His Precious Love

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It took Rayna several minutes to download the audio clip. After reducing the volume, she held the device beside her ear.

The audio clip began with only the sound of footsteps before various other noises joined the cacophony as if somebody was watching television.

Rayna sped the clip up.

After listening for a while, she put the playback speed back to normal when she detected the sound of somebody opening the door to enter the room.

“I bought you some strawberries and cherries, Kristie.” A low male voice sounded from the audio clip, followed by the sound of footsteps. “I’ll rinse them in the kitchen, then watch television with you. How does that sound?”

Kristie hummed her assent.

Having listened to the dialogue, Rayna assumed from Kristie’s state that it was during the interval when Curtis brought her back from Yartran.

Why did Ringo’s people plant a bug in Kristie’s place at that time?

She did not delve into it but instead pressed the phone against her ear and listened intently.

Curtis’ tone was gentle when he spoke to Kristie, but she merely responded with noncommittal grunts no matter what he said.

Rayna could sense how awful Curtis must have felt.

Feeling awful herself, she once again sped up the clip.

After a while, Rayna heard the sound of the doorbell, followed by Jeremy’s and Wyatt’s voices.

The group chatted a little while until Jeremy suddenly said, “Have James come over, Curtis. You saw how much Kristie wanted to see him when I showed her his photograph.”

“That’s unnecessary. I don’t need outsiders to be concerned about my sister.”

Silence befell the group.

“Ms. Garland called me, Curtis. She wants to help Jefferson, but she requires the signatures of the politicians who attended the party. It just so happens I’m on that list too.”

“We have long since severed ties,” Curtis said blandly. “There’s no need to consider my feelings.” A while later, Curtis asked Jeremy, “When is the party?”

“Two months from now.”

James of the time and place,” the

If you send James, we may not be able to rescue him if

Leave if there’s nothing

audio clip ended at that point. Rayna’s eyes were wide

inkling of Arnaud’s movements and how he had managed to ambush the latter from his vantage point atop the

out it was Curtis who told

vibrated at

and felt her head splitting open when she

of an emerald pendant

it at the temple for James. She would recognize it

believe

pendant, Rayna almost collapsed when

my mistake for what happened to Kristie. How could Curtis drag my brother into this and send him

heart broke when he thought of the man’s

wall and fell limply onto the floor, startling the others who

he leaped off his chair and ran over. “Ms.

she had fainted over, he calmly ordered Kristie, who was passing by, “Aunt Kristie, hurry

the sun shining outside the window. It looked as if it was

remembered fainting the night

scrambled to locate her phone but could not find it despite her prolonged search. When she pulled open the door to exit the room, she ran into Jessica,

her arm with a look of

took it for repairs.” Jessica helped her back to the bedroom. “The doctor says

have many things to do, and I’m

James can’t be dead!

“Calm down, Nana.

Baby?

and a horrible feeling

wrong, Nana?” Jessica scrambled to wipe

and

anymore. She only patted her

cried enough, Jessica pulled her to sit by the bed and poured her a glass of warm water.

a smile. “I just feel horrible at the thought of what happened

York is there for them, so don’t worry. Take good care of the babies and