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)
“How will you get her to talk about the letters?”
“I don’t plan to mention the letters unless everything is going well. I plan to talk about my relationship with the senator and how he is threatening me. That’s when one of the others, most likely Raine, will talk about the letters, but not to her. To me. We’re pretty good at this, Rainier. Just let me try. If nothing helps, you can always pick her up after.”
She didn’t even like saying that. It made her feel responsible for whatever happened to Guadalupe if she didn’t tell the truth to the two men. But this was the only way she could see to protect Guadalupe. Whatever the reason her friend had to betray her had to be a good one, at least in Guadalupe’s mind. Harlow needed to know what that was.
Chapter Eleven
Shabina and Rainier had a beautiful home. It was set back behind security gates. There were cameras everywhere outside and dogs patrolling the gardens. Inside, it was an open-concept design creating space everywhere. The kitchen opened into a dining room, and that opened into the great room. Shabina had a long sideboard along the windows in the dining room where her food warmers sat waiting, along with salads and fruit and vegetable trays. Shabina was an extraordinary chef, and anytime she hosted an event, there was an abundance of food, so everyone could take some home after.
Everyone brought their dogs. Shabina had dog beds scattered around the great room. She always baked fresh dog treats, and the animals knew it. They were always particularly happy to go to Shabina’s house, where they were treated like royalty.
Rainier was nowhere in sight. Neither was Wilder. Rush, however, personally brought Raine into the house, not in a wheelchair as expected, but carrying her. He had evidently told Shabina and Rainier what they needed to make Raine comfortable. They’d waited a week before Rush gave his approval, but he required specific conditions that they all, including Raine, had to agree to.
Harlow couldn’t believe how tiny Raine appeared. She’d always been small, but she’d lost far too much weight, was so pale every freckle stood out and she seemed frail. Shaky even. Harlow could see why Rush felt so protective of her.
“I thought this was a good idea at the time,” she ventured, hovering as Rush arranged wedges under Raine’s legs and pillows behind her back. “Are you going to be all right, Raine? Rush, is she?”
“It’s good for her to be out. If I tried to keep her there any longer, she would have managed an escape. We don’t want her setting a bad example,” Rush said.
Raine gave her a faint grin. “He’s not wrong. I even sent Rainier a list of every weakness I discovered in his very secure hospital. I wanted him to know I could have gotten out.”
“Not without doing damage to that leg,” Rush said. “If you did that after all my excellent work, I’d have to strangle you.”
“You already tried that,” Raine said, with a little smirk lighting up her eyes. “How’d that work out?”
“What happened?” Harlow asked.
Rush gave an exaggerated sigh. “Rainier walked in at precisely the wrong moment and talked me out of it. He said while he sympathized with me, he’d have to shoot me because Shabina would cry for weeks and he wouldn’t be able to take it.”
“She would too,” Raine said. “And you know how Rainier is about her. Hands off, Rush. I can drive you as crazy as I want, and there isn’t much you can do about it.”
“Is that a challenge?”
The little smirk disappeared, and Raine’s gaze met Rush’s. She shook her head slowly. “Nope. Not at all.”
“Little coward,” Rush said.
Raine made a face at him, but she didn’t protest his statement. Harlow raised an eyebrow toward her. Raine refused to look at her. Backing down from a challenge was very unlike Raine.
“She’s always protesting the lockdown.” Rush fussed with a very soft blanket, tucking it around her. “Mostly because she has so many male visitors, and she can’t take not having all that male admiration.”
“If I had a shoe, I’d throw it at you.” Raine narrowed her eyes at him and attempted to scowl.
As far as Harlow was concerned, she looked like the cutest, most adorable pixie on earth. She didn’t look threatening in the least. The funny part of it was Raine was hell on wheels with just about any kind of gun, knife or other weapon. Her body was a weapon. She trained daily, or she had before her leg had been shattered by a sniper’s bullet.
“She has male visitors?” Harlow echoed.
“Don’t encourage him,” Raine said. “I don’t have male visitors.”
“I should have said they attempted to see her, but they weren’t allowed. Some pompous general who goes around beating his chest and trying to throw his weight around. Absolutely no.”