Chapter Thirteen
The emergency meeting called a week later was held at the Sunrise Café, mainly because Shabina was at the height of her customer rush, but it was Shabina who called the meeting.
She sounded agitated and very nervous, something not usually associated with her.
When she wasn’t calm, Rainier stepped in, and nearly instantly, she was back to being her serene self.
That wasn’t the case. The moment Harlow entered the café, she felt tension coming off Shabina in waves.
Her friend was busy serving food and chatting pleasantly with customers, but Harlow could easily tell by her body language that she was extremely upset.
Automatically, she looked around the room for Rainier.
He was behind the counter leading to the kitchen, his gaze on his wife.
Before heading to the back of the café, to the table reserved for her and her friends, she made her way to the kitchen, not hesitating to step behind the barrier of the counter.
“Shabina’s upset.” That could mean anything, but if she was slipping into a PTSD episode, Harlow wanted to be aware and ready to assist her.
“Deliberately,” Rainier’s voice was grim. “That fuckin’ sheriff is coming after her again. He has no proof, but he took the opportunity to try to impact her business.”
“Maybe he needs a reminder that Shabina is off-limits.” Harlow couldn’t believe she was suggesting such a thing. Rainier’s reminders could be very harsh, but it was Shabina, the sweetest person on earth.
“I don’t give reminders,” Rainier said. “She’s going to be all right. She just needs the reassurance of her friends. In her mind, the sheriff put her beloved café in jeopardy, but I’ve got people working fast to stop any rumors. Raine is one of them. Rush is bringing her to talk with Shabina.”
“Should he do that? Is there a way to make her comfortable here? And what about germs? Raine’s very vulnerable here.” Harlow felt real anxiety for both Shabina and Raine.
Rainier gave her one of his very rare smiles. “You really are the compassionate one in the group, aren’t you? You do realize you’re very fragile and you need someone to shield you occasionally, just as Shabina and Raine need it.”
“You do know that no one wants to be described as fragile.”
“You say that as if fragile is a bad thing. Life is what it is. Our childhood shapes us, whether we want to believe it or not. We’re responsible, after a certain point, for how we live and what kind of person we want to be, but the bottom line is, you can’t escape certain things you were raised with.
Wilder needs to be needed. He needs you.
Every single thing about you appeals to him.
That’s a good thing, Harlow, because he’s a good man.
Not just anyone would be compatible with him.
Shabina is my only, and I’m very aware of it.
Stella is Sam’s only. We aren’t easy men, but we’re loyal, and we take care of our women. ”
Rainier wasn’t a talker. He didn’t explain things as a rule, but she heard the caring in his voice, and it warmed her.
She had these extraordinary men in her life thanks to her friends.
They were men who sacrificed for their country, men who put their lives on the line every day to protect the vulnerable in society.
“Take good care of my wife, Harlow,” Rainier said, and turned back to the kitchen.
His actions surprised her. Ordinarily, Rainier would be the one looking after Shabina exclusively if she was upset.
Evidently, he had come to the realization that her friends were important in her life.
She loved that Rainier was far more adaptable than he appeared.
Mainly, that was because of Shabina. Her happiness meant everything to him, and he moved heaven and earth to ensure his lady was very content.
As she approached the table in the back that Shabina kept reserved for the women, she realized the space had been transformed.
The back half of the seating was now a long, raised couch, clearly for Raine to stretch out on while they visited.
Pillows were on one end, with a wedge to make lounging more comfortable.
Sitting on the table was a stand to rest her laptop on.
Rush had set everything up ahead of time.
Harlow knew Rush was staying with Raine in her home, overseeing her care.
He was strict when it came to visitors. Harlow had spoken with Raine several times in the last week, and she had whispered that the visitors Rush seemed to object to most were all the male ones.
Stella and Zahra arrived together, hurrying through the crowded tables to get to the back, where Zahra flung herself into one of the most comfortable chairs and pressed her hand to her forehead. “What a mess.”
Zahra was very upset. She normally was the epitome of serenity. She was rarely upset over anything. She might feign being irritated, but she gave off a low-energy vibe that calmed everyone around her. Whatever she knew about the meeting had to be disastrous.
Stella gave her no clues, just simply sat in one of the chairs waiting for the others. “I was smart and called my order in ahead of time.”
