Authors: Georgia Tribell
There was a pause on the other end of the phone before LD
responded. “Is Eris okay?”
“I shouldn’t have to answer that,” Rob snapped. “You know as
long as she’s with me, she’s safe.”
Rob heard raised voices coming from inside the apartment and
stepped away from the door. “Are you going to finally tell me what you didn’t
have time for this morning?”
“Yeah, I explained all of this to Matt and figured it was
time I called you.”
“If you told him before me, then you’re procrastinating.
Would you please spit it out?”
“Remember this morning when I said the police weren’t paying
for our services?”
Rob stiffened. “Yeah, I remember.”
“Well, the good point here is that our client is paying full
rates, they didn’t negotiate us down.”
“That’s a definite plus.” Rob didn’t like this at all
because when LD skirted an issue, it was a whopper.
“The firm can really use the extra cash flow.”
“LD.”
“Okay. This job is sort of a favor for a friend of my
father’s.”
Great, Rob thought as the words sunk in. He was grateful for
the work the governor sent their way, but not the extra stress that always came
with those assignments. “Cut to the chase, LD. Who is bankrolling this little
nightmare?”
There was a long stretch of silence followed by two words.
“Al Criswell.”
Rob gripped his phone so hard he was surprised it didn’t
crack. “As in the self-made, ball-busting millionaire who has his finger in
almost every business deal that goes down in this town, Al Criswell?”
“That would be the one.”
Rob stood for a moment, letting that bit of news sink in.
“Let me guess, Criswell is Eris’ sugar daddy?”
“No, she’s his granddaughter.”
Rob closed his eyes. They could all but kiss their business
goodbye if anything happened to Eris. “That explains the money, but why all the
subterfuge?”
“You’ve met Eris. Criswell says she’s more hardheaded than
he is. He tried to ship her off to Europe after Orbit’s death, but she refused
to go and told him to stay out of her business. If she gets wind he has
anything to do with this, she’ll decline our services.”
Rob rubbed his eyes, hoping the pain he felt behind them
wasn’t the start of a headache. “Bottom line—is there any real threat to her or
not?”
“There haven’t been any threats made, but as far as anyone
knows, there wasn’t one made against Orbit before she was killed. The police
seem to think Orbit stumbled across some information and before she could
contact them, she was murdered.”
“And if the killer thinks Eris knows anything, he’ll be
coming after her.”
“She claims to know nothing that the police haven’t already
been told, but she has been extremely vocal about finding the killer. She was
even quoted in the paper two days ago saying she wouldn’t rest until the beast
was caught and punished. To say the least, Criswell is worried about her.”
“So Criswell went behind her back, pulled some strings,
twisted some arms and
poof
, here we are.”
“Al Criswell isn’t someone any politician wants to anger,
especially when he’s friends with the current governor. So the chief of police
agreed to this little game of cat-and-mouse in hopes of keeping Eris safe and
not angering Criswell,” LD answered. “Look,” he added, “I need to get going,
but there is one other piece of information you need.”
Rob knew before the words were said he wasn’t going to like
this. “What?”
“Criswell will be calling you periodically for updates. I
gave him your cell number.”
“You did what?”
“Sorry, man, but Marie’s calling. Later.”
Rob closed his cell phone and promised himself that tonight,
after Matt arrived, he would head straight to LD’s house and have a long talk
with his partner. But first, it was time to deal with the girl they’d found.
He hoped Debra was dressed and ready to talk. Opening the
door, he stepped into the room and immediately his wishes went up in flames.
Eris stood next to the bed tugging on the cover while the girl held her ground
and refused to budge.
“Debra, would you please get up and put some clothes on?”
Eris’ voice was tight and controlled.
“Look, crazy lady, I already told you I’m not going with
you. I’m not going back to my parents’ either, they don’t get me. Now leave so
I can get dressed and get the hell out of here.”
“Do your parents beat you?” Rob’s words obviously startled
both women because they stopped their battle over the sheet and turned to stare
at him.
Debra blinked at him a couple of times before answering.
“No.”
“Are you being sexually abused at home by either of them or
another person living in the house?” As he spoke, he picked up one of the two
dining chairs and carried it across the room, placing it beside the bed. Then
he lowered his tall frame into the chair so he wasn’t as intimidating.
