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“You were drugged, Mum.”
Her eyes widened, but he could see she remembered something.
Shaylee walked in with the ice chips. “How are you feeling, Ms. Prescott?”
“Not stellar. Thank you.” She took the cup and immediately spooned some ice chips into her mouth.
“Can I get either of you anything else?” Shaylee winked at him.
“No, thank you,” Chad said.
“We’d like to talk undisturbed. Thank you very much.” His mum easily dismissed the overly flirtatious nurse.
Chad smiled as she left. “Thank you,” he told his mum. “She came into my space and kissed me earlier. It was so out of the blue I didn’t even push her away.”
“Sorry, love. It’s probably hard to be so irresistible.”
He shook his head. “I only want to be irresistible to Hope.”
“I want to hear more about her.”
“Okay.” He grinned, but it slid away. “First, let’s talk through what you remember about tonight.”
She nodded and he could see in her emerald eyes that she was concentrating and trying to remember. She’d agreed to go to the wedding with Roger. They weren’t dating seriously, but they’d been out to dinner a few times. She remembered after the wedding dinner he brought her a drink. They chatted as she drank it, but then he kept insisting she take a present to the king. She and the king liked to give each other a hard time, and Roger kept telling her the gift was a prank.
“Honestly, that’s the last thing I remember. Until I woke up here with you.”
Chad took her hand. “Somehow Roger convinced you to take the present, or he directed you that way after the drug took effect. You were staggering to the king when I intercepted you. Your drink must’ve been spiked heavily with Alprazolam. It’s used for anxiety and depression and can cause dizziness, confusion, clumsiness, unsteadiness, life-threatening breathing problems, sedation, and coma.”
Her eyes widened. “What was in the present?”
“A bomb.”
“No!” She put a hand over her mouth, her green eyes full of horror. “Was anybody hurt?”
“No. I took the present from you, ran to the wall, and hurled it out into space.”
“Oh, thank heavens.” She closed her eyes, released his hand, and sagged against the bed. “Oh, Chad. I’m sorry. I was upset at you for not being receptive to Roger, I thought you were simply being overprotective, but … How could he trick me like that? The bomb would’ve killed me and King Nolan for sure.”
“And probably the rest of the wedding party.”
“Oh my. Why would he do such a thing?”
“We won’t know until we find him, but his son was friends with Treven Rindlesbacher. It seems every dark road leads back to the Rindlesbachers.”
“But Treven and William are dead.”
“I wouldn’t put much past Naomi.”
She leaned back, obviously spent. “I hope you catch Roger and Naomi soon.”
“Thanks, Mum.”
For a moment, they said nothing. Then her eyes brightened as if she remembered something else about the night. “And you’re in love with Hope.”
“I am.” A ray of joy returned to his mind simply thinking about her.
“I like her. Smart. No nonsense. She’ll keep you in line.”
