I didn’t have a number of anyone to call in Remy’s family, so I ended up ringing Jodi, and she met me at the hospital with sadly both Holden and Gally with her.
When I told her what had gone down, she shivered and hugged herself. “Oh, God. I’m calling her family.”
As she and Gally and Holden took control of one side of the waiting room, where Jodi paced and called number after number, I sat with my knees wide, my elbows resting on them so I could bury my face into my hands.
I couldn’t believe I’d come so close to losing Remy, and I hadn’t even really gotten her yet. As soon as she woke up, I was letting her know good and well I loved her...and she wasn’t allowed to die on me.
I sent off a text to Pick.
Not sure why I did that; he was a newly married man. He and Eva were probably off on their honeymoon now. I shouldn’t have bothered him.
But he was family, and I needed someone with me. I didn’t ask him to come, though, I just told him about what had happened, and oddly, I felt somewhat better after that, just having someone to talk to.
I’d been sitting there about ten minutes, hoping someone would come and let us back to see her soon, when I spotted what looked like her cousin Tomás rush into the waiting room, followed by an older version of him—probably Remy’s uncle Alonso—and a little old lady, whom I figured had to be her grandmother.
They descended on Jodi, demanding answers. As Jodi updated them as best she could, Tomás translated everything to the grandmother in Spanish, who clutched her mouth and looked as if she might pass out.
“Asher’s the one who found her and saved her life.” Jodi motioned to me. “He knows more about it than I do.”
Her family turned, and three pairs of eyes focused on me. I straightened in my chair, not ready to be their center of attention.
“Who are you?” the uncle asked, eyeing me with untrusting disdain.
“I, uh...” I pushed to my feet and held out a hand. “Asher Hart, sir. I’m Remy’s...friend.”
The older man sniffed derisively at my palm. “She has too many gringo friends. What were you doing at her apartment?”
I blinked, not expecting this line of questioning. “I, uh... Actually, she was at my place. I came home from work and found her unconscious on the floor. 911 talked me through giving her a shot from her EpiPen.”
“Bien,” Tomás told me, slapping the side of my arm companionably. “Gracias for helping her.”
His dad scowled at him and snapped something in Spanish, which only made his son shrug and answer with a few short unaffected words. Then Remy’s uncle was spinning back to me and blinking as if he wasn’t sure how to receive me now.
I’m not sure what Tomás had said, but it seemed to temper the older man some.
“Do you guys know of anyone who might want to poison her?” I asked. “Someone gave her a box of chocolates with peanuts in them. But...” I shook my head. “I don’t think it was accidental.”
“Even though it very likely was accidental,” Jodi rushed to add when alarm spread across the faces of Remy’s family members.
Tomás shook his head. “I don’t know, amigo. No one had it out for her. Remy’s likeable, you know.”
I nodded. Yeah, I knew.
“Maybe her ex. That lead singer in the band. What was his name?” For a second, I thought he was referring to me. But then he snapped his finger. “Fish ’N’ Dicks. That’s it.”
My mouth dropped open. “Braden Fisher? She dated him?” I glanced at Jodi, who cringed and nodded, before I turned back to Tomás, who rolled his eyes.
“I know, right? But I can’t see him wanting to get at her for any reason. He was the one who cheated and—”
When his eyes went wide as if he was about to say too much, I sighed and said, “Stole the lyrics of her song. Yeah, I know.”
I tried to think of anyone else who might be mad at her for any reason. The only person I could think up was me, but then I turned my thoughts to Gally and Holden...who’d just been forced to accept her into their band. But when I glanced their way, Gally lifted a bored voice and called, “So are we getting extra sex tonight for being all charitable and coming here to check on her?”
Okay, so Gally and Holden probably hadn’t poisoned her. I turned away with a frustrated sigh, but someone lurking in the hallway caught my eye. I blinked, focusing on him, but he was gone before I had a good look.
Narrowing my eyes, I followed my suspicions and stepped out of the waiting room. The man was about twenty feet away, his back to me and shoulders hunched forward as if trying to conceal his identity. But I knew that walk. Damn it.
“Hey,” I hollered.
He glanced back, and yep, there was my father.
Son of a bitch.
When our gazes met, he whirled away and darted around a corner.