Chapter Nine #3
“I feel better. I spent time with Rush, talking over my options, and he’s convinced me that with care, I won’t lose my leg.
I decided…” Her face took on a rueful expression.
“That maybe he knows more than I do and I shouldn’t be resentful.
I knew I was blaming him for my problems. He gets under my skin with his bossy ways.
” She twisted her fingers together. “And he’s wicked smart.
That annoys me too.” The last was a rushed confession.
Harlow found herself laughing. “Of course, that would be annoying on top of everything else. Sheesh. You would think that as a doctor he’d drop the irritating, dominating male superiority and develop a bedside manner.”
Vienna’s eyebrow shot up. “Harlow, you know very well surgeons rarely have a good bedside manner. I don’t think that’s covered in med school.”
“Rainier’s a surgeon, and he has a wonderful bedside manner,” Shabina said, doing her best to look innocent.
Zahra tossed her arms into the air, groaning and sliding down farther in the seat. “You can never get together alone with Stella again, Shabina. She’s a terrible influence on you.”
Harlow loved that Raine laughed, her eyes dancing for just a brief moment.
More and more, she seemed to be coming back to herself.
That told Harlow that the hopelessness Raine had felt over possibly losing her leg had passed.
She wasn’t a woman to dwell on the worst-case scenario for long.
More than likely, Rush had sat down with her and gone over every option she had and allowed her to do what she did best—research.
“Do you think they’ll let you out of this place soon?” Shabina asked.
“I hope so,” Raine said. “I really want to go home. Rush says I’ll need someone in, and he’s reluctant to allow me home without proper arrangements.”
“Zale is away again,” Vienna said. “I could move in with you.”
Raine blinked away tears. “All of you are always so good to me. I couldn’t believe that we were placed on lockdown, and I had no way to communicate with you.”
“You must have been scared,” Harlow said. “I would have been, cut off from everyone and not having a way to communicate.”
Raine nodded. “I think I went a little crazy for a few minutes there, thinking of ways to escape, but then Rush came in and realized I wasn’t being defiant.
He saw that I was genuinely scared. He kind of moved into the room with me, and it felt like the first time he’d operated on my leg after I was shot.
He just stayed like he was a bodyguard, not my doctor.
In all honesty, I didn’t realize he was the one who had put my leg back together at the time.
He would play chess or Go with me and we had all sorts of conversations.
Once I was out of the hospital, he turned into what I consider an arrogant jerk. ”
“Bossy sets my teeth on edge,” Harlow admitted.
Raine sent them a small, rueful smile. “I’m well aware I can be an arrogant jerk when I think the situation calls for it.
I don’t like that he’s so intelligent, and he can outthink me at times.
I’m kind of used to staying a few steps ahead.
But when he realized how frightened I was, he went right back to being that man I knew last year. ”
“Is he going to object to my taking care of you?” Vienna asked.
“I doubt that he would. I think he’ll be more than happy for me to get out of here. He doesn’t usually stay in one place for very long,” Raine said. “What have I missed?”
“Alek, at the Grill, is displaying paintings of local artists,” Stella said.
“He puts the price up, along with a small bio of the artist. They’ve only been up a few days, but already he’s sold several.
” She jerked her chin toward Harlow. “He has one of her prints up, one titled Frost and Venom, and he won’t even consider selling it. It’s so cool.”
Raine’s expression shone brightly. “You developed the pictures from that morning, didn’t you, Harlow? Did they turn out as wonderful as you’d hoped?”
“Even better. I’m still working on the final rendition. I’ve been going through all the shots hoping to find a black widow web in the eaves that I might have accidentally captured. You know how shiny and sticky a black widow’s web can be. If frost is clinging to it, the shot would be perfection.”
Zahra gave a delicate shudder. “I can’t believe we’re sitting here hoping you found a nest of black widow spiders. What are we coming to?”
“We all need to sacrifice for art,” Stella said staunchly. “If we have to, we can capture a few widows and let them loose in the eaves of the barn. It won’t take them long to build nests.”
Zahra flung herself over backward, her hand dramatically covering her eyes.
“You are nuts, Stella. Plain bonkers. We are not going to capture black widows. Not a single one of us. Not even for Harlow’s art.
