Green Eyed Temptation (Halos & Horns

by Lori Leger

  Angel nodded. “I hear the words, Tiff, but I can’t seem to find any comfort in that right now. I want him to wake up and know me and everyone else, and to be able to speak, and walk, and … ” Her voice trailed off as she put the palms of her hands over her eyes. “Oh God, this can’t be happening again.”

  Red walked over to put an arm around her shoulders. “Look, this is the second time I’ve had a good friend of mine hurt this badly. Mike is every bit as strong as Jackson was then, Angel. And he’s got as much to live for. He’ll make a full recovery.”

  Angelique placed one hand over her eyes and released a long, slow breath. “I’ve got to believe that right now, Red, or I’ll never make it through this.”

  Angelique walked to the hospital’s atrium and seated herself on a bench, overlooking a fountain. The warmth from the sun-heated, cast-iron seat penetrated her muscles, helping to dispel the chill of Mike’s private hospital room. Groaning, she lifted her face to absorb the glorious solar rays of the mid-morning sun.

  Almost immediately, her phone rang. She lifted it to view the ID of the caller and thumb swiped the screen to answer. “Hey, Liam.”

  “How’s our boy, Angel? Any change?”

  She stifled a yawn. “No change. I guess that’s good, I don’t really know. How about you? You following doctor’s orders and taking it easy?”

  “Hell, I couldn’t cut up if I wanted to. These ladies would tear my ass up faster than you can say Fat freakin’ Tuesday.”

  Angelique gave him a low snicker “You’re in Louisiana now, boy. En francaise, sil vous plait.”

  “Sorry babe, what is it? Marty Graw?”

  “Close enough for a cowboy, I guess. We can’t all be gifted with Cajun or Creole bloodlines. It’s Mardi Gras, by the way,” she said, pronouncing it for him.

  “Yeah, well where I’m from we got our own little saying. We can’t all be lucky enough to be Longhorns.”

  “True enough, Liam, but I’ve been lucky enough to know two of the finest Longhorns this side of the Sabine River. I’d almost forgotten you both attended U of T in Austin.”

  “Both attended—different years, of course, but neither of us graduated. There was a little too much partying going on. By the time I dropped out, I’d already decided it would be less dangerous to join the Navy rather than face my folks.”

  “And was it?” It relieved her to talk about something other than the possibility of Mike never waking up again.

  “Tough call. My old man was good and pissed, but training for the Seals damn near killed me. It about did my folks in, all that worrying about me.”

  “I can imagine how rough it was on them,” she said, head back, eyes closed and feeling a little like a turtle sunning herself on a river bank.

  “I’m gonna let you go, now Angelique.”

  His unexpected comment had her head snapping forward in shock. “You’re giving up, just like that?” His low chuckle let her know her judgment was off.

  “All I meant was that you sound tired, so I’m going to end the call. You need to get some real rest, Angel. I bet you haven’t slept since it happened.”

  “Oh,” she said. “I’ve been napping but I’ll admit it’s been awhile. That couch in his room isn’t much to brag about.”

  “I wish I could take your place.”

  “I wouldn’t let you, just like I wouldn’t let him when it was you in the hospital. Besides, I start at the clinic in Lafayette tomorrow. All day long I’ll be worried sick about him, as well as you and Sarah.”

  “Don’t worry about Sarah. Between Mel and me, she’s fine.”

  “Who’s Mel?”

  “She’s the cop that helps out on her days off. Apparently, she and Sarah got close during her hospital stay.”

  She lowered her chin, her interest in the current conversation at an all-time high. “Oh, reddish hair? I’ve met her. Is she good?”

  “Harper says she is. I haven’t had the opportunity to see how good she is yet.”

  “What the hell does that mean?” she said.

  “We haven’t had any incidents to test her skills yet … and I mean her police skills. What the hell did you think I meant?”

  Angelique remained quiet, biting her lower lip at her second major screw up concerning another woman.

  “Angel, you have no reason to be jealous of Mel.”

