About ten minutes later Pierre and Douglas entered her office. They were immediately at her side and looked like they would embrace her, but she turned her head away. She didn’t need her staff to know that she was involved with four men. They seemed to get the message, and Pierre looked pissed.
He took her hand and brought her closer.
“Michael is on his way. Are you okay?”
“Yes. It must have happened last night,” she told him.
“You were supposed to come back here last night after the closing? I was meeting you at your place?” Douglas asked.
She hadn’t thought about that. She could have walked in on the culprit or perhaps he had hoped she would have. Flashes of the red tiny panties and rope entered her mind. She covered her mouth, and the tears hit her eyes, but she quickly swallowed them.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” Pierre asked, and he and Douglas pulled her to the side and out of earshot of the employees.
“The person left some things. I saw red panties and rope,” she told them, and they each looked mortified and then pissed off. Just then Michael and three other men entered the building. He immediately came by and touched her cheek, his only public show of affection.
“No one touched anything, right?” he asked, and she assured him that no one had touched a thing.
“Pierre, can you meet the detectives and police outside and inform them of the situation. Douglas, remain with Mikayla please.”
They each did what Michael stated. He was so commanding and in charge. She felt proud but also scared. What did the person responsible intend to do to her with the rope and what was in the other pile of things on the desk?
“Come sit down over here, Mikayla. The police are going to want to question you when they come in,” Douglas told her as he squeezed her hand.
* * * *
Michael was trying his hardest to remain calm as he and his agents along with the local detectives which he knew well looked over Mikayla’s office. He had to hide his emotions as they took photographs and gathered evidence on the desk and around the office. This wasn’t his case but he did oversee what the detectives did. He couldn’t believe that the culprit left panties, rope, some handcuffs, and other bondage materials on her desk. There were sketches and pictures of a woman with shoulder-length black hair tied up and spread open for a masked man’s enjoyment. The person responsible was trying to scare her. He had bad intentions, and Michael was sick to his stomach with concern.
He talked to the detectives to see if any similar events had taken place over the last several months and then to Deputy Leon Rue. He was friends with Eloi Lafont who showed up as soon as they heard that Mikayla had trouble at her place of business.
He could see Leon talking with Mikayla and Douglas.
* * * *
“I’m fine really, Leon. Thank you so much for responding,” Mikayla told him.
“You know I care about you and your sisters. Do you have any idea who would want to do this to you?” he asked.
She explained about the other night and then they made small talk about Orchidea and her sister Ellena. Mikayla knew that Ellena liked Leon and his three brothers. Mack, Troy, and Roy Rue were very edgy men. They were nice looking and had great jobs. Roy was a firefighter, Mack was an accountant, and Troy was an electrician. They were upstanding men but stubborn and set in their ways as Ellena would put it. Mikayla wouldn’t push her sister. She wouldn’t want them pushing her either. If it were meant to be, then it would happen.
They waited a good hour before things started to settle down and the local detectives gathered everything in evidence bags for forensics to handle. Michael appeared and spoke with Pierre first, who cursed then remained stiff with his hands by his side curled into fists. Betty was helping Mikayla to rearrange her afternoon schedule when she noticed Douglas looking just as angry and upset. She swallowed hard. What else is left in my office to make them react like this?
* * * *
Michael asked Betty to help reschedule Mikayla’s afternoon appointments. Michael felt that Mikayla should not remain at work today until a full investigation took place.
“Absolutely not!” she argued with him until Pierre took her by the arm and led her into the meeting room. Michael and Douglas followed, closing the door behind them.
Michael was trying his hardest not to yell. Here Mikayla stood, looking so damn sexy and professional in her pale pink one-piece thigh-length dress and high-heel sandals with her shoulders exposed. The dress dipped slightly in the front, bunching so that anyone looking closely enough could see the cleavage of her abundant breasts. She had pearl earrings to match and a thin silver, barely visible chain holding one small white pearl in the center. She was classy, sophisticated, and their woman. Some fucked-up asshole left her disgusting pictures and items that exploited someone with such sophistication as Mikayla. It didn’t make sense. But after years of hundreds of cases, both he, his agents, and the local detectives knew this shouldn’t be taken lightly.
His brothers argued with her about leaving the office.
“You don’t seem to understand the seriousness of the situation, Mikayla,” Douglas began to explain.
“I understand that if I don’t work, I don’t get paid, Douglas.”
Michael stepped forward and stared at her intensely. Even in the heels she was shorter than the three of them. That in itself should have been intimidating.
“You will go home with Pierre or Douglas until we come up with some kind of plan for security for you,” Michael stated.
Mikayla opened her mouth to argue then swallowed hard.
“What was left in my office for me to see, Michael?”
He hadn’t expected that at the moment. Maybe later, after the fright of the situation died down, but not now when he was trying so hard to remain calm.
“We’ll talk about it later. Right now you will listen to what we have to say and do as your told.”
“Do as I’m told?” she countered and was about to argue more when Pierre grabbed her and pulled her against him.
