Images of the time he and Baby had shared in the cramped apartment flashed in his head. Even the fucked up time they had spent together as she detoxed, coming off the shit Slade pumped into her body was etched on his heart. After they had managed to get her cleaned up, they had squandered away hours making love and sharing secrets, some so intense they almost tore them apart.
But they overcame. Lucky thought they would be able to overcome any hurdle.
They fought through the pain and torment as they learned to rely on each other, fitting together like two pieces of one fucked up puzzle. Perfectly matched, reserved only for one another.
Lucky took for granted the idea that they were inseparable.
In the middle of his pity party for one, Lucky heard the rumble of an engine before the Mustang even turned the corner, pulling up in front of Baby’s apartment complex. A man jumped out of the driver’s side and quickly ran around to the other side to open the passenger door.
His breath stalled in his throat as he watched Baby Jade place her hand in the man’s and step out onto the sidewalk. His stomach somersaulted as he scanned her frail body. She had lost weight and didn’t look as fit as she had before. Her black hair was still long and piled on the top of her head.
She was fucking gorgeous. His body ached to touch her. To feel her hot, smooth skin. To bury his face in her neck and inhale her scent.
He watched them stroll up the walkway. It was like a punch to the gut the way the two of them held hands all the way to Baby’s front door. They stopped, and a pain gripped his throat like a vice when she tossed her head to one side and smiled at the man. They leaned against the door, deep in conversation.
He couldn’t take anymore as the man caressed her shoulders. Lucky revved up the bike and thundered down the road. Anger burned deep in his gut. He swerved in and out of traffic, with no idea where he was going. He just wanted to get as far away from Baby Jade, and her new man, as possible. This fucked up town had a chokehold on him. He didn’t know if he would survive this time.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Baby Jade
Baby gently stroked Lolli’s deeply bruised arm. She had never referred to her as a friend, but her heart ached for the young girl. Her once beautiful, fresh face was now various shades of purple and blue. Her bottom lip had been busted in two, and one of her once vibrant eyes was now swollen shut, with the other barely a slit. A deep gash on her cheek had been bandaged, but the blood was already seeping through the gauze.
“Listen sweetheart, you have to talk to us. You can’t let whoever did this to you get away with it.” The uniformed officer leaned in closer.
Baby had spent the last hour listening to the man plead with Lolli to tell him who had attacked her. He used different tactics; good cop, bully cop, bad cop, and even flirty cop. However, she knew that Lolli would never relent.
Why would she? Ratting out Slade to the cops meant an automatic death sentence.
Lolli attempted to shake her head no, but the obvious pain caused her to wince. Tears streamed down her swollen cheeks. She squeezed Baby’s fingers. Baby squeezed back, silently letting the broken girl know her secret was safe with her.
“Can we do this later? She doesn’t seem up to it, and she’s really emotional. I wouldn’t be surprised if she just couldn’t remember who it was.” Baby patted Lolli’s hand.
The officer stood erect and eyed Baby. “And you’re sure you’ve told us everything you know about the situation?”
“Yes, I know it’s not much help.” She shrugged and pretended to play coy.
“Don’t you think it’s odd that she was found outside your place of employment? She wasn’t attacked there, so clearly she was placed there on purpose. A message maybe?”
Baby squared her shoulders. She knew what the officer was implying, and even worse; she knew he was right, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. “I don’t know anything about that. I got off work, walked outside, and heard someone crying out. I looked around, and that’s when I found Lolli rolled in a blanket lying in the alley. A customer was leaving and saw us, so he stopped to help. He gave us a ride to the hospital. Again, that’s all I know.”
The cop surveyed her as if weighing her words for the truth. The way his eyes narrowed signaled that he didn’t believe her.
“Well, we’re not done here. I’ll be talking with both of you again soon. In the meantime, I’ll need to talk to,” he flipped through his tiny, pocket-sized notepad, “a Mr. Drew Kenner.”
Baby folded her arms across her chest and jerked her head towards the door. “Try the coffee area.”
He nodded and marched out of the room without even a word to Lolli.
Baby plopped herself down in a chair beside the bed. “It’s ok, honey. He’s gone. You just get some rest now.” She smoothed the young girl’s matted hair back from her face and dabbed at her tears with a tissue. She couldn’t make out a reaction on Lolli’s misshapen face, but the tears finally stopped. The rhythm of her chest indicated that she had finally drifted off to sleep.
She thought about the officer and wondered what he was asking Drew. Better yet, she wondered what Drew was telling him. It was strange to be thrown into such an intimate situation with someone she didn’t know from John Doe. Now, he was picking her up at her apartment, dropping her off, bringing her coffee, and taking care of her.
Where the hell did he come from?
Baby waited to make sure Lolli wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon and decided to head home for the night. She had called into work, without letting on about what happened. She left a message with the bartender. Mickey would hit the fucking roof when he found out, but she didn’t care. He probably already knew about Lolli anyway, since he was Slade’s right-hand sleaze bag.
Drew was waiting for her in the reception area, drinking his umpteenth cup of black coffee, and flipping through a stack of magazines.
