Prologue
Derrick paced the hospital hallway, barely containing his rage. He found it unbelievable that they expected him to wait patiently while the person he loved most suffered. This explained his hatred of hospitals. There were too many rules to follow.
He really needed to look into investing in a more elaborate home setup. He would have gone to the vet clinic if it wasn’t tainted with sadness and despair. Although, that wouldn’t have made much of a difference. Having the best equipment doesn’t matter unless there is someone competent enough to use it. All the money in the world and he couldn’t find a decent family doctor. It was absurd and soured his mood even more.
How could this have happened? He rubbed the back of his neck as he questioned himself. I was so fucking careful.
The most obvious explanation was the hardest to accept. He refused to believe someone close to him did this. There had to be something he was missing. Something easily overlooked. He tried to think back to the two biggest events before his world crumbled to pieces.
Reaper’s funeral, although sad, seemed to follow the usual protocol. The wedding, despite being far from traditional, went smoothly without any issues.
When Ivy started to feel sick, he honestly wasn’t concerned. Once her condition worsened, he realized it was more than a common cold or flu.
What am I missing?
He sat on a chair placed outside of Ivy’s room. He might not have been allowed in the room during the examination, but there was no way in hell he was going all the way to the waiting area. Derrick was a large and intimidating man. Having him stalk around the hallway probably wasn’t helping the other families tending to their loved ones. Realizing he wasn’t going anywhere, the nursing staff graciously gave him a chair.
Leaning forward, he placed his elbows on his knees and glared at the sterile tile floor. The corner of mouth curled into a small smile as the memory of Ivy opening her wedding present came back to him. She had been so thrilled to go on that trip. That beautiful smile spread across her face as they walked back to the reception. Her appreciative attitude toward the staff helping to make the wedding perfect. The way she carried herself with such grace, like the queen she was. He could picture it clearly. The excitement in her eyes as she told everyone about Italy. Seeing her so happy filled his cold heart with warmth.
That’s when he remembered it. The black limo. The same vehicle that was present at Reaper’s funeral was also at the wedding. He glimpsed it briefly as they walked by the valet drivers. It didn’t register with him at that moment. Why would it? He had triple checked every detail of that wedding. There were only a small number of guests who were present at both the funeral and the wedding. Not a single one of them came in a limousine.
He stood back up. Glancing into the room, he noticed the curtain was still closed, blocking his view. He let out a low, frustrated growl.
What could be taking so fucking long?
In reality, Derrick knew it probably wasn’t as long as it seemed. He heard someone walk up behind him. Before saying a word, he already knew it was Logan.
“Any news?”
Derrick shook his head, but didn’t turn from the window. “No one will tell me anything.”
“They are just doing their job.”
Derrick clenched his jaw. Their job? Their job was to help his wife. Their job was to let him know exactly what the fuck was going on. Just when he thought it couldn’t take it any longer, the door to her room opened. He watched as the doctor stepped out, quietly shutting it behind him.
“Mr. Stoll. Can we speak in my office?”
Derrick glanced at Logan.
Logan responded to his silent question. “I’ll stay here with her.”
Derrick nodded, then followed the man to the office.
“Please, have a seat,” the man gestured toward a chair.
Derrick shook his head. “I’m fine standing.”
The doctor remained standing as well. He looked down at the open file on his desk. “Did you know your wife was pregnant?”
Derrick’s head fell forward. His eyes closed as he slowly shook his head. He knew what was coming next. He didn’t miss the fact that the doctor said, was.
“Ivy is in stable condition. Unfortunately, the baby did not make it.”
He could feel the anger build up inside him, threatening to boil over. He had to keep it together for Ivy. She needed him to be the strong one. She needed him to figure this out.
He cleared his throat, pushing the emotions back down. “Would Ivy have known?”
The doctor shrugged. “It’s hard to say. It was still very early in the pregnancy. It is possible she didn’t know yet.”
“What happened?” He didn’t know why he asked. Derrick knew the answer. Maybe he needed to actually hear the words from the doctor. Maybe he needed that verification spoken out loud to justify what he was about to do.
“There was a significant presence of rare toxins in her bloodstream.”
“Someone poisoned her.”
“Yes,” the doctor answered, even though it wasn’t a question.
“How?”
“I was hoping you could tell me.”
Derrick knew the doctor wasn’t accusing him. He was clearly too distraught to have been the culprit. He didn’t even respond. He didn’t have an answer to give.
The doctor continued, looking back at his notes when Derrick didn’t answer. “She’ll need to stay for a while. I want to monitor her and do some more tests.”
All Derrick could do was nod.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Stoll. We’ll take care of her.”
“Do you know when she is going to be able to leave?”
“I don’t have an answer to that right now.”
“Can I see her?”
The doctor picked up his folder before responding. “I requested a couple more tests. I just want to be sure nothing internally is permanently damaged. After that, you may see her.”
Derrick knew exactly what he was saying. He wanted to be sure she could still have children in the future.
“What kind of substance could do this to someone?”
“Something very potent, very dangerous, and very rare.”
“You haven’t seen this before?”
The doctor shook his head. “Not to this extreme.”
He waited patiently to see if Derrick had any more questions. When he didn’t say anything, the doctor gestured toward the door.
Derrick followed him out. “I apologize. I don’t even know your name.”
“Brock Cipriani.”
“Thank you, Dr. Cipriani,” Derrick quietly spoke before leaving the room.
“Well?” Logan asked as soon as Derrick walked up to him.
“She was poisoned.”
Both men looked at Ivy through the glass, sleeping peacefully from the sedation.
“Shit. Who?”
Grabbing his coat, Derrick responded with a look of determination. “That’s what I am going to find out.”
Logan glanced at Derrick, surprised. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay with Ivy?”
“Of course I want to stay with her!” He looked at Logan with dark eyes. “I also want to have this fucker’s head on a stick for her when she wakes up!”
His tone caused Logan to take a small step back. He knew Derrick was upset. Hell, Logan probably would have burned this entire city down if it was Emily in there. Logan knew this was going to be a bloodbath. He also knew his boss needed him. So did Ivy. He was ready to help spill that blood, if that’s what Derrick needed.
“How can I help, boss?”
His questioned seemed to calm Derrick. Logan watched as Derrick took a breath before looking at him. This was exactly what he needed. A distraction, something to keep his mind busy.
“The valet drivers for the wedding. Did you have them keep records of the vehicles they parked?”
Logan nodded, “Detailed records.”
“I need to see those.”
“Of course. Is there something in particular you are looking for?”
Derrick nodded, anger in his eyes. “A black limo.”
