Chapter 24
Chapter 24
It’s almost midnight by the time we get Mia home and in bed. The day has flown by in a flurry of hospital gowns and panic. I tuck Mia in her crib and she falls asleep almost instantly. The doctor said the anti–histamine they gave her would make her sleepy. I just didn’t expect it to
bethatfast.
I’m exhausted and realize the only meal I had today was breakfast. My stomach lurches. I get myself out of my bed, grab the baby monitor for Mia and gently open the door. When I turn around, the brothers are waiting for me. I flinch when I see them.
“Gods,” I breath. “You scared me.”
Beau frowns. “Am I really that hideous?”
I scowl at him. He smiles and then jerks his head towards the kitchen. “Come on,” he says. “We’ve got investigating to do.”
“Can’t this wait?” I say, “I’m exhausted.”
“A member of the pack was assaulted,” Archer says. So serious. “No it cannot.”
I sigh and give in. The five of us march off to the kitchen. The staff is cleaning the kitchen when we all bustle in. They’re slightly confused when they see us. Neil tells us to divide and conquer. I start in the fridge and begin looking on the top shelf for any peanut butter. Beau and Archer take the dry food cabinets. Steven Interviews on chef while Neil interviews another.
I find nothing in the fridge and the twins comes up with nothing in the dry food cabinet. Nell gets our first big break with the sous chef He motions us all over and we gather.
“Tell them what you told me,” Neil says.
Right,” the chef itches the back of his neck. He looks nervous. “We got a request for peanut butter sandwiches in the snack fridge the other
day.”
“From who?” Stevens asks
Chef shakes his head. “Dunno. Was an unsigned sticky note left on the counter. Saw it the other day when I walked in. Figured it was one of
you.
“We put the no nut specification in place,” Archer says. “Why would we break our own rule?”
“Well,” the chef shifts, visibly uncomfortable. He looks at Beau and blushes. “Alpha Hayes asked for the same thing ago when a girl was over. We figured it was him.”
“What the fuck, Beaul?” Archer hisses.
Beau merely shrugs. “You ever had a PB BJ? Life changing.”
“You’re disgusting” Isnecr
“Thanks, princess,” Beau says with a wink. I feel my stomach stir dangerously despite the disgust I feel. I shake my head and turn back to the chel.
“So you made sandwiches and put them in the fridge, right?”
19:17 Sat, 22 Jun RVO
“We put them in Sunday night,” Chef says. “They were gone by Monday morning.”
I feel a pull in my gut and know it has to be Beau. I turn towards him and find the brothers looking at him as well. He shrugs.
“I was hungry, okay!”
“Fucking Gods, Beau,” Neil says, swiping a hand over his face. “You didn’t think to tell us?”
Beau groans. “You’re all such rule sticklers, I didn’t want to get in troublel
“We’re rule sticklers because Mia’slifedepends on it, you asshole,” Archer snaps. He thwacks Beau on the arm. Beau yelps and rubs it.
61%盒
“Okay, okay,” I say, bringing the attention back to the matter at hand. “So there was at least one jar of peanut butter in the pyramid. How did it get in Mia’s food?”
“Well,” Steven muses. “Some allergies are so severe that even the proximity of an allergen to something consumed can set off a reaction.” He looks at me. “Did you check the applesauce for outside contaminants?”
I shake my head. Steven leads us all to the snack fridge. He opens the bottom drawer and meticulously checks each of the apple sauce packets. He stands up and brackets his hands on his hips. He “humph’s in a confused maner.
“Nothing,” he says. “Doesn’t make sense.”
“Did you ask the dishwasher?” Neil says. “Maybe someone took a dirty spoon and ran it over the package or touched Mia’s cutlery with it.”
We find the dishwasher and question him next. He says he didn’t see anything with peanut butter on it in the sink. All content © N/.ôvel/Dr/ama.Org.
“I know the rules,” he says. “I use separate sponges for everything. Meats is one. Dairy is another. Even if there was some contaminated spoon, I’d used the contaminated sponge for it.”
“Is this how all rich people live?” I mumble to myself.
Unfortunately, Archer hears it. He rolls his eyes. Neil turns back to the dishwasher. “So nothing out of the ordinary?”
“Mm,” he hums. “There was a freshly washed syringe in the drying rack when I came in this morning. Thought it was strange but then assumed it was one of Alpha Hayes‘ weird sex things.”
I don’t need to see where the dishwashers eyes are leading to know were talking about Beau. I turn and watch him pout.
w feels very
“You leave a dildo in the drying rackone timeand everyone’s out to get you!” he cries. He crosses his arms over his chest. “This day ‘fuck you Beau” to me.”
“Shut up,” Archer says. His eyes flutter closed with disgust. “Just stop. Talking”
“Syringe?” Steven says. He taps hips finger to his lips in thought. Then his eyes go wide, he gasps.
“What?” Nell asks.
Steven says nothing. He darts back over to the snack fridge and pulls out an applesauce. He inspects the package diligently then gives a soft “ah ha” when he spots something. He shows the rest of the group.
Sure enough, there’s an almost microscopic hole on the packaging. It looks like the exact same size of a syringe. My heart thuds in my chest
19:17 Sat, 22 Jun R@