Total pages in book: 172
Estimated words: 155984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 155984 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 780(@200wpm)___ 624(@250wpm)___ 520(@300wpm)
She kept her eyes on Shanty, knowing just texting Sevestyan that much was enough for him to figure out what she was thinking. He knew her that well. It was their connection through the ropes. The way he read her.
Ambroise has an address. The boys are close. Tell Shanty to end the call.
Triumph burst through her. Flambé immediately signaled Shanty, who reluctantly allowed whoever was talking to her to dictate to her what she had to do. She kept nodding her head and sobbing. Abruptly she ended the call and returned to the table.
“They’re on their way to rescue him,” Flambé whispered to Shanty and indicated the water bottle. “Are the children okay?” she asked aloud for the sake of anyone listening.
“Yes. They’re very happy. Playing.” Shanty gave a little sniff. “I wanted you to meet me in South Africa for a reason. I wasn’t being silly. It’s my husband.” She lowered her voice even more. “He’s very abusive. When the poachers came, I took the opportunity to run with the children to try to get away from him. Most of the lair went in one direction, but I hid in all the chaos and he was fighting back with the men and I was able to get out with the children without him seeing us.”
Flambé frowned and leaned forward, dropping her chin onto the heel of her hand, her gaze on Shanty as if entirely riveted. Whoever was listening and watching would definitely think that Flambé was taking the bait. They needed to give the rescue team as much time as possible to get to her husband.
“Your mate’s name is Reiner?” Flambé interjected just for something to say, to slow time down.
Shanty got the hint and took another drink of water, nodding. “Yes. He’s horrible. He likes to beat me. It excites him. That’s what he does before he . . .” She broke off and looked down at the wooden beams running under her feet. “He’s very violent when he touches me after he beats me.”
Flambé would have known she was lying even if she couldn’t hear lies. Shanty sounded as if she’d rehearsed a written script. Someone had made her repeat the words over and over until they were memorized verbatim.
“I’m sorry, what did you say?” she asked, sitting up straight as if she couldn’t believe her ears.
“He’s horrible. He likes to beat me. It excites him. That’s what he does before he . . .” She broke off, but this time she looked down at her hands, fingers twisted together in her lap. “He’s very violent when he touches me after he beats me.”
Definitely scripted and memorized. She’d repeated it verbatim down to the exact way she had acted. No one did that unless they were lying. Shanty put her hands back on the table and looked up at Flambé, almost afraid to breathe.
Flambé reached across the table sympathetically and laid her hand over Shanty’s. “I’m so sorry. That must be so awful for you. The extraction team got you out fast. He couldn’t have followed you here.”
“No, but he’ll know. He’ll find me. You know it’s impossible to hide from a leopard. No one can do it. No one. He said if I ever ran from him, he’d beat me to death. He promised me he would do it.” Shanty put her head down on the table and cried like her heart was breaking. The sobbing was genuine, a reaction to the terror of knowing men were trying to get her husband free of those holding him hostage.
“There are agencies in the United States that protect women,” Flambé said gently.
In her mind she was urging the rescue team to hurry. Every time she looked up, she could see that Blaise was inching closer to them. He couldn’t get too close. The moment the rescue team signaled they had Reiner, she was to make a break for the front door with Shanty. It was unlocked. She had only to fling the door open, get inside and slam it closed. Once inside, Blaise and Matherson couldn’t get to them. Unfortunately, that would leave Jet and Terry to the enemy, and that didn’t sit well with her.
“How are those agencies going to protect me against a shifter?” Shanty demanded, sitting up straight and dashing at her tears. “I watch enough news to know that your protection orders didn’t stop stalkers if they wanted to really hurt someone or kill them. It happens all the time. Judges throw out cases due to lack of evidence and cops don’t listen.”
Flambé sighed. “Well, that much is true. I have a man stalking me and I called the cops. I even own a very respected business and that hasn’t helped at all. They told me he hadn’t really done anything to warrant them arresting him. I felt threatened by him. He showed up everywhere I was, but until he ran me off the road and assaulted me, which I didn’t have proof of because it took place where no one was around, he hadn’t really done anything the cops considered to be dangerous.”