After The Storm

by K. M. Scott

“Yeah, honey?”

  “Thanks for being there for me.”

  “Always. Friends to the bitter end, right?” he said, saying the exact words they used to say to one another back in those middle school days.

  “Right. See you tonight.”

  For the first time since she messed up by calling Eve, Kate felt like she was doing something that could help Roman instead of hindering everything he was trying to do for her. She tossed the phone onto the bed and smiled at him standing across the room near the door.

  “Tonight, we get to head to the Garden District and one of the nicest houses there. Jasper will take care of us.”

  “Are you sure about this, Kate? Do you believe this Jasper should be trusted?” Roman asked, his expression full of worry.

  She waved off his concern. True, Eve had gone against her explicit wishes when she told the cops about her being in trouble. And it was also true that she’d messed up when she called Kate last night, but Jasper was different.

  “It’s okay. He’s good people. Not to worry. Jasper will handle things.”

  “Handle things?” Roman asked in a curiously sharp voice.

  Worried he thought she had insulted him by insinuating her friend could help her better than he had, she hurried to clear up what she’d meant. “Jasper knows a lot of people in town, and he knows his way around New Orleans society in ways I never could, and I live here. Don’t worry. He can be trusted to keep his mouth shut. Nobody is better with secrets than Jasper.”

  For a moment, Roman said nothing, but the worry he’d worn on his face morphed into a grimace. Finally, a few seconds later, he asked, “So, you and this Jasper guy are close?”

  “Yeah. We’ve known each other for years. Since middle school, to be exact.”

  “How close?” he asked in a quiet voice. “I mean, you did say you loved him.”

  Kate chuckled at his misinterpretation. “Oh, not that way. Jasper is like the brother I never had. He’s a huge manwhore. I’m not his type, but we’ve been close friends forever.”

  “Why aren’t you his type?” Roman asked, taking a step toward where she sat on the bed.

  The question was a valid one since Jasper seemed to have very few things he found unappealing in anyone. She’d seen him with every variety, shape, size, and color of woman, not to mention men, so that they had never gotten together would seem rather noteworthy to someone who didn’t know him.

  But Kate knew the reason they’d never taken their friendship to a more physical level was the simple fact that for Jasper, true friends were few in his life, so he cherished the ones he had. Better to not mess up a good thing just for a roll in the sack, he’d say.

  “I think we’ve been friends for too long, and for Jasper, I might always be that lonely girl sitting alone at the lunch table he met that first day. I was brand new to school and had no friends, and he walked right up and sat down in front of me to ask if I wanted to be friends.”

  Roman sat down on the bed next to her and nodded. “I’m sure you’ve changed since then, though.”

  Suddenly, she saw that look that said he was searching for something, and she understood why he was asking all these questions about her and Jasper. He wasn’t nervous about him possibly giving away something that could help people find them.

  He was jealous.

  Kate wove her fingers through his and squeezed his hand. “I’m sure I have changed. Thirteen was not my best year on this planet, for sure. But trust me, Jasper Carrollton has no interest in me in any way other than friendship.”

  “It’s fine,” he said, staring down at where their hands sat on the bed between them. “I just like to know what I’m walking into with people. I hope we can trust him. That’s the more serious concern.”

  “More serious than you being jealous that Jasper and I are more than friends?” she asked, struggling to keep the smile from her face.

  He popped his head up and twisted his face into a scowl. “That’s ridiculous. I’m not jealous. Just curious.”

  “Well, just curious, there’s nothing between me and Jasper. You’d care if there was?”

  Kate waited for Roman to answer her question, wanting to hear him say something that would tell her she’d been right to think he was far more jealous than curious. She saw it written all over his face, but she wanted to hear him say it.

  But he just shrugged and looked away as he answered, “It would just be something I should know to be able to work this assignment correctly.”

  He could say all that mumbo jumbo about the assignment all he wanted. She knew better. He was jealous.

