Chapter 28

Several Long Hours Later

Masterson is not coming; you might as well just go home.

Io ignored the voice. Just as she had been ignoring it for the last five hours.

Evidently at least part of what Edith had said was the truth: Corbin was not coming to room 320 today.

Even so, Io couldn't make herself go home.

Instead, she curled up on the bed and shivered, the tears that she never, ever allowed to fall flowing freely.

Corbin was going back to New York. With Edith.

The words twisted in her belly like so many knives.

"That means nothing," she whispered to the empty room, grabbing herself by the scruff of the neck—metaphorically speaking—she said the next words aloud, too, "Corbin does not love Edith. I'm not even sure that he likes her anymore. I saw the way he flinched at Edith's words just this morning."

Perhaps. But she is a wealthy, well-bred woman. She could give him what you never thought to offer: money to do what he does best, rather than serve as a secretary for your brother.

"Corbin would never take money from her! Or from me, for that matter."

He would take money from his wife.

Io moaned. "Shut up," she muttered and shoved her face into a pillow.

Marriage. The bogeyman all her life. Her twin had always said she was the most contrary person alive. It seemed Bal was right, because why else would Io fall in love—yes, love, why bother to keep denying it—with Corbin Masterson? A man who would settle for nothing less than total and complete legal subjugation from any woman he allowed into his life.

It doesn't matter how contrary you are; you love him. Will you make yourself miserable because you are a coward?the irksome voice taunted.

Because being in love worked out so well for me the last time.

What you felt for Lamar was not love. It was the infatuation of a girl.

Io lowered the pillow and considered that possibility as she stared at the canopy of the bed where she'd had so much pleasure.

When she tried to summon Lamar's face, the image was an indistinct blur. It seemed odd that she could recall so little of him because he had continued to live at Canoga—and take many new lovers—right up until the day Io and her siblings had moved away.

And her memories of him were vague, as well. What had they talked about? Had she teased him as she did Masterson? Somehow, she thought not.

Only scant snippets came back to her of their time together, and nothing from the end when she had been emotional and brokenhearted.

Had she loved him?

What does any of that matter now? Because you surely love Corbin.

Io groaned, her head pounding and her eyes burning.

Leave me alone.

She closed her eyes as if that would somehow block her own thoughts.

Was this really the way it would end between them? Was he really going to escort Edith all the way back to America and stay there?

If you want him, then you will need to do something. Soon.

"Leave me alone," she muttered, sleep tugging at her weary mind. "Just leave me alone…"

And that was the last thing Io remembered until she woke up to chaos the following morning.

***

Corbin had never been in jail before.

Thus far, he had occupied two cells. This second one—which he'd been moved to right before Hastings paid him a visit—was far nicer than the first, which had been dank, filthy, and infested with vermin, of both the human and animal sort.

It pained him to know that his friend had likely expended political capital getting him moved to a cleaner cell that he didn't need to share.

Still, he was grateful that Hastings had made the effort, especially considering how angry the duke was at Corbin at the moment.

"You did what?" the duke demanded—no, shouted.

"I confessed to the smuggling charges, Your Grace."

The duke leveled a long forefinger at Corbin, almost close enough to touch the tip of his nose. "Don't you dare Your Grace me right now, Corbin."

Corbin sighed. "Fine…Zeus." If he'd expected his friend to smile at Corbin's first-ever use of his outlandish Christian name, he was sorely mistaken. He took a deep breath and said, "Io has been importing condoms. Evidently the man she purchased them from ignored customs duties to line his pockets."

Zeus's eyebrows shot up in disbelief. "And they have thrown you in jail and summoned a duke because of unpaid duties on condoms?"

Corbin winced at that. "I'm sorry to drag you into this."

"My sister dragged me into this. Tell me the rest," he barked.

"It seems the man who Io was dealing with, Branson, used the condoms as a cover to smuggle weapons."

Zeus groaned and dropped his head in his hands. Corbin felt sorry for him, but then remembered his friend had recently liberated himself from Edith Barrymore, and then he did not feel so bad.

Corbin doubted that now would be the time to congratulate the other man on his narrow escape.

"They cannot believe you purchased weapons?" Zeus said.

"I don't think so. I think they are hoping I will provide them with solid evidence to flush out Branson and his cohorts."

"Can you?"

"I know nothing about all of this. I wouldn't have even known the man's name if they'd not dropped it while interrogating me."

Zeus raised an eyebrow. "Interrogating?"

"Don't worry, they didn't get out the thumbscrews."

"Good. That means it will be all the more painful when I use them on you." His eyes narrowed. "Don't think I have forgotten what you have evidently been up to with my sister. For months. Under my very nose."

It was Corbin's turn to wince. He decided that the truth would be the best defense. "I love her."

Zeus inhaled deeply and when he exhaled, he seemed to expel all his anger along with the air. "I know you would not trifle with her." He snorted. "Indeed, I should probably be worried about your virtue."

Corbin smiled sadly. "You probably should, because she will never marry me, Zeus."

"Must you call me that, too?" His Grace of Hastings begged in a very unducal way.

"The name suits you," Corbin said. "John was never a big enough name for a man as impressive as you… Your Grace."

The duke blushed. "I will not forget this."

Corbin snorted as he glanced around the cell. "I doubt I will, either."

"I will have to bring Io in—she will need to give them her statement."

Corbin sat up straighter. "Absolutely not. I forbid it."

Zeus smirked at that. "I appreciate you trying to protect her, but they know she is involved. The only reason they did not take her, was out of courtesy to me."

"Damnit! I don't want her in a place like this, Zeus."

"Too bad," the duke shot back coolly. "So, where is she?"

Corbin frowned. "But I thought you knew about—"

"I know you've been meeting, but my source would not tell me where."

"Who is your source?"

"That is none of your concern," Zeus said icily.

Corbin sighed. "She is at Boynton's Hotel. Room 320."