Monkey Wrench

Chapter 4

DAKOTA'S POV

I pick up my phone and dial Wren. He answers rather quickly. I immediately start giving orders, "Wren, get to the back office now."

Wren understands me, "On my way." Then I hang up and place my phone back on the desk.

Avery starts interrogating me again, "What the hell is happening?"

"Not yet," I continue to dismiss them.

Wren barges in, "I'm here. What the fuck is going on? Why are we on lockdown? Stop pacing for a moment Dakota and explain these orders. I need to know as head of security."

Wren does have a point being head of security. That's exactly why I'm getting him involved. I cut him off so he can listen, "Stop with the questions so I can explain." I finally address Avery for the first time: I've been waiting for Wren, "Avery, listen up, but make sure Oliver stays awake in the meantime." I began a lengthy explanation:

Look at Oliver. He's completely out of it. Why? The only explanation is that he was drugged. It's not that he drank too much because we both had the same amount of drinks tonight: 2 shots of whiskey with coke chasers followed by mojitos, I had 2 shots after that just like Oliver. Then the last drink of the night we had was jack and coke. So, we only had 6 drinks in total tonight. Look at us. I'm okay. Oliver isn't. We both can handle our alcohol pretty much the same. That's where the cameras come into play: to spot any suspicious activity. I have an idea of a person, but who knows if anyone associated with Sky was here tonight. That's also why I don't want to go to the police, and if we call an ambulance, that's what's probably going to happen. We have to figure this out in-house first and try to reverse the effects.

"Shit. Oliver, give me your phone. Avery, help him," I am completely struck by remembering what Oliver has to do tomorrow. Granted I've known this whole time, but there's something else. Who texted him earlier?

I scroll through his text messages for the earlier text that freaked out Oliver to access the number. "Motherfuckin shit," I snarl and gasp at the same time. Whatever mixture of hatred and surprise there is is what I'm feeling all training be damned.

Wren catching my vibe clearly hints at the fact that there's more to the equation, "What now?"

I snarl his name, "Sky. And, I'm pretty sure that chick that was with us is to blame."

"What the hell does Sky want with Oliver? He's not in this game," Avery questions.

"I heard my name. What's up?" Ollie interjects.

Since Oliver is listening now, now is a perfect time to question him. I start going at it, "That chick we were dancing with, did anything seem off about her? Did she do anything to you?"

After a long pause to account for delay in everything happening in Oliver's brain, Oliver finally responds, "She was surprised that we weren't together, and that I wanted to dance with her. She was trying to figure out how to get free drinks when you got the jack and coke, and seemed really bummed when I said that you have to be the one to go get the drinks."

Oliver seems very distant now. His hazel eyes seem glossy. He's here, but his conscience isn't. He's remembering something.

In a soothing, nurturing voice, I search for more, "Ollie, what are you remembering?"

In a soft, quiet voice barely above a whisper, Ollie recounts, "The lady. She seemed like she knew what she was doing like she had a plan. I wasn't paying attention, but I should have. I let my guard down for one night, and it's this fuckin night out of all nights. What the fuck have I done?" Oliver starts.