  Never a huge fan of jealousy in men because it always made them seem weak and out of control when they exhibited that emotion, she found the idea of Roman being jealous sort of charming. The man never appeared weak and always seemed to have everything under control, as far as she’d seen, so in him jealousy came across as sweet.

  And stubborn since he refused to admit he felt it at all. Typical Roman.

  At five minutes before ten, they stood outside the stately home that had been in Jasper Carrollton’s family since the nineteenth century. Hidden by a large bush, they waited as a group of twentysomething males passed by before walking around to the back door. Kate knocked gently as Roman stared out into the backyard at the in-ground swimming pool and hot tub just a few yards away.

  “Your friend has some money. This house is huge and comes with some nice amenities,” he said in a tone of appreciation.

  Kate scanned the yard and a memory of her drinking too much and falling into the pool at one of Jasper’s parties flashed through her mind. God, she hoped he didn’t bring that up in front of Roman.

  Or the other million and a half things she’d done that would probably make him want to run for the hills as soon as his work with her ended.

  Turning back, she pushed that night back into the recesses of her mind and knocked on the door again. “Yeah, he comes from wealthy stock.”

  Roman chuckled and repeated the words wealthy stock. “As opposed to good stock?” he asked.

  Smiling, she thought about if Jasper and his family could be considered good. They’d fought on the side of the Confederates, but that wasn’t anything shocking in New Orleans. He’d once told her his great-great uncle or someone like that had been good friends with Huey Long back when he was governor and Jasper’s relative was an illegal alcohol bootlegger during Prohibition. Even that didn’t fall into the bad category in Louisiana. But some of the other, more unsavory stories she’d heard of the Carrollton family would probably land them somewhere in the grey territory of good versus bad.

  For someone honorable like Roman, though, she suspected those things would make them bad, so she simply smiled and said, “It’s all ancient history now. Jasper’s just…well, Jasper.”

  She didn’t explain that the sliding scale of morality might put even her friend into the bad column.

  Raising her hand to knock once more, she saw him appear at the back door, smiling like always. She’d never met anyone who always seemed happy like Jasper.

  He threw the door open and spread his arms wide at the sight of them standing there. “Katybird! Honey, get in here and hug my neck!”

  For a moment, she felt Roman’s body tense up against hers, but she ignored that and stepped forward to give her friend a giant hug. He’d be fine once he got to know Jasper.

  “It’s been too long, you. From now on, you have to spend at least a whole month at home once in a while so your friends don’t end up missing you so much.”

  Jasper held her at arm’s length and let his gaze travel up and down her body. Frowning, he said, “You look like you’ve been slogging through hell lately. What’s going on with you?”

  “I’ll tell you all that in a minute, but first, I want you to meet Roman.”

  She looked back at him and saw the most skeptical look she’d ever seen anyone wear on his face. Clearly, he wasn’t impressed.

  Thrusting his hand out, Jasper too
k a step toward Roman and smiled. “How do you do? Any friend of Katybird’s is a friend of mine, so welcome. Come in, please.”

  It was the most restrained hello she’d ever heard from her friend, but then again, he knew how to read people, and Roman’s face told the story that he didn’t like what he’d seen so far.

  For his part, Roman shook Jasper’s hand and in his serious way said, “Thank you for letting us come here tonight. We appreciate your help.”

  So far, so good. A little somber, but Kate didn’t mind Roman’s style. She rather liked it.

  “My pleasure. Let’s go inside and sit down. Katybird, you need to tell me all about this business you need my help with,” Jasper said as he escorted them into the house.

  They walked through the chef’s kitchen with every appliance a cook could ever want or need and through the formal dining room with the long cherry wood table and chairs for eight guests that looked like it belonged at some state dinner. As they made their way, Jasper pointed out things about the house to Roman. Kate had the sense it was equal parts bragging and pride.

