Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Vienna caught that look, and the knot in the pit of her stomach tightened. She followed Raine’s gaze to Zale and saw his eyes go glacier cold. Her heart stuttered. Whatever Raine suspected Zale and Rainier really didn’t want exposed to the light of day. She knew, just by the look in Zale’s eyes, that whatever that was had something to do with her.
They can’t be trusted. The voice was very clear in her mind. Not Mitzi’s voice. Vienna frowned, trying to hold on to that sound. She rocked back and forth, wrapping her arms around her middle. Do you hear me, baby? They can’t ever be trusted. That door began to creak open. Just the slightest crack. Her heart began to pound in alarm. In anticipation. She was close. So close.
“Fortunately, you understand classified information,” Zale said.
There was a definite warning in his tone. That warning sent a shiver creeping down Vienna’s spine. It didn’t seem to have the same effect on Raine. Her blue-gray eyes went steel-gray.
The images in Vienna’s mind shattered. The door slammed closed and once more Zale stood firmly in front of it. Her head hurt. Blood thundered in her ears, pounded behind her eyes.
“What I’m researching right now isn’t classified. I’m not working for anyone other than for my friends, particularly Vienna. If you have something you need to say to her, say it and get it done before I find what I’m looking for, because I will find it.”
“What are you looking for?” Vienna asked, rubbing at her temples in an effort to calm the storm the memory had created. That voice. Where had she heard it? Why was it familiar and yet not?
“The bet between Liam and Daniel,” Raine said. “My gut tells me Daniel is behind the attacks on the agents. Nothing else makes sense. I don’t know why he wants to lure them to the casino and have them killed, but he’s behind it.”
“There’s no way to be certain,” Zale said.
“No, there isn’t,” Raine agreed. “But I’m rarely wrong when I have this strong of a feeling. Everything I’ve uncovered about Daniel Wallin and his son, Axel, leads me to the conclusion that they have a vendetta against the—for lack of a better term—operators or ghosts.”
Vienna looked around the room at her other friends. None of them had weighed in on the discussion between Raine and the two agents. They were all intelligent women and were used to having lengthy and very lively debates on every subject. They enjoyed coming at a variety of topics from different points of view, yet not one of them had said anything at all. Like Vienna, they appeared mesmerized by the battle between their friend and the two men.
There was silence. Harlow and Stella stood to collect the dessert dishes. “Sounds to me like Daniel and Axel Wallin aren’t to be trusted,” Zahra said. “Not that we trust that many men.”
They can’t be trusted. Vienna’s heart pounded too hard and she chewed on the inside of her lip, trying to grasp on to an elusive memory from her childhood. That voice. Where had she heard it? Do you hear me, baby? They can’t ever be trusted. The voice whispered to her over and over. There were tears dripping on Vienna’s face. Not her own. Real tears of anguish. Vienna felt each one like the cut of a knife. The voice was female and she was talking about men. Cautioning Vienna not to trust them. There was the sensation of rocking, of arms around her, as if she were being held and tears were falling on her face from above her.
“Vienna, are you all right?” Zahra asked, coming up behind her chair and wrapping an arm around her shoulders. “Do you want to go out to the hot tub? You’re pretty banged up. It might be good for you.”
Zahra was offering her an escape, a way out. Zale wouldn’t come out to the hot tub with the other women, not with open wounds. He would remain inside with Rainier and their secrets. She’d have time to think about what it was he was hiding. She could ask Raine to clarify. Raine would never disclose anything classified, but as she said, she wasn’t working on anything for the military at the moment. She was on her own time.
“I think that’s exactly what I need, Zahra,” Vienna agreed, rising immediately. “Shabina? Raine? We should soak in the hot tub. That will help with the sore muscles. Otherwise, we’ll never get to sleep tonight.”
Harlow looked up from where she was putting dishes in the dishwasher. “That’s a great idea. I’ll get Shabina’s room ready for Rainier and Zale and then I’ll join you.”
Vienna avoided looking at Zale. He was holding information back from her. She was positive that he was, and she resented it. It was work related, and it shouldn’t have mattered, but that death stare he’d given Raine had made her think he knew she wouldn’t like whatever it was. Taking deep, meditative breaths, she changed into her swimsuit in her bathroom.