Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
“Rainier ordered the lockdown, but he didn’t take Raine’s laptop,” Shabina said hastily. “I asked him.” She looked down at the table, guilt and shame etched into the smooth skin on her face. “I was so upset I may have accused him in a very angry manner.”
No one spoke, willing her to go on. They were very aware of how formidable Rainier was. All of them thought Shabina tended to put him on a pedestal. There didn’t seem to be many occasions that the couple were at odds, but again, it seemed that Shabina was willing to follow Rainier’s lead in most things. They did have to concede that whatever she wanted, Rainier saw to it that she got it. He made her life as smooth as possible. But no one wanted to witness an altercation between them.
“Rainier actually was very gentle and sweet with me, which made me feel worse than ever. He even held me because I burst into tears. I was really afraid for her and on her behalf. I kept trying to tell him that she isn’t someone they can order around like that and keep her from us. We’re her family. Her only family. I’m not sure I made much sense, but he kept assuring me he would find out what was going on with the laptop and why she couldn’t communicate with us.”
Harlow sat up very straight, the warrior in her suddenly sweeping through her. She had the crazy desire to storm the little medical center and try to break Raine out. “Did he find out?” she demanded.
Shabina continued to look uncomfortable. She looked around her at the customers beginning to fill up the café. They’d met early before the café opened, but the business was always brisk, and a queue had already formed outside before the doors had been unlocked.
“He told me Raine was doing a little better. She was out of danger from the snakebite, which was good, but her leg was very fragile. They had used a new compound to try to strengthen the bone. It’s still in the experimental stage. If it doesn’t work, they’re talking amputation.”
Raine had indicated that was a very viable possibility. “I don’t understand why her doctors aren’t giving her access to a computer so she can do the research she needs to make her decisions. Raine needs that reassurance. She needs to feel as if she has all the information possible before she comes to conclusions,” Harlow said.
Now she was really worried about Raine. She would feel like a prisoner. When Raine was trapped, her brain was far too active to keep her down. She would work on finding a way out.
Shabina looked around the room one more time and pitched forward to be heard better when she whispered, “Rainier’s medical center is closed to everyone because it is believed that someone important is there. They’re hiding his identity because he was nearly killed, and they believe he’s still being hunted. No one knows who is friendly and who isn’t.”
Harlow slipped on her professional mask. She might not have a poker face around Wilder, but she had been a nurse long enough to be able to keep her composure under pressure. She knew the man the medical facility was supposedly hiding was Wilder. Rainier and the others were giving Blom and everyone else the illusion that he was there under heavy guard.
“Did Rainier say who it is?” Stella asked. “Does Sam know?”
Shabina shook her head. “I don’t have any other information. Rainier didn’t want me to think anything terrible was happening to Raine. I told him she would never betray a confidence and to let her have the computer, but he said at the moment they were being extremely careful.”
Zahra rubbed the palm of her hand over her mouth several times, her gaze shifting far too speculatively to Harlow. She knew. Zahra was shrewd and extremely intelligent. The woman she presented to the world wasn’t anything like the brain that she was. She had escaped her childhood by appearing unassuming. By being underestimated. She kept that persona, always looking timid and ultrafeminine. Anyone who was aware of the fact that she was in good shape, could run miles, held a powerhouse position at the hospital and ran extremely lucrative fundraisers should know who they were dealing with. But Zahra was good at her role, and most people believed her persona.
Harlow gave a slight shake of her head, and Zahra turned her attention to the scones in front of her. They had a past together, one that tied them into this sisterhood, although, at times, Harlow was horribly embarrassed about the things Zahra knew firsthand about Harlow’s parents. There were days Harlow found it difficult to be around Zahra. It wasn’t Zahra’s fault. Harlow could readily admit Zahra never once had thrown the past in her face. She’d never told a single soul. She’d acted grateful that Harlow had come to her aid. But that didn’t stop the guilt or humiliation from knowing about—seeing—her father’s attack on her friend.