Page 53 of Deadly Storms (Sunrise Lake #3)

Zahra followed her gaze and took in the trainer and his grieving companion.

“I remember him telling stories about the two of them going into an old house that had ‘no trespassing’ written all over it. They broke out the windows or something idiotic like that, and then Lucca confessed to his mother when he was sleepwalking.”

“You’re kidding,” Raine said. “He really did that? Walked and talked in his sleep?”

Vienna nodded, her face lighting up at the memories. “Shabina, do you remember Miguel telling us that Lucca always talked in his sleep and confessed everything they’d done to his mother? He wouldn’t remember sleepwalking or -talking, so he just thought his mother was psychic and knew everything.”

“Miguel had us laughing so hard when we were supposed to be doing planks,” Shabina said. “It was impossible to stay in that position, and he called us all wimpy.”

Zahra lifted an eyebrow. “He didn’t call me wimpy.”

“He wouldn’t dare,” Raine said. “No one would dare.”

“His stories about his adventures with Lucca were always the best,” Vienna said. “Although they were little hooligans. If my parents had either of them, they would have put them in military school.”

Zahra dipped a zucchini stick into the special sauce Shabina was so famous for making. “Weren’t they both arrested for something? I’m sure Miguel said one of Lucca’s confessions led to their arrest.”

“Yep,” Vienna said. “He confessed to his mother in front of company that they broke into the local grocery store to get snacks and word got out that the two of them had been stealing from the grocer. They were arrested and convicted. I think they were fifteen or sixteen, but the judge had a list of their criminal activity, as petty as most things were. I suspect someone enlightened the judge so they would have to make reparations and not get off lightly.”

“Miguel said they mostly straightened up after that,” Shabina said. “They had to work off the debt they owed, so they both had jobs and not a lot of time to get into trouble.”

“I like that he used the term mostly ,” Zahra said. “But he said it wasn’t as fun because Lucca had grown out of his habit of sleepwalking and confessing all to his mother.”

“Look at the way Miguel is with Avita.” Shabina indicated the two with a barely perceptible nod of her head. “He’s in love with her.”

Vienna agreed. “I once asked him why he didn’t date her, and he said it was a respect thing.

Lucca is very protective of Avita.” She cleared her throat.

“ Was protective. He said Lucca was like his brother, and the Delgottos had always treated him as if he were a part of their family, even after it came to light that the boys were up to no good together. Lucca’s family still welcomed Miguel with open arms.”

“The Delgottos are wonderful people,” Shabina added. “And I doubt that they would have objections to Miguel dating their daughter.”

“It looks to me as if she reciprocates his feelings,” Zahra said. “Miguel’s a good man and he would work hard for his family. Avita must see that in him.”

“She’s known him all of her life,” Shabina agreed. “It would be nice if their families could find a little happiness in the middle of losing Lucca.”

“It would,” Vienna agreed.

—

Shabina found baking and cooking with a security team underfoot wasn’t as easy as it was when Rainier was helping her. The men rotated: sometimes Dimitri would be in the kitchen with her, then Zero and Larado would exchange places with the two men, Altair and Torin, who often watched over the café.

Shabina knew Altair had been friends with Rainier for years.

His name was Arabic and meant falcon. He had a tattoo of a falcon on his upper right shoulder.

Torin was Irish American and had the reddish hair and freckles to prove it.

She liked all of them but felt the most comfortable with Larado and Altair.

Each time one of the men entered the kitchen for the first time, they wanted to sample the food or baked goods. She ended up baking double the amount she normally would have. The alarm went off, and then a call came in from the gate that she had visitors.

“Ma’am, I can’t let those men in here with you. It isn’t a safe situation,” Larado said.

He sounded as firm and calm as Rainier. Just as tyrannical. He might be polite, but he wasn’t going to back off.

“It’s necessary for me to hear what they have to say.

I’ve got questions that need answers, Larado.

I’m not trying to be defiant. My father is involved in this somehow, and I have the right to know what he asked of them.

Some of the items on those altars with the murder victims were from Saudi Arabia.

