by Sala, Sharon
Anson’s mouth dropped. It took him a few seconds to remember that Brendan worked for this man. Although why he’d be in Brendan’s apartment when he wasn’t there was still a mystery. Then, he realized his wife was inside, and Grayson March was in there, too, and saw red.
“What the fuck have you been doing in that apartment with my wife?”
Grayson’s eyes widened in disbelief. The man was truly mad.
“I’m doing nothing with your wife. I was visiting with my daughter, who happens to be sitting with LaDelle, and after seeing the condition that your wife is in, I’m stunned that’s where your goddamned mind just went. You’re one sorry motherfucker for what you did to her, and you’ve got about five seconds to get out of my sight before I call the police. At the least you’ll be arrested for physical abuse and disturbing the peace, and with a few choice words in the right ear, we might tack on some drug charges as well.”
It was the drug charges that got his attention. Anson was whipped and he knew it. Still, he couldn’t leave without throwing out a threat of his own.
“You’ll be sorry you interfered,” he said softly. “I know where you live, and I know who you love.”
Grayson jabbed the ball bat in Anson’s balls so fast he never saw it coming.
He dropped to his knees, clutching himself from the shock of the pain.
Grayson tapped Anson’s head with the bat just enough to get his attention.
“Know this, Anson Poe. From this moment on, you better live your life looking over your shoulder, or you’ll never see what’s coming.”
Anson shuddered. He’d said too much to the wrong person.
“I didn’t mean that,” he mumbled as he dragged himself to his feet. “I was just mad. I didn’t mean that.”
“Well I did,” Grayson whispered.
Anson staggered as he took the first step, and then walked toward the elevator. He threw up just outside the entrance to the apartment, and then threw up again just before he got in his truck. Without knowing it, he drove out one side of the parking lot as Brendan and Linny drove in the other.
Grayson watched until the elevator doors close then went back inside, locking the door behind him. He tossed the bat on the sofa and went back to reassure Delle that she was safe.
The women were sitting side by side on the bed, wide-eyed and fearful when he walked in, and he could tell by the look in LaDelle’s eyes that she was in agony.
“He’s gone,” Grayson said.
Delle wilted. “Oh my God. I don’t know what to—”
“LaDelle, we go back a long ways and I’d like to think that we’re friends. You do not apologize to a friend for helping you out. Now I’m going to go out to the living room and give you some privacy. I won’t leave until your son arrives, so never fear. Julie, I came by to remind you about your Nonny’s 89th birthday party this Sunday. We dine at 7:00 p.m. and don’t be late. You know how your mother gets about late arrivals.”
He bowed as he would to any of the finest of ladies before backing out of the room and closing the door.
Delle moaned and then doubled over with pain. “Lord, lord, my feet. They feel like they’re on fire.”
Julie glanced at the clock. “It’s time you can take a pain pill. I’ll get some water.”
Delle rolled over onto her side, gritting her teeth to keep from screaming.
“I’ll be right back,” Julie said, and hurried out of the room.
Grayson heard her coming and got up.
She waved him away. “I’m getting water. Delle needs to take a pain pill,” she said, but before she got out of the room, there was another knock at the door.
“Julie! It’s me. Linny and I are back.”
She backtracked and ran to open it.
Linny entered first, ducked her head, and ran for her mother, ignoring the stranger in the room.
Brendan took one look at Julie’s face, saw his boss standing behind the sofa and the ball bat on the cushions, and knew something had happened.
“What did I miss?”
Grayson eyed his daughter. “Go on and get the water for LaDelle. I need to talk to Brendan.”
Brendan’s stomach rolled. His boss was most likely mad, probably because he’d inadvertently gotten Julie mixed up in the family mess. Everything went through his mind from being forbidden to see Julie again to being fired.
He set the duffle bag down on the floor and closed the door.
