Raine, being Raine, just waited. Shabina pressed herfingertips into the aching muscle of her thigh. She could count her heartbeats there.
“In Saudi Arabia, oud is a perfume created from the aquilaria tree. It’s considered a luxury perfume, and many of the top brands are extremely expensive. You can go into most marketplaces, and you’ll smell oud everywhere. Small packets of oud perfume and chips are sold as souvenirs to tourists. The scent of oud is said to strengthen the body and mind, so it’s used often for aromatherapy.”
Raine’s intense blue eyes moved over her face, missing nothing. Shabina was certain that her friend could see she hadn’t slept at all. It hadn’t been Bale’s threat of burning down the café, although it should have been; it was the idea that Scorpion had sent his agents to kidnap her. She was certain he wouldn’t just kill her outright. He would try to put her in the worst state of fear possible. He was a true sadist and took great pleasure in watching others suffer. He would want to see her slowly losing all confidence—just as she was—before he had her taken.
“When I smelled the package, I identified the oud fragrance immediately. I left the package on the bench. I didn’t know what to think. Bale has no way of knowing what that scent would trigger in me. At least, I don’t think he does. And what if it’s something else? A bomb? Just the outside packaging might have been tainted with the scent. It wasn’t heavy. It was subtle. Faint. But it was definitely oud. There was no mistaking it.”
“I’m sure after all the time you spent in Saudi Arabia, you would recognize such a familiar scent, faint or not. There’s no doubt the package had that perfume on it. It will be easy enough for one of my guys to pick it up. We can scan it, see what’s inside, and if it’s harmless, return it to you.”
“Will you have to report it to anyone before we know?”
“Meaning Rainier? He oversees your security.”
“I feel like I have to be certain something is really threatening me before I involve him.”
“That isn’t the way he feels.”
A shadow fell across the table, and both women looked up. Zahra, as always, looked sophisticated dressed in her professional clothes, her hair windblown and her wide smile giving her a slightly seductive look. “I’mdyingof starvation. I called in my order for your famous zucchini sticks and then added a hundred other items. Now I’m going to be late for my meeting. Sheesh.”
Shabina couldn’t help laughing. Zahra was always hungry, ate an impressive amount of food but didn’t seem to gain weight. She wasn’t in the same category as Raine, who could put away food impressively, but Zahra was no slouch.
“Do you need me to speed your order up?”
“No, they’ve got it under control. I just wanted to make sure you got the package I left you. I put it on the bench by your gate last night. I was going to text you, but I forgot. I found your bracelet. You left it at my house, so I wrapped it up and put it in a little box, but you weren’t home and I was in a hurry. Then I got worried because it was outside the gate.”
Shabina nearly slumped over the table in relief. “You left that package? It didn’t have a label on it, and I couldn’t tell who it was from. I didn’t open it.”
“Oh no.” Zahra put her hand briefly on Shabina’s shoulder. “Did I scare you? I should have texted you right away, but I got distracted playing with Misty and forgot everything.”
“No, everything is fine,” Shabina lied to reassure her friend. “Vaughn is waving like mad. I think your order is ready. We can’t have you fainting on the floor for lack of food.”
Zahra laughed. “I doubt it would happen. I used to want tofaint like a heroine in a movie, but I never could manage it.” She waved cheerfully and rushed over to the counter, gathering up several carryout bags.
“She’s like a little tornado,” Shabina said.
“She is,” Raine agreed.
“I’m so relieved she came in when she did. You don’t have to go to all the trouble of anyone looking at the package.” Shabina was very grateful there was no chance Rainier would be informed.
“I’m glad Zahra had an explanation for the box, Shabina,” Raine said. “But what about the fragrance on the outside of the packaging? Someone else had to have tampered with the wrapping. I don’t want you to dismiss this incident so lightly.”
“I could have been mistaken.” But Shabina knew she wasn’t. She snuck a quick look at the four men from the university sitting at the table near the windows. They didn’t appear to be paying the least bit of attention to her. Neither was Charlie Gainer. He was laughing and joking with his friends, his accent very heavy.
“It’s easy enough to check through the feed to see who else went near that parcel. They didn’t have a big window of opportunity between the time Zahra dropped the package after her work and when you arrived home. Bale was already there. If he didn’t do it, someone had to have done it just before he arrived.”
“Raine, is there a way to tell if someone else can tap into my security cameras? Could someone be watching me through my own cameras?”
Raine glanced around the café. “Here? With Lawyer’s system? I do it, so any really good hacker could. Your home is covered by an entirely different system, Shabina, so it isn’t likely. I’m not saying it would be impossible. Nothing is ever impossible, at least not in the tech world. There’s always something more to learn. There’s always someone better.”
That didn’t answer the question. In fact, Raine made the idea sound entirely possible. Shabina sank back in the chair. Suddenly, after the elation of finding out Zahra had been the one to give her the small package, she felt a dark shadow creeping back in.
“Why don’t I drop by tonight after you get off work, Shabina?” Raine offered. “We can talk things out. Daisy can run in the gardens with your boys and get more exercise that way. I’ll be grateful. Even with Zahra taking her out, little Misty can’t possibly keep up with the running Daisy needs.”
Shabina knew that was true. Jack Russell terriers had all kinds of energy. Raine had always taken Daisy backpacking for miles. They ran together. The dog was used to a tremendous amount of exercise. With Raine unable to take her, the little Jack Russell had to be getting restless, even agitated.
“I’d like that, thank you, Raine.”
Shabina pushed up from the table and went back to ensuring her customers had a good experience at her café.
