Page 52 of Deadly Storms (Sunrise Lake #3)

There was a brief flurry of activity at the table nearest to where Zero stood.

Zero was tall with dark skin and tight curls on his head.

He wore his hair longer so that it fell around his forehead and ears, giving him an unruly appearance.

He had wide shoulders and a lithe body, all muscle.

He had inserted his body between the men at the table and Shabina.

To her horror, she realized that Sean wasn’t with them, but the two men who had been seated while she was talking with Theresa, Val, Felicity and Eve were the two interning with Sean.

She hadn’t banned them from the café, so technically, they could come back and clearly had.

She pressed the tips of her fingers to her lips and forced herself to breathe.

She didn’t want the students from Algeria, the ones reporting to her father, to see her go to pieces again.

Rainier wasn’t close and she couldn’t reach out to him while he was in the field.

She didn’t want to call attention to the fact that he wasn’t around.

She hadn’t seen Boucher and Cormier around, but if they were still searching for information, she didn’t want it known that Rainier was out of the country while Scorpion’s cabinet members were assassinated.

That would put him under suspicion for sure.

“We’re just asking to talk to her.” Oliver Smythe’s voice was belligerent, sounding oddly like Sean.

“If you’ll excuse me,” she said to the university students. As she started toward the table, Vaughn moved to intercept, but Larado got there first.

“What do you think you’re doing?” Larado demanded, inserting his body between hers and the two men.

Zero pointed to the chairs. “Sit, gentlemen. I won’t tell you twice. If you insist on causing a scene in this café again, you will be physically removed.”

“I’m going to tell Mr. Smythe and Mr. Vanderpool exactly what Zero just told them,” Shabina informed Larado. “I own this café, and my customers aren’t here for the drama.”

“I don’t know, Shabina,” Carl Montgomery called out. Once again, he was seated with the local veterinarian. “I think we’re all just waiting to see what happens next. The drama is pretty interesting.”

“Carl,” Dr. Amelia Sanderson reprimanded with a little laugh.

“If it keeps happening and is that entertaining, I’m charging double for the show along with the food,” Shabina threatened. The customers within hearing laughed, just the way she knew they would.

Larado stepped aside. “I think you’ve got this under control, ma’am.”

“Shabina,” she corrected and stepped closer to the table, pinning both men with as stern a gaze as she could manage.

It wasn’t her strong suit. The dogs didn’t believe her when she threatened to give them away or cut off their food.

“Say what you need to say, but there aren’t going to be any more scenes in my café by Sean, Bale or either of you.

I will press charges against anyone refusing to pay after they’ve eaten, or if they threaten me, the café or my staff. Am I making myself clear?”

Oliver flushed and Maurice looked annoyed, but both nodded, indicating they understood.

“We came in to apologize for what happened the other day,” Oliver said.

“None of us, including Sean, had any idea Bale would break your dishes and refuse to pay. The meal was fantastic, which is why everyone comes here. One minute we were all laughing and the next he was raging. I didn’t know what to do and neither did Sean or Maurice. ”

“And then your husband came to the table,” Maurice continued. “I’ve never met anyone like him before.”

If there was a question in his statement, she wasn’t going to answer it.

“He’s very protective.” She made that her response.

“I accept your apology. I have no problem with you coming to the café as long as you don’t cause a scene, you treat my staff with respect and you pay your bill. Have a good day, gentlemen.”

Abruptly, Shabina turned away from them, refusing to allow them to take up any more of her time. Raine, Zahra and Vienna waited for her at their usual table in the back.

“It’s girls’ night tonight,” Shabina greeted as she sank into a chair beside Vienna.

She didn’t want to discuss any of the men she’d spoken with.

She needed a little reprieve from thinking about the problems she faced.

“Raine, I know it’s your turn to have us over, but I’ve been thinking it might be better to hold our get-together at my house.

Your leg is still hurting, and I know you had physical therapy today. ”

Raine shook her head. “I can still pull it together. I’ll get the food from the Grill, so no one will starve. You’ve worked all day, Shabina. You deserve time off.”

“You know I love to cook. In any case, I already have tons of food prepared from here. And, just so you know, Rainier insists I have a security team looking after me, and they love to eat—a lot .”

