“No, I’ve been up for a while. Got up and did a little cleaning and made some coffee.” She held up her big mug.
“Didjya eat?” Ma’Linn planted her hand on her hip and raised one eyebrow.
Baby didn’t respond.
“Yeah, dat’s what I t’ought. Sitchya ass down.”
Baby didn’t attempt to argue. Ma’Linn made her a plate of Cajun pain perdu smothered in spiced rum syrup. She moved the food around with her fork and nibbled. She wasn’t fooling anyone. Ma’Linn knew all too well what it was like to get her to eat these days, but that didn’t keep her from trying.
“So?” She sat across from Baby and folded her plump arms across her colossal chest.
“So, what?” Baby asked and took another sip of steaming hot coffee.
“You gonna tell me who dat man is dats been comin’ ‘round?”
Baby tossed her head back as if she was a teenager who had just been caught sneaking out of the house in the middle of the night.
“Yup, I see evert’ing. Spill!”
“He’s no one. He’s a customer and he’s been giving me a ride down to the hospital.” She filled her friend in on the situation with Lolli, even though she knew it was a bad idea. Ma’Linn had her own feelings about Slade, and they were usually deeply rooted in some kind of dark voodoo.
Her friend’s coffee colored eyes grew three times their regular size. She slowly shook her head and flared her nostrils. “Girl, dat be no good. You can’t be gettin’ screwed up ‘gain. ‘N you know dat man got somet’ing to do with my boy missin’.”
Ma’Linn swore up and down that Slade was the reason that Phillipe was missing, and even through Baby wanted to reassure her, she couldn’t. She didn’t want to give Ma’Linn false hope. Phillipe had been running with that crowd for far too long for it to be a coincidence.
“I’m not getting messed up with anyone or anything, but I couldn’t leave her dying on the street corner. You didn’t see her Ma’Linn. She’s scared to death, and you and I both know that she should be. She doesn’t have anyone. She was on the streets before working at the club. No family. She’s not even from the city. I think she’s from back east somewhere. Anyway, she doesn’t have anywhere to go once she’s released. I think I’m gonna have to bring her home with me.”
Ma’Linn pushed herself back from the table and began pacing the tiny kitchen. “Girl, you can’t be doin’ dat. He be here lookin’ for her ‘n a heartbeat. You know dat. You know how he be when it come to you. He kill you n’ not t’ink twice ‘bout it!”
“Yes, I know.” Baby had personally suffered Slade’s wrath in the past, and as much as she hated to admit it, he had shown mercy. She should have been dead a few times over.
She stood and rinsed her coffee mug as a way to put an end to the conversation. “I know, but I couldn’t live with myself if Lolli was put out on the street and the next time someone finds her in an ally, she’s dead. I just can’t do it, and you couldn’t do it either.”
The two stared at each other for a moment before Ma’Linn conceded.
“Humph,” she muttered while gathering up her things. “I guess you t’ink you be knowin’ me or somet’ing.”
Baby smirked. She knew she had won that battle. It was a good thing too because she would probably need the old woman’s help when it came to taking care of Lolli.
Ma’Linn pulled her in for a smothering embrace. “I don’t t’ink it goin’ to be dat easy. Well, den. You know what I be tellin’ yo’ to do. Listen to ‘em, girl. They never be wrong.” She closed the door behind her.
Baby left the house and busied herself until she thought she had successfully dodged Drew for the day. He was really messing with her head. She was finally coming to terms with the fact that Lucky wasn’t coming back. They were through. Happily ever after wasn’t in the cards for them. However, it didn’t feel right to think about being with someone else, not yet, if ever.
She decided to indulge Ma’Linn and stood outside the Saint Gabriel Cemetery. Closing her eyes, she breathed in and out struggling to clear her mind, so she would be able to hear the spirits guide her. Ma’Linn was eccentric, but her heart was pure. When Baby couldn’t trust in anything else, she could always trust in Ma’Linn.
