe p>
Bang.
Someone struck the door from the outside.
“Jocelyn! Open up!” It was Branden.
She slid to the floor. Darkness was closing in from the edges of her vision.
She crawled toward the furthest stall, dragged herself inside, and locked that door too.
“Open the door!” Branden’s voice had shifted — panicked now — as he rattled the handle with increasing desperation.
Jocelyn curled into a ball on the cold tile floor, clutching her phone against her chest.
The last thing she heard was the sound of wood splintering before the blackness took her.
Bright lights. Beeping monitors.
Jocelyn woke with a gasp. Her throat burned. Her mouth tasted like charcoal.
She blinked, struggling to focus. A doctor stood over her, checking a monitor.
“Welcome back, Ms. Wolfe,” he said gently.
“Where…?” she croaked.
“St. Lenox Hospital,” the doctor said. “Police found you in the bathroom. We pumped your stomach. It was Rohypnol p>
Jocelyn closed her eyes. The memory crashed over her — the bitter drink, the locked door, the darkness closing in.
A police officer stepped forward from the corner of the room.
“Can you tell us who gave you the drink?” he asked, notebook in hand.
“Branden… Cole,” she whispered.
“We have him in custody,” the officer said. “Security caught him trying to pick the lock on the stall door p>
Jocelyn exhaled a breath she hadn’t known she was holding. Relief washed over her, followed almost immediately by a wave of shame.
Gaston was right. He had been right all along.
“Has… has my family been notified?” she asked, her voice small, carefully avoiding the word husband.