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)
“Important means bad news. It’s always bad news,” she complained, putting her hands over her ears like a child. “It isn’t as if you wake me up and joyfully say, ‘Let’s go climbing. I prepared a picnic and we want to catch the sunrise.’ It’s always the worst. This is the worst, isn’t it?”
“Yes, baby, I’m sorry, it is.”
It was his tone more than anything else that had her bringing her hands down, capturing his wrists and looking directly into his eyes. Yeah. It was bad. Very bad. She struggled to sit up. “Next time, a cup of coffee in hand would be appreciated.”
Wilder immediately helped her scoot so her back was resting against the headboard. He tucked blankets around her, and the way he did that made her feel cared for.
“I’m just going to come out and tell you, sweetheart. There isn’t any way to make this easier. Your parents were traveling from San Francisco to a spa on the coast in the early morning hours, and a car bomb killed them both.”
She registered the compassion, heard what he said, but her brain didn’t quite comprehend his meaning. “My parents?”
He nodded. “The senator and your mother were both killed instantly.”
“But that can’t have happened,” she protested. “Wilder, are you certain?”
“Very. We intercepted the chatter and confirmed it. And no, we had nothing to do with it. Not any of us. He had a lot of enemies. He had numerous death threats that neither the senator nor his security detail took seriously. So far, no one has taken credit for the hit.”
She remained silent, mostly because her brain was frozen. She didn’t know how to feel. What to feel. Confused. Sad. Scared. What was proper in such a horrifying situation?
“Do you have any idea who may have done this?”
“Baby, don’t ask me that kind of question. I know it wasn’t one of ours. Car bombs are usually specific. Identifiable to some extent. The parts used, how they’re made. The FBI will certainly investigate, and they’ll determine if it is from a known source. In the meantime, I think it’s best if we keep a low profile. It wasn’t that long ago that there was a very public fight between us and your father. Certainly, we’ll be investigated.”
She hadn’t thought of that. “Someone might really think I would do that to my own parents?” She whispered it. She could barely wrap her mind around what had occurred, let alone the repercussions.
“Probably not you, Harlow. They’ll take a close look at Rainier and me. If you’re questioned, it is important to have a lawyer present. Don’t disclose to the lawyer or anyone else that your brother was here in the States.”
Her heart stopped and then began to pound. Salvadore had slipped into and out of the country without detection. She hadn’t told her other friends, but Zahra knew. She hadn’t been able to talk to Zahra because she’d been working long hours at the hospital. The implication she got from Wilder’s calm statement was that he believed Salvadore had been the one to plant the car bomb, or at least had ordered it.
There had been a terrible rage in Salvadore whenever the senator was mentioned. She honestly couldn’t blame him, but had it been enough for Salvadore to kill her parents? That was possible. Entirely possible. She doubted he would take credit for the killings. He wouldn’t draw attention to the cartel, not with what amounted to a political assassination. He was also skilled enough to cover his tracks.
“Zahra knows he was here.”
“Falcon made it clear to her that no one could ever know. That by revealing his visit, she would be harming you. Zahra won’t talk. She’s intensely loyal to you.”
That was true. Zahra would go to her grave without telling a soul if Harlow asked her not to. There was no reason to tell anyone about Salvadore’s visit. It was for her safety as well as his and Guadalupe’s. There was no way to know if he was in any way involved with her parents’ assassinations. In truth, she preferred not to know. Salvadore was far too clever to leave any trace behind that he had visited. He hadn’t even brought guards with him. Clearly, he hadn’t wanted anyone in the cartel to know that he had come to visit his mother or his sister.
“I want you to stay close to the house. If you go to the studio and I’m not with you, don’t go until Larado is available. Rainier’s lawyer is on standby.”
“Is going to the café and meeting the girls out? I think I’m making a little progress with this venom puzzle. I could use their help.” She knew she was deflecting, trying not to think about the death of her parents. Her brain was trying to shield her, and she allowed it to give her time to process.