She had been walking the historic burial site since she was a young girl. Ma’Linn would hold her tiny hand and spend hours telling her stories and reading old stones. Baby didn’t know it at the time, but the spine-tingling place would become her sanctuary.
Massive tombs were stacked one on top of the other. Wrought iron rods surrounded some. Others had piles of ash and brick. There were trinkets and offerings lined along old graves, and Baby speculated their meaning. To some, they looked like plastic beads, silk flowers, and stuffed animals, but not to Baby. She could see beyond the surface. They were actual prayers and dreams of broken people in need of hope and healing.
After an hour of strolling through the cemetery, Baby Jade couldn’t get a reading. Nothing.
She decided to walk down to Pecan Grove and check on her mother. Even though she knew her mother wouldn’t see her, she could at least find out about her progress. It had been a while, and it was a little too easy to let the task fall on Ma’Linn’s heavy shoulders. It was about time that she stepped up and grabbed the bull by the horns.
“Hey, Ang.”
The petite redhead peered up from behind the reception desk and smacked both hands onto the countertop. “Well, I’ll be damned. We haven’t seen you around here in forever. Where have you been, young lady?”
Baby smiled. She adored Ang. The woman was full of spunk and didn’t take any bullshit. Which is exactly why she was the perfect person to help keep her mother in line.
“I’ve been around. Just a lot going on, you know how that is.”
Ang leaned back in her seat and stared at Baby. “Yeah, I’ve heard a little. Ma’Linn keeps me up to date.”
Baby rolled her eyes.
“Don’t be like that. We worry about you. Besides, she just gives me the basics, no details.” She leaned forward and softened her tone. “I heard about the miscarriage. Hon, I am so sorry.”
This was the reason Baby Jade had procrastinated for so long. Everywhere she went, people brought up the accident and the miscarriage. It tore her heart into a million pieces all over again.
She blinked back the fresh tears.
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” She quickly tried to change the subject. “So, how’s momma doing?”
Ang waved her tiny arms through the air and pursed her thin lips. “That woman, you know Rozalie. She’s gonna turn my gorgeous, natural red hair gray!”
They both laughed. It was clear that Ang’s ‘natural’ red hair came straight from a Clairol bottle.
“That bad, huh?” Baby only heard bits and pieces from Ma’Linn. It was probably the old woman’s way of trying not to heap any more stress onto Baby Jade. She was always looking out for her.
“Yeah, well, she’s still on a high dose of Clozapine. They’ve had to add an additional anti-psychotic drug to help offset the rage. She’s really worked up about something. Having nightmares and stuff. Sometimes we have to sedate her.”
Baby Jade braced herself against the counter as her knees went weak. She had no idea that her mother was having such a difficult time. How could she not know?
Ang must have noticed the vacant look on her face. She patted Baby’s hand. “Hon, she’ll be ok. You know she goes through these phases.”
“Yeah, but this one’s lasting longer than the others,” Baby stammered.
“This one will pass. It would help if we knew what got her so upset so we could be proactive, but it all came together. It always does. It’s getting a little more difficult to get her to calm down, but we eventually get there. You have to trust us.”
Baby twisted her lips into a side grin. “I don’t really have much of a choice. Can I see her?”
“Let me find out, hon.”
Baby’s stomach knotted. She
didn’t know if it was due to the thought of seeing her mother, or the thought of being told that her mother didn’t want to see her again. She paced the front entrance, clicking her boots against the loud marble. She stopped and steadied herself when she saw Ang marching down the long hallway.
She knew the outcome by observing the look of pity on Ang’s face. Before the woman could even break the news, Baby went on the defense.
She waved and shook her head. “It’s ok. I just remembered that I have somewhere to be anyway. I’ll see you next time, Ang,” Baby said as she bolted out the front door. She jogged away from the building, surprised to feel the damp tears on her face.
She slowed her pace. With her heart racing and her insides quivering. She knew the feeling all too well. Cravings were creeping deep in her gut. Her mouth watered just thinking about getting her hands on a bump of coke. Hell, she’d settle for some pills, anything to take the edge off.
