Page 92 of Silver Fire
Derek did not care for his tone as if he were about to tell him some bad news. But he ignored the doctor when Maia’s words finally sunk in. “What do you mean she’s not there? Where else should she be?”
Maia sighed. “Apparently, after getting everyone all in a panic—we couldn’t get hold of Sophie, Taggart and Beth—we called Stephen. He said Sophie had called him last night and said she and Beth were going away for a few days. They’re taking Taggart, of course.”
“What?” Derek said disbelievingly. “What?” He repeated.How dare she run away from him?
Not wanting to be ignored any longer, Dr. Henderson firmly guided Derek to a high swivel chair and sat him down.
“Your drug test came back with an alarming cocktail of controlled substances.”
“I knew that, Doc,” Derek said impatiently. So, Layla roofied him. That was the least of his worries right now.
“It wasn’t just Rohypnol, there were also traces of Sildenafil citrate.”
“Oh my,” Maia gasped and tried to hide a grin.
Derek glanced sharply at the doctor. “Is that—”
“Viagra.”
“What the fuck?” Derek cursed. What the hell was Layla trying to do? Fuck him to death? Maia started choking with laughter. “I’m not finding this funny, Maia.”
“It doesn’t make sense,” Derek said, shifting his attention back to the doctor. “I remembered most of what happened last night. I thought Rohypnol was an amnesiac drug.”
“As I said it’s a blend of different drugs and it appeared to be a specialized dosage. Not something that would have been thrown together in some smoky backroom,” Dr. Henderson explained. “You guys haven’t heard of any new street drug, have you?”
Maia shook her head. “How did Layla get you out of the Manor and back to your condo?”
Derek massaged his throbbing temple. He’d probably have a chat with the condo’s security and give them a piece of his mind. Exhaling deeply, he said, “No fucking clue. She probably roped in one of Daddy’s bodyguards. Anything else, Doc?”
“Take it easy today, take lots of fluids. The Rohypnol is still in your system. If you kept the IV on, the electrolytes would have helped,” Dr. Henderson chided. He walked to the sliding doors. “See you around, Lockwood.”
“Hope not, Doc,” Derek called after him as he glared at Maia who was still trying to contain her laughter.
“If you knew what clusterfuck happened last night, you wouldn’t be laughing,” Derek said tersely.
“Jack and I couldn’t make out your blabbering,” Maia said. “You said Layla was giving you a blowjob and then—”
“Sophie walked in,” Derek said.
“Shit,” Maia said, her face sobering. “That is messed up.”
“Do you know where they went?”
“Stephen didn’t share. He actually didn’t feel like sharing. Obviously, Sophie had explained to him what had happened and they were closing ranks around her. Now, Viktor has to explain Taggart’s absence to the CIA. They’re the ones who hired him from one of our contractors. He should have known better than to have two women talk him into going on a vacation. He should have checked in with AGS. Unfortunately, his phone is not one of ours and if the women convinced him to take the battery out, it’s untraceable.”
Sophie probably turned her big gray eyes on him. If not Sophie, Beth Turner had a way of bulldozing even the toughest of agents. And after witnessing his supposeddouchebaggery,Sophie definitely had the man’s sympathy.
“Can’t you track the car? It’s AGS issued, right?”
“They’ve taken out the transponder. Found it in a gas station in New Park City.” Maia looked exasperated. “Your girlfriend is a pain in the ass. Couldn’t you just have picked a dumb blonde?”
Derek smiled faintly. His heart ached from missing Sophie desperately.
“Are you pressing charges against Layla?” Maia asked.
“What’s the point? It’ll only end up in the tabloids,” Derek said with distaste. “But she better stay away from me. And if Sophie never forgives me…”
Derek exhaled deeply. Sophie didn’t have a choice. He was not giving her up.