Captivating You (How to Marry a Billionaire #2)

Episode 55

EPISODE 55

JUNE IS BUSTIN’ OUT ALL OVER

Ariel

June sniffs back her sobs after I pull her into my suite. Her satin robe is tied loosely, and she tugs on the ends of the sash to tighten it.

“June,” Alex says, “what’s wrong? What can we do for you?”

June shakes her head. “I’m freaking out. I just talked to Evangeline, and she... She...”

I take one of June’s hands in mine and gently squeeze it. “She what, June? What happened with Evangeline?”

June sniffles. “She says I have to leave the island tomorrow.”

Alex goes rigid next to me. “She what ?”

June looks away from Alex. “Could I talk to you alone?” she asks me.

“If you need to, of course. But Alex is a kind soul. He can?—”

“Don’t you understand?” June chokes out a sob. “He’s why I have to leave!”

I turn to Alex, and the look on his face is one of sheer surprise.

“June,” he says, his jaw clenched. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Why did you—and by you I mean all four of you guys—invite me here only to cast me aside?” June demands.

I lead her to the sofa in my sitting area, sit, and pull her down next to me. “Tell us what Evangeline said.”

“Not until he leaves.”

“Oh, hell, no.” Alex plunks down into the wingback chair opposite us. “You tell me exactly what Evangeline told you, because I assure you that I had nothing to do with any of this.”

“You didn’t?” June hiccups.

Poor June. She’s one of the most beautiful women here, but right now tears are streaming down her high cheekbones, and her pretty blue eyes are bloodshot.

But the tension in Alex’s brow speaks volumes. I believe him.

He had nothing to do with this.

“Of course I didn’t,” Alex says. “This isn’t some reality television show. We’re not kicking people out or voting people off. Whether any of us makes a match or not, you ladies are all welcome here for the duration of the event.”

“Then why would Evangeline...”

Alex draws in a breath, his hands curled into fists. Redness creeps up his neck.

He’s angry.

“Alex?” I say.

He relaxes, but only a bit. “Tell me right now everything that Evangeline said to you.”

June bites on her lower lip and sniffles again. I stand, walk through the bedroom into my bathroom, and retrieve the box of tissues. I return and hand the box to June.

She pulls one out and blows her nose daintily. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I smile, hoping to reassure her. “Now tell us what’s going on.”

“I guess it started when Heather called me earlier.”

“She called you? How?” I ask.

“Sebastian apparently has a satellite phone.”

I glare at Alex. “And the rest of us aren’t allowed to have phones?”

“The guys and I all have our cells with us,” Alex says, “but for the most part they stay in our rooms. Seb is waiting for news from his agent, so he keeps his on him. Not that this is any of your business.”

I widen my eyes.

“I didn’t mean it that way, Ariel. It’s not you I’m upset with. It’s Evangeline. Tell me what she said, June.”

June nods. “Heather called me earlier. She was worried about me because of something I told her. Something about Misty and me.”

Alex’s eyebrows nearly shoot off his forehead. “Something about Misty?”

“Yeah. It’s not...” She blows her nose again. “It doesn’t put me in the most flattering light, and I’d rather not go into detail, but I blacked out after a gala once and ended up in a hotel room with Misty and a basketball player.”

I stop my jaw from dropping. I’m tempted to ask which basketball player, but since I only know about two by name, it wouldn’t help my curiosity. Besides, this isn’t about me.

“What else happened?” Alex asks.

“I don’t remember getting there. Or agreeing to the threesome.”

“Oh, my God,” I say. “Were you...drugged?”

“I don’t think so. Or maybe. I don’t know. I was embarrassed, of course, but I was in the middle of sex with two people, so I wasn’t passed out. I just don’t remember how I got there. I never gave it a thought after that. I mean, the guy was using a rubber and I’m on birth control, so I wasn’t worried about diseases or pregnancy. I was just glad it was over, and I never saw the guy again. As for Misty...”

“What about Misty?” Alex says through clenched teeth.

“I didn’t see her much after that,” June says, “but every time our paths crossed after that, she always made some reference to our”—air quote—“fun night. So I knew she never forgot, and I always wondered if she knew something I didn’t about that night. But I went on with my life, and I didn’t think much about it until...”

“Until what?” I ask.

“Until today, when Rachel almost drowned.”

“That freaked us all out,” I say, “but she’s going to be okay.”

“I know, thank God, but the thing is that I was talking to Rachel before the guys got here. It was one day after lunch, and the rest of you were off doing your own things. Rachel was kind of shy, so I started asking her about island stuff, just to break the ice, you know? And she said she loved to swim and used to work as a lifeguard when she was in college.”

I swallow. It doesn’t take a genius to see where this is going.

“Go on,” Alex says, his voice rigid.

“So I went to see Evangeline tonight after Heather called to check on me. I couldn’t find her at first, but finally, about a half hour ago, I caught up with her in her suite. I wanted to check to see if she had any more news about Rachel, and I mentioned that the whole thing was strange since Rachel was obviously a very good swimmer because she had been a lifeguard, plus she was wearing a lifejacket.” June blows her nose again. “Evangeline said her snorkel probably filled with water and she breathed it in, but then I said that didn’t make sense if Rachel was an experienced swimmer. She’d know better than to get water into her snorkel.”

Alex rises, rubs his fingers through his hair. Sweat breaks out on his hairline. “Then what?”

June sniffles. “Evangeline got angry. She said the important thing was that Rachel was going to be fine, and not to worry my pretty little head about it anymore and that it was none of my business.”

I drop my mouth open. “She seriously said that to you? She used the words ‘pretty little head?’”

June nods. “I said it sure was my business because something happened to Rachel to make her almost drown, and it reminded me of...” June chokes down a sob. “It reminded me of a time when I couldn’t remember something, and I thought Misty might have drugged me.”

Alex sits back down and looks June square in the eye. “Let me guess. As soon as you mentioned Misty, she said you had to go.”

“Not at that point. She said I wasn’t being a team player, and maybe it was better if I left the island like Rachel and Ginger did. I told her I didn’t want to leave, but then she said—” June gulps.

“What?” I ask gently. “What did she say?”

“She said, ‘If you don’t feel safe here, June, I think you need to leave.’”

Alex reaches across and takes June’s other hand. “June, you are safe here. I swear to you. River, Sebastian, Brett, and I will not let anything happen to you.”

“I didn’t think you would,” June says, “but you couldn’t protect Rachel, Alex. You couldn’t protect Rachel.”

Alex rises again, rubs his temples. His handsome face is twisted with regret.

“Were you drinking that night?” I ask June.

“Of course. It was a gala. A party. But not to excess. I had a few drinks. No more than I ever have, and I’ve never had a reaction like that.”

“I’d say we have a common denominator here.” Alex retakes his seat. “And it’s not me or any of the other guys. It’s Misty. Misty was there with you that night, and Misty was with Rachel on the catamaran today.”

June nods. “That’s what I told Evangeline. I told her if anyone should leave, it should be Misty, and that’s when Evangeline told me that the men"—she points to Alex—"no longer wanted me here, and to pack up and be ready to leave tomorrow.”

“No.” I squeeze June’s hand. “You can’t leave. That’s not fair.”

“Damned right it’s not.” Alex rises again. “Are you ladies okay here?”

“Yeah.” I nod. “Are you leaving?”

“Hell, yes, I am. I’m going to talk to the guys, and then the four of us are going to rouse Evangeline out of bed and find out what the fuck is going on here.”