Zahra rolled her eyes. “I’ve seen those men.” She indicated a table near the door. “They ate breakfast, and now they’re eating lunch.”

“I don’t think there has been a pause between breakfast and lunch,” Vienna added. “They do like to eat.”

“You know what’s annoying?” Zahra said. “They can eat like that and never gain a pound.”

Silence greeted her statement. The women stared at her in astonishment. Shabina cleared her throat. “Zahra, you eat anything you want and never gain a pound. We should know; we watch you do it.”

Vienna nodded. “Don’t say you don’t. We all want to strangle you.”

“That’s Raine,” Zahra objected. “She can put away an entire large pizza and not gain an ounce. I watch my diet very carefully.” As always, she sounded a little haughty. One dark eyebrow raised as if to dare them to contradict her.

“That’s you too.” Vienna wasn’t intimidated. “Stop denying it. You can even eat desserts with no problem. I look at whipped cream and have to go running for miles in order to get the pounds off my hips.”

Shabina refrained from rolling her eyes. Vienna looked like a model, with her tall frame, gorgeous hair and figure. “In any case, I’d really feel more comfortable having our night at my home, Raine. The security team eats like locusts.”

“If you’re willing to do the cooking and host, then I’ll say yes if I can pay for the food,” Raine conceded.

“It’s settled, then. I’ll run the dogs after work and then get busy.

” She hesitated. “The two students from Algeria asked to come to the house to speak with me. With us,” she corrected.

“They may have the mistaken idea that you are doing something to have their student visas revoked. I think they want to plead for mercy.”

Vienna and Zahra both looked confused. Shabina sighed. “It’s a little bit of a story. I’ll tell you tonight.”

“I’ll come early and help,” Vienna said. “I’ve had too much time on my hands after the search. I need to keep busy, and they won’t allow me to go back to work until the end of the week.”

“Have you been talking to the counselor?” Zahra asked. “Maybe she can advocate for you. I know what it’s like to have my mind running a hundred miles an hour.”

“After we find bodies instead of live victims, it’s mandatory to take time off,” Vienna explained. “Because there were two bodies, one a friend, and both were murdered, the counselor is insistent I take time off work.”

“Well, I’m coming early as well,” Zahra said. “I can’t cook, but I can help out with the dogs and the sideboard, getting everything out for us.”

“You know how to cook,” Shabina objected.

Zahra shrugged. “I don’t like to cook. Not all the time, like you do. In any case, your food is always delicious. Mine can be hit or miss.”

“Would you mind giving me a ride, Zahra,” Raine said. “I may as well get there early too. I won’t be much help in the kitchen, but we should put together a game plan when it comes to questioning those two.”

“Harlow will make it just before dinner. She’s working today. And Stella is driving down from Sunrise Lake, so who knows when she’s going to show,” Vienna said.

“They’ll come as early as possible once I text them you’re going to give us the 411 on what is going on with those students,” Zahra promised.

Shabina couldn’t help but laugh. “Are you saying they’ll come early for gossip?”

“Exactly.” Zahra was adamant. “We all like to be in the know. Besides, we need to figure this murder thing out fast. The cops don’t seem to have a clue. We’re smart. We can put the clues together and catch this person. He has to have slipped up more than once.”

“I wish we could,” Shabina said. “Losing three people already is three too many. And he seems to be escalating his behavior.” Just uttering the statement made her think of Bale and his increased threats. She didn’t voice her worry because there were too many ears in the café.

“It’s hard enough when the victims are strangers,” Vienna said, “but when we know them, like we all did Lucca Delgotto, it seems so much worse.”

Shabina had to agree. She wasn’t on the Search and Rescue teams. She cooked food and made certain the crews had everything they needed.

Unless they wanted advice on the trails that were closed and she knew them from documenting nests, she stayed away from the teams looking for victims. She’d seen too much death, men, women and children, and those deaths haunted her.

Vienna nodded toward Miguel Valdez, who was sitting with Avita Delgotto.

Twice, the personal trainer reached across the table and covered Avita’s hand briefly.

“Miguel and Lucca Delgotto were best friends growing up. Miguel sometimes tells the funniest stories of the trouble the two of them got into together when they were teenagers. By today’s standards, the things they did were more like pranks than actual crimes. ”