LaCasse Family Series

by Ju Ephraime

  It went to voice mail again. This time she left him a tear-filled message because she was afraid when this plane took off into the air she would be losing the only man she’d ever loved. It was disheartening that Pierre had effectively destroyed her life without much effort on his part. She didn’t know what she was agreeing to when he’d asked her.

  In his defense, however, he hadn’t known she would fall in love with Raymond. Why hadn’t he picked someone else to do his dirty work? Why Raymond?

  She was so upset with the turn of events that she had neglected to call him. She should do so now.

  He picked up the call on the first ring, as if he was sitting with the phone at the ready.

  “Hi, Gabrielle, it’s about time.”

  “Is that all you have to say, it’s about time? Please meet me at the airport. My flight is about to take off, so I should be there within the half hour.”

  “What’s the matter? You didn’t have any problem with LaCasse, did you?”

  “I’ll talk with you about it when I get there, Pierre.”

  “You do have the stuff, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do have the stuff. Just make sure you are at the airport. I’m not taking it back to my hotel, okay? And I have to cut this call short. I have to call Steven before I turn the phone off.”

  He was one ungrateful fart, this Pierre. But his goose was cooked with her. She was aware Raymond could have created a lot of problems for her, but he hadn’t. He didn’t have a mean bone in his body, unlike the cretin she called brother. He was a user. Well, he had made his last use of her. Going forward, she would talk with him only if she absolutely had to at family gatherings and similar things. As for talking with him or hanging out with him, those days were over. She called Steven.

  “Hi Steven, are you ready for me? I’m on my way and should be there in an hour or so.”

  “Hi Gabrielle. Will you be able to put in a shoot this afternoon?”

  “No. Steven. I won’t be able to today. Remember I told you about the accident I had?”

  “Oh, I forgot about that. How’re you feeling?”

  “I’m feeling better. I have a slight bruise on my face, but it’s clearing up.”

  “I hope it won’t interfere with your work.”

  “I don’t think so, Steven.”

  Steven was her agent and she had to report to him when she flew back to St. Barth. He was the one meeting her at the airport in St. Barth. He was very invested in her face. She hoped he did not give her a difficult time about the bruises.

  Closing her eyes, she leaned back into her seat, and before she could take a much-needed nap, the flight attendant came by to prepare for landing. She had only done this landing once before, and it had been a white-knuckle landing. The airport on St. Barth was situated on a short airstrip. The concrete runway began at the base of a slight hill and went for only 2,100 feet before ending right on St. Jean's beach and the harbor of the island's second largest town. It would have been more sensible to land in St. Maarten where they had a big, more modern airport.

  From there, she could have either jumped aboard a ferry or hopped a WINAIR, Air Caraïbes and been on the island in less than twenty minutes, but she didn’t want to chance it with the cargo she was carrying. She had to try to make a joke about it because to do otherwise would be to admit she had been played by her own brother.

  She was almost home free. She had one more hurdle—going through customs. Hopefully her luck would hold here too, and then she would be home free.

  Lady luck was on her side. She cleared customs without any problems. She walked out into the sunlight and the heat of the island and had no idea she had been so tense until she saw her hands were shaking.

  She loved St. Barth. It always made her feel good to be there, but today all she could think about was another island, another place, and another time.

  She would wait until she’d met with Pierre before she took the time to exhale properly. Speak of the devil; there he was, walking toward her as if he didn’t have a care in the world.

  He ran up to her and greeted her. Without giving him the opportunity to say anything, she reached inside her suitcase and removed the package and handed to him. He appeared surprised by her attitude toward him, and made another attempt to engage her in conversation.

  “How was your flight over, or maybe I should say, your landing?”

  She continued ignoring him. She was going to have it out with him, but the public airport was not the place, and this was not the time.

  She looked around and saw Steven waving at her. She turned to Pierre and told him, “Later, Pierre,” and she walked away to join Steven.

  Chapter Twenty

  Steven was very concerned about the bruise on her face. She had forgotten about the thing. It was barely visible now. He must have been looking for it for him to have spotted it so quickly.

  “You are going to have to apply heavier than usual make-up to cover that shiner,” he told her.

  “Drop it, Steven. If you don’t want to do the shoot, I’m perfectly okay with it. Whatever you decide is fine with me.”

  “What’s the matter with you?”

  “Why?”

  “You are ready to snap my head off at the least provocation.”

  “Well, good, don’t provoke me then. I just want to get to the hotel to rest up a bit, so I can be ready for work tomorrow.”

  “Okay, I’ll make myself scarce. I’ll call you later to find out if you want to do dinner.”

  “Don’t call me unless it's an emergency. I just want to relax for a bit.”

  “I thought that’s what you were supposed to be doing in Martinique. But, no, you came back in a worse mood than when you left.”

  “I’m not in a worse mood, Steven. I just want some time to unwind before the shoot tomorrow. Is that too much to ask?”

  “No, it isn’t. If it’s time you want to relax, you got it, kiddo.”

