by Layle Black
“Now it’s time I get what I deserve.” Selene could barely swallow past the lump of fear that formed in her throat. She pushed out the only sound she could and screamed.
Chapter 22
Jac was the first to notice that he’d lost complete sight of Selene. The crowd had begun to thin and she was nowhere to be seen. Setting his glass aside he decided to take a little stroll around the party. After twenty minutes he started to feel apprehensive and went looking for Agnes. He found her at one of the tables going about the business of clearing away used cups and plates.
“Agnes, have you seen Selene?” Agnes looked puzzled for a moment, her own eyes casting a look around.
“I thought she was with you. We chatted for a while and then I had to dash around and play hostess with the most. When I came back to catch up with her and she wasn’t there. I figured she went back over to hang with you guys.” Jac maintained an air of calm but inside he felt his heart begin to race. Something was not right, he could feel it. He gave Agnes a nod and made his way back over to where he’d left Remy.
“Have you seen, Selene?” Remy shook his head, his body already in motion to look around him.
“Wasn’t she with Agnes?” Jac shook his head, niggling fear already festering in the pit of his stomach.
“Let’s both take a walk around and meet back here. She’s gotta be around here somewhere.”
“I’ll take a walk out to the parking lot. Maybe she decided to head toward the truck.” Jac watched Remy head off in the direction of the parking lot and he turned to make another turn around the party. He didn’t bother to hide the urgency in his steps. Something was wrong. Real wrong.
Remy cursed the stiffening pain beginning to run up his leg like tiny jarring electric shocks. He’d been spending the whole night pretending the sharp excruciating pain wasn’t plaguing the shit out of him. To be honest he’d had other things on his mind. Things like Selene and her impending departure. He figured the discomfort he was experiencing now was going to be child’s play compared to what was going to happen to the organ beating in his chest. Now here he was trying to search the dark parking lot for the woman who had the power to break him. He walked, more like limped, along for a few more minutes before the sound of raised voices reached him. At first he thought perhaps one of the couples from the party had a bit too much to drink and were having it out in private but there was a desperate element to the female’s voice that had him moving in the direction of the couple.
Remy came to a small clearing and in the dim light he could just make out two figures. The tall hulking shape was easy to identify. Gaston. The figure of the woman edged out into the dim light and Remy’s heart sped up. Her arms were raised as if trying to defend herself and Remy saw red. Without another thought he rushed toward the other man with all the force he could muster. He hit the larger man in the midsection and felt a momentary satisfaction of hearing the air rush from his lungs in a painful gasp.
Remy dimly heard the sound of Selene screaming his name but all his attention was centered on the son of a bitch who had dared to touch his woman. As soon as Remy could gain his balance he came up swinging. There was no strategy, no plan. Just the need for blood and lots of it. Gaston tried swivel his body with surprising dexterity for a man so large but Remy was already dialed into the fight and shadowed his movements blow for . . Suddenly Gaston kicked out toward Remy’s bad leg and fell to his knees, pain radiated up his thigh with a ferocity that took his breath away. So distracted by the pain, Remy was unable to duck away from Gaston’s driving punch to his jaw. His head snapped sharply and he flew back against the side of the truck.
“Stop it! Leave him alone!” Selene was screaming now but the sound was muffled by the ringing in Remy’s ears. The familiar taste of copper filled his mouth but he ignored it, merely spitting blood as he slowly got to his feet. This time when Gaston took another swing Remy was ready for him and ducked cleanly out of reach. A smile cold as death spread across his face.
“Didn’t anybody ever tell you that you don’t touch things that don’t belong to you, old friend?” Gaston’s face flushed from exertion but the man moved with determined intent.
“I only touch what should belong to me. You and that bastard Jac are the ones touching something that doesn’t belong to you. You two were only supposed to make sure she stayed out of trouble. Now you’re fucking her! Don’t you deny it either.” Remy chuckled as if he didn’t have a care in the world.
