Bayou Heat

by Georgia Tribell

  The man scrambled out of the room without a backward glance. Rob closed and locked the door but stayed close in case the man decided to cause more trouble. He looked across the room and watched as Eris put her gun away before she turned to comfort the hysterical young woman.

  He couldn’t help but wonder exactly what LD had gotten them into by taking this assignment. Glancing at his watch, he noted the time and stifled a groan.

  Five more hours until Matt relieved him.

  He could do this.

  He was fast on his feet, strong and, most importantly—he was packing.

  There was a commotion over by the bed and he looked up to see Eris attempting to convince the young woman to get up. By the tone of Eris’ voice, it was obvious she had little patience.

  Speaking of others, he wondered where Eris’ kid was. Knowing her, the boy was probably left home alone all day in that small apartment with nothing more to do than watch TV and get into trouble. That thought caused his already foul mood to plummet.

  He checked Eris’ progress and sighed. It was obvious he was going to have to get the girl moving or they would be there all evening. As he pushed off the wall, his cell phone rang. He retrieved the phone, checked the caller ID and smiled. “I’m going to take this call out in the hall. Why don’t you try to get her dressed?”

  Rob walked out the door as quickly as he could but not before he heard, “What do you think I’m doing?”

  He chuckled as he closed the door. By her tone alone, he knew she wasn’t having fun. Which was fine by him because he wasn’t having fun either. He held the phone to his ear and forgot all about etiquette. “You owe me, LD. Since I walked out of our nice, air-conditioned office, I’ve hiked across the Quarter, gone to one strip joint and decked a naked man, which could land me in jail if he presses charges. And all of this happened in the last two and a half hours.”

  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.

  Chapter Four

  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 ex
plained 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.