“My father would kill anyone who did that to me.” Debra’s
words were spoken with enough force and indignation he knew she was telling the
truth.
“Is there not enough money to feed and house all of you?”
“No, my father has a good job.”
Rob had one last question. “Are you doing drugs?”
“No, some people have tried to get me started, but I’ve
refused.”
Rob folded his hands in his lap. “Let me see if I have this
straight. You aren’t abused, physically or sexually, at home. You aren’t a
junky needing a fix and you don’t need the money to pay the bills. But still
you’d rather be here, doing this?”
Rob spread his arms wide to indicate he was speaking about
their current location. Debra looked around the dilapidated room then pulled
the sheet tighter around herself.
“I know you don’t understand and it doesn’t matter, my
parents won’t take me back. This job is only temporary until something better
comes along.”
Rob rubbed his face. Debra was still a minor, so all they
really needed to do was call the cops and they would see that she was sent back
home. It would do none of them any good though because Debra would be back out
on the street sooner or later.
Before he could talk himself out of doing what needed to be
done, Rob started talking. “My mother used to say that to me. Something better
will come along, just wait and see. That the next time we moved it would be to
a house with a yard, in a good neighborhood with good schools, but it never
happened.”
“What do you mean?” Debra asked as she pushed the hair out
of her eyes.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Eris straighten and
knew he had both their attentions. “My mother started working the streets when
she was sixteen, right here in the French Quarter. She had me at seventeen and
died of a drug overdose days after I turned eighteen. I was raised in a series
of apartments not much different than this. When I was small, my mother would
bring men home and make the guy wait outside while she ‘straightened up the
house’.
“What she was actually doing was stashing me in the closet.
She kept blankets in there for me to sleep on. There were times she would bring
someone back on a Friday night and I wouldn’t get out of the closet until
Sunday evening or Monday morning when they left. She would sneak me food and
water whenever the guy went to the bathroom. Do you know what it does to a
child to be locked away like that?”
Debra was crying. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“My mother didn’t start out thinking she would do that either,
but she did. Each time she took me out of the closet, she told me it would
never happen again. That would last until the next client showed up. It didn’t
stop until I was ten and refused to go into the closet. After that, I was
forced to sleep wherever I could when she brought someone home. On those
nights, a park bench or a doorway became my bed.”
Tears rolled down Debra’s face as she silently cried.
“Is that the kind of life you want for you and your child,
Debra? Because that’s what will happen if you keep living the way you are.”
“N-no. But my parents will never take me back, not after
what I’ve done.” Debra looked up at him with haunted eyes and looked more like
a twelve-year-old than her actual sixteen years.
Rob pulled out his cell phone and held it out to the girl.
“They love you enough that they filed a missing persons report when they
couldn’t contact you. That was their way of saying they care. Now you need to
take the next step.”
* * * * *
Far East Side of the French Quarter
“You shouldn’t be going out.”
“Don’t tell me what to do.” Carmen snapped her mouth closed
in an attempt to keep the small disagreement from turning into a full-blown
argument with her brother.
“It’s dangerous out there. I worry about you.”
Carmen sighed and the frustration she’d been feeling melted
away. “I know you worry, that’s what you do best. I’m not dumb and I won’t put
myself in a dangerous situation.”
“I never said you were. It’s just that I don’t think bar
hopping tonight is a good idea, that’s all.”
“It doesn’t matter what you think, I’m going.” Carmen
clutched the brush in her hand and resisted the urge to hurl it across the
room.
“You could rent a movie, fix some popcorn and relax for the
evening.”
“No, end of discussion. Now leave me alone.” Carmen closed
her eyes and took two deep, cleansing breaths. When she opened them, she was
blessedly alone. The quiet serenity of the room washed over her, taking away
her tension.
She turned back to the mirror and finished styling her
shoulder-length strawberry-blonde hair. Tonight, she let the thick mass hang in
silky waves. Men and women alike loved her hair, especially when she wore it
like this. Reaching for her lipstick, she carefully applied the vibrant pink
and then stepped back to inspect her appearance.