“If course we’re fucking her. We’re also kissing her, dressing and undressing her. Hell, we even make breakfast for her…after we’re done fucking her.” Remy saw rage bloom anew across Gaston’s face . That kind of rage that made people do stupid things, he thought in satisfaction. Gaston screamed curses as he rushed at Remy wildly and Remy feigned to his right and raised his fist. Gaston got the full force of the punch and crashed against the truck door hard enough to make the whole vehicle rock. With a groan he slid to his knees, holding on to the front seat for dear life. For a moment Remy stood over him, his fists clenched so hard he felt his whitened knuckles crack. The urge to beat the bastard to a bloody pulp was a living thing under his skin.
“Remy…Remy!” Selene called his name several times but it was finally the soft pleading in her voice that had him slowly stepping away from Gaston’s groaning body. Gentle hands grasped his arm and tugged him away.
“Leave him, Remy. He’s not worth it.” Remy nodded but his eyes kept straying back to Gaston, the desire to go back and finish the job apparent.
“Please, Remy, I need you to hold me right now. I just had the scare of my life.” Finally Remy turned to look down into the eyes of the woman he loved like no other. The fading remnants of terror made her seem pale and her eyes darkened by fear.
“Ah baby, it’s all right. It’s all over now. Come here.” Remy pulled her flush against him, his hands running down along her back as if to assure himself that she was all right. Her body melted against him seamlessly and he absolutely fucking loved it. God, he loved her.
“He won’t bother us anymore, Selene darlin’. It’s all over now.”
Selene gave up the fight and let the shudders wrack her body. The comforting strength of Remy’s chest was the only thing that kept her upright.
“It was him, Remy. The whole time…the house…the paint. I just don’t understand.”
“Shhh, baby. It’s all right…it won’t happen again.” Selene nodded her head, her arms slipping around his lean waist to pull herself closer still.
“Selene!” Selene lifted her head at the sound of Jac calling her name from across the field. Just the sound of his voice had her yearning to have him close to her as Remy was. One love on either side of her, keeping her surrounded, protected. She just pulled away slightly from Remy when she caught movement going on behind him. Gaston had risen to his feet and his hand was reaching into his back pocket. Alarm bells went off in her head and she yelled out a warning to Remy.
“Remy, watch out!” Remy didn’t bother to look behind, swiftly pushing her away from him and turned about in time to be met by Gaston rushing at him. Selene watched in horror as both men fell to the ground. In the dim light Selene could barely make out the sheen of something metallic. Her blood ran like ice and fear galvanized her into action. Without thinking she leapt onto Gaston’s back, her fists beating his shoulders in an attempt to knock him off balance. She was no match for his bulk but she didn’t care.
Suddenly Gaston’s fist flew back and caught her on the side of head and knocked her backward. She hit the ground with such force the air emptied from her lungs and she lay gasping to catch her breath. All she could do was watch as the two men struggled in the shadows. Grunts and curses were the sound track of a violent dance of punches and straining bodies in the dirt. Her eyes followed the glint of metal as they struggled for control of it. It was a knife, she thought with true terror. The crazed look in Gaston’s face would burn in her memory for all time. How could she have not noticed
the darkness in those eyes, black obsession bordering on madness. Remy managed to heave Gaston off of him for a moment but the other man punched him repeatedly in his damaged leg.. Selene shuddered in response at the sound of Remy’s sharp grunt of pain. For a heart stopping moment the knife was in Gaston’s hand and directing down at Remy. Time slowed to what felt like a standstill and all Selene could do was scramble to her feet. Must try to get to him, she thought in horror driven by desperation.