I love you, Harlow, but I draw the line at spiders.
That’s just…” She gave another shudder and shook her head.
“I wouldn’t expect anyone to scoop up black widows and plant them in that old barn,” Harlow assured, keeping a straight face.
Zahra might appear as if she were acting, but she clearly had a real fear of spiders.
“There were already several black widows in the eaves. It’s just that I need a certain angle to add more to the shot I already have.
I do remember I very quickly took a series of snaps from various angles. ”
“So many, and you were concentrating so much you nearly stepped into the holes on the ground and funnel-web spider nests,” Raine reminded.
“Can we just stop talking about this?” Zahra asked. “Isn’t there anything less nightmarish we can discuss?”
“Well,” Raine said, pausing for dramatic effect. “Someone somehow talked Rush into giving me back my own computer. He’s going to bring it to me after everyone leaves. Rainier has a special assignment he really needs help with. Rush said as long as I don’t work long hours he’ll approve.”
“It involves the senator,” Harlow confessed. “Don’t feel you have to do it. The senator is extremely vindictive.”
“I’m well aware, Harlow.” Raine’s voice was gentle. “He must be threatening you for Rainier to get involved and for Rush to agree to return my laptop. He thinks the people I work for are far too demanding and don’t respect the orders my doctors give.”
Stella flashed a quick grin. “And he would be right about that.” She turned to Harlow. “You tell us what you need to be safe. We’re all over it. I have luxury cabins. We can hide you, if necessary, even from the press.”
“Rainier has gone all protective,” Harlow assured.
She wished she could let her friends know Wilder had been the one to persuade Rush to give back Raine’s laptop.
By requesting Rainier allow Raine to investigate the senator and monitor his calls, she was sure Rainier had persuaded Rush to give back the laptop.
She couldn’t say that though, so she made her own request. “If you get your laptop back, would you research any experiments with crossbreeding rattlesnakes? I’m wondering if Giselle, Lawyer and Helen were bitten by a snake and we couldn’t identify the toxin because it is a new species.
That sounds wild, but I know experiments are carried out all the time. Also, maybe evolution happened.”
“It is entirely possible someone’s been experimenting with snakes,” Raine agreed. “That isn’t as far-fetched as you might think. Some of the greatest minds think interfering with nature is a brilliant move. They never think about the consequences of what they might unleash on the world.”
Before anyone could reply, there was a commotion outside Raine’s closed door. Raised voices. One spoke with absolute authority.
“Unlock that door.”
“I can’t do that, sir, not without authorization, and you aren’t on the list.”
“Do you have any idea who I am? My name is Elliot Blom. I’m your boss’s boss. I’m the one who decides who comes in or is locked out of rooms.”
Vienna gripped Harlow’s hand hard. She’d never met her father, and clearly, she didn’t want to.
“This is a private facility on private, not government, property owned by Rainier Ashcroft and his wife, Shabina,” the guard said.
“It isn’t under anyone else’s jurisdiction.
Rainier makes the rules. He says who is allowed to come and go, and you aren’t on the list. For all I know this is a test to see if I’ll cave because you’re in my face. ”
“I’ll be reporting you to your commanding officer,” Blom threatened.
“Elliot, really?” Rainier sounded completely in control.
“Are you threatening my men for doing their job? It isn’t like we’re in the military, and we aren’t working for you.
This is a private facility on privately owned land, just as my guard told you.
You were given the courtesy of landing here because you indicated you had something of great importance to discuss with me. ”
“I demand to see who you’re hiding behind this door. Why would you lock down a medical facility and place armed guards everywhere?”
“I think that’s obvious, Elliot.” Rainier sounded patient, as if he were talking to a child and had to enunciate each word carefully. “I have someone in danger we’re protecting. As I stated, I own a private security company, and we provide protection to our clients.”
“Do you have any idea of what you’re doing here?
The men we hire are given psych evals, Rainier.
We test them regularly. You know the type of work they do is isolating and can cause breaks—fractures, if you will—in the mind.
” Blom suddenly changed tactics, showing he was skilled in dealing with controversial subjects.
He was clearly trying to make Rainier his ally.
“I’m aware, Elliot. I worked for you for years and still take an occasional assignment when you need someone.”