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.”

time and place,” the man

is Arnaud’s turf, Curtis. If you send James, we may not be

if there’s nothing

that point. Rayna’s eyes were wide

movements and how he had managed to ambush the latter from his vantage point atop the

who told

vibrated at

new WhatsApp message and felt her head

of an emerald

it at the temple for

can’t believe

the photograph of the emerald pendant, Rayna almost

mistake for what happened to Kristie. How could Curtis drag my brother into this and send him to exact vengeance on Arnaud by himself? How could

broke when he

wall and fell

he saw Rayna on the floor, he leaped off his chair and ran over. “Ms. Rayna, what’s

who was passing by,

sun shining outside the window. It

remembered fainting the night

she pulled open the door to exit the room, she ran into Jessica, who was coming

with a look of

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

many things to do, and I’m going over

James can’t be dead!

her. “Calm down, Nana. This

Baby?

Rayna gazed down at her belly, and a horrible feeling rose from her chest. She blinked, and her

Nana?” Jessica scrambled to wipe her

her and cried

anymore. She only patted her

her to sit by the bed and poured

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

but we can’t do anything to help.” Jessica sighed. “Mr. York is there for them, so don’t worry. Take good care of the babies