They drove back to her apartment while making small talk. “You sure you don’t want anything to eat? I can pick up some takeout or something and drop it back by,” he said as he pulled up to the curb.
“No, really, I’m fine. I have some leftovers from my neighbor. She keeps me stocked up.”
Drew bolted from the car, just as he had done the night before, and opened her door before she had a chance to do it for herself. They walked to the door, and it threw her off when he rested his hand on the small of her back. Her body went stiff. The gesture was too intimate. She attempted to step to the side, with no luck. His hand followed. Not in a pushy way, soft, yet firm.
“Do they know when your friend will be released from the hospital?” He asked.
“Not sure, maybe tomorrow or the next day since she doesn’t have insurance. I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to the doctors with the cops all over the place.”
Drew nodded and rubbed the scruff on his chin. “Um, about that, not sure how it went for you, but I’m pretty sure the cop thinks I know more than I’m telling.”
She leaned against the door. “Yeah, I was afraid of that. He acted the same way with me. What did you say to him?” She forced a smile.
“Not much. Told him it was my first time in Bottoms Up. I was getting ready to leave and heard you asking for help in the side alley. Got you both to the hospital, and I’ve been a ride ever since. That’s about it.” Drew shrugged. “And that’s the truth.”
She nodded. “That’s the same thing I said. You know, I can’t thank you enough for all you’re doing.”
He reached out and took her hands in his. “Don’t give it a second thought. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”
Baby jerked her hands away and rubbed them along her jeans. “Well, I’d better call it a night. Thanks again.”
“Sure thing. So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”
She unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Not sure of my plans yet. I have to work and may need to go see my mother. Have a good night.” She closed the door before he had a chance to respond.
S
he tossed her bag onto the treadmill and popped open a beer, wishing she had something stronger in the house. Her emotions were off the charts. She was blindsided by the fact that Drew Kenner was getting under her skin.
The sound of a motorcycle on the street made her queasy. Her mind drifted from Drew to Lucky. Where the hell was he? Why did he leave her all alone to deal with everything all by herself? Was she not worth it? Being able to put up with the pain to be together? She was angry with herself for thinking he was different from the others.
And now, with Drew dropping into her lap, Baby’s heart felt like it was all caught up in the middle of a tornado, spinning wildly out of control. She had only met him two days ago, and it was already obvious that he was into her. The thought of getting mixed up in another relationship made her want to peel her face off with her bare hands.
Baby Jade finished her beer and drank some of Ma’Linn’s sleeping concoction before taking a quick shower, using the drizzling cold water. Mickey was such a douchebag. She was going to have to man up and buy her own water heater if she ever wanted a hot shower again.
CHAPTER EIGHT
Lucky
The relentless pounding in Lucky’s head only got worse as he tried to pry open his heavy eyelids. Attempting to peer around the large room, he could barely make out his surroundings. The almost bare walls held only a few expensive pieces of art. There were also various awards and diplomas.
Leather bound books and fancy framed photographs lined the glossy, wooden bookshelves.
The desk. The chair. The extravagant nameplate that read: Colby Gauthier, engraved in heavy, gold letters.
Lucky was lying on the leather sofa in his father’s office at Gauthier. On the same couch where his dad spent most nights sleeping, rather than coming home in the early days.
He vaguely remembered the drive across the Lake. The empty bottle of scotch lying on the floor explained the hammering in his temples. He propped himself up and rubbed his groggy eyes with the palms of both hands. His stomach hurled into his throat causing him to swallow hard to keep from throwing up.
What the fuck?
A photograph lay on the floor next to the empty liquor bottle. It was a picture of his father and him when he was about ten years old at the Gauthier crawfish boil. It was a rare reminder of when his family was happy. Not rich, but well off. Hanging out with friends and coworkers while playing ball, and cooking up some Cajun goodness. Not long after the picture was taken, his father quit attending functions with the employees. It was all beneath him by that point.
However, Lucky remembered that day as if it were yesterday. It was in late June, and the company had rented out the pavilions on the lake for the employees. There was a time when his father prided himself on keeping his company family oriented. There were games, food, and music, all in attempts to keep up morale, as he used to say. Even before they had money, Lucky’s mother had carried herself as a matriarch, making her rounds and keeping up the political face.
However, his father was beaming on that particular day. He was in an especially good mood. He had participated in all of the father-son events with Lucky. They had won trophies and awards. They played hard and carried the dirt to prove it. He remembered his giving him a well-done pat on the back when he managed to hit the softball over the fence, resulting in his team winning the Gauthier league trophy.
Hot tears stung his eyes as he recalled the smile on his father’s face. He couldn’t remember a time when Colby Gauthier ever smiled like that again.
He sat in his father’s stuffy office, taking in his surroundings. It was all too much. He must have been looking at the picture while drinking his father’s expensive scotch from the bottom drawer of his desk.
He stood from the couch. Lightheaded, he had to brace himself from falling to the ground. He rounded the corner of the desk and propped himself up in the huge leather chair, the same chair he used to sit in when he was a kid and swear that he would one day be the head of Gauthier.
