Madam Temptress

by Meghan March

  “I called Mount on the way back here. Told him what happened. She might already know. Talk to her, mama. Talk to your friend.”

  He picks up the phone and offers it to me. My hand shakes as I take it from him and tap the screen before it stops vibrating.

  “Hey,” I say, my voice raw.

  “Oh my God, Mags. I just heard. I’m so sorry. I know you and Desiree were close.” She sounds utterly sympathetic and likely on the verge of tears herself.

  “Yeah,” I say, not sure how else to reply.

  “You’re not okay, so I’m not going to ask. But . . . I really, really want you and Moses to come stay with us. Lachlan agrees. Whoever this guy is, he’s not stopping until he finds you, and I’m not losing you.” She’s rambling, and her voice rises when she begs, “Please, just say yes. Please.”

  I know my man won’t leave anyone behind. “There’s more than just me and Moses. We’ve got two of his guys too.”

  “You’re all welcome. We have plenty of room. And no one can get to you here. It’s literally the safest place in the entire city. Hell, the entire planet.”

  I look up at Moses, who is listening to the conversation. Without me voicing the question, he nods that he agrees.

  “Okay, Ke-ke,” I tell her. “We’ll do it.”

  “Thank God,” she replies with a sigh of relief. “I’ll tell Lachlan. V will come with instructions. Don’t worry, Mags. We’re going to keep you safe. I’m not letting anything happen to you. Not ever again.”

  When I hang up with Keira, my hands aren’t any steadier. Tears slip down my face as I conjure up images of what Moses found when he went to check on Desiree.

  “How . . . how did he kill her?”

  “Mama . . .” Moses shakes his head. “Trust me when I say, you don’t want to know.”

  I look deep into his gaze and see true sorrow and horror there. “I have to know. This is because of me. It’s all fucking because of me.”

  He clasps my face between his palms. “You didn’t do this. You tried to make her go with the girls. You offered to pay her to go. She knew the risks of staying. You did everything right. Everything you could fucking do. You can’t control what some fucking psycho does. This isn’t your fault, understand me? You didn’t do this.”

  My entire body shakes, and if I don’t get myself under control, I’m going to fall the fuck apart and be useless to everyone. I grind my teeth as I take a long, slow breath in and release it.

  “Atta girl. Another. Deep breaths,” Moses says, releasing his grip on my face.

  I inhale and exhale a couple more times. Although I still feel like my heart is shredded when I’m done, I’m no longer in danger of curling up in a fetal position on the floor. That’s something no one needs to see. I also don’t want to do it because I may never get up, and that simply isn’t an option.

  This is bigger than me. I’ve put everyone in danger. But at least we have the strength and power of the most ruthless man in the city backing us.

  “Good girl. Okay. Let’s go pack. The sooner we’re locked down at Mount’s, the better.”

  Fourteen

  Moses

  I would have done anything to save Magnolia from feeling what she is right now, and I fucking hate that we haven’t been able to track this fucking monster down.

  The shit in the box from Ricardo’s closet will have to wait until I get Magnolia somewhere that not even the devil himself could get to her.

  After what I saw in that house . . . a shiver rips down my spine.

  I’ve witnessed some fucked-up shit in my day. Really fucked up. Hell, once upon a time, I gave orders for bad shit. But nothing like what I saw, and I never want to see that again. There’s no doubt it’ll visit me in my nightmares as it is.

  When the cops find the crime scene, they’re going to come looking for Magnolia again, and that’s another reason I want her somewhere untouchable. I’m not taking a chance that Cavender or another asshole cop will show Magnolia a picture of what happened to Desiree.

  She doesn’t need to see that. Ever.

  We both pack quickly, and as Magnolia fills her suitcases again, it strikes me that she’s moving for the third time in a fucking week. Yet she doesn’t argue. She doesn’t bitch. She just . . . does what she’s gotta do.

  Any other woman would be losing her goddamned mind right now, catatonic with all the chaos and change, but not Magnolia Maison.