Jac reached the small clearing just in time to see Gaston gain the upper hand over Remy. Without another thought he tackled the larger man from behind and dragged him away from his best friend. A sudden sharp pain slashed across his chest but it may as well have been a mosquito bite for all he cared. Jac tightened his hold around Gaston’s neck until he felt the other man begin to weaken from lack of air. Just a little twist and squeeze and the son of a bitch would be a non-issue. The dark thought ran against everything he believed in as a cop but for the ones he loved he’d give everything, anything. He’d break any rule, for Remy, for Selene. His arm tightened around Gaston’s neck and little choking gasps was his reward.
“Jac, stop! You’re killing him, mon frère.” Jac barely registered anything outside of the bastard in his hold. A gentle hand landed on his shoulder.
“Let him go, Jac. He’s never going to hurt Selene again. He’ll never get close enough again.” Remy’s voice finally penetrated the haze of rage that surrounded Jac like a cloud. Slowly he began to release his choke hold on Gaston and the man crumbled to the ground, near unconscious but breathing.
“Selene?” His eyes scanned the field and as soon as he raised his hand in a beckoning gesture. She didn’t hesitate and was in his arms in seconds.
“Are you all right, baby girl?” She nodded her affirmative and he was perfectly all right with that. His arms tightened around her as he pulled her closer against him. Jac looked over her head at Remy, who was seriously favoring his bad leg, and reached out to him. He grasped his arm and pulled him in closer. Remy joined the embrace, his own arms embracing them both. They stood silently together, their heart beats slowing in unison to a steady rhythm. Jac was the first to break the silence as he stepped away, slowly as if he loathed to break contact.
“Let’s head back to the party and call the police. They should be here in no time.” Selene nodded, eager to get back to light and people. Her body was beginning to shake from delayed reaction and she wanted to be alone with her men to take it all in and get over it. As a unit they turned to walk back across the parking area when she saw a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. She turned in time to see Gaston gain his feet, his hand reaching down to grab something from his boot and lifting his arm in their direction. A gun glinted in his hand even in the poor light but what struck her the most was the malevolent look on his face. His mouth lifted in a feral rictus of a smile, his eyes shown almost gleefully.
“You won’t get taken away from me again, Mignon. No one gets to have you but me!” His words were a shout echoing across the field and provided next to no warning. Selene shouted a warning herself when she saw the metallic shape of the gun, her first instinct to push Remy and Jac aside.
Time seem to slow as she watched the gun rise, her body tensing with the expectancy of pain. A loud noise rent the air and for what seemed like an age no one moved. Selene watched Gaston’s eyes widen in shock and then pain as his mouth gaped open in a silent scream as he fell to his knees. His gaze focused on a point just behind them for a moment before he fell over onto his side, his gun slipping from his fingers. A rustle of movement behind them sounded before a figure stepped out into the meager light. Denny! A gun hung from his right hand and a placid look on his face as he walked past them to where Gaston lay sprawled on the ground.
“Mignon never loved me but I sure as hell know she didn’t love you either, you son of a bitch.” Denny stared steadily down at Gaston before turning to look toward them. For once his eyes were clear and his gait steady. He dropped the pistol to the ground, his gaze directed toward Selene. Tears welled in his eyes and slowly slid down his weathered cheeks.
“She didn’t love me but I loved her. I loved her so fucking much.” Selene’s throat tightened with emotion as she watched the man who had been a source of misery her entire childhood crumple to the ground, his arms wrapping about himself as he wept.
* * * *
Selene sat quietly in Remy’s Humvee while Jac and Remy finished speaking with one of the deputies. Only an hour ago she watched while an ambulance carried away Gaston’s body, red and blue flashing lights lighting up the night, shouting to the world that something had gone so terribly wrong. As if there was a rush, she thought grimly. Gaston was dead and Denny had killed him. The shock of seeing Gaston breathe his last as he lay face down on the ground was just beginning to take effect. She kept shuddering as if she were standing in a deep freeze but the night air was thick with humidity and the residual heat of the day. Despite that she felt she would never be warm again. The squad car containing a subdued Denny left only moments ahead of the ambulance. There was a brief moment her gaze met her stepfather’s through the glass of the back seat. Hers shown with gratitude for saving their lives and his with a strangely peaceful resignation. Jac assured her he would make sure it was understood that Denny had fired his gun in self-defense. There was every hope the courts would take that into consideration when he came before a judge.
