Red on the River - Page 56

Vienna wished she could be more like Raine, not allowing the strain in the room to get to her, but the more she tried to breathe away the gathering tension, the more darkness coiled in her like a snake waiting to strike. In the back of her mind, just out of reach, there was something very important she kept reaching for. She needed to remember it. Until she did, she wouldn’t understand why she kept pushing Zale away.

Zale and Rainier wanted Raine’s input, that was very clear. She didn’t blame them. Raine could step back and look at puzzles, and pieces clicked right into place for her. At the same time, the two men feared what she might disclose in front of her friends. She didn’t know what it was Zale and Rainier didn’t want them to know. She could see it was like they were walking through a minefield. They didn’t want to give Raine information, but they wanted her to tell them everything she knew. She could have told them Raine was far too intelligent to fall into their trap. If she disclosed anything to them, it was because she knew their investigators had to have already discovered it or she had a reason for telling them.

“Vienna.”

She tried not to react to Zale’s soft, compelling voice. She needed to remember and she was so close. The door was right in front of her. She just had to find a way to open it. Zale stood squarely in front of it. If she was too close to him, she might never be able to open that door. Just like with her mother, should she just let it go? But if she did, how many times would her issues derail them? She needed to figure out what it was that was nagging at her. She gave a little shake of her head, denying Zale. Denying herself.

“Did your investigators uncover what exactly the bet was that Daniel made with Liam Gram in that last poker game between them?” Raine asked as Shabina put a bowl on the coffee table beside her. Her question sounded casual enough, but she was looking directly at Rainier.

Vienna chose to look at Zale. If Rainier appeared even half as intimidating as Zale, Vienna was sure that question was the last one either of the two men wanted asked. Her breath caught in her throat and her hand crept up protectively. Zale wasn’t looking at her—he was looking at Raine.

“The bet?” Rainier repeated. “That seems to be a difficult question to answer. So far, there isn’t a definitive answer.”

He was lying. He hadn’t hesitated, and his tone wasn’t off, but Vienna was certain he knew what Daniel and Liam had bet on that last hand. Zale’s expression hadn’t changed in the least. He hadn’t blinked, but he knew as well. She flicked her gaze from Zale to Rainier. The man had a stone face.

Vienna took a deep breath and looked at Raine. She looked serene, but she hadn’t taken her eyes from Rainier’s. They were locked together in a weird, silent battle no one else was involved in. Raine didn’t so much as blink. She looked so young—like a teenager. Her youthful appearance was one of the reasons so many people underestimated her. Vienna knew Rainier wasn’t in the least fooled anymore. He was well aware that Raine O’Mallory was incredibly intelligent and more than a worthy opponent. Vienna flicked her gaze to Zale. Evidently, he did as well. There was something both men wanted from Raine, but it was imperative she not reveal information to the rest of them. They were trying to make that clear to her.

Raine shrugged her shoulders. “That’s too bad. I think if we knew the answer to that question, things would be clear.”

“What does that mean?” Rainier prompted. “You’re an analyst. You must have ideas. So far, I think you’re coming closer than anything our people have come up with.”

A faint smile touched Raine’s mouth but didn’t light her eyes. “Seriously, Rainier? Do you actually think flattering me is going to work? The truth is, you both are worried I’m going to get the answer to that question. I’m already suspicious of the answer and what that would mean.” She glanced at Zale.

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.

She shouldn’t have been surprised to nearly run right into Zale when she stepped into her bedroom, but she was. He stood almost in the doorway of the bathroom, so it was impossible to get around him.

“You’re avoiding me.”

She blinked up at him and nodded slowly. “For the moment. I’ve got a few things I have to work out, and it’s difficult when I’m close to you.”

“I thought we made a pact that we’d talk things out together.”

Tags: Christine Feehan Romance
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