Bayou Heat

by Georgia Tribell

  “If it weren’t for what?”

  There was a hint of concern in his voice that almost undid her, but she reminded herself this was business, nothing more. “Nothing that’s any concern of yours. Now can we please go upstairs to my apartment?”

  * * * * *

  Rob sipped from a glass of cold sweet tea and savored every drop. He checked his watch and controlled the urge to cheer. Matt would be arriving in exactly twenty-eight minutes and forty-two seconds. Then he was off to have a very long talk with his partner.

  Leaning back on the couch, he tried to relax but found that it was impossible. He was stretched tighter than spandex on a streetwalker. Last night, he kissed Eris and then went home to fantasize about her.

  He couldn’t remember the last time a woman inspired his imagination the way she did. Of course, she was so unlike the type he was normally drawn to that his lack of sexual activity must be causing him to hallucinate. There was no other rational explanation because he couldn’t be attracted to a woman who changed her hair color on a daily basis.

  Lust could make a person do things they normally wouldn’t. That had to be the reason he’d almost kissed her when he’d had her pinned to the wall. It took all the willpower he could muster to step away from her when he did. If he hadn’t, they might have pulled a Pixie in the hallway.

  Rob rubbed his face and knew he needed off this assignment. He would see who he could swap assignments with, make the arrangements and then tell LD. He couldn’t remember ever feeling desire like this and if he wanted to keep his sanity and his company’s good name, he had to get away from her.

  It had to be some place far away because he didn’t think Criswell would appreciate him sleeping with his granddaughter. Rob was quite sure that wasn’t in their contract.

  The door opened to the bedroom where Eris had disappeared after making herself a sandwich. She walked out wearing a long swirling dress, which swayed with every step she took. She wore numerous bangle bracelets on each wrist, a ring on each finger and earrings that dangled to her shoulders. A purple wrap draped around her shoulders and black army boots on her feet completed the outfit.

  “Hot date tonight?” The simple thought that she might have plans with Matt, or any other guy, made him feel edgy and angry as hell.

  Bright green eyes turned to him. “No. And if I did, I’d be canceling because I’m not into threesomes.”

  “What are you into then?” Rob couldn’t believe those words came out of his mouth, but even more disturbing was the fact he really wanted to know what turned this woman on.

  She stopped and studied the floor for a few seconds. “Someone who doesn’t want to change me.”

  The words were barely whispered but he heard the pessimism in her voice. He started to ask what she meant by that statement, but she grabbed her purse and a sack and headed to the door before he got the chance. He glanced at his watch as he retrieved his jacket and slipped it on. “You do know Matt will be here in eighteen minutes?”

  “Fine, but I need to be at my parents’ store by seven. It’s my night to close up the shop.”

  Rob stopped in his tracks and wondered where the boy was. Even though the sun was still shining, it wouldn’t be for much longer and no kid needed to be on the streets after dark. The thought of the kid coming home to an empty place or staying out after nightfall brought back unwanted memories. “What about your son? Is he meeting you at the shop?”

  Eris turned and looked at him as if he’d lost his mind. “Son?”

  “The boy who was here when I brought you home.” He had to work to keep from shouting the words at her. How could someone forget a child?

  “You mean Drew? He’s not my son. He lives on the first floor and he doesn’t have the best home life.” She shrugged her shoulders and sighed. “I let him come here when he needs a safe place to hang or when there isn’t any food in his house.”

  “You do?” Rob couldn’t have been more shocked if she’d told him she’d been born male.

  She blushed and turned away from him. “It’s nothing. Can we go now? If I’m late, I’ll never hear the end of it.”

  Rob closed his cell phone after leaving Matt another voice message to meet them at the FullMoon House of Voodoo. He gave in to her and once again found himself walking through the streets of the Quarter. Thankfully, the store was located close to the corner of Chartres and Dumaine, a short walk from her apartment.

