“Stop trying to intimidate her,” Vienna snapped. “What is it with all of you? Does Elliot have a special school he requires all of you to go to in order to work for him?” She still hadn’t heard from her birth father. She didn’t want to, and the longer he went without contacting her, the more she was certain she didn’t want anything to do with him.
For the first time Rush’s features seemed to soften. “It would be impossible to intimidate Raine, wouldn’t it, e te paruhi?”
Now Rush’s voice was back to that brush of velvet. Was he flirting with Raine? Sam’s friends were just plain scary in that they seemed capable of getting their way by any means.
Raine gave a little shrug, the blush back. Vienna didn’t know the language, or what Rush was calling her, but Raine did.
“My family is Irish, Rush. My father was involved in some shady deals and ended up dead because of it. I started poking around, trying to find out who might have killed him. Our family had moved from New York to California and he was out of the business. He shouldn’t have been touched.”
Rush studied her face for a few moments before retreating to his comfortable spot behind the forest of plants and flowers. “We can talk about that later. Enjoy your company. Be sure to fill them in on all your male visitors.”
Vienna knew he’d said the last deliberately in order to lighten the mood. She took her cue. “Yes, Raine. I think all of us would like to know about your male visitors.”
Raine heaved a sigh. “He’s exaggerating.”
Rush made a noise somewhere between a cough that sounded suspiciously like “bullshit” and the sound of a frog croaking. Raine laughed. Her first real laugh. She rolled her eyes.
“Briac came to visit me. You remember him, Vienna. The doctor who treated Rainier in Vegas. He’s come three times and he brought me a plant each time.”
“Did his bodyguard, Gage, come with him?” Vienna asked curiously.
“Yes. He stood up against the door, glaring at Rush. Rush paid no attention to him, which made Gage act even sillier. Is Zale with you? I was hoping the two of you might patch things up. And did your mother come for the wedding? Sam’s father came to see me, so I know he was there.”
Vienna found herself laughing with the other women. As a rule, Raine was quiet, but sitting in the hospital room with no one but Rush to talk to and no laptop to get her information had to be driving her crazy.
“Zale and I did patch things up and he’s here, just outside your room talking to Rainier, who came as well.”
Rush stood up. “Why didn’t you say so. I’ll just step outside and leave you women to it.” He reached down and picked up Raine’s briefcase. “Just in case one of you gives in to temptation.”
“Don’t you dare take that out of this room. That’s my personal property, Rush,” Raine objected.
He ignored her and sauntered out.
Vienna burst out laughing. “I can see you two get along just fine.”
“He’s an arrogant ass, but at least he has a brain.”
“What language is he speaking when he calls you something in that soft velvety tone, the one that makes you blush?” Vienna asked.
“I don’t blush,” Raine objected.
“You blush,” all the women said simultaneously, and then laughed.
Raine joined in. “He does make me blush sometimes and I don’t even know why, except that he can get intense all of a sudden, especially when he’s speaking Maori. He’s fifty percent Maori. His mother was from New Zealand, his father from Maryland.”
“So, you have Dr. Briac coming to see you. Luciano Vitale as well. Who else?” Zahra asked. “I’m getting jealous.”
Raine waved her hand in the air dismissively. “Don’t be. There’s just one or two friends from work that have dropped by to make sure I’m doing okay.”
Harlow’s eyebrow shot up. “Is it one? Or two?”
“Or more?” Zahra asked.
Raine’s freckles had been standing out starkly against her pale skin, but now a wave of color once more crept up her neck into her face. “Stop teasing me. You’re as bad as Rush. The general came to see me, and after he left, Rush was relentless. He barely acknowledged the general and wouldn’t leave the room, acting as if the man might take my pillow and try to smother me.”
They all started laughing. Vienna could barely breathe, she was laughing so hard. “He must have been jealous.”
“No, I think he dreams about smothering me himself, so he puts that on everyone who walks through the door. He’s assigned to keep me alive. If he thinks everyone’s out to kill me because he’d like to, that’s his problem.”
Vienna held up her left hand and waved it around. “What do you think of this?”
“Come here. Let me see.”
Raine looked as if she might throw herself off the bed, so Vienna hastened to her side so she could see the engagement ring close up.
“He picked it out himself and it’s perfect for me.”
“It is. He knows you so well.” Raine subsided against the pillows, looking lost. “I don’t think I’m ever going to have that—someone really knowing me. I confuse men.” She gave her friends a smile that didn’t reach her eyes. “I think I confuse myself.”
“What do you mean?” Harlow asked.