“I’m fine. Probably no worse than you’ve had from the rugby field.” Cara couldn’t completely hide her discomfort when she sat up in bed and leaned back against the headboard. Her words seemed to work, though, because Declan grunted.
“But you’re a puny girl, so it’s not the same thing.”
Wes scowled. What had happened to Cara was serious. But Cara’s bright smile, followed by an “Ow” and her laugh, took away his anger. Must be a sibling thing. He’d seen firsthand Declan’s murderous rage when he saw his sister injured.
“Colin’s parents are being difficult.” Declan held up his hand. “Don’t worry. I made sure that they understand their son is seriously mentally ill. I think we’ll be able to reach a compromise that keeps their son out of an Italian prison. He’ll be admitted to a secure psychiatric ward under my guardianship.”
Wes blinked at the cold calculation in Declan’s smile, but Cara didn’t seem fazed. She simply nodded, as if circumventing international courts and essentially privately imprisoning someone was normal.
He looked at Declan, considering. The Bloom family had been a media empire, and while he knew that no global business was above bending the law, her brother seemed a bit… more.
“I think we should go to Dublin.” Cara drew Wes’s attention back to the conversation.
“There’s no reason for you to go.” Declan shook his head.
“I’m going. You don’t have to help me, but you know you’ll feel better if you know what I’m doing. Did Colin tell you where the snow globe is? He didn’t destroy it, did he?”
A muscle ticked in Declan’s jaw. “He claims he doesn’t have it. He wasn’t the one who broke into your house.”
Wes frowned. “It had to be him.”
Declan spared him a glance. “I’ve confirmed it. He flew to London to link up with his parents before coming here for the wedding.”
“He could have hired someone.” Cara pointed out.
“But why take the globe?” Declan’s lip curled. “I believe sickos like this are usually more interested in… personal items.”
Cara’s face paled. Wes suspected she was thinking of Colin accessing her computer. Declan’s eyes bounced between the two of them. “Is there something you need to tell me, Caralina?”
“Nothing to do with this,” Cara frowned. “If not him, then who? Did the police come up with anything? Fingerprints?”
“I checked with Luke, and he said he would go down to the police station today. He had a deposition or something this morning.”
“You told Luke?” Cara groaned.
“And James. You think I shouldn’t tell your brothers someone tried to murder you?”
“Ourbrothers.”
“I’m trying to convince them they don’t need to come. They both want to hear from you today.”
“Wes, could you find my mom and ask her to come up here? I think we need to find out everything that happened the day she spent with my dad.
“No problem. I’ll replace your ice, too.”
“That’s what you think.” Cara said dryly, handing him the plastic bags now full of water. “Tearing my mother away from her grand performance won’t be easy.”
Cara hadn’t been wrong. It took far too long for Wes to get Corinne’s attention. You’d think with her daughter recently attacked, Corinne would want to know how Cara was the second she saw him. Instead, she’d held up a finger for him to wait, and as Wes moved closer, he could make out her words.
“It’s just dreadful. But I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Ursula was always very jealous of me. Obviously, some of her animosity poisoned her son, and he took it out on my poor Caralina.”
Wes was incredulous. “Corinne. Your daughter would like to talk with you,” he said, impatience ringing in his voice.
The woman Corinne had been talking to turned sympathetic eyes to Wes. “Please give Caralina our love. Just horrible! We’d better be going…”
“Oh no! You don’t need to go!” Corinne objected. The other woman cast a dubious look around the subdued crowd.
Corinne flashed her dazzling smile to Wes. “Tell my darling I’ll be up after I’ve taken care of my guests. She’ll understand.”
