by V. A. Dold
“Miss Savoy, I apologize in advance. I know you’ve already spoken to a few people, but I need you to speak to two more. I won’t be a minute.”
So, here she sat in the world’s most uncomfortable chair, waiting to tell her story to yet another person in the New Orleans police hierarchy. At this rate, she would be here until Monday. Maybe, she had been shot, and this was her punishment in hell?
She sighed and stood to stretch her legs. There was a shelf on the far side of the room with framed photos of various sizes. They gave the otherwise sterile space a touch of home. Whoever used the office must spend a lot of time here. She ran her finger along the shelf, touching a photo here and there.
What stood out was the lack of a woman in the photos. There was a man who appeared in a few and two children at various stages of their life, but no woman. The owner of the space must be widowed or divorced.
Ten minutes later, Sheena was about to leave when the sergeant returned with bottled water and two men she had yet to meet.
He waved to a short, stout man and said, “Miss Savoy, this is Commander Blanchard.” Then he indicated the other man. “And this is Marshal Bastien Benoit.”
The commander didn’t look happy about something. She wondered if she’d interrupted his day. Determined to get this over with, she forced a smile and offered her hand to the men. “Please. Call me Sheena.”
Marshal Benoit sat a duffle bag on the floor, and reached for her outstretched hand. “All right, if you call me Bast.”
They each shook her hand and moved to take a seat. The commander sat behind the desk and the marshal next to her. Then she heard the click of the door as the sergeant left the room.
The commander was nothing to write home about, but Bast was one of the handsomest men she’d ever seen. She glanced at his left hand and smiled. He was single, too. She knew a few ladies who would find that very interesting. Too bad he wasn’t her type. Sheena sighed and leaned forward. “Please tell me I can go home soon.”
She glanced from one man to the other. She took a double take when she found Bast smiling at her. No one had smiled at her since she walked through the door. Finally, someone without a stick up his ass.
“I’m sorry for staring, but you remind me of my sister.”
“Really? I’ll take that as a compliment.”
The commander cleared his throat, leaned forward, and folded his hands. “Thank you for being so patient, Miss Savoy. My men filled me in, and I’m not going to beat around the bush. We’ve been watching your boss for some time. He’s the most powerful mob boss in the city. Until today, we didn’t have a shred of evidence against him.”
Sheena’s mouth fell open. “What?”
He sat back in his chair and stared at her for a moment. “Are you trying to tell me, you’ve been his secretary for the past couple of years, and you didn’t know what kind of business he was in?”
She narrowed her eyes at the arrogant commander and folded her arms across her chest. “I was hired as a casino employee. I wasn’t involved or privy to anything other than that.”
He looked less than convinced of her honesty and snorted. “For your sake, I hope that’s true.” He tapped a finger on a thick file he’d placed on the desk. “Dante Comeaux not only traffics guns internationally, he also has one of the largest human trafficking operations. It seems you were an eyewitness to both today.”
Sheena gasped. “I was afraid of that. Did you catch him? Has he been arrested?”
Commander Blanchard frowned and shook his head. “When my men arrived on the scene, both Comeaux and the truck were gone. That’s why Marshal Benoit is here. We need to stash you in a safe house until Comeaux is in custody.”
Her brows pulled together. “A safe house?”
“Yes, ma’am,” Bast said quietly. “My men and I will make sure nothing happens to you. Mr. Comeaux is going to put a lot of energy into silencing you. It’s my job to ensure that doesn’t happen.”
“Are you telling me, he’s going to keep coming after me?”
The commander folded his arms and nodded. “After what you saw today, he’s going to do everything in his power to eliminate you. He can’t afford an eyewitness.”
She winced and rubbed her temples. Her head ached, and everything was moving too fast. They were wrong. They had to be wrong. “This can’t be happening,” she mumbled.
Bast scowled at the commander and turned more fully toward her and laid his hand on the arm of her chair. “I’m not going to lie to you, Sheena, whether you testify or not, Comeaux will come after you. You know too much, and he won’t stop until he is sure you’re unable to talk. Accepting my protection and helping us put him behind bars is the only way you’re going to survive. You’ll testify, right?”
She closed her eyes and held back the tears that threatened to escape as the images of the frightened women and children replayed in her mind. “I won’t let him get away with what he’s doing to those people. The memory of that emotionless man shooting them in the head like they meant nothing will haunt me forever.” She opened her eyes and glanced from Bast’s compassionate expression to glare at the commander. “Nothing will stop me from testifying.”
Bast gave her a smile and sat back in is chair. “Thank you, Sheena.”
The commander pulled a form from the file with the words Witness Statement in bold letters across the top and picked up a pen. “While Marshal Benoit’s men make arrangements for you, I would like you to start at the very beginning and tell me step by step, minute by minute precisely what you remember. Concentrate on the details. What did you see? Did you smell anything odd? Maybe you heard something?”
Sheena huffed out a breath. “I’ve already told you everything. Four times as a matter of fact.”
The commander nodded. “Yes, and I apologize for the inconvenience that has caused. But, often times, it’s a tiny seemingly unimportant detail that puts a criminal behind bars.”