Baby Jade walked toward the hospital. It was getting late and she needed to check on Lolli before her shift at the club. Her body was hypersensitive, with her heart hammering against her chest. She was willing herself to fight the urge. She could have all the drugs she wanted simply by making one phone call.
As Baby rounded the corner to the hospital, the hair on the back of her neck stood on end. All of the air left her lungs, leaving her breathless. She heard the familiar roar of the motorcycle before she saw it. She couldn’t make out the face of the driver, but she knew.
Her gut screamed at her. The legs. His posture. The way his inked up arms gripped the bike.
Lucky.
CHAPTER TEN
Lucky
Lucky pulled up to the Gauthier manor just in time to see Carrie’s Bentley driving away. Even the sight of her car made him cringe. Rage pulsed through his veins, and now it was deeper than ever. When he was younger, he stood by as that bitch decimated him by aborting his baby. Now he was older. Wiser. Harder. Lucky wouldn’t idly stand by while she tried to destroy him and everyone he cared about, not again.
He and his mother had butted heads too many times to count, but she didn’t deserve this. Hell, even if she did, he couldn’t step aside and let it happen.
Lucky knew there wasn’t a shot in hell of being in Baby Jade’s life again, but he still loved her just the same. He would do everything in his power to protect her. Everything.
He found Tilly Gauthier in her late husband’s office rummaging through drawers and files. She tossed papers on the floor as she appeared to be frantically searching for something.
“Mother, what’re you doing?”
The tall, frail woman jumped. Her hand flew to her chest. “Oh, James! Don’t sneak up on me like that!”
He noticed the way her delicate chest heaved. “Mother, you don’t look good. Maybe you should sit down.”
She shook her head, wildly, muttering under her breath. “No, I have to find it. I know it’s here somewhere.”
Just as she bent down to grab another stack of files, Tilly clutched her hand to her chest. She squeezed her eyes shut and cried out.
“Mother!”
Lucky leaned over her crumpled body. He checked her wrist for a pulse. It was weak, but thumping. “Mother, hold on. I’m getting help.”
Lucky scrambled for the phone on his father’s desk. He called 911 and yelled for the house manager. “Joyce!” He bent over to feel for his mother’s breath. Nothing.
Dressed in a crisp, black pantsuit, Joyce ran through the house until she found Lucky on the floor beside his mother. He had started performing CPR and the fragile woman’s body snapped with every compression.
“Oh my God! I’ll call for an ambulance!” Joyce’s trembling hand reached for the phone.
“Already. Did.” Lucky huffed between breaths. “Should be here. Check.”
Joyce flew from the room.
“Mother, dammit! Fight!” The room was spinning. Lucky fought back tears as he continued trying to revive his lifeless mother’s body. His muscles clenched, causing his stomach to twist. His own chest ached.
The paramedics rushed into the house, and Joyce led them to the office. Lucky refused to move until one of the men made eye contact and took him by the shoulders.
“Step aside son. You did good, but we have to be able to get in there.”
Lucky’s body moved as if it were on automatic pilot. He fell backward and collapsed onto the floor. Joyce moved to his side and placed her arms around him. The elderly woman had been on staff since before he was born. She was the one who cared for him when he was sick and soothed him back to sleep when he had a nightmare. He knew her better than he knew his own parents and vice versa.
“We’ve got a pulse.” As the words left the man’s mouth, he started her on oxygen. They hoisted Tilly onto a stretcher. Lucky and Joyce followed them to the ambulance.
“Who’s coming?” The driver asked, looking back and forth between the two of them.
“You ride with Mother. I’m gonna take my bike. I’ll meet you up there.” Lucky had already hopped onto his motorcycle and had it in gear before the paramedic helped Joyce into the back of the ambulance.
As the doors closed, he could make out the old woman’s face. Distorted with fear. Tears spilled down her face as she spotted Lucky through the tiny back window.
He winked and nodded, trying to comfort her. He tried to put himself in her place. The Gauthiers were all she knew. She didn’t have a family of her own. She devoted all of her time to running Gauthier manor. Having just lost Colby, the thought of losing Tilly was probably unbearable.
