Keeley was asleep in Aaron's arms when Carlton arrived. He raised an eyebrow.

"My goodness, what happened?"

"Long story," Aaron said grimly. "I need to get her out of here unseen. Any ideas?"

Carlton considered this before suggesting the staff elevator. Apparently, his brother had worked at the hotel as a bellhop and knew its location.

Carlton led the way, ensuring the coast was clear as Aaron followed, carrying the unconscious Keeley piggyback.

Miraculously, they reached the car without being seen.

Once in the car, en route to the hospital, Carlton asked, "Master Aaron, is this the girl you bought craft supplies for?"

Aaron sighed. Was he that transparent? "Yes."

"Can you tell me exactly what happened tonight?" Carlton's tone wasn't accusatory, but Aaron still felt defensive.

"I didn't do this! I received a text message about her location; I found her like that. She was drugged. I've already called her father to meet us at the hospital."

"Why would someone do that?" Carlton asked, astonished.

Aaron couldn't answer. He attracted trouble, that's why. Not that everyone was malicious; Keeley, for instance, was a good person—perhaps the only truly good person he knew.

She didn't deserve this, or anything she'd endured at Lacy's or his father's hands. He wanted happiness with her, but hadn't considered her happiness. Misery followed him, dragging her down.

He looked at the sleeping girl with deep regret. "I'm not strong enough to protect her."

"With all due respect, you're still a high school student. You did your best. She was better off with you than anyone else tonight."

The thought enraged him. Any other man might have taken advantage of a beautiful, intoxicated woman. If he hadn't gotten to her first…

"I'd rather not think about that."

"I only mean you shouldn't be so hard on yourself," Carlton said wisely. "I believe you'll achieve what you want in due time."

Aaron fell silent, deep in thought. He needed to become stronger to protect what mattered. He'd been foolish to involve Keeley without proper precautions. Avoiding the mistakes of his past life had led to entirely new ones.

Keeley wanted him to leave her alone? He could do that, while gaining enough power to protect her from anyone.

At the hospital, Robert was waiting. He leaped up, seeing Aaron carry his daughter in, calling for a gurney. A nurse questioned Aaron, noting his age (he wasn't yet eighteen) and the need for adult witnesses.

"Describe her symptoms," the nurse said crisply, after hearing his account of finding her.

Aaron glanced nervously at Robert. He might not take this well.

"When I found her, she was curled up, hallucinating vividly. She talked about vines, clowns, and planets; her emotions were all over the place, and she was feverish. After that… she… um…"

He hesitated, unwilling to discuss his encounter with Keeley in front of her father. Robert seemed to understand.

"Go on, son, I won't be mad. Tell her what she needs to know."

Aaron avoided eye contact.

"She tried kissing me and taking my clothes off, still hallucinating. She thought I was Neptune…and talked about penguins and glaciers. Eventually, I got her off me, called for help, and then she passed out."

The nurse made notes, then smiled gently. "You were very brave. We'll give her a thorough checkup and run blood tests. I've called the police; you'll need to give a statement and show the text messages as evidence."

Aaron nodded, joining Robert and Carlton. He hung his head. Tonight was a nightmare, and he still had to deal with leaving Alice.

She probably hadn't noticed his absence, but the longer he was gone…he needed to take her home, or his parents would suspect something. But he couldn't leave without knowing Keeley's condition.

Robert laid a hand on Aaron's shoulder. "Thank you for taking care of my daughter. She's all I have left…if you hadn't found her…"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Hall, I should have known sooner," Aaron said miserably.

He was hurting more than just Keeley. If anything happened to her, it would destroy Robert. He saw that now. He'd been so focused on winning Keeley over, he'd ignored her feelings, goals, family, and life aspirations. He'd been apart from her so long, he'd disregarded everything else to have her back. For someone so intelligent, it was incredibly stupid and shortsighted.

"You couldn't have known," Robert said comfortingly. "The important thing is you acted on the texts."

Aaron lacked the energy to argue. He checked the time; the dance would be ending soon. He sent Carlton to retrieve Alice. He couldn't leave; the police were coming. He'd given the nurse his contact information, but he didn't want them questioning him at home.

What if his parents found out? It was better to stay and face it.