Grayson didn’t give Brendan time to get defensive. “I came to see Juliette this afternoon. She heard me knocking on her door and invited me here. I apologize for invading your space, and hope you are not upset with me for involving myself in your personal business. Suffice it to say, your father was here.
Brendan groaned. “I was afraid—I’m so sorry… Did he threaten Julie? Was she—?”
“Julie’s fine. I got here first, walked in to find her brandishing a ball bat, which, now that I think about it, turned out to be a mighty fine weapon against the son of a bitch Anson Poe has become.”
Brendan sat down with a thump. Just thinking about Julie sitting here on her own, preparing to defend herself and his mother with a damned ball bat made him sick.
“Oh my god,” he mumbled.
“No, no, you mistake my point,” Grayson said, and sat down opposite him.
“Yes, your father was here, pounding on the door and shouting. I took him and the bat out into the hall and reminded him that disturbing the peace and threatening people was against the law. I punctuated my warning by jamming his balls back up his ass. Far enough I hope that he is constipated for a month.”
Brendan had always liked his boss, but was reminded that Grayson March hadn’t become the man he was just because he inherited the March name and money that went with it. It would appear that he knew how to turn a screw when the need arose.
“You should know he threatened your safety and that of my family as well, so you need to be wary,” Grayson added.
“I’ve been wary all my life. I don’t know any other way to live,” Brendan said. “I’m sorry he involved your family.”
“Believe me, so is he,” Grayson said. “From this day forward, I’ll have someone watching him, and I told him as much. I do this to protect me and mine, not to get him in further trouble. If the law in this parish chooses to turn a blind eye to his industries, I’m not the crusader to take him down. However, I have no problem taking him out if the need arises.”
“Fair enough, and thanks for the warning,” Brendan said. “Is Mama okay? I mean, he didn’t get close enough to—”
“His arrival scared her, but he didn’t set foot over the threshold. We took our conversation into the hall.”
Brendan lifted his chin, refusing to accept the shame his father had put on their name. “I am grateful for what you did.”
Grayson shrugged. He wasn’t happy, but he couldn’t find a way to place any blame on Brendan other than the circumstances of his birth.
“You’re the bouncer at my club. It seems only fair I return the favor when the need arises.”
Juliet walked into the conversation, which ended it. It didn’t matter. They’d said what needed to be said.
She eyed them anxiously, afraid that her father had been critical. “Is everything all right?”
“We’re fine,” Brendan said briefly. “Now, if you two will excuse me for a bit, I need to go reassure my mama that I’m still in one piece.”
He picked up the duffle bag as he left the room.
Julie crossed her arms across her chest and waited for her father to speak.
He read the defensive gesture for what it was and decided not to push the issue. “I need to be going. I trust I’ll see you Sunday. Wear something pretty. Your mother is going all out as usual.”
“I will,” she said.
“You work tonight I assume?”
“Yes, but I’m not sure about Brendan’s plans. He can’t go off and leave his mother and Linny here by themselves.”
>
Grayson frowned. “I’m putting some men on Anson Poe’s ass. Where he goes, they’ll go, although I’d bet my favorite horse that Anson Poe never comes near here again. If Brendan is comfortable with leaving her alone, she’ll be fine. If he wants the name of some reputable home health caregivers, I can help. He can give me a call. Now I really need to go. Come lock up behind me.”
Julie followed him to the door, turned the deadbolt and put on the safety chain. When she turned around, Brendan was coming toward her.
She walked into his arms.
Brendan was sick for what she’d endured. “I’m so sorry you were afraid. This should’ve never happened. The bad part is that I can’t promise it won’t happen again.”
Julie looked up. Brendan towered above her, but right now, he looked like a scared little boy. “We can handle anything when we do it together.”
He swung her up into his arms, kissing her hard and fast. “I love you madly, Juliette.”
“I love you, too, Brendan Poe. Not despite who you are, but because of it, and let this be the last time you ever apologize to me about your family.”