  If I had any doubt about whether she could handle my life, it’s been wiped away. She’s strong as hell and all mine.

  Within an hour, Jules is letting in Mount’s silent second-in-command. V’s got an envelope in hand and lifts his chin when he sees me, holding it out.

  I don’t have to wonder how he knew where we were, because I gave Mount the address. Although, he probably knew it already. Wily bastard.

  I take the envelope and open it. Mount’s instructions are in a dark, heavy scrawl.

  Come to the same entrance you used before. Don’t bring a tail. After you park, give the keys to V. He’ll have the vehicles moved out of sight and stored with my personal collection. You won’t need them.

  When I finish reading the note, I meet V’s gaze. “We’re almost ready.”

  He gives me a nod and goes outside to wait.

  Jules’s gaze follows him. “That dude is really fucking quiet.”

  “Probably safer to be known for being silent if you’re around Mount all the time.” I glance toward the hallway where Jules and Trey have rooms. “You guys almost ready?”

  Trey walks into the kitchen with a duffel bag slung over his shoulder and a hard case for his computer equipment in hand. “I don’t know about Jules, but I am.”

  “My bags are already in the SUV. I’ll take yours and Magnolia’s out as soon as you’re ready.”

  I clasp his shoulder as Trey heads outside. “Thanks, man. And about earlier . . .” I trail off, thinking of Jules’s face when he followed my yell into the room where I found Desiree. “You okay?”

  His expression is somber. “Fuck, man. That . . . that was bad shit. I feel like I should make the fucking sign of the cross every time I think about it.”

  “I know. You need to talk, you let me know, okay? We’re gonna find this fucker.”

  Slowly, his head bobs up and down. “Fuck yeah, we are. No man should be allowed to live after doing that to a woman.”

  I swallow the acid rising in my throat and pull him in for a quick backslapping hug. “Fucking right, brother. You’re so fucking right.”

  When I release him, his expression is determined, which is exactly how I feel.

  “I’ll go see if Mags is done and grab my bags,” I tell him. “You drive the SUV. I’ll take the Rolls. After we get there, the keys all go to V. Mount’s got a place for them. Don’t leave anything here. We may not be coming back.”

  “Got it. And I’m set, but I’ll give Trey’s room another look. Fucker always forgets some cord somewhere.” As much shit as he gives Trey, they’re like brothers, and I’m glad that they’ll hang close when we arrive at Mount’s.

  No one should be alone after witnessing what we did today.

  We break apart, and I retrace my steps to the bedroom where Magnolia is zipping her second suitcase closed. “All done?”

  She turns to see me standing in the doorway. “Yeah. I’m getting good at packing this shit quick. Good thing I travel light these days.”

  I hate what this is doing to her, but it only fuels me to see it through to the end. “Not for much longer, mama. We’re going to get through this, and then we’ll settle down somewhere for a good long while.”

  A ghost of a smile flickers over her lips. “That sounds like a fantasy at this point.”

  “It will be. Just you wait. If you’re ready, I’ll take your bags, and Jules will load them up. V’s here, and we’re ready to rock.”

  She takes another slow, shaky breath and releases it. One more sign of how much this shit is eating her alive, and I’m fucking ov
er it. “Okay. Let’s do this.”

  Fifteen

  Magnolia

  Coming in through one of the family entrances at Mount and Keira’s isn’t exactly new to me, but I’ve never come with so much baggage before. And I’m not just talking about luggage.

  Thoughts of Desiree and the sharp stabs of grief are with me every step we take through the twisting and turning corridors until we come to a hallway carpeted in black, white, and gold.

  Keira rushes toward me as soon as my feet sink into the plush nap. “I’m so glad you’re here,” she says, flinging her arms around me and squeezing me tight in a hug. “I’m so damn sorry, Mags. I can’t believe this is happening, but we’ll fix it. I told Lachlan I don’t care what strings he has to pull or favors he has to call in. Whoever this person is has to be stopped, like yesterday.”