  “Above the dining room table on the ceiling is the crystal chandelier that was one of the first electric run lights in all of New Orleans. The Carrollton family always liked to be on the cutting edge, and anything to show up the neighbors,” he joked.

  Roman’s face remained stony as it had been from the moment Jasper opened the door, but she saw the hint of a smile at that last remark. As they walked into the TV room, she touched his hand and gave it a squeeze. He looked down at her and that hint of a smile blossomed into a full-fledged grin.

  “Okay, after we talk, I’ll give you the full tour, but I’m pretty sure you don’t want to see rooms like the salon, which still looks like it did when my great-grandmother designed it. Take a seat and tell me what you want to drink. You name it, I’ve got it, so the sky’s the limit,” Jasper said as they headed toward a large white couch flanked by brown leather chairs around a large rectangular teakwood coffee table.

  “I’ll have a white wine,” Kate said, suddenly thirsty for alcohol.

  “Nothing for me,” Roman said with a smile that looked a little like it was forced. “Not driving, but one of us needs to keep our wits about us.”

  Jasper didn’t seem offended, thankfully. “White wine for Katybird. I’ll be right back. Make yourselves at home.”

  He disappeared a moment later, leaving them alone to talk. Curious what Roman thought, she turned to him and said, “This place is something else, isn’t it? You know, he hasn’t worked in forever. Thank God he comes from money or who knows what would happen to him.”

  Roman didn’t respond but merely nodded, so Kate nervously continued talking.

  “This house really is incredible. That stuff he told us about the chandelier is really true. This was one of the first houses in New Orleans to get electricity.” Looking above at the ceiling where a far more rustic antique brass chandelier hung over the seating area, she asked, “What do you think?”

  “Of?”

  Kate leveled her gaze on him. “The house. My friend. Any of the half dozen things I’ve told you about the place. Pick one.”

  He took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “The house is incredible. I’d say your friend beats my friend in the house department hands down. As for Jasper, I don’t know yet. I haven’t been able to get a read on him. All I know is he has money, doesn’t work, sleeps with lots of people but never with you, and even though I’m a man, I can say I don’t think I’ve ever met any more attractive man in person in my life. Oh, and the chandeliers are nice. Not my style, but nice.”

  When Roman finally spoke, he certainly did have something to say.

  Kate focused on the part about her friend’s appearance, amused at how Roman had described him. Jasper certainly had been blessed in the looks department. From his thick, light brown, wavy hair to his crystal blue eyes and tanned, chiseled face, he was a knockout from the top down. And below the neck was pretty damn nice too. Never someone who had to worry about his weight, he kept in top physical shape and it showed. The fact that he could afford to dress well in the finest designers only accentuated what he’d been born with.

  That Roman had chosen to mention his looks told Kate he still harbored some jealousy about her and Jasper, so she quickly moved to quash that once more. Taking his hand in hers, she brought it to her lips and kissed his knuckles. “He definitely is good looking. No wonder everyone in town can’t wait to sleep with him. That and the money, of course. But not me, and he has no feelings for me that way either.”

  Roman smiled and gave her hand a squeeze. “You sure, Katybird?”

  “Yes, and I think that sounds very strange coming from you. You’re more of a Kate kind of guy, don’t you think?”

  He thought about the question for a moment and nodded. “I think you’re right, Kate.”

  She wanted to lean over and give him a kiss to show him he had nothing to worry about, but at that moment Jasper returned with her white wine, his cognac, and a glass of water for Roman. He set each one down on the table in front of each of them.

  “You should have something for when I make the toast.”

  They lifted their glasses in the air, and Jasper said, “To my dearest and oldest friend, who I suspect has gotten herself in deep this time. All the best!”

  As the three of them clinked glasses and the two men around her took a drink, Kate wondered if his toast referred to the trouble she’d gotten into or her feelings for Roman. Jasper always had seemed to have a sixth sense about that kind of thing.

  He sat down in the brown leather club chair to their right and smiled. “So, guess whose picture I saw on the news this morning. How about you tell me what’s going on?”

