Chapter 7

The next morning, he drove her to work. When he looked over at her, she was being way too quiet.

“Is something wrong?” He noticed she was wearing her hair down, and he liked it. She was also wearing a skirt, looking more feminine.

“It’s nothing really. Just that damn Claudia. She’s always making me feel bad. It’s worse when my father’s home. I try to ignore her, but she doesn’t make it easy.

“I wish she would go away and never come back.”

He kept what Claudia tried to do with him last night to himself. It would only cause more trouble between the two women.

“Try not to let her get to you. The more you react, the more she will keep doing it.”

He parked the car and went around, opening the door for her. They were almost to the entrance of the building when a man came out of nowhere and got in front of her.

His eyes were bloodshot and his clothes wrinkled.

Dexter saw the anger in his eyes. And before the man could touch her, he grabbed his arm, twisting it behind his back as he lowered him down onto the ground.

“Get the fuck off me,” he shouted at Dexter.

“Who are you?”

The man glared at Roxie. “Ask her. That bitch and her father destroyed me.”

Dexter pulled the man up and pushed him up against the wall with his arm over the man’s neck and looked over at her. “Do you know this man?”

“Yes. Ronald Reid. He worked for us until my father fired him.”

“You bitch. You and your father destroyed my life, and you’ll pay for it.”

She got closer to him. “You were stealing our designs and giving them to our competitors. You’re lucky that all my father did was fire you. He could have had you charged.”

“He’ll pay for this. Let’s see how he likes it, to lose something he cares so much about,” Ronald hissed.

“Are you threatening Miss Greene?” Dexter asked, loosening his grip on the man’s neck. He was glad that the police showed up. He told them what had happened.

They took him into custody for questioning—about what just took place and about the threats Roxie had been receiving.

The police knew all about it, as Thomas had involved them from the beginning, before he hired a bodyguard for her.

“Are you okay?” he asked, touching her arm.

“Yes.”

As they walked inside and got on the elevator, he asked her if she cared to share what Ronald was talking about.

“He worked for us for almost two years, and shortly after him joining our firm, we noticed how some of our competitors came up with the same designs as ours.

“They were able to do a show with them, causing us to get rid of ours. One of the employees caught him, and he was fired.

“He wasn’t really a spy or anything, just wanted to make extra money on the side. Since then, word got out what he was doing, and no other company would hire him, for fear he’d do the same to them.

“He blames my father and me for how his life spiraled downhill.”

She turned to him when they got off the elevator. “Do you think it’s Ronald who’s doing this to me?”

“I don’t know, but he has just become a suspect. We’ll see what the police say after they question him. I’d also like to talk to him.”

After hearing how the man threatened her and her father, he thought it was very possible Ronald could be the one.

They were late getting to her office, and everyone else was busy working. Carson saw them enter, and he stood up.

“Roxie, I’ve never known you to be late for work before,” he said, greeting them both.

“I know. Sorry about that. But Ronald was waiting for me outside, and he got a little out of hand, so the police showed up and took him away.”

“Oh my God. Ronald Reid. I can’t believe he showed up here. Did he try to hurt you?”

“Not really. He just threatened me and my father. Let’s get to work. We’ve got lots to do, and I want to get my dress done before my father’s party.”

Dexter took his seat and sat there patiently waiting while she worked with Carson. They were now working on the design for her dress.

He liked watching her work. She really got into it. He noticed how every now and then the tip of her tongue would peek out and run across her upper lip.

Just then a woman poked her head in the door. “I’m going on a coffee run. Do you guys want anything?”

“I’ll take a caramel latte,” Roxie said and looked over at Dexter. “What would you like?”

“Just a plain black coffee, thank you.”

“Carson, maybe you should go with her, if she’s getting coffee for everyone.”

She stopped working and went over to Dexter. “I need to get different materials from the storage room. Do you want to come, or is it all right for me to go alone?”

He stood up, smiling. He knew she was being sarcastic. “I’ll be going with you. You know, in case you fall again.”

When they got into the room, she went through some of the materials and picked out the one she liked.

“This will be perfect for my dress.” She looked at him with excitement. “It’s my own creation, and I can’t wait until it’s done.”

“It’s pretty, and I’m sure the dress will look fantastic on you.”

He saw her blushing when she walked past him. It was like she wasn’t used to getting compliments from a man other than her father.

Twenty minutes later, Carson and the young lady he went with came back with the coffee. Roxie picked up her cup and took a sip.

“Darn, I forgot to ask for an extra shot of caramel. It’s a little bitter.”

“Do you want me to go get you another one?” Carson asked.

“No, it’s okay.”

A little later, Dexter started noticing her sweating, and her face had turned pale. He got up and went over to her. “Are you all right?”

“It’s so hot in here,” she said, placing her hands on the desk.

Carson stopped what he was doing to look at her. “It’s not hot. Shit, Roxie, you don’t look so good.”

Dexter grabbed her face in his one hand, and with his free hand, he opened her eye wider and looked at it.

There was a yellow tint to it, and it was dull, and just as she passed out, he caught her in his arms. He knew something was wrong and yelled at Carson to call for an ambulance.

The younger man dialed the number and talked to the operator, telling them what the emergency was.

“Dexter, they can’t get here for another twenty minutes.”

“Why the fuck not?” he shouted over his shoulder.

