Shabina pressed her fingers against her lips in an effort to keep from laughing. Decker was a powerhouse in his own right. Rainier might be a dangerous, scary man, but Decker was utterly confident in his own abilities to protect his clients lawfully. That included Rainier.
“Don’t think I didn’t notice the amusement,” Rainier said as Decker walked out with the two agents.
“It’s pretty funny to me that he thinks he can tell you what to do.”
Rainier shrugged. “He’s good at his job. I’d be a fool not to listen, and he knows it. He only throws his weight around when necessary to protect his clients.”
Shabina leaned into Rainier, rubbing her head against his arm affectionately. Her man was intelligent and confident enough that he acknowledged others’ expertise. That was another reason she loved him. Her father didn’t do that. Scorpion hadn’t. Salman Ahmad had been like Rainier. He had listened to the members of his tribe and recognized their abilities. She hadn’t realized what a profound influence Ahmad had been on her. She always thoughthis wife had inspired and guided her to be a better person, but she recognized that Ahmad had shown her what traits she wanted in a partner.
Rainier glanced down at his phone. “Larado is texting that Chelsey Sarten just parked her car and is coming this way.”
The café was closed. They’d met with the agents after hours, but their vehicles were outside and the lights were on, a clear indication that Shabina was in the café. She sighed. The last thing she wanted to do was to have a disagreement with Chelsey. She’d managed to avoid talking to her because Rainier had been the one to confront her over stealing. He hadn’t accused her of trying to help implicate Shabina in the murders, but they were certain that was what the spices and dates from her kitchen had been taken for.
“I can send her away,” Rainier said. He made the offer casually, the way he did each time he was willing to stand in front of her. He gave her the choice, and there wasn’t judgment. She knew he would be perfectly fine with speaking to Chelsey on her behalf.
Shabina shook her head. “No, if she has the guts to come straight to me, then I can listen to her. She worked for me and was always a good employee. Not only did she work her shift, but she was always willing to help when the hours ran over or we were shorthanded. More than once she came in on her days off when we were preparing food for Search and Rescue or the elderly during winter months.”
“You always give generous bonuses aside from paying overtime,” Raine pointed out. She held up her hands. “Just saying.”
Raine had a bit of a temper and could hold a grudge if anyone trifled with her friends. She had a protective streak in her, just the way Rainier had. Shabina flashed her a grateful smile. Shefelt lucky to have the friendships she’d acquired in the time she’d been in Knightly.
Rainier opened the door for Chelsey and indicated for her to enter. Chelsey hesitated, looking up at him, clearly finding him intimidating. He didn’t soften his expression. Apparently, Rainier could hold a grudge too. Shabina idly played with the idea that there was something about their names that gave them shared characteristics.
Chelsey squared her shoulders and came inside, marching up to Shabina with determination. “Thanks for seeing me, Shabina.”
“No problem. Would you care to sit down?” She made it clear there wasn’t going to be a private conversation. Trust had been broken, and she wasn’t taking chances Chelsey might be recording everything they said. What she would use it for, Shabina had no idea, but she wasn’t going to speak with her alone.
Chelsey hesitated a second time and then lifted her chin and sank into the chair opposite Shabina. “I should have come to you immediately and told you what happened. I understand completely why you wouldn’t trust me to work for you after what I did, but I had no idea that there was any kind of a vendetta.”
Shabina raised an eyebrow. “If you had wanted the spices and dates, even a small amount, you could have asked me.”
“I know,” Chelsey said. “I know,” she repeated. “Bale asked me to get the spices and dates for Sean. I really liked Sean. Bale said it was a big surprise for him. I asked him why he didn’t go directly to you. Bale said you didn’t like Sean or him.”
“That didn’t raise a red flag?” Shabina asked. “You’ve been in the café when Bale and Sean have accused me of trying to poison them. Once they even called the sheriff. Fortunately, the detective they sent wasn’t a member of Bale’s family.”
Chelsey pushed stray strands of hair behind her ear. Shabina noted that her hand trembled. “Yes, I was aware you had a problem with Bale, but Sean didn’t act the same way. He stayed silent, and that did bother me, but he wasn’t nearly as bad as Bale.”
Shabina sighed. “I don’t understand why you didn’t just come to me, Chesley. We always had a good relationship. At least, I thought so.”
“We did. We do. I was so into Sean that I listened to Bale. He came to me with this idea of getting Sean something special for his birthday. He told me you despised them both and wouldn’t likely give either of us the spices and dates if you knew they were for Sean. He told me the ingredients were ordered from somewhere only you knew of.”
“And you believed him?”
Chelsey nodded. “I had no reason not to believe him. He’s always with Sean and they seem to be close friends. I understood you’re having a problem with Bale. He’s not a very nice man when it comes to women.”
“And that wasn’t another huge red flag for you?” Raine asked. “That Sean is Bale’s best friend, and he sits silently when Bale is degrading women? Or worse, he participates and encourages other young men to behave in the same way? You didn’t look at that and worry that he’d treat you as less than you are?”
Chelsey ducked her head. “I didn’t like some of the comments they made about me being ‘only a waitress.’ Implying I don’t have brains. They weren’t frequent comments but were said casually offhand and made me feel bad about myself. I made excuses for Sean when I shouldn’t have.” She looked directly at Shabina. “I get lonely, and there aren’t a lot of men with decent jobs who live here year-round. Sean is good-looking and smart. He’s funny.And he has a job that will last. I want a family and I’m getting older. I suppose that makes me look desperate, and I think I was feeling desperate.”
Shabina understood loneliness. She had felt isolated from her friends because she knew the experiences she’d had set her apart. But she’d let that happen. Her friends had reached out to her over and over, proving that they would be there for her. She also understood the desire to have a family.
“I’m sorry, Chelsey, I had no idea you were feeling so alone.”
“I didn’t talk to you about it. Vaughn even asked me several times if there was something wrong, but I felt silly telling him I wanted a family when he’s estranged from his. In any case, I decided to do what Bale asked, and I took the spices and dates. I did leave money and an explanation for you under the notepad in the second drawer below where the keys are. I thought you or Vaughn used that notepad to make lists of what you had to order, and you’d find it right away.”
Rainier immediately went into the kitchen to ensure the note and money were there. “Why didn’t you tell me this when I confronted you, Chelsey?” he asked as he returned and placed both items on the table.
“There had been a terrible fight between Sean and Bale when I gave the items to Sean. Bale was with him, and I expected Sean would be really happy, but he wasn’t. He was furious. He was angry with me and called me not-very-nice names. But he was worse with Bale. Much worse. He accused him of trying to embroil you in the murders and said he wasn’t going to plant evidence that would lead the cops to you.”
