In the next moment, Nate looked about the room, and when he saw the table with its empty bowl, which had contained fruit, and the empty bread basket, his eyes opened wider. Cay wanted to kick herself for not remembering that Nate would be there. He saw everything.
Nate instantly looked from the table to the rest of the room and within a second he saw Cay’s eyes peeping through the gap between the open cabinet doors. He even took a step toward her, but then Alex entered and Nate looked back at his friend.
Cay hadn’t thought about what she’d expected from the woman Alex had almost been hanged for, but she would have imagined that contrition would be her main emotion. She would apologize and beg his forgiveness, wouldn’t she?
But Lilith just stood there, looking at what Cay assumed was Alex approaching her, and her beautiful face went into a smile—and she became even more lovely. To Cay’s disbelief, the woman seemed to be looking at someone she loved very much.
When Alex got within a few feet of her, his back to Cay so she couldn’t see his face, the woman took two steps forward, and she slipped her arms around Alex.
“How very, very much I
’ve missed you, my darling,” Lilith said in a low, throaty voice. “And how glad I am that you’re going to remain my husband.”
Cay saw Alex put his arms around her waist, and when Lilith kissed him, he kissed her back.
Cay fainted. The blood left her head, her body became light, and she lost consciousness. Both Tally and Nate had surreptitiously been watching her, and they were able to catch her before she hit the floor.
When Alex ran to her, Tally put up his arms and blocked him. “Go to your wife, and if you get near my sister again, I’ll kill you.”
Twenty-six
Before Adam answered the knock on his hotel door, he felt sure he knew who it was. This morning Tally had told him about Cay fainting and nearly hitting her head on the hard floor. Tally had been so angry that he’d wanted to challenge Alex to a duel. At the very least, he wanted to press charges against him.
“Don’t you think he’s had enough trouble from the law?” Nate asked, calm as always.
Adam turned to Nate and asked what had happened.
“Our sister wanted to see Alex with his wife. She did, and it was too much for her.”
Tally glared at Nate. “Tell him why you aren’t concerned about this. Tell Adam why you couldn’t care less about what’s been done to our little sister, including dragging her into uncharted territory where even the plants have teeth.”
“I have yet to see proof of plants that devour human flesh, no matter that Mr. Connor loves to tell stories of them.”
“Proof? You don’t need proof for what happened this morning. Just because you think McDowell can do no wrong doesn’t mean—”
“Tally!” Adam said. “Am I right that our sister is unhurt?”
“If you call crying hard enough to break a man’s heart to hear her, and refusing to eat or speak to anyone ‘unhurt,’ then yes she is.”
“Interesting observation,” Nate said calmly, “since it’s usually you who makes her cry.”
“Why you—” Tally made a lunge for Nate, who put up his fists. Nate had had boxing lessons from a professional.
Adam’s long arm reached out and stopped Tally. “Sit! I want to know what happened, and since you, Tally, seem to be incapable of coherent thought, I’ll let Nate tell me. First of all, why does our angry brother think you aren’t concerned about our little sister?”
“Tell him!” Tally said as he slumped down on to a chair.
“Alexander McDowell is Merlin.”
Adam stared at Nate for a few moments before he spoke. “Now I understand. It’s why you’ve been so involved in this hunt for the truth.”
“Yes, it is,” Nate answered. “With both my sister and my friend involved, I could do no less than my best.”
“So what happened after Cay fainted?” Adam asked.
Tally answered. “I carried her to Nate’s room.”
Adam nodded. Last night, he and Cay had stayed in one hotel, while Nate, Tally, and Alex went to another one. It was at Nate’s hotel that they had arranged for Alex to meet with his wife. “What did Alex do that so upset Cay?”