  “It’s better you don’t know, to be honest.”

  Jasper shook his head and frowned. “Oh, Katybird, I hope you’re being careful.”

  She patted Roman’s arm. “Not to worry. Roman here is protecting me, so I’m in the best hands possible.”

  “I can definitely see you’re in good hands. My question is, what did you get yourself into and why do you want to get into the governor’s campaign headquarters?”

  Kate turned to look at Roman as if to ask if she could tell her friend everything, and he nodded, giving his silent okay. Turning back to face Jasper, she gave him the condensed version of the whole ugly thing that had happened to her since she found out about Jonas’s death.

  “Well, I don’t know what they’re saying on TV, but Jonas and one of his clients is dead. At first, I thought the cops in town here had something to do with it because he’d warned me if anything happened to him to not trust the police. But now we think it’s much bigger than just the New Orleans PD. We think whatever this case was that Jonas was working on with his client, it goes all the way up to the governor’s office. That’s why I need to get into his campaign office in town so I can look for some proof that we’re right.”

  “I did see that they said Jonas had been murdered. They’re looking for you as a suspect, Katybird. I didn’t catch any more than that, but this is big. Are you ready for what could happen if you do find proof? Because that will be stumbling into one of the biggest hornet’s nests you ever saw. Politics is an ugly business to start with, but in this state? It’s downright cutthroat, honey. Trust me. I know. And not just from a hundred years ago either. These people play for keeps.”

  Kate swallowed hard and tried to keep a calm look on her face while her insides began to shake. Until that moment, everything had seemed almost too surreal, too bizarre to really grasp. Now that her oldest friend in the city and a man who knew many dangerous people in high places was lecturing her on how terrifying her situation was, she didn’t know if she could go through with all this.

  As all these thoughts tore through her brain, Roman reached down and took her hand in his, calming her instantly. He didn’t say a word, but he didn’t have to. Just knowing he would be by her side made her feel brave.

/>   “So can you get us into the campaign office?” Roman asked in a low voice that showed no hint of fear or concern.

  Jasper nodded. “Yeah. I can do that, but I hope you two know what you’re doing. This is the deep end of the pool. I just need one thing from you before I do.”

  “Name it,” Roman said without missing a beat.

  Kate wondered what Jasper could want. He had more than enough money and influence. He literally wanted for nothing. So what could he possible ask for from Roman?

  His face grew more serious than she’d ever seen him look. With a slight frown that frightened her, he said, “Take care of her. She won’t admit it, but she needs it. I’ll only help you two if you promise you won’t let her get hurt.”

  Roman squeezed her hand and answered, “I swear on my life I’ll protect her.”

  Never before had Kate believed something without a shadow of a doubt, but she believed him. He’d shown her every day since they met that he’d do just as he promised to protect her.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  At just after eleven-thirty, Roman followed behind Kate and her friend Jasper as they made their way through the streets of New Orleans toward the governor’s re-election campaign headquarters. He led them through back alleys and side streets for what felt like nearly an hour until they reached the plain looking storefront on a street Roman had never heard of.

  He leaned forward and tapped Kate on the shoulder. “The governor has his re-election headquarters in New Orleans here?”

  She shrugged. “Maybe all the prime real estate was taken? I don’t know. I’ve never been in this section of town before.”

  Roman looked up at the street sign on a nearby pole. Clio Street. That didn’t help much.

  The storefront looked like nothing special. Just a few empty windows with a single red, white, and blue poster propped up in the corner of one of them that said RE-ELECT WILLIAMS FOR GOVERNOR. This was really where the governor of this state had his campaign headquarters in one of the biggest cities in Louisiana?

  Unsure if trusting Jasper had been a good idea, he reached for Kate’s hand and pulled her back toward him. In her ear, he whispered, “Something’s not right here, Kate. This doesn’t look like where a campaign office for the governor would be. I’m getting a bad vibe.”