  She was about to remind him that she did not like to be called kiddo when she thought, you know what, Gabrielle? Let it go.

  “I booked you in at Isle de France and was even able to get the same suite of rooms you had.”

  “Thanks, Steven.” He knew how to make her feel like a heel. Just as she was acting all asinine, he disarmed her by his kindness and thoughtfulness.

  She gave him a peck on the cheek, as a way of apologizing.

  She wanted to get to her room, to try to reach Raymond again. She couldn’t believe he wouldn’t pick up the phone and give her an opportunity to explain. If she tried and didn’t get him again, she would have to write him. She didn’t think this was something you texted, so she would try one more time, and then she would send him a letter. For now, she had some unfinished business with Pierre.

  After checking into her hotel, she took a nice, cool shower. It was a bit on the humid side. She ordered a meal for dinner, poured herself a drink from the mini bar, and settled in to call Raymond.

  After dialing his number and getting his voicemail again, she debated with herself on whether or not to call Foxx, and lay her problems at his door, but then she decided against involving his brothers. She didn’t know what, if anything, Raymond had told them, so she would do what she had decided and send him some written correspondence.

  She was sitting on her bed, fighting the tears that threatened to overwhelm her every time she thought of Raymond, when there was a knock at her door. Peeking through the hole, she saw Pierre standing there, with a bunch of flowers in his hand. What was it with men? They seemed to think a bouquet of flowers solved everything. Well, it would take more than flowers to make her feel whole again.

  Opening the door, she stepped back and allowed him to enter. As he handed her the flowers, she wondered how he’d known where she was staying. Did he talk with Steven? She didn’t think so because Steven had not mentioned it to her.

  “Have you been keeping tabs on me, Pierre?

  “What are you talking about, Gabby?”

 
“You know damn well what I’m talking about. How did you know at which hotel I was staying?”

  “What does it matter, Gabby? I’m here, aren’t I?”

  “It does matter. Have you been following me?”

  “If you must know, I did follow Steven’s car from the airport. That’s how I knew where you were staying.”

  “Why?”

  “I wanted to talk to you.”

  “But I said I’d be contacting you. If you needed to talk with me before then, all you had to do was call me on my cell. You do still have the number, don’t you?”

  “Yes, but you have a tendency of not answering your phone.”

  “What are you talking about, Pierre?”

  “You weren’t answering your phone in Martinique.”

  “Did you follow me to Martinique, Pierre?”

  “Why would I do that? We had agreed you would hand me the stuff here in St. Barth, not in Martinique.”

  “Answer me, Pierre. Something tells me you are playing me again. Did you follow me to Martinique?”

  “Yes, I did, all right? I did. I got worried about you. I wanted to take the stuff off you.”

  “Pity you didn’t think about my safety when you came up with your desperate plan. I’ve not been able to relax ever since I saw what you'd put in my coat. I don’t want to know what you are involved in.”

  “I’m sorry, Gabby, that’s why I followed you to Martinique. I was worried, especially when I saw you were spending all your time with LaCasse. You were driving around with him and not answering my calls.”

  “You were worried about me, right. Wait a minute. How did you know I was driving around with Raymond? Did you have anything to do with the accident, Pierre? Come to think of it, were you driving the vehicle that pushed his car off the cliff?”

  “That was an accident. I was trying to get your attention, and I was looking down at the cell phone trying to dial your number. When I looked up, I was in the back of Raymond’s vehicle.”

  “Are you for real, Pierre? Are you standing there telling me you were the one who almost got me killed?”

  “It was not intentional, Gabby. I’m telling you it was an accident. You know me better than to believe this about me. I would never intentionally try to hurt you. For crying out loud, you are my sister.”

  “Your actions proved otherwise. Why would you expose me to the risk involved in smuggling hot diamonds out of the country?”

  “I knew you wouldn’t be in danger if you did what I told you. Remember you were only supposed to take possession after you switched the coats back, by then you would’ve been in Martinique.”

  “But, as you have seen, things do not always go the way you planned them…the best laid plans… You should have told me the truth back home, but instead you lied to me.”

  “When have I ever lied to you, Gabby?”

  “Stop, don’t even go there. You told me you had some old jewelry you won in a poker game that you wanted to take out of the country. You said it was valuable, but you said it was old jewelry. I knew you gamble with your friends, so I had no reason to doubt you.”

  “But you don’t have to doubt me now.”

  “Pierre, there is no way you could’ve won this much raw diamonds in any game. You used me and Raymond to bring your stuff through customs.”

  “Enough already, Gabby.”

  “Enough! Just out of curiosity, why Raymond?”

  “Raymond and I were in three classes together this last semester. When he graduated, everyone knew he was going back home to Martinique. I needed to get the diamonds out of the country. So I came up with the plan to arrange for the two of you to share a taxi so you could switch coats, and he, not knowing what was in the coat, would go through customs like a breeze.”

  “You should have told me all this, back home in Paris. I had a right to know, or could it be because you knew I would’ve never agreed to this?”

  “Not only would you not have agreed to help me, it was critical that neither you nor LaCasse knew anything about the diamonds.”

