Diamonds & Desire: The Priceless Collection by Angelita Gill Read Free Book Online Page A

had said or done something inappropriate, why would she have stayed?
    Fingering the delicate material of her dress, she said, “There’s a reason I came back to the party to find you, and it wasn’t just because you asked me to.”
    He shifted in his seat as he twisted the bottled water open. “What do you mean?”
    Folding her arms across her middle, she leaned on the window. “I’m going to try and be as detailed as possible. I can’t even believe the words that are going to come out of my mouth right now, but it’s all true.” She drew in a long breath. “You were roofied.”
    His first reaction was bafflement, mixed with uncomfortable laughter. He gulped down some cold water. Whatever he thought she might say, it wasn’t that. “Are you joking?”
    “No,” she insisted. “Logan, I’ve been trying to tell you this since last night, but then the drug kicked in and you weren’t very lucid after that. I was able to get you up here, but almost as soon as you sat down on the bed, you went unconscious. So I decided to stay here with you so I could explain everything when you woke up.”
    His head still buzzing, he couldn’t grasp it all at once. Though, oddly, the logical part of his brain seized the explanation he’d been drugged, to account for his questionable coma. “Let me get this straight. Something was slipped in my drink? Explains why my memory is hazy and why I passed out for no real reason. But…how do you know this for sure?”
    “Because I heard all about how and why and by whom. It was your date. Your friend, Rebecca.”
    He lowered his brows with immediate disbelief. Rebecca did it? Now that was even harder to fathom. “Jordana, none of this is really making sense to me. What happened last night? Just be honest.”
    “I’m telling you the truth.” She clasped her hands together and bit a corner of her lip as she moved to sit down in the chair across from him. “It all started when I went to use the ladies room, after you’d given me the necklace,” she began, finally meeting his eyes.
    Jordana disclosed the whole tale with extraordinary detail. He would’ve had a hard time believing her if her facts weren’t so specific. Rebecca. Pregnant with Ben’s baby. Desperate. Aiming for his wealth and generosity and security for her future. Logan sat in pensive silence, putting the pieces together, searching for something he could deem false or misconstrued.
    He knew instantly she meant Ben Oliver, a college friend. He’d lost a fortune as an investor, was deep in financial debt, but too proud to let go of the lifestyle he’d been able to afford for years. Up until a few weeks ago, no one knew how bad it was. He got caught up in drugs, sunk to a depression, and hid it all like a pro. Obviously Rebecca had also been duped, or else she might have taken more precaution during their affair.
    To further validate her story, Jordana had also mentioned Carla, the wife of a family friend who’d passed away last year. She couldn’t have possibly known about how he’d helped the widow unless she was in his inner circle. Only his close friends were aware, Rebecca included.
    “You heard all this,” he said, allowing the information to sink in, staving off any immediate reaction, “decided to do something about it and sought me out. Why didn’t you tell me right away?”
    “I wanted to tell you everything on the spot, but there was no time! I knew she had already put the drug in your drink by the time I found you. I was trying to distract you, because I knew once she saw it was working, she’d get you up here, and it would be too late.” She sighed. “When I finally did get you alone, you were dizzy, and barely able to stand on your feet. So we came to your room, you passed out, and…here we are.”
    It was a lot to take in. And even though he didn’t want to accept Rebecca would deceive him so grievously, he concluded Jordana had no reason to manufacture such a story. As soon as he could,