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)
“Shabina.” Raine’s voice penetrated the strange roaring in her ears. Calm. Steady. “Honey, look at me. Concentrate on looking at me. Don’t touch her, Vienna.” That was Raine’s firm voice.
Shabina recognized Raine in the midst of the strange sensations she was experiencing. The fading in and out of reality. She forced herself to listen to Raine’s voice. It didn’t matter what she said, it was her tone.
Inside her head, she found herself screaming for the one man who could make this all stop. Rainier. She knew she could never allow him to come near her again. The two men pretending to be Interpol agents had been hunting him, not Scorpion. They were hunting Deadly Storms. Even more than Raine’s firm, steady voice, it was the thought of Rainier in danger that brought her back to reality. She laid her head on her forearms for a brief moment.
“I’m all right. I’m okay,” she murmured, more to reassure herself than her two friends. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t apologize,” Vienna said. “There’s no need. This type of trauma is a burden you’re going to carry on your shoulders for the rest of your life. You’re not just going to shrug it off, Shabina. All the counseling in the world is not going to remove it. It helps to have tools to deal with it, but it isn’t going away. I think you know that.”
Shabina lifted her head to look at her friend. She did know it. She was just a little shocked that Vienna knew it. Most people thought anyone could put trauma in the past with a little effort, especially if they went into therapy. She’d been in therapy since she had come home, but there had been many episodes of PTSD. This one was proving to be severe, and she was very scared. She didn’t admit that, not when Vienna and Raine were doing their best to help her.
“You already know,” Raine said gently, “you learn to live with the trauma and what it’s shaped you into. That’s okay because it can make you stronger.”
Shabina didn’t feel stronger. She felt worn out. Exhausted from fighting back and trying to stay alive when she wasn’t certain why. Sometimes she tried to write down reasons. She had a notebook she kept for that purpose. Reasons to live. Beautiful things in her life. She told herself she had so much. She had good friends. She lived in one of the most beautiful places on earth, but she could no longer see it. The beauty was fading and she could no longer find peace.
“I’ve never had a flashback in public before.” She tried to force her voice to sound normal. She had tremendous control and discipline. She just needed to find it. This was her place of business. She couldn’t make a scene here, especially when there was so much at stake.
“We’re in the very back of the café, and you didn’t make a sound,” Vienna assured. “Vaughn looked this way a couple of times, but he couldn’t possibly have known you were in distress. I think he was checking to see if you ate anything.”
Her stomach lurched at the thought of trying to eat. She forced herself to sit up straight. Her entire body ached—every joint, every muscle. That wasn’t unusual when her flashbacks were so vivid.
“You might have to eat the zucchini sticks, Vienna,” she said and pushed the plate toward her friend. “Raine, if Boucher and Cormier aren’t really Interpol agents, who do you suppose they work for? Do you think Scorpion sent them? Or the government? They said they were from Paris.” She didn’t believe they were from France. Something was just off about them.
The thought of Rainier being in danger was terrifying. She knew those men were hunting him. Fortunately, the story she told couldn’t be discounted. If they were aware of her condition prior to the rescue, she would sound believable.
“I’m still checking into them, Shabina. One of the biggest problems is the fact that they could be working as Interpol agents, but also be agents for Scorpion. You’re well aware many people in all kinds of high positions can be corrupt.”
“Look at Rafferty,” Vienna said. “I always thought he was a good man. He seems like he is, until you throw his family into the mix. Evidence disappears the moment a member of his family is charged with anything. That’s corruption.”
“He’d call it loyalty,” Shabina said.
“Not when he’s helping pin a murder on someone,” Vienna said.
“We don’t know if he is.” Raine was the voice of reason. “He did bring the FBI agents here, but that’s his job. There is nothing to suggest he’s persuading them to believe Shabina had anything to do with the murder.”
Vienna made a face. “Maybe not, but I think he’s corrupt. That’s just my opinion.”
“You’re upset on Shabina’s behalf,” Raine pointed out. “I wish some of these programs didn’t take so much time. I’ve been searching to find Boucher’s and Cormier’s real identities. I have to use facial recognition. And so far, I haven’t turned up anything on Charlie Gainer or Beaumont that would incriminate them…Well.” She hesitated.