When she folded her arms and glared at the commander, Bast placed his hand on the arm of her chair again. “Please, Sheena. Maybe if you close your eyes and try to replay the event like a movie in your mind something will shake loose.”
She nodded and did as he asked. Suddenly her eyes flew open. “My phone! I totally forgot about it. I took pictures and video.” She reached for her purse and froze. “Shit, my purse is still in my desk. Between my employee file and what’s in my purse, they have all my information. They even have my keys!”
“Tell me the phone isn’t in your purse,” the commander demanded in a frantic voice.
“No, it’s in my pocket.”
He wiped away the sweat beading on his forehead. “That’s a relief. Don’t worry about your purse. Like you said, they already had your information in your employee records. As for your keys, you won’t be going home, anyway.”
“Has anyone ever mentioned you have a terrible bedside manner?” Sheena growled.
“Many times. Now, can I see what you have on your phone?”
Sheena didn’t like the commander. Not one bit, but she did what he asked. The sooner this was over with, the sooner she could get the heck out of the police station. She went to the few photos and passed the phone to Bast who flipped through them and then handed it to the commander.
For the first time, the commander smiled. “You said there was video, too?”
Sheena held out her hand for the phone and brought up the videos. “I started and stopped a couple of times, so there are a few.”
Both men replayed each a few times, and then the commander handed it back to her. “Would you please send the pictures and videos to me?” He wrote his email on a slip of paper and slid it across the desk.
“Would you send them to me as well?” Bast asked.
The commander’s face darkened, but he quickly plastered a small smile on his face that looked more like a grimace. “Sending it to me should be enough, don’t you agree, Marshal?”
Bast raised an eyebrow at the commander. “No, I don’t agree.” Then h
e recited his email address.
It took a minute or two, but she was able to forward all the evidence to both of them. When she glanced up, the commander had his hand out toward her.
“I’ll need to take your phone as evidence.”
“What? No. I’m not giving you my phone.”
“I’m sorry, Miss Savoy, it wasn’t a request.”
“You really suck, you know that? Is someone going to buy me a new one?”
The commander busily made notes in the file. Without bothering to look at her, he grunted. “Perhaps when this is over. Until then, you aren’t allowed to make calls, anyway. Please excuse me. I need to get this to my lead investigator.”
Sheena glared daggers at the commander’s back as he left with her sole way of communication with her friends and family. She tried very hard to find good in all people. Negative vibes and thoughts were never a good idea, but that man rankled her resolve. Then she turned her attention to Bast. Finally close to leaving, she was able to relax a little.
“Do you have any questions for me?” he asked.
“I’m just wondering where I’m being taken.”
He stood and walked to the only window in the office and looked out into the darkness. “We have a safe house not far from here on the edge of the bayou. It’s isolated and easily defended if necessary. Two of my team are there now, and I have three more men waiting outside with a bulletproof SUV. There’s nothing to worry about, Sheena. I’ll keep you safe.”
“I’m glad I’ll be leaving with you and not someone like the commander. I don’t think that man likes me very much.”
Bast chuckled. “He does leave something to be desired.”
SERIES
K.I.S.S Series
LUCAS: Prelude to a K.I.S.S.
Book 1 First K.I.S.S.
Le Beau Series
Book 1 CADE
Book 2 SIMON
Book 3 SIMON & ROSE
Book 4 STEFAN
Book 5 THOMAS
Book 6 CADE & ANNA
Book 7 LUCAS
Book 8 RICHIE
Book 9 SETH
League of Guardians Series
Book 1 Dangerous Destiny
Book 2 Etienne
Book 3 Fangs & Felons (Coming Soon)
CADE
Plus-sized Anna James is finally free of her good for nothing, cheating husband. She’s in no hurry to trust another man anytime soon. Well, except for the hottie who stars nightly as the romantic hero in her dreams. It’s a darn shame he isn’t real.
Cade Le Beau is a billionaire with a furry secret. But even billions can’t buy happiness. He blew his chance to meet the woman of his dreams six months ago. Dreaming is a fine way to pass the time, but he wants the flesh and blood female.
When a second opportunity presents itself, it comes with baggage. Anna’s past has come for a visit, and she’s been taken. Racing against the clock, Cade has forty-eight hours to deal with the threat and claim what’s his.
SIMON
Desperate to find his mate, Simon Le Beau joined the Marines. No matter how badly he wanted his destined female, she wasn’t going to walk up and knock on his door. Maybe a bit of travel while serving his country would bring him a little luck in love.
Four years later, he returns home from deployment, stuck in wolf form. Little did he know, his mate would, in fact, show up at his family’s plantation. If only he had opposable thumbs.
Rose O’Leary is a beautiful, voluptuous woman. Raised in foster homes, she fears abandonment and avoids men. Relationships bring nothing but pain.
As if they didn’t have enough problems, a secret organization is out to destroy the Le Beau family. What better way to cripple the royal family than to steal their females? And the one they hired wants Rose for himself.