  Rob watched as a car slowed and two guys ogled Eris. Never taking his gaze from the men, he moved up beside her and narrowed his eyes. The men moved on more quickly and he dropped back again until he was walking slightly behind her. He couldn’t help but notice all the people who called her by name. It appeared every resident of the Quarter knew her.

  Eris stopped in front of a small store. “I need to run in here real quick.”

  “Okay.” He moved around her and entered the building then motioned for her to follow. He was surprised she’d waited and wondered if maybe his talk with her had sunk in.

  He followed her to the back of the store, where he opened a door leading to a small office. Asleep in a recliner was an old woman who appeared to be about a hundred.

  Eris placed her hand against his chest, stopping him just inside the door. He watched as she tiptoed across the room, placed the sack next to the chair and then turned to leave. Rob softly closed the door before following her back outside.

  “I’m so glad Mrs. G was asleep. If she’d been awake, we would never make it to the store on time.” Eris was walking at a fast clip but his long legs easily kept up with her.

  The way she said “we” made him feel as if he were part of something, which was stupid of course. “What was in the sack?” He asked the first question that came to mind. Anything to change the direction his thoughts were going.

  “Some audio books. I ordered them off the internet for her. She would always give me candy and ice cream when I was a kid. She can barely walk and it just breaks my heart to see her that way. Her daughter and granddaughter run the store now and they asked if I could find anything new for her to listen to.”

  They rounded another corner and there was the door to FullMoon House of Voodoo. He opened the door and let Eris enter ahead of him, figuring there would be no danger to her in her family’s shop. He was thinking about what a contradiction she was when he entered and stopped dead in his tracks. Eris stood in the middle of the store bent over, petting a black and white cat.

  His body responded to the visual image in front of him as a picture of Eris, naked, formed in his mind.

  Focused on the female body in front of him, Rob never saw the punch that hit him.

  The hit was hard enough to temporarily cross his eyes but not forceful enough to send him to the ground. He swung around and drew his gun, ready to blow the threat away.

  The man was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed like a pirate and had a streetwise look about him that told Rob he knew what he was doing.

  “Get your hands where I can see them.” Rob leveled his gun at the man’s chest.

  “No!” There was a note of panic in Eris’ voice as she tried to get around him on the left, but he blocked her with his arm and pushed her farther behind him. When she realized she wasn’t getting past him, she pressed her body to his back and looked over his shoulder. “Don’t shoot my brother, Mom and Dad will never forgive you.”

  The man’s frown grew even more pronounced as he placed his hands on his hips. From appearance alone, he should have known the man was related to Eris.

  “Why did you hit him, Zane?”

  Rob holstered his gun as he watched Eris round on Zane and took pleasure in seeing the big pirate retreat a step.

  “He—”

  “There was no excuse for what you did.”

  “He—”

  “You read his mind.”

  “I did not.” Zane’s voice rang with indignation.

  “Right.” The one word dripped with sarcasm, letting everyone know she didn
’t believe it.

  Zane sighed heavily as he walked toward the back of the store. “I didn’t need to read his mind, little sister, to know what he was thinking. It was written all over his face as he stared at your butt.”

  Rob quickly blanked his face as Eris turned and glared at him. He expected her to blast him the way she had her brother. Instead she blushed and followed her brother through the beaded doorway to the back room.

  He watched her go and realized he knew nothing about how a woman’s mind worked. Voices and laughter drifted from the back of the store as he wandered around, reminding himself that he understood the workings of a family even less.

  * * * * *

  Three hours later, Rob leaned against the door to the store’s office and watched as Eris pored over the business accounts. Shortly after everyone departed there was a burst of customers and then business steadily slacked off. He’d spent the last half-hour exploring the store. All around the shop were pictures of the DuBose family. He now knew she was the middle child with two brothers on either side. It was never hard to find Eris in the pictures.

  “I locked the front door. What needs to be done next?”