The dress was short and tight but not to the extreme. It
accentuated the curves of her hips and the length of her legs, making her even
more attractive. Satisfied, Carmen went to her large jewelry armoire and pulled
out the top drawer.
Earrings of every shape and color sparkled in the light. She
loved earrings. She was as bad about earrings as Imelda Marcos was about shoes.
It didn’t matter the shape, size or color. If she saw a pair that called to
her, she wouldn’t be happy until she’d procured them. Cost didn’t matter when
she’d set her eyes on a pair. Oh well, there were worse addictions.
Her latest acquisitions lay before her, begging to be worn.
She put them on, stepping before the full-length mirror for one final
inspection. Carmen watched the long earrings sway as she moved. They sparkled
when the light hit them just right. This pair complemented her outfit perfectly
as she knew they would. Earrings were always the finishing touch.
Her steps were light as she grabbed her purse and headed to
the door. The weather was perfect, the nightlife was starting to rock and she
was ready to party. There was no way anything bad was going to happen tonight.
Eris massaged her temple as she closed her eyes and let the
light jazz music ease her raw nerves. Riding in a car always soothed her and
Rob’s low-slung red sports car was made for her. She hadn’t slept well the
night before, thanks to the man next to her, and today’s events had her strung
so tight she thought she might unravel at any moment.
Debra’s parents requested that she and Rob take the young
woman to the airport and see that she got on her flight. After many phone calls
and loads of paperwork, they had done just that. Eris was happy she’d helped
get Debra back home to her parents. She only wished she’d been paid for the
job. She needed to either learn to say no to people when they asked her to do
stuff or learn how to ask for money. Neither was something she was good at.
Now all she wanted to do was eat because she was starving
and rest for a few minutes before going to her parents’ shop. She figured the
food problem would be easily solved, but relaxing was out of the question.
Last night and again today she felt as if a bullet were
pinging around her insides whenever Rob was near. She needed a break from this
man and the constant strain her nerve endings were under when he was around.
Everything about the man either annoyed her or enticed her and she was leaning
toward the latter. This baffled her, because it appeared he was her total
opposite in every respect. She needed some downtime to relax, think and get her
hormones back under control and there was no way she could do that until he was
gone for the evening.
Thankfully, that was in exactly two hours. She could do it.
She could hang tight for two more hours until Matt showed up. Then she and Matt
would spend the evening at her parents’ store since it was her night to close
up shop.
She felt the car slow before it veered to the side. Opening
her eyes, she spotted her apartment building and didn’t wait for the vehicle to
come to a complete stop before getting out.
“Eris, wait for—”
She closed the door, cutting off Rob’s words. Rob hadn’t
spoken a word to her since Debra’s plane took off, so whatever he felt
compelled to say now could wait until she’d used the facilities.
She opened the screen door to her apartment building and
stepped into the cool dimness of the lobby. It was times like these she
regretted living on the third floor in a building with no elevator. She was at
the base of the stairs when she heard her name called again with even more
force.
Ignoring the shouted request that she stop and wait, Eris
started up the stairs. She’d made it to the second floor when a pair of warm
hands wrapped about her waist from behind. The simple touch took her breath
away and unnerved her. She quickly stepped away, out of Rob’s reach. “I need
some space!”
This time his touch wasn’t as gentle when he grabbed her,
spun her and pushed her back against the wall. “And I need a cooperative
client—looks like neither of us is getting our wish.”
Her temper spiked and she looked up, planning to blast him
into next year. The anger in his eyes stopped the words that were on the tip of
her tongue and made her wish the wall would open up and swallow her.
“I should have explained myself earlier, but just so there
are no more misunderstandings, I’ll do it now while I have your full and
undivided attention. I’ve been hired to protect you. That means you do what I
say, when I say it.
“You don’t walk away from me,” he continued in a low voice,
his jaw tight. “You don’t answer the door, and you don’t enter a room or
building unless it has been cleared by me first. Do. You. Understand?” This
last was delivered through clenched teeth as he moved closer.
His body heat surrounded her, comforted her and called to
her on a level she hadn’t known existed. It also angered her because she didn’t
want to need anyone. With need came hurt and she couldn’t, wouldn’t, go through
that again.