  I return her hug, taking the comfort she’s offering. “Thank you, Ke-ke. Don’t know what I’d do without you.”

  She pulls back, still holding on to me, and offers me a small smile. “And I don’t know what I’d be doing with my life right now if not for you. I’d say we’re pretty damn even.”

  The fact that my best friend is thanking me for meddling in her life the way I did goes to show I don’t know how to do friendships the normal way. Thank God Keira doesn’t know how to either.

  “Let me show you your rooms. If you need anything at all, you can pick up the house phone and hit zero. Don’t be afraid to ask. We literally have twenty people running around here taking care of this place, and they’re all willing and more than happy to help.”

  She leads us to a set of tall white-and-gold double doors and opens them. Moses and I follow her inside and, I swear, it’s like entering a luxury hotel. Everything is black, gold, and white, and Keira points out the amenities.

  “The fridge is fully stocked with liquor, beer, wine, soda, water, whatever you need. The kitchen is on standby to prepare whatever you would like. Anytime, night or day. Again, just hit zero, and someone will take your order and bring it to you.” She looks around me to Trey and Jules. “Your rooms are going to be just down the hall. They’re much like this one. Just give me one second, and I’ll show them to you.”

  “I can show them.”

  The deep voice comes from the hallway, and we all turn to see Mount . . . the ruthless king of New Orleans . . . carrying his princess, dressed in all pink.

  “Rory’s awake! How’s my baby girl?” Keira rushes toward them, her arms outstretched for her daughter.

  Rory, however, has other plans. She buries her face in her father’s neck, and there’s an audible whimper.

  “Someone didn’t sleep during her nap, and now she’s angry at the world. If she had the nuclear codes, she just might use them,” Mount says, uncharacteristically teasing his wife.

  “Aw, baby girl,” Keira says, patting her on the back. “And now she only wants her daddy, isn’t that right?”

  How the man can manage to look so forbidding while carrying a cranky almost-toddler, I have no idea, but he manages it. Oddly, it suits him very well.

  “Of course. Because no other man will ever be good enough for her. Isn’t that right, princess?” Mount says in what is most definitely the friendliest voice I’ve ever heard him use. There’s no question the man loves his daughter something fierce.

  Rory makes a grunting sound against his neck, and I can’t help but smile. She’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. This little girl will know nothing but love because Mount won’t let anything touch her. Ever. And that’s exactly how it should be.

  Thoughts of what might have happened to Desiree try to intrude again, but I block them out.

  It’s not going to help anything right now, I tell myself.

  Keira says something to Mount and Aurora that I can’t hear, but his reply carries farther.

  “She can stay with me. We’ll show these gentlemen to their rooms, and then see if she wants to take another shot at a nap. Maybe read a book or two. I guess I’ll have to do the voices.”

  The baby snuggles into her daddy, and I have to wonder if she knows she’s got him wrapped around her tiny little finger.

  Keira presses a kiss to the back of her baby girl’s head, and Mount leads Trey and Jules down the hall. Trey turns around to look at me and Moses, and his eyes look like they’re going to bug out of his head. Keira laughs when she sees his expression and leads us back into the suite.

  “People don’t know what to think about Lachlan and our little princess. I swear, I had no idea how quickly and easily that girl would be able to bring her father and his gruff personality to heel. She’ll be spoiled rotten by the time she’s two at this rate.”

  “That’s what baby girls are supposed to do to their daddies. Hopefully, you’ll have a houseful,” Moses says with a soft smile. “I pray to the Lord above every day that I’ll get to know the exact same feeling.”

  He snags my hand and squeezes it, and I freeze.

  Wait. Is he saying what I think he’s saying?

  Keira’s grin is so wide, it’s in danger of splitting her face clean in half. “You want children, Moses?”

  Without hesitation, he nods. “Yes, ma’am.”