  “I’m not jealous,” she fibbed. “But don’t you find her attractive?”

  “Well, sure I do. I’d have to be blind not to see how beautiful she is. But she’s not here for me. She’s here for Sarah and the babies. I guess I should be flattered, but oddly, I’m a little insulted.”

  After a moment of personal contemplation, she released the breath she’d been holding. “You’re right.”

  “Especially since you’ve got both Mike and me chasing our own tails over you.”

  “You’re right, and I’m sorry.”

  “I am?” He sounded doubtful.

  Her own burst of laughter took her by surprise, and Liam joined in. “Yes Liam, I’m wrong…you’re right.”

  “Hmm, strangely enough, I find it disturbing that you’re not more upset.”

  “I’m tired, sweetie.”

  “Maybe. Regardless, I know you’re under a lot of stress over there.”

  “Listen, I need to get back to Mike.”

  “I know you do. Tell him I said hi, and tell that son of a bitch he better get his ass back up and running soon. There is no honor in winning by default.”

  “Winning? I’m not a prize, you know.”

  “Hmmm,” Liam said, his voice lowered in a seductive growl. “That’s your opinion.”

  CHAPTER 23

  Troy hoofed it to the far side of the pasture where he’d hidden his car, the blare of the big house’s alarm system still ringing in his ears. How the hell would he get to that bitch now that she and those brats were in a big, fancy house with a security system? How the hell had she rated that, not to mention her own damn bodyguard?

  What had only taken a minute to reach his car, felt more like several by the time he tore out of there. With the lights off, he headed down the shortcut to the river, where the boat waited for him. The same boat that was supposed to carry his wife with him. Hell, he’d have even left the brats for the Ritchie Riches. Who the hell pops out two kids at a time, anyway? Just his shitty luck to hook up with a broad who carried that twisted gene. She never had time for him anymore. Besides, they cost a fortune in diapers and formula. Who needed it?

  He figured he’d done enough damage to give that stars and stripes jarhead fucking brother of hers something to gnaw on for years. The day that high and mighty son of a bitch had bloodied his nose over a comment about his sister’s fine ass, it’d stirred a fire in him. He’d backed off then, because no chick was worth getting his ass thrown in jail for statutory rape. But he knew if he ever had the opportunity to tap that ass, he would take it.

  Years later, on his first night back in town, he’d seen her. Had to have her. Unfortunately, the bitch wouldn’t give it up without a ring on her finger. At the time, he’d figured it was a small price to pay. Even then, her dick of a brother had been too busy saving the world to make it home. So, he’d married her.

  Looking back on it, he should have just slipped the bitch some Special K or a Roofie and left her ass with something to remember him by. He smiled to himself, thinking about an all-nighter he’d had with Miss Too Prim and Proper to do it any way other than boring as hell. He’d had the best night of sex in his life, courtesy of a particularly high grade of Liquid Ecstasy he slipped in her glass of water. After that bitch woke up the next morning, she couldn’t sit comfortably for a week. She never did confront him about it, but he figured she suspected something. Her refusal to drink from anything other than bottles or cans she’d opened herself after that was a pretty good indicator.

  From then on his goal was to control her, own her, break her.

  Ah, well, it looked like he’d have to make his great
Mexican escape without her. He’d made some enemies here, skipped out with all the profits of a huge drug deal to front this little venture, so staying wasn’t an option. He suddenly pictured her—smug, smiling, and laughing in his face. He allowed himself a low chuckle, knowing she was smart enough to figure out sooner or later that she’d never be able to let her guard down—not as long as he was alive and free. He would be back for her.

  Sarah and Leah sat together in the center of Leah and Daniel’s huge bed, each holding a baby in their arms. Daniel paced back and forth, still seeming irritated at Liam’s shouted order to “Stay here and lock the door behind me.”

  “That son of a bitch has got some balls snooping around my place in the middle of the night like this. That’s good. I’ll use ‘em to hang him from, when I get my hands on him.”

  “Daniel,” Leah hissed.

  He turned to his wife, who cocked her head toward a clearly worried Sarah.