She’d only agreed to this arrangement to keep her family off
her back and happy. Plus, she’d figured the PI would be some old fat guy she
could ditch without a problem. She’d been terribly wrong. “I’ve already told
Detective Olson I don’t need or want this protection.”
“I heard you the first time you said it this morning, and to
be honest, I…don’t…care. I have a job to do and I take my work seriously. Now
you can either do things my way and you can go about a semi-normal routine, or
we go to your apartment and you don’t leave again until the killer is caught.
Which is it?”
“Matt—” The words were cut off as Rob leaned so close she
could feel his breath across her face.
“Matt will do what I tell him. Are you going to follow my
rules or not?”
He glared at her when she didn’t immediately answer his
question, but he didn’t understand how hard she’d worked for her independence
Or how difficult it was to give it up, even when the protection was needed.
Most of all, he didn’t know how much it
scared
her to give it up.
“Fine. We’ll do it your way. I hope you realize that if it weren’t
for the damn—” Eris closed her mouth and looked down at her scuffed hiking
boots before she blabbered too much, which was a problem of hers when she got
mad.
Warmth flooded her body as Rob’s fingers grazed the
underside of her chin, tilting it up. Clear blue eyes searched her face for a
clue to what she’d left unsaid and she carefully blanked her expression.
“If it weren’t for what?”
There was a hint of concern in his voice that almost undid
her, but she reminded herself this was business, nothing more. “Nothing that’s
any concern of yours. Now can we please go upstairs to my apartment?”
* * * * *
Rob sipped from a glass of cold sweet tea and savored every
drop. He checked his watch and controlled the urge to cheer. Matt would be
arriving in exactly twenty-eight minutes and forty-two seconds. Then he was off
to have a very long talk with his partner.
Leaning back on the couch, he tried to relax but found that
it was impossible. He was stretched tighter than spandex on a streetwalker.
Last night, he kissed Eris and then went home to fantasize about her.
He couldn’t remember the last time a woman inspired his
imagination the way she did. Of course, she was so unlike the type he was
normally drawn to that his lack of sexual activity must be causing him to
hallucinate. There was no other rational explanation because he couldn’t be
attracted to a woman who changed her hair color on a daily basis.
Lust could make a person do things they normally wouldn’t.
That had to be the reason he’d almost kissed her when he’d had her pinned to
the wall. It took all the willpower he could muster to step away from her when
he did. If he hadn’t, they might have pulled a Pixie in the hallway.
Rob rubbed his face and knew he needed off this assignment.
He would see who he could swap assignments with, make the arrangements and then
tell LD. He couldn’t remember ever feeling desire like this and if he wanted to
keep his sanity and his company’s good name, he had to get away from her.
It had to be some place far away because he didn’t think
Criswell would appreciate him sleeping with his granddaughter. Rob was quite
sure that wasn’t in their contract.
The door opened to the bedroom where Eris had disappeared
after making herself a sandwich. She walked out wearing a long swirling dress,
which swayed with every step she took. She wore numerous bangle bracelets on
each wrist, a ring on each finger and earrings that dangled to her shoulders. A
purple wrap draped around her shoulders and black army boots on her feet
completed the outfit.
“Hot date tonight?” The simple thought that she might have
plans with Matt, or any other guy, made him feel edgy and angry as hell.
Bright green eyes turned to him. “No. And if I did, I’d be
canceling because I’m not into threesomes.”
“What are you into then?” Rob couldn’t believe those words
came out of his mouth, but even more disturbing was the fact he really wanted
to know what turned this woman on.
She stopped and studied the floor for a few seconds.
“Someone who doesn’t want to change me.”
The words were barely whispered but he heard the pessimism
in her voice. He started to ask what she meant by that statement, but she
grabbed her purse and a sack and headed to the door before he got the chance.
He glanced at his watch as he retrieved his jacket and slipped it on. “You do
know Matt will be here in eighteen minutes?”
“Fine, but I need to be at my parents’ store by seven. It’s
my night to close up the shop.”
Rob stopped in his tracks and wondered where the boy was.
Even though the sun was still shining, it wouldn’t be for much longer and no
kid needed to be on the streets after dark. The thought of the kid coming home
to an empty place or staying out after nightfall brought back unwanted
memories. “What about your son? Is he meeting you at the shop?”
