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)
At least Harlow admitted she was uneasy. That made Shabina feel a little better.
“I always carry a gun. In this case, I have more than one on me.”
“I’m going to take this package in my car, and I’ll follow you back to Knightly. If you need to stop at Sunrise to let the dogs out or for a bathroom break, just signal. I’ll stop with you. I’m going to text Raine as soon as I can and ask her to meet us at your house. We can turn this over to her.”
“I don’t want anyone going after Raine. She’s been through enough.” That was one of her biggest worries—bringing danger to her friends.
“Raine has more protection than the rest of us. She’ll know exactly what to do to keep you safe from any charges if you’re being set up. You can’t have any evidence in your home, Shabina. Bale’s a big man in a small town. He has no idea of the kind of power someone like Raine can wield. She’s a woman. She’s very small and delicate looking. She’s quiet. Bale doesn’t understand real intelligence, especially in a woman. He understands brawn. That’s the only thing he respects.”
Shabina knew everything Harlow said was the truth. The only problem she had with it was, suppose her opponent wasn’t Bale? What if Scorpion was creating this mess just to torture her? Although, to be honest, when she really thought about it, he would be more likely to use one or more of her friends as the murder victim. He would know that would hurt her far more, and he would revel in her suffering.
She stayed silent because there wasn’t anything more to say. Speculation only went so far. They had no idea who really had killed Deacon Mulberry or why the bizarre altar had been set up. They didn’t have enough details about the actual murder to put any more clues together. The authorities were keeping some information away from the public.
Harlow carefully wrapped her jacket around the small package and took it to her car. Both women slid behind the wheels of their respective vehicles and began the long trek home.
Shabina flooded the RAV4 with calming music. She needed her mind to stop racing the way it was. It wouldn’t help to replay every nasty insult Bale had given her or the harassment he and his friends had subjected her to when she’d gone out dancing at the Grill. Once in the last year, she had gone to work in the early morning hours to find someone had painted filth all over the outside of her café. There was an investigation, but no one was arrested. That was when she had Lawyer Collins install a better security system with more cameras outside and inside.
Thinking about Bale was better than having her mind dwell on the nightmarish six months she’d endured with Scorpion before Rainier had appeared out of the sandstorm, rising up like some specter, slaughtering her enemies and carrying her to safety. But that thought brought her mind to fixate on Rainier.
Thinking of Rainier was a two-edged sword. She knew she had to find a way to break her reliance on him. He didn’t—and couldn’t—return her feelings. No one, including him, thought her feelings for him were real. They believed she had established not only a dependence on him, but as a teenager she had developed a crush on the man who had rescued her.
Shabina knew that wasn’t true. As a teenager, she hadn’t crushed on any man, let alone Rainier. He was older and as hard as nails. He was intimidating and demanding. He was the only one who didn’t coddle her or want to keep her locked away from the world, especially when she wanted to retreat into complete isolation. He made her face what had happened to her and the consequences. He believed in the truth even when she didn’t want to hear it. Now, she appreciated that quality in him. As a teen, it had been very hard to take at times.
She’d found it difficult to be around any man other than Rainier when she’d first come home. Even her father. That could have set the stage for the two to have such an adversarial relationship. She really didn’t like the security guards always watching her. It was difficult to leave her room even for physical therapy. Only Rainier could get her to go out and only if he was with her. That hadn’t been a crush; that had been a necessity for survival. She knew the difference.
Did she have a dependence on him? Back when she was a teen? He was the only person she fully trusted, so yes. Now? Same answer. When her life fell apart and she couldn’t distinguish reality from insanity, she depended on Rainier. She tried not to. She wanted to have a completely different relationship with him. Unfortunately, he didn’t return those feelings for her. She was also fairly certain she wasn’t going to suddenly be miraculously “cured” of PTSD, no matter how much counseling she underwent.