He buried his face against the curve of her neck without comment. Even though she’d gotten a taste of what Anson was like, she didn’t have a clue as to the depths of his depravity, and he prayed to God she never found out.
Chapter Four
Anson was in so much pain it hurt to breathe. He drove all the way home with his thoughts in free fall. Twice in one day he’d been challenged, and both times he’d lost—first, by a whelp of his own, and second, by a man with more power than God. He couldn’t touch March without signing his own death warrant, but he could make Brendan pay, and he would, of that, there was no doubt. It had to be something irrevocable. Something Brendan couldn’t fix. Something he would have to live with for the rest of his life and know he was the reason it had happened.
By the time Anson got home, a notion was stirring. It would take some maneuvering, but he was a patient man. Lord knows he regretted the fuck that caused Brendan Poe to be born. Before he was through, he would make sure Brendan was just as sorry, too. Now all he had to do was get LaDelle to come home, and he knew just how to do it.
****
Julie went back to her apartment to get some sleep before her shift later this evening.
Normally Brendan would have done the same, but not today. It wouldn’t be the first time he’d gone to work short on rest. He was hanging up Delle’s clothes after taking her to the bathroom, when she startled him by coming out on her own, wincing with every step.
“Mama, why didn’t you call me?” he said as he picked her up and carried her back to the bed.
Delle went limp against Brendan’s broad shoulder, trembling from the pain. “I need to get well as fast as I can. The sooner I’m home, the quicker your life gets back to normal.”
“My life will never be normal as long as Anson draws a breath,” he muttered. “Here’s your cell phone.”
She didn’t chide him for the comment, which was telling. But watching her tuck the phone under her pillow was just as startling as seeing Linny hide behind the dresser. He wondered how many times she’d done that before Anson got in bed. It was further evidence of the increased stress in her life since he and his brothers moved out.
“I have to say this air-conditioning is wonderful,” she said as she smoothed wisps of hair away from her face. “What’s Linny doing?”
“She’s in the living room playing a game on my Xbox.”
She frowned. “I hope it’s not one of those violent war games.”
“It’s not. It’s actually a game about castles and wizards and dragons. She likes stuff like that, and it’s okay for her to play. How about I carry you into my bedroom so you can watch TV in there this evening?”
“Oh, I’m fine here, honey. Besides, I don’t get much time to watch TV.”
“Well you have time now if you want to. Do you want something to read? I have books.”
“You can bring me something if you want, but I feel like I’m probably going to sleep again. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“The pain pills are making you sleepy. Are you in much pain?” he asked.
“Not anything I can’t stand. I’m used to—” The moment it came out of her mouth, she knew it was a mistake when she saw a muscle jerk at the side of his mouth.
“You’re used to hurting?”
LaDelle sighed. “Go find me that book, son, and stop worrying.”
He started to leave and then stopped. “Mama, what does he say to you? What does he do to you to turn you into a willing victim?”
She shrugged. “Just go get my book, Brendan.”
She watched him leave with a heavy heart. It hurt knowing he thought less of her for being a doormat, but what he didn’t know—what none of her children knew—was that every harsh word, every blow, every indignity she suffered was so that he didn’t do it to them.
They had a deal, she and Anson. She was his wife forever unless he touched one of her children. After that, it was all bets off. She cooked his food. She watched him sleep. She knew a multitude of ways to make a man suffer long and hard before he died, and she’d made sure he knew it. It was an odd relationship, but she considered her suffering God’s punishment for marrying a man because he was pretty, and not because he was good.
By the time Brendan came back with the book, she was asleep. He laid it down beside the lamp and walked out.
He knew March was putting guards on Anson, but he couldn’t go to work tonight and leave these two on their own, no matter how many guards were on Anson’s tail. He needed someone inside who was strong enough to carry Delle to the bathroom when she needed to go, and someone Anson wouldn’t want to challenge. After a brief glance at his little sister, who was still playing in the living room, he went into the kitchen to use the phone. The number he called wasn’t in the book, but he knew it by heart, and it was entirely because of the woman he was about to call that he was still alive. She’d saved him from snakebite the summer he turned sixteen, and they’d shared a bond ever since.