They were the ones in possession of the items, at least I believe they were. ”

He looked thoughtful but not wholly persuaded.

“All my friends are here. I’m armed. Raine is as well. I’ll have three of the dogs inside with me. We were expecting them.”

“You should have kept me informed.”

Shabina nodded, conceding he was right. She didn’t have to like it, but he was responsible for her safety.

“Rainier isn’t just my employer, ma’am. He’s my friend. You’re the most important person in his world and he’s trusted me with your safety. I can’t take chances with your life, not that I would, even if Rainier hadn’t pulled me out of some tight spots more than once.”

“Would you feel more comfortable if you were in the room with us?” That was a hard concession for her to make, but she understood Larado’s hesitation.

If either of the two students pulled out a gun and started firing, someone might get hit before Raine or she was able to neutralize them.

On the other hand, the men would be more likely to answer her questions if her personal protectors weren’t standing around looking threatening.

“I’d feel more comfortable if they didn’t enter this house, but I can see your point that you want to question them. I’ll bring Altair inside as well. He speaks Arabic fluently, and if they converse in their language and I miss something they say, he’ll get it.”

“I speak Arabic,” Shabina felt compelled to point out.

Larado ignored her. “I don’t like this, but I’m going along with it because you need answers. Dimitri will be stationed just outside the front door. If it all goes sideways, he’ll take them out.”

There was a finality to his statement and his tone. She could take it or leave it. Shabina nodded her head. “Let them come in, and I’ll do my best to get them out of here quickly.”

Zahra immediately went into the kitchen and positioned herself behind the island.

Raine stayed in her chair, but she had the gun in her hand out of sight.

Stella and Harlow positioned their chairs a distance apart and partially in the shadows and toward the back of the room where there was cover they could dive behind.

Vienna sat on the other side of the room away from Raine. She was also armed.

Once the women were in position, Shabina sent the dogs to their places. They separated and went to the corners of the room, making it impossible for the two men to kill all three dogs easily before one or more took them down.

“Not your first rodeo, I see,” Larado commented. “Not a bad setup. Let them in, but make sure we always have a clear shot at them.”

Shabina wasn’t about to get caught in the cross fire. She knew how to position herself. Altair escorted the two men inside.

“I checked them for weapons,” he reported to Larado. “Neither was carrying a gun, but both were armed with knives.”

Rainier had drilled it into Shabina that in some instances, particularly at close range, a knife would be far faster and deadlier than a bullet.

The fact that the two men were carrying knives into her home immediately aroused suspicion with her security team.

She directed them to the chairs provided.

Sitting would make them much more vulnerable.

If Altair had missed any weapons—which she highly doubted—they would have more trouble throwing from that position.

“We came here to plead with you to keep the officials from revoking our student visas,” Emar said. “Our families will be humiliated if we return home in disgrace.”

“We need this education to help our tribe,” Jamal added. “Not only with the newer practices for farming and growing crops but learning about the various irrigation systems that will work for our people during the droughts.”

“Maybe you should have thought of that before you took that money,” Vienna stated without the least hint of sympathy.

“We have a few questions that need answers,” Raine said. “How is it those feathers and the flowers from Saudi Arabia, as well as other items, ended up on the altar with a murder victim?”

Shabina didn’t take her gaze from Emar’s face.

He was uncomfortable answering questions, particularly when Raine asked them, but the two men hoped to get their visas restored before they were deported.

If they wanted help, they would have to answer whatever questions were put to them, and both believed it was Raine who was instrumental in getting them revoked.

Jamal sighed, took a quick glance at the grim-faced security guards and then answered.

“We had the items in a box. We were given the information that Shabina is the only one allowed to enter this one area that is closed to everyone else. We decided to scatter the items on the trail where we knew she would find them.”

“Your purpose in doing that was to cause her to have a PTSD episode?” Raine pursued.

Again, there was hesitation, and then Emar nodded. “Yes.”

“The two of you were paid by Jack Foster to bring about a PTSD event?” Raine’s voice was mild, gentle even.