SIMON & ROSE:
Mark Anderson’s Story
Simon Le Beau desperately wants two things: to help his fellow service veterans and have a baby with his beloved mate, Rose. He has no idea how to start a charity, but his friend, Mark, is just the man to help him figure it out.
Rose Le Beau loves her mate, but babies terrify her. What does she know about babies? Nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Tragically wounded, combat veteran Mark Anderson has a lot of time on his hands. No longer able to serve his country and suffering from PTSD, he’s bored and at his wits’ end. That is, until his conversation with Simon. What had he been thinking when he offered to be one of the singles auctioned off? A date, he’s okay with. Anything more sends him into a panic attack.
Sharon Lejeune’s intuition is screaming that something big is about to happen. She just didn’t expect that something big to be her mate. Who knew a shifter could purchase a mate at a singles auction?
To the Le Beaus, family is everything. Together, there isn’t much they can’t overcome. Have they finally met a situation they can’t solve?
STEFAN
Beautiful, successful, and plus-sized El suffered a violent attack that has left her hating all handsome, wealthy men. Unfortunately for Stefan, he’s exactly what she hates.
Stefan is a playboy to the extreme with one hard and fast rule: date a woman once, take her to bed, and be gone before morning.
Until El.
When he is the winning bidder at his brother Simon’s charity auction, he thinks his dream of finding his one true mate has come true. Wrong. So very, very wrong.
It’ll require drastic measures by the entire Le Beau family to make this mating happen.
THOMAS
As the owner of The Backwater shifter bar, Julia Le Beau is happy with her place in the shifter community. The only thing missing in her life is a man. Until he arrives on his white horse, she has stacks of romance novels to fill her nights. Too bad her crazy mother doesn’t see it that way.
Thomas James’ childhood has molded him into the man is today, extremely protective and relationship shy. As the chief of security for the royal family, he has his hands full. His grandparents, Isaac and Emma Le Beau’s lives are in his hands. Women don’t factor into that other than as an unwanted distraction.
Though they are destined to be mates, the obstacles standing between them and their happily-ever-after, seem insurmountable.
Will Julia and Thomas’s happiness be snuffed out before it has a chance to begin or will they forge through—obstacles be damned?
CADE & ANNA
Attending an ultrasound for his pregnant mate, Anna, becomes a catalyst for pure chaos for Cade Le Beau. Seeing his daughter larger than life on the computer monitor sets him onto a path of foolish, but well-meaning choices.
In a state of panic, he instigates a series of disastrous projects with the help of his brothers Simon and Stefan, as well as, his stepson, Thomas. The final disaster is worse than all others combined and threatens to end terribly.
As a shifter mate and psychically linked through their bond, he feels everything—absolutely EVERYTHING. Labor is an experience no male should endure—EVER.
Why would a woman ever wish to go through this a second time? Insanity, plain and simple.
LUCAS
Krystal Le Beau has a secret—she’s a psychic matchmaker. Little does her cousin, Lucas, know she’s worked her magic on him.
Lucas Le Beau’s dream of owning a ranch has come true. He thought he had everything he wanted… until the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen knocks him flat on his back. Three times!
Kensie Brown has a plan. Spend one week in godforsaken Texas to please her sister and then get the heck out of Dodge. She should have remembered that the best-laid plans often go awry. What was she thinking?
Mix one stubborn Yankee workaholic, a determined cowboy wolf shifter, and a meddling family. Stir well, and you have the recipe for a wild Texas ride.
RICHIE
Four years ago, Richie met a group of Tulane freshmen when he saved one of them from a mugger.
Now the first of their menagerie is getting married.
Surprise of
all surprises, Richie meets his mate, Piper, at the wedding in Missouri, of all places.
He didn’t expect her to be a bounty hunter or that her murderous prey had turned the tables and she was now the hunted.
Will Piper apprehend her bounty, or will her bounty get to her first?
Can Richie save her from the death he foresaw in a premonition?
Injuries are mounting, and time is running out.
SETH
Circumstances and heartbreak have driven Seth Le Beau to join the elite band of hunters. Shifters pledged to serve the wolf goddess, Luperca, as her right hand meting out justice to the shifters who go rogue.
The goddess has one last assignment she needs Seth to handle before he retires. The most challenging of his life with the highest stakes imaginable.
Sara Adams is a homicide detective, and a damn good one, too. Her brother, Grant, has been murdered by a rogue and Sara will be damned if the monster sees another day.
The dangerous life and death hunt is on, and only the strongest will survive.
FIRST K.I.S.S.
What do you do when your past comes creeping back?
Now that Carol Duffy has washed her cheating ex-fiancé out of her hair, she is facing the next chapter in her life. Now if she could just get her dog back.
Moving from the only home she’s ever known is terrifying enough. It’s a good thing she didn’t know how deadly it would be or she would never have gotten into her car.
Widower, Joe Christian has spent the last ten years raising his children as best he could and managing the Rocking Double L Ranch. Relationships and romance are off his menu.
It’s just another day on the Le Beau ranch with a heady combination of romance that will not be denied.
Krystal’s Intuitive Soulmate Service, where Krystal and your spirit guide will match you with your soulmate.