“Is that the only thing he checks on?” Raine asked.
Sometimes Raine talked in a code Shabina didn’t understand. Maybe the other women did. She’d missed out on having girlfriends growing up, and she didn’t always catch the innuendos the other women seemed to find humorous.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she admitted freely. “If you want to clue me in, now is the time.”
“I think Rainier checks up on you quite often because you’re very special to him,” Raine explained. “In fact, I’m quite certain of it.”
Shabina might wish that were the truth, but she knew better. “I’m an obligation. His responsibility, and trust me, Rainier always takes care of his responsibilities.”
“Well, trustme, if Rainier heard Bale talking to you the way he does, Bale would be in more trouble than he could handle,” Raine assured.
Shabina didn’t doubt that. Rainier could be a very violent man. She’d seen him explode into action. He was sent out on assignments others would never take. He always got the job done. “I think it’s better if no one talks about Bale to Rainier.”
Stella was married to Sam Rossi. Vienna was engaged to Zale Vizzini. Both men had worked at the same agency with Rainier. They knew him and were friends with him. It hadn’t occurred to her that when she confided in her friends about things that disturbed her, they might tell their men, who in turn might relay those concerns to Rainier.
“I wouldn’t want anything I say to you to be repeated to Sam or Zale. It would definitely get back to Rainier.” She forced herself to look directly at Vienna. “I’d feel as if I couldn’t confide in anyone, and there are times I need to talk things over with friends.”
“I doubt that would ever need to happen unless we felt your life was in danger, Shabina,” Vienna said. “Then we would have no choice.”
That left her with nothing to say. Shabina sighed and looked around her café. The early morning sunlight streaked in through the windows. The murmur of the various conversations pepperedwith laughter instantly lightened her mood. She understood why Eve and Felicity found peace in the Sierra. She certainly had. For the most part. Unless she allowed her past to creep in. Determined not to allow that to happen, she went about her rounds, going from booths to tables, talking to her customers, helping to clear dishes and bringing food out to new customers.
Her café was very popular, and although they officially closed at two, if customers had waited in line to get in, they weren’t turned away. Vaughn, her manager, and Tyrone and Patsy stayed late with her to serve the customers and break down the tables after. She had two other waitresses, newly hired that season, Nellie and Chelsey. Both were cheerful and hard workers. She felt very lucky to have them. They mostly waited on the outdoor tables.
The nice thing about having so many customers was it forced her mind to concentrate on the busywork. She didn’t have time to dwell on Bale and why he chose to target her or Zahra. Or if Scorpion was really stalking her again after all the years that had gone by. Or that Sean might be teaching young, impressionable minds to be disrespectful, racist and sexist. Instead, she worked hard and laughed with customers, getting to know them as she made her customary rounds, answering questions and asking a few of her own.
It helped that she spoke several languages and could put people at ease. She attributed that trait to her time spent with the women of Salman Ahmad’s tribe. They had a warmth about them and a way of making anyone, even those kidnapped for ransom, feel safe and among friends.
By the time they managed to close the café, it was after three and nearly four thirty when they finished thoroughly cleaning tables and the kitchen.
“I wish I could give you time off,” Shabina told the three that always stuck with her. “I can’t since we’re in the middle of ourbiggest season, but I can give you extra bonuses. You deserve them too. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate you. I honestly don’t know what I’d do without you. If you have suggestions for making things easier, please feel free to share your ideas. And any days you absolutely need, let me know in advance if possible so I can make arrangements to cover your shifts.” She really hoped none of them needed time off. They were fast and knew how to handle every emergency that cropped up.
“I love this job,” Patsy said. “Greg was able to get a job right away with Carl Montgomery, the local contractor. Greg’s a really good carpenter. With both of us having good jobs we were able to rent a nice house.”
“You’re staying for sure, then?” Tyrone asked.
Patsy gave them a huge smile. “For certain. It’s always been our dream to live in the Sierra. We both love to climb. We’re passionate about hiking. We just had to find a way to make it happen.”
“My parents were born here,” Tyrone said. “Both of them were. I grew up on a ranch, hunting and fishing. My brother and I climbed from the time we were about two. Then Dad had a stroke and my mother a heart attack. Both died within two months of each other. Tristan and I were sent to an aunt, our only relative. She lived in a city in Ohio. Didn’t want kids and gave us up to foster care. We were lucky in that they kept us together and we landed with some really good people. Still, we were used to being wild and free, not in the city. We couldn’t wait to get back here.”
“It’s a miracle you managed it,” Vaughn said.
Tyrone flashed a grin at the others. “Money is always a problem when you want to move. We decided to live out of a van and join the dirt baggers who come to climb the boulders and use the hot springs. We both hoped to score good jobs, save money and find a place we could eventually buy.”
“What is your brother doing?” Shabina asked. Tristan had no interest in food other than to eat it. He’d come in several times, and Shabina always fed him. The man could put away food. She didn’t mind. When he came in, he did so at the end of the day and asked what she had the most left over. He always offered to pay. She didn’t let her employees pay, and she wasn’t about to allow Tristan to pay when she knew the brothers were working toward owning their own home.
Most of the leftover dishes were carefully packed and taken to the homeless shelter, where volunteers distributed them along with other donations.
“He has a job making cabinets. Loves it and he’s good at it,” Tyrone said with pride.
“Good for him,” Vaughn said.
“If Chelsey or Nellie ever bring a complaint to any of you, that any of the customers, including Bale and his crew, say anything out of place to them, harass them in any way or touch them inappropriately, let me know right away. That’s for certain when we’ll ban them from the café,” Shabina said. “That same goes for the three of you.”
“Bale’s homophobic as hell, but so far he’s not bothered me much,” Tyrone said.
“You’ll ban him for harassing us, but not for yourself,” Vaughn added. “That’s not right, Shabina.”
“I’m hoping it doesn’t come to that, but it may. Bale and Edward have lived here all their lives. Sean as well. They have extended family here. If I can somehow resolve the situation peacefully, I would prefer to do that.”