“I should have done that,” Harlow said, taking the seat that would put her closest to Raine.
“I always forget.” She felt very protective of Raine.
Rush had fixed the lounge to make it comfortable for her, but if one thing went wrong, if she reached for something on the table and lost her balance…
Harlow was determined she would take care of Raine when Rush wasn’t present.
Vienna flung herself into the chair opposite Stella. She had a drink in hand and took several sips. “Need caffeine this morning. What a terrible few days.”
“Does everyone know what’s going on but me?” Harlow demanded.
“I don’t know a thing,” Stella said. She shrugged. “I tried twisting Sam’s arm this morning on the way into town, but he was strangely tight-lipped.” She made a face. “He was also slightly angry, which you know isn’t a Sam trait.”
It wasn’t. Sam didn’t seem to have a temper at all.
If he was upset at whatever was going on, it had to be bad.
Before she could reply, Rush walked in through the back door.
Shabina held it open for him as he carried Raine inside and set her gently on the lounge.
Harlow studied Raine’s posture. She didn’t look embarrassed at Rush carrying her in front of everyone.
In fact, the two of them appeared very natural and in sync.
Rush looked around the table, and then his gaze settled on Harlow. He indicated Raine.
“Don’t even,” Raine protested. “I’m not two. I don’t need a babysitter.”
Rush didn’t change expression as his gaze drifted over Raine’s stubborn pixie face.
He was a man who looked powerful, his body all flowing muscle.
He was incredibly good-looking, something Harlow had honestly never noticed.
He was also intolerably brilliant—at least that was how Raine often described him, which made Harlow laugh.
If anyone had asked, she would have described Raine the exact same way.
“You are my treasure, which means when I’m not with you, someone else is going to be assigned to see to your safety, health and comfort. We’ve had this discussion, and we’re done with it.”
“Rush,” Raine said, tilting her head to look up at him. “Do you understand the actual meaning of the word discussion? Because I don’t think you do. Perhaps if you look it up in the dictionary, that will refresh your memory.”
He ignored her comment, leaned down and brushed a kiss on top of her head. “Behave yourself today. I know it’s a stretch, but I think you can do it if you put your mind to it.”
She rolled her eyes at him and waved him away, but Harlow noticed Raine followed him with her gaze as he sauntered to the back exit and disappeared. Her eyes remained glued to the back door for nearly a minute before she took a deep breath and turned to smile at Harlow.
“He likes his way in all things.”
“Does he?” Stella asked. “Or does he insist on his way when it’s a matter of your health?”
“I don’t think you need to be practical right now, Stella,” Raine said. “When I find him annoying, you don’t get to defend him.”
“How is that helping you?” Stella asked.
“By validating that I’m right and he’s wrong.”
Harlow burst out laughing. “You’re sounding far too much like Zahra right now to take you seriously.”
Zahra sat up straight, crossed her arms over her chest and glared at her. “You should always take me seriously, Harlow. I’m a very serious person.”
Shabina joined them, sinking gratefully into the remaining chair. “What did I miss?”
“Zahra being serious,” Stella answered drolly.
“That’s new,” Shabina said.
“Don’t rise to the bait, Zahra,” Raine advised. “I’ve learned silence is priceless in some situations.”
“What’s going on?” Harlow asked. “Shabina? You called the meeting. What’s happened?”
“Four people died of mysterious circumstances,” Shabina answered without hesitation.
“Those people weren’t connected in any way.
Well, two of them were, but they were in the same car when it crashed.
The sheriff, ever the vengeful jerk, found out that all of them, not at the same time, mind you, but all of them ate at my café within a day of dying. ”
“What?” Harlow could hardly believe her ears. “Paul Rafferty implicated your café in the deaths of several people?”
Shabina’s eyes turned liquid, and she hastily looked down at the tabletop. “He did. He closed us down for a day and had inspectors come through. I don’t know what they were looking for, poison maybe. But those people’s deaths weren’t consistent with food poisoning.”
“What people?” Harlow asked.
“Definitely wasn’t food poisoning,” Vienna confirmed.
“I’ve looked into each one who died,” Raine said. “Rainier asked me to the moment the sheriff made it public that the only connection each of the victims had was that they all had eaten here at some point.”