He couldn’t handle the thought of losing his mother either, but he couldn’t think of himself. It was the same way with his father. He didn’t allow himself to dwell on forced grief or self-pity.
He followed the ambulance, gliding through traffic with cars parting like the red sea.
As they wheeled his mother down the hall, the paramedic spouted off words and phrases to the nurses and doctors who were all rushing to her side. He tasted the vomit in his throat but swallowed back the rising bile.
“This is as far as you can go.” A nurse planted herself in his path just outside a heavy set of metal doors. “There’s a waiting room just around the corner, and someone will update you as soon as possible.”
Before he had a chance to respond, the nurse was gone.
Lucky swallowed again, his insides trembling. He looked around and spotted Joyce standing in the middle of the hallway, ashen and swaying back and forth.
He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and guided her to a chair.
“It’s gonna be ok, Joyce. I promise.”
Staring ahead, she nodded.
He didn’t believe the words any more than she did.
Lucky hadn’t been in this hospital since he stood at Baby Jade’s side. He watched her drift in and out of consciousness, weeping. Begging to hold her baby. Even after she had been told the baby was gone, she had pleaded with the nurse.
He couldn’t handle seeing her in pain, sobbing and screaming until she collapsed in Ma’Linn’s arms. It felt as if someone had slashed open his gut and was ripping out his insides. He thought it couldn’t get any worse, but he was wrong. Baby’s words, blaming him for the loss of their child was too much. He couldn’t stay around one second longer.
Now, standing in the same hospital where everything he had ever loved was destroyed, the pain welled up inside of him, leaving Lucky queasy. He ran his hand over his beard, smoothing it down on the sides. A mindless action that had turned into a habit.
He glanced at Joyce, who was flipping through a car magazine. The wait was agonizing.
“I’m gonna get some coffee. Want some?” He asked.
She shook her head, but never looked up.
He walked down the narrow, white hallway, wishing he could be somewhere else, anywhere else. Spotting a small coffee machine in the corner of the cafeteria, Lucky weaved in and out of the bright orange tables. Thinking about Baby and his mother had his
head beyond fucked up. That’s why he didn’t notice her right away.
He poured himself a large cup of steaming coffee and snapped the lid in place. When he turned to leave, Lucky recognized a mass of black curls. He halted, frozen in place, observing Baby Jade. She sat at one of the square tables, deep in conversation with the same man he saw outside of her apartment.
He watched the way the man hung on her every word. Baby appeared tired, yet beautiful. Everything about her made his body spring to life. Even as she talked to the man, Lucky couldn’t help but think about his body wrapped around hers. He studied her expressions, searching to make sense of her relationship with the stranger, but all he could make out was concern.
There was something wrong.
As Lucky tried to decide whether he should say something or sneak out undetected, Baby stood. She grabbed a coffee cup from the table and turned towards the coffee machine. She must have spotted him, because the cup fell to the floor, spilling the liquid contents across the tile.
Before either of them had a chance to speak, the man barreled around the side of the table and snaked an arm around her waist. He said something to Baby, but Lucky couldn’t make out the words. He watched her nod but never broke the stare.
She threw her hand up to signal to the man that she was ok, and then she moved in Lucky’s direction.
He surveyed her body and the way it glided towards him. His mouth went dry, and he tried to swallow as his heart pounded in his chest.
“Well, I’ll be damned.” She planted both hands on her slim hips.
His mouth was like a fucking desert. Lucky took a small sip of his coffee, scorching the roof of his mouth. “Yeah, I’m a little surprised myself.” His eyes scanned her body. “You look good.”
Baby folded her arms across her chest and looked down, shuffling her feet. “Hmm, thanks. I didn’t know you were back.”
“Well, it’s a big city.” He didn’t know why he was being so defensive, but he didn’t like the idea of not knowing what he was walking into as he watched her friend slowly approaching behind Baby Jade.
Bourbon Street Royalty: Jaded Series, Book Two Page 5