The call rang four times, and just when he thought it was going to go to voicemail, he heard a click, then a breathless, raspy voice.
“Bonjour.”
“Mama Lou, it’s me, Brendan Poe.”
There was a brief moment of silence and then a shuffling of papers. “Something is wrong in your family.”
It was a statement, not a question, which didn’t surprise him. Whether her knowledge came from the voodoo she practiced, or the fact that she had an ear to everything that went on in the city, it didn’t matter. What she knew, she knew.
“That’s the understatement of the day. I have a need.”
“Who do you want to die?”
It was daunting to know she wasn’t kidding.
“My father, but if and when that ever happens, I’ll do it myself. Today I have a different kind of need.”
Another moment of silence, then a soft moan.
“Ahhh, the pain. LaDelle Duveau has been burned.”
He wondered why she used his mother’s maiden name instead of Poe, but didn’t ask about it.
“Yes, ma’am, she has, and she and my little sister are in a fair amount of danger. I need to go to work and can’t leave them alone. Do you know of someone strong enough to carry about a hundred and five pounds’ worth of woman back and forth to the bathroom, the good sense to call the police, and the backbone to stand up to Anson Poe if the need arises? I’ll pay a fair wage and will need her to come every day by 11:00 a.m. and stay until after 3:00 a.m. every night but Sunday. It would be at least two weeks’ worth of work.”
“Yes, I know of this person. She will be at your door by 5:00 today. You can give her instructions and rest assured your family will be protected.”
“Thank you, Mama Lou.”
“Au revoir.”
The line went dead in his ear. He didn’t have to know who was coming to know he could
breathe easy now. He glanced at the clock. It was almost 4:00 p.m. It felt like a lifetime since he’d driven out to Wisteria Hill, and there was still so much to do before he left for the night.
He got a package of hamburger meat from the fridge and dropped it in a skillet, stirred in some seasonings and covered it with a lid. It wouldn’t be as good as the food his mama made, but it was cheaper and better than take-out. By the time 5:00 o’clock rolled around, he had his version of goulash ready to eat, and a salad in the refrigerator. Linny knew where he kept ice cream and cookies, so dessert was taken care of, and he’d written down the instructions his helper would need to take care of his mother’s meds.
When the knock sounded at the door, Linny bolted up from the sofa and came running into the kitchen.
“Brendan, someone’s at the door. Is it the babysitter? I’ve never had a babysitter before. Lucia, from my class, has a babysitter every Saturday night. Her mama and daddy have date night. Why don’t Mama and Daddy have date night? Maybe if they did, Daddy wouldn’t be so mean.”
He shook his head. “Date night won’t fix what’s wrong with Anson. Go in the bedroom with Mama. I need to talk to the lady first.”
Linny waved her hand into the air in a gesture of queenly approval. “Yes, of course. You should have the first audience with the new handmaiden, Sir Brendan. I will be with Lady Delle.”
He grinned as she flew out of the room; her long ponytail flying out behind her like Superman’s cape. It seems that Xbox game she’d been playing segued into her own game of make-believe quite nicely.
When he opened the front door, it took everything he had not to back up. The woman standing just outside the threshold was so tall she was looking him square in the eyes. She was dressed more like an islander than a native of New Orleans, and for a moment, wondered if this was who Mama Lou sent. Before he could ask, she answered for him.
“I am Claudette. You are Brendan Poe?”
“Yes. Please come in,” he said and stepped aside as she strode in.
He tried not to stare, but it was nearly impossible. She was at least six feet tall and wearing a long, multi-colored dress that hung loosely on her body. With her smooth, tan skin and fine features, she could’ve passed for a young woman, but her hair was completely grey and in dreadlocks hanging down past her shoulders.