  When he glances down at me, I stare at his face in shock.

  “You really do want kids?” I ask him in a cautious tone.

  “I’d love three, but I’d settle for one. I guess it’s really up to you, mama.”

  Something I keep hidden deep inside me comes to life as soon as he says those words. “Maybe just start with one and go from there.”

  Moses’s smile beams so full of joy—the complete opposite of how he looked only an hour ago when he came into the house after returning from Desiree’s. I wish I could burn this new image into my brain to replace all the ugliness of today.

  “It sounds like you two are on the same page then,” Keira says quietly, backing out of the room, no doubt to give us space so we can discuss the topic further. There’s no question in my mind Keira would love it if I started popping out babies tomorrow so she and I could raise them together.

  “Here come your bags,” she says as she reaches the hallway. “I’ll let you two get settled. Your guys will just be down the hall to the right. If you hit zero and ask to be transferred to their room, the operator will be able to assist you. If you’re up for dinner, it’ll be very low key, at seven.”

  Moses releases my hand, and I walk toward my friend. “Thank you, beautiful. We appreciate all you’re doing for us.”

  She smiles. “It’s my pleasure. I’m not letting anything happen to you, Mags. Not if it’s in my power.” Her arms come out, and she wraps me in a tight embrace. As she does, she whispers in my ear. “And that man . . . well, you’re going to have to tell me all about him later when we get some time alone. I gotta hear everything about the guy who wants to give you three babies.”

  I squeeze her back. “Thanks, Ke-ke. You’re the best.”

  She releases me after a long, but much-needed moment. “All I want is to see you happy. Now, we just need to find this motherfucker and kill him all the way dead.”

  The smile she adds to punctuate her sentence knocks a chuckle loose from me, when I could have sworn it would be impossible to laugh for the rest of the day.

  “Mount’s rubbing off on you.”

  “I’m sure he is, but that’s what real love does.” She pulls back, and her head falls to the side. “It makes you stronger than you ever dreamed and do things you never imagined possible. And now it’s your turn.”

  Real love. What a concept.

  Sixteen

  Moses

  Mount sits at the head of the table, with his wife to his right and their daughter between them. I don’t know why that surprises me, but it does. She wears a bib that reads My Dad Says It’s Okay, and I’m still shocked that he’s so openly affectionate with the girl.

  Then again, we are in the inner sanctum. If he thought any of us were a threat or would use any of this information a
gainst him, we’d be dead before we could make it out of the room.

  Jules and Trey are on their best behavior, although they don’t escape Mount’s notice.

  “I understand you’re the hacker,” he says to Trey as wine is poured.

  “I prefer to think of myself as chief technical officer of our operation, but yeah, hacking’s part of what I do.”

  The king lifts his chin. “Most difficult hack?”

  “Nothing I can disclose without getting arrested by Interpol.”

  Mount looks suitably impressed. “Interesting.” He focuses on Jules next. “And what is your role?”

  “Probably a lot like your silent guy. I watch Moses’s six. Do what needs doing. We go back a long way.”

  I give Jules a nod. “Jules and I have been colleagues for over a decade. Trey’s been with us for just a year less.”

  “Quite the impressive business the three of you have built.”

  “Wouldn’t have built it if not for you,” I say.

  Mount’s full attention swings to me. “How’s that?”

  I glance across the table at Magnolia, wondering if I should have told her this first, but either way, it’ll be good for her to hear. “When you banned me from the state of Louisiana—”

  “Of course you would do something like that,” Keira says, shooting her husband a dirty look.

  “Different time, hellion. Different time.”

  She rolls her eyes and goes back to her salad, and I continue telling my story.

  “I was on my way through Texas when I ran into a guy on the outskirts of Houston. His accent was strong and distinctly New Orleans. He was drunk in a bar, talking about starting over. Being that I was starting over too, I moved down a stool and listened to him ramble. I was on my second drink when he finally came out and told me he’d faked his own death in the aftermath of the storm.”