  “Don’t be afraid, Sarah. He’ll never get through any of us to get to you or the twins. If I’ve gotta beef up this whole damn system to keep his ass off our property, I damn sure will.”

  The corners of Sarah’s mouth turned down in a worried frown. “If they don’t catch him tonight, he’ll go underground. Troy’s always been so good at slithering out of trouble. If he gets away there’s no telling where he’ll go or how long it’ll take for him to surface again. But I know…he’ll be back.”

  Leah rocked Sammi in her arms. “And that will mean more waiting, wondering, and worrying for all of us”

  “He loves keeping me off balance, looking over my shoulder. God forbid I ever get the chance to enjoy life again,” Sarah added, in a tortured whisper.

  Daniel swore under his breath as his cell phone rang suddenly. “Liam! Please tell me you got him.” He closed his eyes as he listened, nodding slowly. “All right, then. Keep us informed.” He lowered his phone and turned to Sarah. “They found an abandoned car by the river and think he got away by boat. Mel just called the Coast Guard in case he makes it out to the Gulf.”

  Sarah buried her nose in Danni’s soft curls to hold back frustrated tears. “Oh God.”

  “Now, don’t jump to conclusions, sweetie. It’ll be fine,” Daniel said. “I bet they get him by morning.”

  “I’m sure you’re right.” Sarah gave Daniel a pert nod, trying not to let him see how wrong she thought he was.

  Sarah spent the next day at the office, thankful for the work that kept her mind off Troy for a while. She could afford to relax some, knowing her girls were safe and secure with Leah and Daniel at the ranch, while Liam set up camp in her office. Weekends spent all day at the ranch with her twins were heaven.

  Things ran smoothly enough, but Sarah couldn’t fully relax, knowing her brutal ex could show up any minute.

  One week after his disappearance, she got a house call from a couple of State Troopers asking to see her. Once she’d introduced herself to the two men, she stood waiting, arms crossed tightly across her chest.

  “Mrs. Richa—”

  “Hebert. Please, I’ve gone back to using my maiden name. Call me Sarah Hebert.”

  The officer nodded as though he understood her dilemma. “Ms. Hebert, we’re working a joint investigation with the U.S. Coast Guard on a vessel they found capsized about fifteen miles south of the opening of Sabine Pass. No registration number or name on the boat. They dropped a rescue swimmer to check it out and recovered a waterproof box secured inside it with some items we’re thinking you can identify.” He pulled out a container, marked ‘Evidence’ and opened it up in front of her. Inside were several items, all tagged with bright yellow labels. Among the items was an IPhone covered in a Grateful Dead case.

  Sarah covered her mouth and nodded. “That’s his phone. I remember when he bought the case.” She picked through the other items and pulled her hand back. “I don’t recognize anything else.”

  The officer nodded. “The card had been removed and all other info has been wiped out, so we don’t have much to go on. We’ll be sending it to our tech specialist to see if we can get anything back.”

  “I’m sorry I can’t help you with the other items,” she said.

  “You did fine. To your knowledge, does he have any friends or relatives in that area? Someone who may have met him out there? He could have abandoned the boat and a few of his belongings, to keep the authorities off his trail.”

  “The only relatives I know of are his aunt and uncle in Nederland, Texas, but they’re in their seventies or eighties and in a nursing home now.”

  “Did they have children?”

  “Yes, but last I heard, his cousins are in northern California and Oregon. That’s why the old folks are in the nursing home.”

  The trooper nodded while taking down some notes then handed her a card. “Please, if you can think of anything else that may help us with the investigation…”

  “I’ll be sure to call you. No one wants that maniac caught as badly as I do, officer,” she assured him.

  “If you don’t mind me asking,” Daniel spoke from behind her, “what kind of a boat did the Coast Guard find?”

  “It was a nice boat. A cabin cruiser type, thirty-five footer. The kind with a galley, sleep space for four, head with sink and vanity. Just what I want for my retirement. What a damn waste.”