And now his mother had presented him with the opportunity to take on that very role.
Shit.
Lucky bolted from the seat and stumbled to his father’s bathroom, vomiting the sloshy contents of his weak stomach.
When he was done, he splashed water on his sweaty face and took in a deep breath. He squeezed his eyes shut, trying to piece together the pieces of the night before.
Baby Jade.
She had been with some douchebag. They appeared to be close, too close. It hadn’t been that long ago when they were making plans to get married. They were going to be parents. They had the world at their fucking fingertips. It was theirs for the taking.
Now she had moved on, and rightfully so. It was his fault that she was back in that shit hole of an apartment and probably working in that snake pit, Bottoms Up. It was his fault she looked so sickly, not like her vibrant, healthy self. She looked fractured, not quite broken, but not whole either. It was all his fault, but that didn’t take the sting out of the fucked up situation.
Lucky rinsed his mouth with some of his father’s mouthwash that he kept on hand and opened the bathroom door.
“Well, well. I thought that was your two wheel death trap I saw in the parking garage.”
Carrie scanned him with her cold eyes. She had helped herself to his father’s chair with her ugly ass high heels propped up on his desk.
“It looks like you’ve had a rough night,” she said as her gaze darted to the bottle still lying on the floor.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” He blasted at her. This was not the bullshit that he needed, not after last night.
“Well, as you know, I work here.” She tapped her fingers together in front of her chest.
The fact that she was sitting in his father’s chair pissed him off. He clenched his jaw, clenching his teeth, causing pain to shoot across his head. “You know what I mean. Why the hell are you in my father’s office? And get your ass out of his chair.” The words his mother had said were ringing in his ears. The way Carrie was acting lead him to believe that maybe his mother was on to something about a company takeover.
Carrie pushed herself back from the desk. She made her way across the room and stood entirely too close for Lucky’s liking.
“I don’t know when you became so hateful. That kind of attitude is going to make for a lonely life, James.” She smoothed her hand across his wrinkled t-shirt.
He shoved her hand aside.
Carrie’s eyes narrowed. She was a joke standing there in her fancy business suit with her hair pulled back into a tight ponytail. And pearls. She was wearing fucking pearls. He recalled the way it had always been her lifelong dream to work at Gauthier. To be a power player in a game ruled by men. She was cut throat, and it had worked. She was now a major contender.
“James, I’m not even sure why you’re back in town. I thought we had seen the last of you.”
“I don’t know. Maybe a dead father might have something to do with it.” He didn’t want to tip his hand, giving away his mother’s suspicions. He wasn’t going to be the one to give her any ammunition.
“Oh, please,” she said, resting her backside against the desk. “Colby’s been gone a couple of weeks now. Why come home after it’s all over? And don’t say it’s for Tilly. She’s surrounded by people to help take care of her, and you two were never close anyway.”
He fought the urge to throw her across the room.
“Yeah, well, maybe I’m just here to fuck with your head.”
She pulled her lips into a tight line. “Nice try, but you were shocked to see me. Yeah, you’re up to something. Maybe it has something to do with that little piece of trash from the other side of town. What’s her name again? Baby?”
Lucky’s chest bowed. His muscles tensed causing the veins in his neck to pop. “I don’t know how you know anything about her, but if I hear her name come out of your nasty, fucking mouth again, you’re not gonna be talking for a long mother fucking time.”
Her eyes danced with pleasure. She was definitely getting off from pushing his buttons. “James, I’m not scared of you, and trust me, I know a lot more about your little tramp than just her name. Who knows, maybe I’ll pay her a little visit.”
She sauntered across the room before glancing back over her shoulder. “We might have a lot in common. After all, we both know what it feels like to have been knocked up by the infamous James ‘Lucky’ Gauthier.”
She winked and pulled the door closed behind her right before he hurled the scotch bottle at her head, busting it, and sending shards of glass across the floor.
Shit!
He was visually shaking. He never imagined that even she would stoop so low.
Lucky mumbled under his breath as he picked up the glass and tossed it into the wastebasket. He sat back down at his father’s desk, leaning his head back. Pinching his eyes closed, he pictured Baby Jade, radiant and pregnant. He envisioned the way her smooth belly had started to swell. She was so fucking gorgeous. She glowed with happiness.
Why did he force her to get on the back of his bike that day? Why the hell didn’t he listen when she said she’d had a bad feeling? Why the hell was she already seeing another guy? His life was full of nothing but fucking ‘whys’.
CHAPTER NINE
Baby Jade
“Open ‘dis door, I know you be in der!”
Baby knew she couldn’t ignore Ma’Linn forever. That old woman knew everything, sometimes even before she did. She sighed, “Ok, I’m coming.”
She had gotten up early and was going to try to be gone before Drew showed up. She couldn’t deal with the tension today. There was too much shit going on, and she needed to get stuff done before her shift at the club.
“You still be sleepin’?” Ma’Linn walked in with an arm full of food, just as Baby knew that she would.
Bourbon Street Royalty: Jaded Series, Book Two Page 4