“You agreed to our rules. The rules that state we will protect you in every way we can if you are in danger or we feel necessary. If you defy us, Mikayla, there will be significant consequences.”
“That’s different. I didn’t think you meant to control me and rule my life,” she countered.
Pierre held her firmly against him. She held on to his forearms and tried to resist his pull.
“It’s not different. Our commitment to you and yours to all of us is to abide by the rules we set, and we see fit to protect you from possible harm.”
“I will not let some asshole ruin my life and my business and scare me like this. I won’t allow it,” she stated as the tears filled her eyes.
Michael could tell she was indeed scared and trying to be brave. He moved next to her, and she looked right up at him.
“We’re not asking you to give in to his threats and acts of intimidation. We’re asking you to be smart about this, to not take unnecessary chances, Mikayla. We don’t know yet what and whom we’re dealing with. You have to trust my judgment,” Michael told her.
“Our judgment,” Douglas added, and Pierre agreed.
She exhaled in annoyance.
“So what? I have to hide and ruin my business, which is my livelihood, because of some sick game someone is playing?”
“Give me a couple of days to sort through this. Please, Mikayla. A couple of days?” he asked, hoping by then they would have a better plan and a security detail in motion for her protection.
“Fine, but just a few days,” she replied, and Pierre began to release her but then pulled her back against him and hugged her.
“Listen to Michael, sugar. Please don’t be stubborn now. He knows what he’s doing and we’re worried,” Pierre whispered, but Michael and Douglas heard him. Michael glanced at Douglas who appeared on edge and antsy.
“Let’s make a plan for the next couple of days. Antoine will want
in, too. He’s currently in surgery right now and we can’t reach him,” Douglas told them as Pierre kept an arm around Mikayla’s waist.
“Can I at least try to work from here? There is a lot of work to be done, and I understand in regards to the house showings and being all over town.”
“I might be able to rearrange my schedule to work out of here,” Pierre offered.
“Are you kidding me?” Mikayla stated.
“I have to work from the warehouse today. I was thinking she could come along with me,” Douglas said next. And Michael was thinking that he needed to make sure a thorough investigation was being done to figure out who this jerk was harassing Mikayla. Never mind his regular duties. He was currently working on something for a higher-up in the Federal government.
“What about Leon? He is more than capable of keeping an eye on me and protecting me while you guys take care of your businesses.”
Michael was shocked at her suggestion. Pierre looked pissed, and Douglas, he just looked about ready to reprimand Mikayla.
“Don’t give me that look, Douglas. We went over this last night,” she told him, holding his gaze. Michael wondered what went on between them. He was shocked when Douglas shook his head and then shrugged his shoulders.
“Let’s see if Leon is able to stick around for a few hours. You should be done by two o’clock or so, right?” Michael asked.
“How about five o’clock? I really do have a lot to do today,” she added then gave them some puppy-dog eyes that had them accepting her idea.
“Five o’clock sharp, be ready to leave,” Pierre warned her then pulled her closer so he could kiss her on the mouth. Once he released her, Michael kissed her and then Douglas, who swatted her on the ass in warning.
“You try using those soft, sweet puppy-dog eyes too often and you’re gonna earn yourself a punishment.”
Mikayla turned a nice shade of red, and Michael and Pierre chuckled.
Chapter 11
Ellena met Deputy Leon Rue at Mikayla’s house around five thirty in the evening. She and her sisters were concerned even though Mikayla said it was probably nothing to worry about. Michael had asked Ellena to gather some clothing of Mikayla’s that she could use for the next couple of days while she stayed at their estate.
Deputy Rue had been with Mikayla all day today.
“So how did she really seem, Leon?” Ellena asked as they met in the driveway of Mikayla’s place.
“Not even a kiss hello, Ellena? Right to the point as always,” he stated, sounding annoyed. Like she really wanted to be this close to Leon and alone with him?
They were both silent as she looked up at his face. He was handsome as ever, in need of a shave but the whiskers made him look rugged and untamed. She felt the ting of awareness. She had liked him, thought about him for a long time. But then she and his brother Troy had a little fling while he did some electrical work for her at Aubert’s Restaurant. They hadn’t slept together, but they might as well have.
All four of the Rue men were the silent, brooding type.
He touched her waist, and she snapped out of her fog and stared at him. When he raised his hand to touch her cheek, she shyly tried to duck out of the way.
“You’re as beautiful as ever, Ellena.”
“Please don’t say such things, Leon. God, I haven’t seen you or your brothers in a while.”
“Not our fault. You ignored our calls after Angelique’s incident, and you didn’t accept any of our invitations to dinner or for a date.” He pushed and she didn’t want to talk about it. A relationship with any of them wouldn’t be right. They were all so busy, and she had feelings for Roy, Mack, and Troy.
He pulled her to him. His holster felt hard against her ribs.
“Woman, you’ve got to come to your senses. You’ve got to hear me and my brothers out.” When she tried to step out of his hold, he refused to let go. Truth was, it felt really good in his arms. She didn’t want to fight him, but she couldn’t come off as easy either.