“There was a major accident on the highway, and they’re stuck in traffic. But the hospital is only two blocks from here.”

He tossed his car keys to Carson. “Then we’ll take her. You drive,” he said. He picked her up in his arms and carried her.

They rushed out of the building and got in his car. He sat in the back with her. He kept talking to her, telling her to open her eyes, but she only opened them for a minute and then closed them again.

They reached the hospital and got her inside. Dexter started yelling for help.

“I don’t know for sure what happened. She got really hot and passed out. Her eyes are dull and have a yellow tint to them. I suspect she’s been poisoned.”

When she was taken away, Carson got in Dexter’s face. “What do you mean poison? How could she have been poisoned when all she had was coffee?”

“It had to have been put in her cup. So tell me something: how could that happen, when you and that woman went and brought the coffee back?”

“Shit, are you accusing me?”

“There were only two of you that handled the coffee. If not you, then who?”

“Mr. Sinclair, I would never hurt Roxie. She’s my friend.

“Sara and I got coffee for a lot of people, and when we got back, we set the one tray on the counter in the break room and went around handing out the others.

“I went back to get ours. I swear I didn’t put anything in her cup.”

“Who else knows she gets caramel lattes?”

“Everyone in this office knows that when we go out for it that’s what she always gets. We don’t know yet if that’s what happened.”

“I want you to go back to the office and put the remainder of her drink in a container and bring it to me, along with the paper cup.

“I can have it examined to find out what was put in it, if anything. Can you do that for me?”

“Yes, I’ll go now and be back as soon as I can.”

Dexter went and sat down, putting his head in his hands. He was prepared for bullets, kidnapping, but not someone putting poison in her drink.

It felt like he had let her down. He was supposed to protect her.

When she pulled through this, he would be keeping a closer eye on what she ate and drank, even if he had to personally watch her drinks and meals being made.

He looked up when the doctor came over and put his hand on his shoulder.

“You can go to see Miss Greene now.”

He stood up. “How is she, and do you know what happened?”

“It was definitely poison, but luckily you got her here in time. We pumped her stomach, and she’s very weak, but will be just fine.

“We’ll keep her in overnight, just to make sure there are no complications.”

He walked into her room and over to the bed and sat next to her. She was asleep and looked so pale.

It was killing him to think that she could have died—and probably would have, if she were alone when it happened.

He was so concerned about the people around her—thinking he had to worry about guns or knives being used to kill her—that he never gave poison a thought.

He was so deep in thought that he didn’t realize she was awake until he felt a hand touching his arm.

“Hey, you’re awake. How are you feeling?” He mentally slapped himself. What a stupid question to ask. He knew how she must be feeling.

“Honestly, not so good.” She looked around and saw she was in a hospital room. “Why am I here?” she asked, not remembering.

“You passed out.”

“Dexter, I wouldn’t be here just because of that. I want you to tell me the truth about what happened to me.”

He let out a sigh, knowing she had a right to know.

“You were poisoned. There must have been something in your drink. The doctor says you’re going to be all right. You just need to rest for a few days.”

She sat up, frowning, which caused lines to form on her forehead. “Who would do that? It was Carson and Cathy who went for the coffee, and I know they wouldn’t do that to me.”

“I don’t believe it was either one of them. The tray with our coffee was left in the break room while they delivered the others.

“While they were gone, anyone could have gone in there and seen the name of your drink written on the coffee and put the poison in it.”

He watched as she brought her fingers to her mouth and started chewing on her nails.

She laid back, feeling a wave of dizziness hit her. “So with all the people coming and going, we’ll never know who did it.”

“I sent Carson back to the office to collect the cup you were drinking from and the contents. We should be able to analyze it and, with any luck, get some prints off the cup.

“I’ll also check the security camera and see who all went in and out of the break room during that time.”

The door opened, and Carson walked in carrying flowers. He went over and handed them to her.

“These are from all of us. They told me to say how sorry they are for what happened and to wish you a speedy recovery.”

Dexter didn’t see him carrying a bag with the things he’d requested. “Did you not bring what I asked you for?”

“I’m sorry. By the time I got back, everything had been cleaned up, and the trash was taken away.”

“That’s just fucking great,” Dexter swore. “Go back and tell everyone to stay put until the police have a chance to talk to them.

“If you can think of anything that might help, you’ve got to tell me and the cops.”

“Like what?” he asked, not knowing anything.

“The person who did up the order, did she appear nervous? Or did you see her drop anything into Roxie’s cup?

“Or when you dropped off the coffee in the break room, did you see anyone go in after you? Was there anyone there that you’ve never seen before?”

“No, none of that. Then again, there are always people coming in and out, delivery guys, clients, and the cleaning staff.

“If I think of anything, I’ll let you know right away,” he said. Bending over, he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “Don’t worry about anything at work. You just get better.”

“But my dress for the party. I need to finish it.”

Carson smiled sweetly at her. “Let me and Cathy take care of it.

“We both know what you want, and besides, you’ve almost finished most of it. All we have to do is get the sewers to put it together, and we can put the finishing touches on it.”

After she agreed, he left, leaving Dexter alone with her.

She laid back, feeling sleepy.

She was about to fall asleep, when they heard a commotion coming from outside of her room.

Suddenly the door burst open, and Dexter jumped to his feet, reaching for his gun still under his jacket.