Chapter 11
“I didn’t think you knew how to clean up so well, Mrs. Horvath, iar said, his voice a little husky.
“Liam, what are you-
“It’s your turn to help me now,” Liam said. Before she could answer, Liam’s lips crashed against hers, catching her completely off guard. His grip on her waist tightened, pulling he against him, and his hand slid up, fingers threading through her hair to hold her in place.
The kiss was intense, overwhelming, almost as if he was pouring every unspoken word into it. For a second, Izzy’s mind went blank, the surroundings melting away as his lips moved with a roughness and urgency that felt oddly out of character but ignited a spark in her she couldn’t deny.
Her hands pressed against his chest, intending to push him away, but the steady beat of his heart beneath her fingertips drew her in. She could feel herself sinking into the kiss, her resistance faltering. She found herself gripping his shirt, pulling him closer, losing track of the fact that they were in a bathroom, in a public place, and that someone could walk in and see them!
But beneath the passion, something felt wrong. The urgency was too intense, almost frantic. He wasn’t the calm, calculating Liam she knew. The alarm inside her head started ringing. Liam would never do something like this! As she finally registered in, a hint of alarm cut through her haze. She pushed against him, but he didn’t release her. He only held her tighter, as though afraid she’d vanish if he let go.
A flicker of anger joined the confusion in her chest, snapping her out of the moment. Without thinking, she bit down on his lower lip. Liam stumbled back, and she took a breath, her hand flying to her mouth in shock. The reality sank in.
He lifted his head, and that’s when she saw it–his face was flushed, a deep, unnatural red. He wasn’t drunk, but something else was clearly wrong.
“Liam..” She narrowed her eyes, keeping a safe distance. “Are you alright?”
He didn’t answer. Instead, he stepped forward, reaching for her again. She snorted, sidestepping him, her irritation now replaced with alarm. When he leaned in once more, she didn’t hesitate, curling her fist and delivering a clean punch straight to his jaw. His head snapped back, and he crumpled to the floor, finally unconscious.
Izzy let out a shaky breath, her hand aching from the punch. But she wasn’t finished. She spotted his phone pecking out from his suit pocket. Quickly, she retrieved it and pressed his thumb against the sensor, unlocking it. The screen opened to his contacts, and she found what she needed: Mondo, Liam’s assistant. She dialed, listening as the phone rang before a gruff voice answered.
“It’s Izzy. I’m with Liam–he’s.. something’s wrong. Meet me at the back restroom.” Mondo has been Liam’s secretary for years and he had also acted as his driver so Izzy knew that the man was just outside of this restaurant
She hung up, heart pounding. Out of nowhere, a knock sounded on the door. Izzy jumped, clutching the phone tightly. She forced a casual tone. “Just a second! Stomach problems. I’ll be out soon!”
There was a pause, then the faint sound of footsteps retreating. She let out a sigh of relief, glancing down at Liam, who was still unconscious on the floor. She had no idea what had happened, but whatever it was, she wasn’t sticking around to find
out alone.
A few minutes later, another knock sounded at the door. “It’s Mondo,” a familiar voice called.
Izzy exhaled, unlocking the door. As soon as she opened it, Mondo stepped inside, his eyes widening as he took in Liam slumped on the floor.
“What happened?” he asked, his eyes shifting to her, scanning for any signs of distress
Izzy’s cheeks flushed slightly, but she composed herself. “He he was acting strange. I don’t know if he’s drugged or what,
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Chapter 11
but he tried to.” She swallowed, then nodded toward Liam. “Anyway, I had to knock him out. He wouldn’t back off”
Mondo’s expression hardened, but he nodded, “Alright. Let’s get him to the car.”
She nodded, grabbing her purse and glancing around one last time to make sure they hadn’t left anything behind. Mondo lifted Liam under his arms, and they maneuvered him out of the restroom, slipping through the back exit unnoticed.
Once outside, Mondo managed to get Liam into the back seat, leaning him against the door. Izzy climbed in next to him, keeping a careful eye on Liam. She had no intention of leaving Him alone until she figured out what was going on. Mondo slid into the driver’s seat, and as the car started moving, Izzy felt her phone buzz in her bag. It was Monica.
“What in the actual hell does this woman want now? Irritation shed in Izzy’s eyes as she mumbled.
She ignored the call, but seconds later, a text popped up: Where are you? You just left?
Izzy sighed, texting back quickly: Emergency. I had to go.
Almost immediately, her phone rang again–Monica was calling back. Izzy frowned, declining the call, unwilling to get into details right now. She stuffed her phone back into her bag and turned to Mondo, who glanced at her in the rearview mirror.
“Do you know what might’ve caused this?” she asked quietly, looking at Liam slumped against the window.
Mondo’s jaw clenched. “Not sure yet. He was fine earlier today. But it’s possible someone slipped him something.” He glanced back, meeting her eyes briefly. “Did he say anything before..)”
“Not much that made sense,” she replied, looking at Liam. He looked peaceful, at least. However, her face was still red.
Should we take him to the hospital?” she asked.
Mondo shook his head. “We have protocols for something like this. I already sent a text message to Mr. Horvath’s private doctor. We will meet him at Mr. Horvath’s house.”
Does this mean this has happened before? However, before she could inquire further, Mondo added, “Please don’t worry. Doctor Smith is really good. He will take care of the young master very soon.”
Izzy nodded, relief washing through her. She looked at Liam and touched his forehead. “He’s burning up,” she said. “We need to hurry.”
Izzy frowned. Whatever Liam had must be really dangerous. Who would give him something like that? Was it the woman with him? A flicker of annoyance flashed in her eyes. A part of her wanted to wake him so she could ask questions, while the other part couldn’t help but worry about him.
Out of nowhere, a memory from the past resurfaced in her mind. It was of her, worrying about the annoying and troublesome Liam who had an accident trying to save her. In the end. Liam laughed at her for crying over something “silly,”
Bullshit, she thought inwardly.
There was no way she would worry about Liam Horvath! Never,
The vibration on her phone pulled her back from her stupor. She opened it and immediately saw Monica’s message:
[Izzy, my card isn’t working. Did something happen?]
Then another message came through:
[Izzy, where the hell are you? Why is my card not working?]
Slowly, a smile formed on Izzy’s lips.
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