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)
“Don’t move, Vienna. I’ll be right back to help you. I mean it. You’re probably in shock. I don’t want you falling down and hitting your head on top of everything else.” Harlow sounded very authoritative, just as she did at work at the hospital. In her studio or the gallery, she was professional but very soft-spoken and tended to stay in the background.
Vienna didn’t want to move anyway. The thought of standing up made her feel sick. If Zale had been driving, he would have been going much faster—probably. Unless he had noticed that first little flicker of the headlights. Would he have? He was wounded. Both men were. She sent up a silent plea to the universe that they were safe.
She put her head down on the steering wheel. This would be her life for the next year or longer if she truly committed to Zale. She would be waiting alone for him, worried sick that he wasn’t somewhere wounded, bleeding to death, hunted by men who wanted him dead. It took a strong person to live that kind of life, knowing their partner was in danger but having no idea where they were or when or if they would return.
“Let’s go, Vienna.”
Harlow’s voice startled her. She’d been that deep in thought. She leaned on her friend, assessing the damage to her body as they crossed the uneven ground to the 4Runner. She might have a few bruises later on, but she had no real injuries.
Stella immediately drove away from the wrecked Ford Ranger. Vienna felt very guilty. She’d been told never to do such a thing, and it felt wrong. She glanced at Raine. Harlow was using little butterfly stitches to close the small cut on her forehead.
“Are you okay, Raine?”
“Yes. Whoever is after Zale and Rainier mean business. I hope now they’ll realize their cover is blown and get out of Vegas. Someone else can take over for them.”
Vienna knew Wilder was still undercover in the casino. Was he now completely alone? Had she gotten that name wrong? She hadn’t had a chance to ask Zale if Wilder was a part of his team or if it was a coincidence that his name was the same as one Zale had mentioned to her.
“I don’t like to think of any of them taking risks,” Shabina said. “Why do they do it?”
“There’s something in these men that drives them,” Raine said. “Just the way we almost need to climb or hike, they need to take on these risks.”
Raine sounded a little shaky, but her eyes were clear when she looked at Vienna. A tow truck and two vehicles that looked official passed the 4Runner, heading toward the wreck. That made Vienna feel a little better. At least Raine’s people were going to get the evidence out of the way before the police came. She closed her eyes and rested until Stella got them to the Airbnb.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Someone’s inside the house,” Raine warned softly. “At least they opened the front door. Keep talking, all of you. Vienna, put the code in and step back out of the way.” She slid a Sig Sauer micro-compact handgun from inside her shirt, where none of her friends had had any idea it had been concealed.
Vienna only recognized the handgun because at one time, she’d taken lessons and considered getting that same gun. She was at the hospital late at night and was called out for emergency surgeries so often that she sometimes felt it would be a good idea to have some protection. In the end, she decided against it. She wanted something a little more solid. She had a bigger hand and wanted to feel the grip in her fist.
Vienna did as Raine said. Raine might have been slight, but she was a force to be reckoned with when she became this serious.
“Should I call the cops?” Vienna whispered as she stepped back.
“I think it’s your Zale, but I have to be sure. You stay out here. If anything happens, call the cops and get out of here. Don’t try to help.” Raine didn’t wait for an answer. She went through the door, stepping to one side, making it difficult for Vienna to see her. “I’m armed and I’m a very good shot. If you make one move, I will kill you.”
Vienna heard that very clearly. Raine sounded as though she meant it, and Vienna had no doubt that she did mean it.
“My name is Zale Vizzini. You met me before briefly when I brought Vienna to Shabina Foster’s house a few months ago when all of you were in danger.”
“What are you doing here?”
“My partner and I are both wounded. Vienna is a nurse, and as we both require medical attention and can’t go to the hospital, we made the decision to come here for her help.”