It hadn’t taken long to confirm everything that Gaston had done to her Aunt Felicity’s house. Denny had explained that he had come to the party that night because he suspected Gaston would make a move on Selene. Jac and Remy remained by her side throughout her own questioning from the police. They touched and comforted her every chance they got and she was all the more grateful for it. She’d only been allowed to leave their side when Agnes offered to bring her inside her house to borrow a change of clothes and was quickly brought back to their side. Selene began to lose track of time, her only connection to reality being the physical presence of her men.
After the questioning was over they had bundled her into the truck, both men eager to get her home. She was content to be led and cosseted, happy to let them take the lead and not question. When they climbed into the Humvee next to her no words were spoken. Remy drove but his free hand lay upon her thigh, his fingers gently squeezing periodically. Jac sat close to the other side of her, his hand laid against her other thigh, still but warmly present. Her stomach clenched at the sight of Remy’s bruised faced and periodic winces as he shifted his bad leg while driving home. Either one of them could have been killed or seriously injured. The idea of losing them scared her more than anything she could have imagined. This Clay curse works both way, she mused darkly. If she were to lose either of them, her world would cease to function.
Jac finally broke the silence, his voice was calm but inside he was reeling from the night’s events.
“The deputies are handing over Gaston and Denny to Sparks’s police department. Most of the crimes Gaston committed took place in that Parish so they want to do the honors. If Gaston had lived we would approach them to press charges, if we wanted to—”
“Are you fucking kidding me? Of course we would have pressed charges against the son of a bitch!” Remy barely suppressed his rage. Selene reached up to gently place her hand on his leg. The calming effect on him was immediate. Remy took a deep breath, his hand losing its grip from the steering wheel.
“I am sorry, Jac. I was just ready to do some serious damage to that prick and would have if Denny hadn’t taken care of it. Pressing charges seems like a handshake compared to what I wanted to do.” Jac nodded, his jaw tightening.
“He was about to take everything from me, Remy. Selene and you? You’re all I fucking have in the world. I’d kill any son of a bitch who was going to hurt either of you, soul or not. Don’t think for one moment that I wouldn’t have gone after the fucker.” Remy’s mouth opened as if he was going to say more but he merely nodded in s
ilent acknowledgment.
Selene sat quietly, the poignancy of Jac’s impassioned words filling her with a combination of love and awe. She felt humbled by them and felt those same emotions in turn, for both of them. She wanted to tell them how she felt and everything else they would figure out...together.
“That someone you know, Selene?” She looked up just as they drove the roundabout to stop in front of the house. The truck headlight gleamed over the silvery finish of a low slung sports car that screamed expensive. The moment they pulled up the driver door opened and a lithe form dressed in black climbed from the car. She’d know that tall figure anywhere. Rafael, her boss. Her heart sank. Their time had just run out.
Chapter 23
“I suppose if you just stare at the food long enough it will just leap into your mouth and then you don’t have to go through the trouble of actually using your fork.” Selene looked up from her plate of very expensive broiled salmon and perfectly finessed summer vegetables. Rafael sat across the table with a sardonic smile on the perfect chisel of his lips. The black velvet depths of his eyes did not waver from hers, their gaze searching and not missing a thing. She felt like squirming in her chair under his unwavering stare. She had not been subject to his take no prisoners scrutiny since she first interviewed with him.
“I am sorry?” Selene’s mind had been thousands of miles away. More specifically a few thousand miles away in a small town called Clay Parish, where her heart lay in the hands of two men she loved beyond reason.
“I said you’re not eating and I am quite simply tired of watching you stare off in the distance when we’re not working.”
