Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126823 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Raine shook her head. “Even if they did, Rainier will have an ironclad alibi. I’m not above saying, I hope Bale gets a visit from Rainier.”
* * *
—
Bale woke at the first touch of the knife against his throat. He gasped and brought both hands up in an attempt to move what must have felt like a steel arm holding him immobile.
“What…who…” he spluttered.
“I thought we should have a quiet chat, just the two of us,” Rainier said. “I want you to be very clear on who and what you’re dealing with.”
“Get out of my house. I’ll have you arrested. You’ll be thrown into prison,” Bale blustered. His fingers dug into the arm holding him still, but the arm remained locked around him, preventing all movement.
Rainier ignored the posturing. “I do a certain job for the government. They send me in when they want someone to quietly disappear. You may have heard rumors about my friend Sam or even Zale. Just to be fair so you know exactly who you’re dealing with, I’m far, far worse than either of them. No one wants me coming after them.”
“You can’t arrest me.”
“I don’t arrest people,” Rainier corrected. “I end them. Sometimes I take my time. When anyone threatens my wife or makes her cry, I find it brings out my skills as an interrogator. It’s always good to hone them. I’ve taken days to kill men, making sure they felt everything their victims felt before they died. In the end, they begged me for mercy. It didn’t affect me in the least. I’m sure their victims begged and didn’t get mercy.”
Bale tried to shake his head, but the blade of the knife was still pressed against his neck and bit deeper with each movement. Blood trickled down to his shoulders in a steady stream.
“I don’t like the threats you made to my wife. I don’t like the way you spoke to her. I just want you to know that if anything happens to her, the dogs or the café, if there’s so much as a scratch on her, you will get another visit from me, and I’ll be the last face you ever see. You’re damn lucky Shabina has compassion for you. I don’t. You’re a coward and a bully. I’ve met hundreds of men like you, and all of them ended up crying and begging for their lives.”
Bale had gone very still, recognizing the merciless conviction in Rainier’s voice.
“I want to know you understand. There won’t be another warning. You go near her or hire someone else to do your dirty work for you, I’ll be coming for you. You’d better make it your mission in life to ensure nothing happens to her.”
“I get it,” Bale choked out.
“I hope you do, Landry.”
He was gone as silently as he’d entered the bedroom. Like an apparition. A ghost. Bale lay in his bed, his heart pounding wildly, one hand covering the cut on his neck while blood trickled through his fingers.
Chapter Fifteen
The café was packed, and the line outside was long. Shabina was thankful she’d hired two new waiters instead of just one. She’d gotten up early to run the dogs before they started their long day. Rainier was already gone, and the house seemed empty without him. Even the dogs seemed to miss him, crowding around her when she first got up as if seeking reassurance. They searched the entire house before returning to her to wait patiently while she fixed them food. When she sent Sharif, Morza and Malik out to patrol the grounds, she let Sonar, Bomber and Mick inside so she could lavish attention on them and give them their food.
When she took the dogs running, three of the men ran with her while one stayed at her home with the dog team left behind. The other kept guard over the café. Instead of feeling uncomfortable with the men as she normally would have, they made her feel safe because they worked for Rainier and he was the one giving them orders.
Quite a few locals were in the café, business owners showing their support of Shabina after hearing how Bale had treated her. She wasn’t sure how to respond to so much kindness, so she worked hard to help her staff and made her rounds, greeting customers, locals and tourists alike. Morning turned into afternoon, and some of her favorite customers came in for lunch.
Edward and Janine were back, sitting closer than ever, laughing softly and whispering intimately to one another. Shabina wasn’t sure how she felt about them, but Edward had immediately stood up for her during what she now dubbed “the incident.” He’d even offered to pay for the breakfast Bale had initially refused to compensate the café for. She didn’t know if his offer had been genuine or if Janine had been so offended, she had offered and shamed him into standing up for Shabina. It didn’t really matter, since Edward had stood up to Bale, and she knew he would incur Bale’s wrath.