  He tapped his pen on his pad before tucking it into his shirt pocket. “The diver was able to get into the cabin, and said that thing was pretty well stocked. It looked like he was planning to lay low on it for a while, and not by himself, either. He even saw a couple of packs of disposable diapers inside. One more thing. He had padlocks on the outside of the cabin. Whoever he planned on bringing along with him wouldn’t have been a willing passenger. Since he’s got three felony counts of kidnapping on him they’ve decided to haul the boat in for further investigation.”

  “Good Lord,” Leah whispered. “Thank God for security systems.”

  Sarah clutched at the table, suddenly feeling dizzy at the trooper’s last bit of information. The thought of her and the twins being his prisoners again, this time completely isolated out in the Gulf of Mexico, made her nauseous. One hand on her belly and one covering her mouth, she made a heaving run for the powder room.

  CHAPTER 24

  Angelique watched the REM activity under Mike’s closed eyelids, a good sign according to the doctors. They’d backed off the drugs that had been keeping him in the coma, as all signs of brain swelling had diminished. All he needed to do was wake the hell up.

  When a long run of lowly muttered profanity interrupted her thoughts, she glanced up at Melanie Finley, the one responsible for the offense. Angelique placed her foam coffee cup on the tray. “Problem?”

  “I’d say so,” Mel said, dropping her phone into the shirt pocket of her uniform. “They found a boat abandoned and capsized in the gulf. A cabin type, and they think Sarah’s ex was planning to escape in it to Mexico.” She explained how it was found and the investigator’s reasons for thinking it was Troy Richard’s.

  “Oh God. Padlocked cabins.”

  “Yeah, apparently her ex isn’t happy unless he’s keeping her locked up and under his thumb. The son of a bitch,” Mel fumed.

  Angelique stared at the female cop who seemed to care about the welfare of Sarah and the twins as much as anyone. “So, there’s no sign of Troy? What do they think happened to him?”

  “They don’t know, and that’s the really awful part of all this, isn’t it? Nobody knows if the sadistic bastard is dead or alive. Poor Sarah.”

  Angelique shivered as a feeling of cold dread filled her. “What if he planned it to look like he’s dead so everyone will think he’s not a threat anymore? She’ll never be able to let down her guard. Ever.” She glanced over at Melanie, who’d begun to pace the floor like a caged animal. “Mel?”

  “Hmmm?” she answered, clearly distracted.

  “You said you’d seen cases like this before. How’d those particular cases turn out?”
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  Melanie slowed her pacing and came to a gradual stop. “Never in a good way.”

  “I won’t ask what happened, but in your professional opinion, do you think it’s possible Troy could have planned something like this just so he could get to her?”

  “Professionally, I know it’s possible. Personally, and this is just my gut instinct talking, I’m leaning more toward probable.”

  Angelique crossed herself before speaking. “You know, Ma Mere Antoinette always said the devil reserved special places in hell for people like him.” She jumped at the hoarse croak that erupted from Mike’s hospital bed.

  “I sure as hell hope y’all aren’t talking about me.”

  “Mike!” Angelique threw herself at his head while Mel went to find a nurse. “How do you feel?”

  “Fuzzy, and thirsty as hell.” He tried to lick his dry lips.

  “Here,” Angelique said, as she dabbed at his mouth with a wet washcloth. He caught the cloth between his teeth and sucked at the moisture.

  “Need water,” he croaked.

  “Let’s wait until the doctor says it’s okay.” She drenched the cloth in cold water before raising it to his lips again. “Oh God, it’s good to hear your voice. Do you remem—” Her question was cut off as the doctor rushed into the room.

  “I hear sleeping beauty has awakened.”

  Mike’s reply was quick but raspy. “Yeah, and he’s thirsty. Can I have some water?”

  “Well, sure you can.” The doctor sounded downright jovial.

  “Here you go.” Angel brought a glass of water with a straw to his lips. Mike’s eyes drifted shut as he pulled hard on the straw. She handed the nurse the glass at his doctor’s quiet request to clear the room, and walked out with Melanie.