Page 51 of The Encounter
Susan put a hand to her chest. “Thank you. That is so sweet of you. I know everyone will go crazy over these.”
“You’re very welcome.”
Jace excused himself to grab his car and pull it around while Maddie and Kayla had their IVs taken out, got dressed and situated into wheelchairs. Two nurses wheeled them out the door as Jace pulled up, and he helped both women into the car.
Maddie sat in the front seat next to him, and he immediately reached over and held her hand as he drove back toward their house. When they pulled up, another car sat in the driveway, and Kayla immediately groaned.
“All right, who called the parental units?” she asked, throwing an accusatory glance at Maddie.
Maddie shook her head. “Don’t look at me. You’ve been with me since last night. I wouldn’t have dared call them and risk getting slaughtered in my sleep.”
Kayla raised an eyebrow and turned her attention to Jace.
He laughed. “Kayla, I don’t even know your last name. How would I contact your parents?”
She stared for a moment longer before flinging the car door open. “Fair point, but neither of you is off the hook until I find out how they know.”
Maddie rolled her eyes and pushed her own car door open. Jace hopped out and ran around to help her out. Kayla was already standing near her parents’ car, where they had her wrapped in a tight hug.
Jace clasped Maddie’s hand as they walked toward Kayla and her parents. Kayla turned a wide-eyed look at them.
“So apparently we made the tabloids,” she said.
Jace’s face hardened. “What?”
Kayla held out her cell phone, showing a picture of the ambulances outside the club with the names of the four women listed, along with pictures of each that had been taken from their social media accounts.
It didn’t surprise him that the attack was in the tabloids. Several people had filmed the arrest and ambulances. That tracks enough attention in itself. It surprised him, however, that they had the victims’ names and photos.
He pulled out his own phone and did a search on the club, pulling up the same article Kayla had shown him, along with dozens of cell phone videos that had been filmed while the suspects were being arrested. Maddie leaned against his shoulder, looking at his phone alongside him.
Kayla’s cell phone rang, distracting them from the article. She looked at it, puzzled, before answering the call. Her face immediately soured.
“No, I’m not interested in doing an interview. Goodbye.” She ended the call and frowned. “The paparazzi are already calling for interviews.”
Maddie’s phone rang next. She sent the call to voicemail. Then Jace’s phone rang. He also sent it to voicemail.
“Looks like they’re making the rounds,” Maddie said.
Kayla’s father stepped forward and pulled Maddie into a hug, interrupting their thoughts. “Hey Maddie. How are you feeling?”
“Hi Mr. O’Neill. I’m doing well. How are you?”
Kayla’s mom stepped forward next, hugging Maddie.
“Oh, we’re hanging in there. You girls gave us quite a scare,” he said.
“I’m sorry about that. Mr. and Mrs. O’Neill, this is Jace,” Maddie said.
Jace shook their hands. “It’s nice to meet you.”
Mr. O’Neill clapped Jace on the back with one hand, while shaking his hand with the other. “We hear you’re the reason the girls were in a safe spot. If it weren’t for you, I’m scared to think how this would have ended.”
Mrs. O’Neill spoke up next before stepping forward and pulling Jace into a hug. “We can’t imagine what would have happened if you hadn’t sent them down the private hallway. Thank you.”
He wrapped his arms around Mrs. O’Neill, surprised. “I feel a little responsible that they were in that situation to begin with since they were at my club.”
Mrs. O’Neill stepped back and wiped a few stray tears away before stepping back to Kayla and pulling her against her side. “You couldn’t have predicted it would have happened. Don’t blame yourself. If I know my daughter, she would have been at a club regardless of whether you owned it.”
