The police hadn’t even let her change from her gown. They had put her in handcuffs and forced her to endure the humiliation of being loaded into their car before the shocked audience of her wedding guests.
Then she was left in a cell with two other women who were less extravagantly dressed, but equally miserable and quietly distressed.
Her flustered lawyer appeared, mumbling about unforeseen delays before he explained that the police had received evidence that drugs were being smuggled in shipments from Callas Cosmetics. Ilona had been implicated by a photo and a signature.
“That’s doctored evidence!” she cried.
“It’s flimsy, I know,” her lawyer said grimly. “It’s not even due process. The police have forty-eight hours to make an arrest without a warrant if they catch someone in the act of commiting a crime. They’re claiming they had to act because you’re about to leave on your honeymoon. I’ll be filing for a dismissal and they will eventually face a disciplinary investigation, but that doesn’t help you in this moment. I have to secure your release through normal channels which will take time. Hours. Not days,” he assured her, but she was losing heart by the minute.
“Has...” She was afraid to ask, afraid of the answer. “Has Leander been informed?” Why isn’t he here?
“He’s not answering his phone and—” Her lawyer’s face tightened. “There’s a report his yacht left port with him on it.”
You’ve mistaken me for someone who forgives easily.
If there had been anything substantial in her stomach, she would have thrown it up.
“It shouldn’t be much longer,” her lawyer promised and she was shown back to her cell.
When she was finally released, it was because her bail had been posted by Hercules. She went home with him.
A woman’s startled cry opened Leander’s eyes, but nothing about what he saw made sense. Was that a bed leg? Why was he drunk? Where was he?
“Help, help!” the woman cried.
“Is he dead?” another voice asked with alarm.
“I don’t know.”
They sounded like they were in another room. He heard the rush of feet coming toward him and pushed himself up enough to prop his back on the side of the mattress.
Was that his mother on the bed? He reached for her wrist and she moaned slightly, twitching. Alive, at least. What the hell had happened?
He swore, recalling helping her to the bed because she had suddenly felt ill. One minute they’d been sharing coffee, the next they’d both been nauseous and dizzy. Leander had staggered her to the bed and...must have blacked out because he couldn’t remember anything after that.
“I was drugged,” he told the women in housekeeping uniforms, both blinking with astonishment at him. It was the only explanation. “What time is it?”
He turned his head to the clock on the nightstand and swore again. The wedding.
“Ilona.” Her name was a bitter pang of regret in the back of his throat.
He patted his jacket until he found his phone. Another string of curses came out of him as he saw dozens of texts and attempts to call, most of them from Androu, but others, too. His lawyer, guests from the wedding. All were asking some version of, Where are you? What do you want me to do?
“Get my mother a doctor,” he said to the housekeeper as he forced himself onto his feet. His whole body felt a thousand times heavier than it should.
“Did I miss the wedding?” his mother asked on a sob of anguish. “I didn’t mean to let her down. I swear, Leander.” Tears dampened her fluttering lashes.
He squeezed her hand. “It’s not your fault.” It was his. “But I have to find Ilona. A doctor is coming,” he promised and dialed Dino as he bounced off the door frame into the hall. “Bring the car around.”
“I’m having new tires put on. I stepped away for a cigarette and they were all slashed.”
Of course they were. Leander could have smashed his phone to pieces at that moment, he was so furious. He ended his call and hit the speed dial for Androu.
“Finally!” Androu said in a choked voice. “I couldn’t reach you—”
“Is she okay? Hurt?” His heart was clenched into a hard fist inside his chest. “Where is she?”
A beat of surprise, then, “Still with her brother, I think.”