  She glanced up and for a few seconds he couldn’t breathe. The delicate wire-rimmed glasses she wore made her look like one of the brainy types he’d known over the years, although none of them had blue hair or vibrant green eyes or a sassy attitude.

  Most of the women he knew were more than willing to do anything he wanted without him having to ask. Not this woman though, she appeared to look through him most of the time. The few times she’d actually met his gaze, he’d noticed the cool, distant look in her eyes.

  “I’ll be done here in a minute. Have you gotten in touch with Matt?”

  Her voice carried a note of eagerness that had him grabbing for his phone. If she wanted him gone, then he’d try his best to accommodate her. The phone rang before he could hit redial. Glancing at the display, he noted that the call was from LD. His partner never called this late unless something was wrong. His stomach tightened as he answered the phone. “Are Marie and Kayla okay?”

  “Kayla’s sleeping like an angel and Marie, well…let’s just say she’s going to make it, although I’m not so sure about me.”

  Rob immediately relaxed. “Good, then what’s up?”

  “I was calling about Matt.”

  “You mean the guy I’m going to strangle with my own bare hands the next time I see him?”

  LD didn’t laugh the way Rob expected.

  “You won’t have any problem finding him. He’s at Central Medical Center.”

  Rob glanced to where Eris sat with her head buried in the computer screen then turned and moved far enough away that she wouldn’t hear the conversation.

  “He was on his way to relieve you when he was part of a multicar pileup on I-10.”

  “How is he?”

  “He has a compound fracture of the left leg, but he’ll make a full recovery.”

  “Damn.”

  “Now you want the really bad news?”

  Rob’s heart beat a little faster as he looked through the office doorway at Eris. “Not really, but I figure you’re going to tell me anyway.”

  “Yeah, you’re stuck with Eris 24/7.”

  The thought of being with her day and night no longer bothered him as it had that morning, but one thought did concern him. “I have to sleep sometime, LD. I can’t go without sleep forever.”

  “I know that and I’m not comfortable turning Eris over to any of the new people we just brought on board. I’ve been trying to contact Nate to see if he’s available to help.”

  “By the time you get a hold of your disappearing cousin, this could all be ancient history.”

  “I know. I haven’t heard from him in a couple of weeks, which means he’s off doing something he can’t talk about. Let me make some calls and I’ll come relieve you for a few hours, so you can grab some sleep.”

  “You don’t need to be away from Marie right now.”

  “True, but we do need you in top form. I’d hate to tell Criswell that his granddaughter was dead because of lack of sleep.”

  Rob shuddered but wasn’t sure if his reaction was from the thought of telling Criswell bad news or the thought of harm coming to Eris. “How about posting a couple of those new hires outside the building from eleven at night ’til eight in the morning? With them outside I should be able to get enough sleep and Eris will be taken care of.”

  LD grumbled on the other end of the phone. “Damn, if I wasn’t so stressed over Marie I’d have thought of that.”

  Rob chuckled. “Sure you would’ve. Have whoever you put out there text me once they’re in place and keep trying to contact Nate.”

  “Okay, I’ll get things moving from here and call if you need me. If Nate calls, I’ll let you know.”

  “Sounds good. Later.” Eris was gathering her purse as Rob entered the office and pocketed his phone.

  “I heard you on the phone. Did you find Matt?”

  “Yes.”

  “Well, where is he?”

  He followed her through the storage room to the back door. He checked the alleyway before motioning for her to join him. As she locked the door, he answered her question. “Matt will be visiting Central Medical Center for the next few days.”

  Eris stopped and started to turn but he gently nudged her on, not wanting to be on the dark streets any longer than needed. He relayed the facts to her and by the time they reached her apartment building, he was tired of hearing about poor Matt. “Look, Eris, I understand that you would much rather it had been me who was laid up in the hospital with a broken leg, but I can’t change places with Matt, so you might as well face it, you’re stuck with me.”