Eris turned and looked at him as if he’d lost his mind.
“Son?”
“The boy who was here when I brought you home.” He had to
work to keep from shouting the words at her. How could someone forget a child?
“You mean Drew? He’s not my son. He lives on the first floor
and he doesn’t have the best home life.” She shrugged her shoulders and sighed.
“I let him come here when he needs a safe place to hang or when there isn’t any
food in his house.”
“You do?” Rob couldn’t have been more shocked if she’d told
him she’d been born male.
She blushed and turned away from him. “It’s nothing. Can we
go now? If I’m late, I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Rob closed his cell phone after leaving Matt another voice
message to meet them at the FullMoon House of Voodoo. He gave in to her and
once again found himself walking through the streets of the Quarter.
Thankfully, the store was located close to the corner of Chartres and Dumaine,
a short walk from her apartment.
Rob watched as a car slowed and two guys ogled Eris. Never
taking his gaze from the men, he moved up beside her and narrowed his eyes. The
men moved on more quickly and he dropped back again until he was walking
slightly behind her. He couldn’t help but notice all the people who called her
by name. It appeared every resident of the Quarter knew her.
Eris stopped in front of a small store. “I need to run in
here real quick.”
“Okay.” He moved around her and entered the building then
motioned for her to follow. He was surprised she’d waited and wondered if maybe
his talk with her had sunk in.
He followed her to the back of the store, where he opened a
door leading to a small office. Asleep in a recliner was an old woman who
appeared to be about a hundred.
Eris placed her hand against his chest, stopping him just
inside the door. He watched as she tiptoed across the room, placed the sack
next to the chair and then turned to leave. Rob softly closed the door before
following her back outside.
“I’m so glad Mrs. G was asleep. If she’d been awake, we
would never make it to the store on time.” Eris was walking at a fast clip but
his long legs easily kept up with her.
The way she said “we” made him feel as if he were part of
something, which was stupid of course. “What was in the sack?” He asked the
first question that came to mind. Anything to change the direction his thoughts
were going.
“Some audio books. I ordered them off the internet for her.
She would always give me candy and ice cream when I was a kid. She can barely
walk and it just breaks my heart to see her that way. Her daughter and
granddaughter run the store now and they asked if I could find anything new for
her to listen to.”
They rounded another corner and there was the door to
FullMoon House of Voodoo. He opened the door and let Eris enter ahead of him,
figuring there would be no danger to her in her family’s shop. He was thinking
about what a contradiction she was when he entered and stopped dead in his
tracks. Eris stood in the middle of the store bent over, petting a black and
white cat.
His body responded to the visual image in front of him as a
picture of Eris, naked, formed in his mind.
Focused on the female body in front of him, Rob never saw
the punch that hit him.
The hit was hard enough to temporarily cross his eyes but
not forceful enough to send him to the ground. He swung around and drew his
gun, ready to blow the threat away.
The man was tall, broad-shouldered, dressed like a pirate
and had a streetwise look about him that told Rob he knew what he was doing.
“Get your hands where I can see them.” Rob leveled his gun
at the man’s chest.
“No!” There was a note of panic in Eris’ voice as she tried
to get around him on the left, but he blocked her with his arm and pushed her
farther behind him. When she realized she wasn’t getting past him, she pressed
her body to his back and looked over his shoulder. “Don’t shoot my brother, Mom
and Dad will never forgive you.”
The man’s frown grew even more pronounced as he placed his
hands on his hips. From appearance alone, he should have known the man was
related to Eris.
“Why did you hit him, Zane?”
Rob holstered his gun as he watched Eris round on Zane and
took pleasure in seeing the big pirate retreat a step.
“He—”
“There was no excuse for what you did.”
“He—”
“You read his mind.”
“I did not.” Zane’s voice rang with indignation.
“Right.” The one word dripped with sarcasm, letting everyone
know she didn’t believe it.
Zane sighed heavily as he walked toward the back of the
store. “I didn’t need to read his mind, little sister, to know what he was
thinking. It was written all over his face as he stared at your butt.”
Rob quickly blanked his face as Eris turned and glared at
him. He expected her to blast him the way she had her brother. Instead she
blushed and followed her brother through the beaded doorway to the back room.