“I don’t think the four of you get it. I don’t think you know what it’s like to make a commitment to a woman. I own a restaurant with my sisters and it’s a hard business. It doesn’t give me enough hours to be at one man’s beck and call, never mind four.”
“Woman, you’re crazy if you think I’m gonna accept that as an excuse. You listen here and you listen well. Time is running out. We’ve been patient, but men can only wait so long.”
“Are you threatening me with other women?” she asked, really pissed off now as she turned her back on him and tried to walk away.
He swiftly turned her around and pressed her body against the police car.
“No other women, Ellena. What I’m telling you is that my brothers and I are tired of waiting. We’re coming to get you. We want you in our lives and, damn it, in our bed.”
Before she could retort, he covered her mouth in a lethal kiss that was meant to knock the wind out of her. He explored her mouth with his tongue, caressed her body, and caused a wealth of emotions and tantalizing sensations to explode inside of her. Just as she felt the walls she’d built up begin to slowly weaken, he released her lips then pulled her back away from the car, turned her toward the house, and gave her a smack on the ass.
“Now move it. I’ve got to get Mikayla’s clothes to the Fromm estate before six thirty.”
Not wanting to argue, and truthfully being unable to form a complete sentence, she gave him her best dirty look then turned and hurried up the stairs. As she got closer to the front door, a smile formed on her face.
Damn, could Deputy Leon Rue kiss.
* * * *
Mrs. Spencer pulled Mikayla into her arms and hugged her.
“You poor thing. I hope Michael catches the bastard right away.” She released Mikayla and smiled.
“Thank you. I’m fine really,” Mikayla replied as she sat down on the stool by the island. Isaac brought her a glass of red wine and smiled at her.
“Your men should be in shortly. I’m glad that you’re okay,” he stated then quickly headed out of the room. Mrs. Spencer glanced at him and shook her head.
“He’s never said an entire sentence in front of me before.”
Mikayla laughed then wondered what was taking Michael and the others so long. Leon dropped her off to Isaac, and Isaac said that Pierre, Michael, and Douglas were in a meeting. She wondered how Antoine was doing. When she called the hospital, they said he was still in major surgery. It had been hours.
She took a sip of wine and began to relax a little, but then she closed her eyes and visions of the items on her desk came to mind. She felt the set of hands on her shoulders, and she jumped up, nearly dropping the glass of wine.
“Whoa, sugar, are you okay? Did I scare you?” Pierre asked, and she immediately turned toward him and hugged him tight. He held her close, his arms of steel making her feel content.
“It’s okay, sugar. You’re safe now and you’re staying here with us.”
“What’s going on?” Douglas asked as he entered the kitchen. Mikayla looked up at him and smiled.
“Ever just need a hug?” she asked.
He shook his head, so she moved away from Pierre and went to Douglas. “Liar,” she teased then held him to her. He in return hugged her back then ran his hands along her lower back and to her ass. Big surprise there. He was always caressing her ass.
“Antoine will be late,” Michael announced, and Mrs. Spencer had a plate of food already covered and set aside for him.
“Will you need anything else tonight?” she asked them.
“No, thank you, Mrs. Spencer. We’ll see you tomorrow night.”
She smiled then said good-bye and left the kitchen.
Mikayla pulled away from Douglas and grabbed Michael’s hand. He seemed distracted still.
“Watch out, Michael, she’s got this theory on people needing hugs tonight,” Douglas teased, but she wasn’t certain if he was also being sarcastic. It seemed like Douglas kept his distan
ce when it came to human contact. But he sure didn’t keep his distance with her.
Mikayla pulled Michael to her and hugged him tight.
“Feel better?” she asked, and he laughed.
“I feel a lot better when you’re in my arms.” He leaned down and kissed her.
“Let’s get something to eat. Leon said you skipped lunch today and only had an apple,” Pierre interrupted.
Mikayla pulled from Michael’s arms.
“Leon told you that? I’ve got to talk to that man about using discretion with you guys.”
Michael pulled her back against him and gave her a smack on her ass.
“I don’t think so, Mikayla. He knows that we’re in charge.”
The doorbell rang as Douglas served up plates of food. A few moments later Isaac arrived carrying a large garment bag and Mikayla’s overnight satchel.
“Hey what are you doing with that?” she asked, surprised.
“We asked Leon to go by your place and grab some things. He dropped them off. You’re staying here for the next few days,” Michael told her.
“At least the next couple of days,” Pierre added.
“He went to my house and went through my things?” she asked, shocked as they set the counter up with wine and food.
“No, we had your sister Ellena meet him.”
Mikayla’s mouth dropped. She stared at them, and they didn’t bat an eye.
“You sent Leon? To meet with Ellena to get my stuff? Alone?” she stuttered.
“Yeah, what’s the big deal? I mean the guy basically suggested it,” Michael stated.
“He did?”
“Yes. What’s the big deal?” Douglas asked, but she had a feeling they knew this was a big deal. They were all friends with Leon and his brothers.
“I have to call Ellena.”
“Why is that?” Pierre asked.
Mikayla [Orchidea: Love on the Bayou 3] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 16