  Rob yanked open the old screen door so hard it slapped against the building. He really, really wanted to yank it off its hinges or, better yet, find something to hit—hard. He made sure she was behind him as he started up the stairs.

  Her concern for Drew, old Mrs. G, Matt and the way she interacted with her family reminded him there was no inner-circle he belonged to. There were times, like today, when he caught a glimpse of something so different from how he’d been reared that he yearned for a way in. Then he reminded himself that he didn’t care to belong. His mother taught him long ago that caring meant pain and he wasn’t about to bleed for anyone. Not ever again.

  He slowed his pace when he reached the third-floor landing, allowing Eris time to catch up with him. He turned to her, intending to ask for the apartment keys but stopped when he noticed the fear in her eyes.

  He followed the direction of her gaze and for a split second fear clutched his heart. Pinned to the front door, by a long-bladed knife, was an ace of hearts playing card.

  Chapter Five

  “Drew!” Fear clawed at Eris’ insides as she started toward the apartment.

  Rob stopped her from rushing into the apartment and moved her away to a safer location at the top of the stairs. “Do you have your gun?”

  She couldn’t pull her gaze away from the door. “Drew might be in trouble.”

  He cupped her chin and forced her to look him in the eyes. “I’ll check the apartment. Do you have your gun?”

  “Yes.” She pulled it from a leg holster concealed by her long skirt.

  “Good, I need you to focus for me. Can you tell me if anyone is in the apartment?”

  Eris took a deep breath and focused on his eyes—they reminded her of a calm blue sea. Slowly, she opened herself to the environment around her. Rob’s aura was strong and steady, like the man. From there she turned her focus to the surrounding area. Anger assaulted her like a thunderhead moving across the plains. Pushing through the evil, she felt a faint glimmer that distinctly belonged to Drew. “I feel a sick, evil presence that is almost overwhelming, but I think the person is gone. I can feel Drew. I just can’t tell if it’s residual aura or if it’s weak because he’s been hurt.”

  “That gives me something to
go on, now take these and listen.” He handed her the keys to his car. “If anything happens, you get the hell out of here and drive directly to the police station on Royal.”

  “I can cover your back. Like earlier.”

  “Not this time. This bastard is after you. He either wants to scare you or, more likely, kill you like he did Orbit. Your job is to find a killer. My job is to protect you while you do that. I need you to trust that I know what I’m doing. Do you?”

  Her heart beat fast and hard in her chest. She tried not to look at the knife sunk deep into her front door or the ace of hearts card, but she couldn’t stop herself. Rough fingers gently cupped her chin again and turned her away from the threat to stare into those calm eyes.

  “Do you trust me?”

  “Yes.” Her quick, honest response surprised her.

  His eyes searched her face and she knew he was looking to see if her answer was true. Apparently satisfied with her response, he gave a slight nod. “Wait here and remember my instructions if anything happens.”

  She watched Rob move to the door and unlock it. With one hand on the knob, he looked back over his shoulder and met her gaze. There was sadness in his eyes she couldn’t begin to understand. Turning away, he pushed open the door and disappeared inside.

  She pocketed the keys he gave her and waited a heartbeat before moving to stand beside the door. She should have insisted on going with him, but the sight of the card stuck to her door rattled her more than she cared to admit. Up until now, she’d blown off everyone’s concerns over her safety. She truly believed Orbit’s death was a random act of violence by the serial killer. Orbit would have known if someone was following her, wouldn’t she? And if she knew, wouldn’t she have told someone?

  Eris pushed those disturbing thoughts out of her mind and forced herself to listen for sounds from within the apartment. Nothing but silence greeted her and that was worse than hearing a racket because she could picture Rob’s body unmoving on the floor.

  The urge to storm into the room and blow away any threat to him was strong. She resisted though, reminding herself he was a trained professional and he wasn’t expecting her to come barging in. If she did, she’d most likely end up the victim. Not something she cared to become at the moment.