  “What would have happened if he’d been caught carrying those diamonds?”

  “He would tell them the truth. It was not his coat, and he didn’t know anything about it.”

  “Yeah, you’ve got it all figured out. Maybe not them, but if they’d found my phone, I would have been implicated immediately. Are those stolen diamonds?”

  “No, but the less you know about them, the better.”

  “I figured as much. If they weren’t stolen, why didn’t you bring them here the normal way?”

  “They are mine, but I don’t have the documents to prove it. Here on St. Barth, I can sell them and make a huge profit. I’ll take care of you. You don’t have to worry.”

  “I think not. I want nothing to do with those diamonds or any money you will make from them. It has ruined my relationship with Raymond.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He walked in on me while I was holding them in my hand, and he walked out and has not spoken to me since. He won’t even take my calls.”

  “Don’t worry about it. You’ll meet someone else. I hope you feel free now that I’ve taken those diamonds off you. So even if he were to try anything, it’s his word against yours. And for what it’s worth, if he was going to rat you out, you wouldn’t have been able to leave Martinique.”

  “Don’t you understand? I’m in love with him.”

  “Gabby, you don’t even know the man. How could you be in love with him?”

  “That’s how much you know about love, you selfish bastard. Leave me alone. Don’t come near me again.”

  “You don’t really mean that.”

  “Yes, I do. I don’t think I could ever forgive you for what you did to Raymond and to me.”

  “Gabby, Gabby, I’m sorry.”

  “Go away. Go away and leave me alone,” she said. She was not able to stop the tears she had been holding back from running down her face.

  She didn’t want to show him any weakness, but this entire thing was too much for her, and missing Raymond as she did had her feeling sorry for herself. She went into the bathroom to splash water on her face, and when she returned to the sitting room, he was gone. Thank God.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Raymond saw the numerous calls he had received from Gabrielle, but he was just not ready to talk with her. Every time he thought of her, the image of her sitting on the bed with all those diamonds in her hand was emblazoned on his brain. The scene kept playing itself over and over in his head. He couldn’t seem to erase it, and he had tried. God help him, he’d tried.

  He was hurting on two fronts; he loved the woman, and he felt used and put-upon. He knew if he told Wolfe he would be able to see the obvious signs that he himself couldn’t see. It was pissing him off because he was usually able to discuss most things with his brothers, but this was too close to his heart. He was floundering, like a fish out of water.

  He had tried hating Gabrielle for messing with his head, his heart, and his life, but it was proving to be a losing battle. His head was all messed up, and he began questioning the times they’d made love. Was it all an act? Did she really enjoy him, as she claimed? This was eating him alive. His heart was hurting because he missed her so terribly, and his life was a wreck. He couldn’t stay in his apartment because she was all over the place. Her scent was all over his house, especially his bed. He thought of getting rid of it, but a sick part of him wanted to smell her, sometimes. God help him, he would have married her in a heartbeat.

  He didn’t need this emotional garbage to take to this new job with him. Most of the day, he found himself thinking about Gabrielle, wondering what she was doing. Was she having fun laughing at him while she spent all her ill-gotten gains? He had no doubt the diamonds were obtained illegally. Why else would she have used him to bring them out of the country?

  This brought him to the next troubling question. How had she known he would be in the cab, or was she going to switc
h coats with anyone who was on his/her way out of the country? He didn’t see this as a possible answer. From what he had seen, there were too many diamonds in that coat for her to have palmed it off on just anyone. Which brought him back to the question, how did she know him? He knew he had never met her before. No one could meet Gabrielle and forget her. She was too striking. Just those unusual eyes alone made an impression. No, he’d never met her. God, this was indeed torture.

  He’d just started this job and already he was messing up. He couldn’t concentrate, and in his line of work, he needed all his faculties about him. He had to focus and concentrate with the clients’ money. He tried, but it was useless. He had to leave work early, and the sad thing was, he could not even go to his home.

  His maman was glad to have him home. He had not sat still for a minute. As much as she liked that he was doing many of the little chores around the house, she began watching him strangely. Several times, he caught her watching him with a very curious look on her face. He took the cowardly way out and pretended not to notice.

  Today, he was going to visit Wolfe. He knew he was taking a chance, but he much preferred Wolfe’s company to his own, even though Wolfe had a way of worming things out of him. He seemed to know things. Both he and Foxx had that ability. It was just stronger with Wolfe. If he went to the restaurant, he would have to be careful how he acted.

  Having decided on that course of action, he got into his car and drove to the restaurant. He was in luck. Wolfe was too busy to pay any attention to him, and he pretty much pitched in and helped any way he could. This turned out to be good. The time went by quickly, and before long, it was dinnertime, and there was another huge crowd. He’d never appreciated the restaurant business, but it was a very hectic one. He had to give both Wolfe and Foxx kudos for managing such successful restaurants. He didn’t think he was cut out for it. Give him a paper with numbers and let him figure out how he could make it grow and multiply and he was in his element. He was most comfortable with paper.