DutyBoundARe

by Sidney Bristol

  “You must be Lisette.”

  “Yeah. And you are?”

  The woman blinked at her, one dark brow arched. “Are you fucking kidding me?” She rolled her eyes. “I’m Odalia. Let’s step inside.”

  Odalia ushered Lisette back into the apartment. Gator whined and scratched the bars of his kennel.

  “What’s going on?” Lisette demanded. Who was this woman? And more importantly—who was she to Mathieu?

  The memory of sex, the feel of his body, was still fresh in her mind. Jealousy was an evil serpent coiling up inside of her. In worn yoga pants and a tank top, she couldn’t compare to this other woman in his life.

  “I can’t fucking believe he’s leaving this to me.” Odalia rolled her eyes again.

  “What are you talking about?” Lisette narrowed her gaze.

  “Mathieu sent me over here to pick you and Gator up to come stay with me until stuff blows over.” Odalia slid her hands into her pockets.

  She was being sent away?

  Lisette shook her head. Was this really happening? They’d had sex and now Mathieu was shipping her off? Was his baggage seriously that heavy that he couldn’t deal with her?

  Odalia rocked from her heels to her toes, bending forward at the waist. “I don’t know what you’re thinking—but stop. I can see something going on in there, and whatever it is, you should probably not go there.”

  “I’m not exactly sure what to think,” Lisette replied, unable to keep the waspish tone out of her voice.

  “Whatever. You’re pissed and considering how bad Mathieu’s handling this, I don’t blame you.” Odalia waved her hand. “How about we get your stuff together and get out of here?”

  “Why?” Lisette could always refuse to leave. The other woman seemed pretty fit, but she didn’t think Odalia could physically carry her out of the apartment. She could park her ass on the couch and wait for Mathieu to come home.

  “Look, all I know is that you’re in a sticky situation with your ex and Mathieu thinks you need to come to my place. To be safe. That’s what I know. Anything else and you’re going to have to talk to him.” Odalia sighed and pulled out her phone. “Here, we’re going to call him and have him straighten this out.”

  “No,” Lisette said quickly. The last thing she wanted was to have another person dragged into the new and fragile thing between her and Mathieu. “I’ll get my stuff together. It’ll only take a minute.”

  She turned her back on the woman and strode into the bedroom. In less than five minutes she’d gathered up all evidence of her stay and shoved it into her backpack. She emerged from the bathroom to find Odalia with Gator on a leash waiting for her.

  “Ready?” Odalia asked.

  “Yeah.” Lisette hoisted her backpack up on her shoulder and buttoned her jacket with the other.

  “Is that all you’ve got with you?” Odalia’s brow furrowed.

  “Yup.” Heat blossomed on her cheeks. Thanks for the reminder.

  “Okay. Cool. Let’s go.” Odalia led the way out of the apartment, leaving Lisette to follow.

  She shuffled after the other woman, digging in her pockets, searching for her key ring. Glancing around, she committed it all to memory. Would she be back here? She had no idea.

  “I got it,” Odalia said, jangling her keys.

  Lisette blinked, staring at the keys, the heat in her cheeks growing. “Oh.”

  What right did she have to think she had any place in Mathieu’s life? He’d had women before her. It wasn’t as if his life had stopped when she went away. But this reminder was tough. She marched out into the hallway, her spine straight, and stared down the hall while Odalia locked the apartment.

  “Come on, Gator,” Odalia cooed, leading their trio down the stairs and out of the building.

  Lisette settled in Odalia’s Jeep, her bag between her feet, still a little stunned. One moment she was trying to talk herself off the ledge of being too excited about seeing Mathieu again tonight. And now she was back to square one. Where did she go now? Because she sure as hell wasn’t staying with a woman she didn’t know.

  Maybe it was time she went back to the east coast. Call some of her college friends and see what they were doing. Perhaps she could get some work. Her money would dry up soon.

  “How do you know Mathieu?” Odalia asked as she pulled out onto the street.

  “We went to college together. You?” Lisette stared out of the window, refusing to look at the other woman.

  “We were patrol partners for a while before he abandoned me to be a detective, but I don’t hold it against him. So are you going to explain to me why you’re crashing on Mathieu’s couch?” The curl to her voice said Odalia didn’t believe Lisette had slept on the couch. And she hadn’t.

  “I’d prefer not to.” Her sordid story wasn’t for everyone to hear. Especially the other woman in Mathieu’s life.

  “Alright. Whatever you say.”

  They made the drive to a condo down the street in a few minutes. Mathieu had gone to eat with a friend. Had it been Odalia? Had he been seeing both of them at the same time?

  Lisette followed Odalia into the condo with what felt like weights attached to her ankles. She did not want to be here or around this woman who’d been part of Mathieu’s life when she hadn’t.

  The condo was comfortable and cozy. Another steel gray pit bull waited for them inside and when the two dogs met it was a flurry of licks, sniffs and playful yips until Odalia got the leash off. The two went scampering through the living room and into the kitchen, chasing each other.

  “Here’s hoping they don’t destroy something this time,” Odalia groused, but there were warm tones to her voice and the way one side of her mouth hitched up belied the words she spoke. She loved her dog as much as Mathieu loved Gator.

  “I’m guessing they’re related?” Lisette unbuttoned her coat and hung it on a peg next to the door.

  “Yeah, Mathieu and I found them in a box one day on patrol. The idea was to turn them over to Animal Control, but you can see how well that worked out.” Odalia chuckled as the two dogs bumped into her shins on their return trek, still playfully bouncing around the space. “Creature’s not as friendly as Gator, but he’s not dangerous. At least not to most people. You’ll be fine.”

  Lisette went to her knee as the two ricocheted her way. Gator turned to her and wiggled his hindquarters, while Creature sniffed at her as if he’d just realized she was a new addition. She offered her hand for inspection and after a moment of investigation, or maybe Gator’s good word, she passed whatever canine test was being administered and earned a lick from Creature.

  Gator sat down next to her and leaned against her side as if he knew she needed the support of someone right now. Creature was more than happy to let her pet him and even turned in place so she could scratch his back.

  “What happened here?” There was a large ugly scar along his left flank. The hair hadn’t grown back fully yet, and even then she didn’t know if it would ever go away.

  “Oh.” Odalia shifted her weight and crossed her arms. A topic the woman clearly did not want to discuss. “I had a B&E. Guy shot Creature before I got here.”

  Lisette gasped, her heart squeezed at the idea of the seemingly sweet dog being treated so horribly. Creature didn’t seem to notice. He twisted to look back at her when her hand faltered its path up and down his back.

  “Is he okay?”

  “The guy?”

  “No, Creature. I’m assuming the other guy didn’t get off so well?”

  Odalia chuckled. “No, the other guy is in prison and had a couple of bites, so Creature got a pound of flesh at least. As far as his injuries, they did surgery to patch up some internal damage, sewed him up and he’s been on the mend since. He’s just about at the end of it.” Creature padded across to his mistress, who sank down to sit on the edge of the sofa and pet him.

  Creature gazed up at her as if to say, I’m okay.

/>   Dogs were such soulful creatures. Lisette hugged Gator, laying her head next to his.

  Odalia studied her for a moment while they paid homage to their canine companions. “Just so we’re clear, Mathieu and I are just friends. Nothing more. He’s more like a brother to me than anything else. Besides, I’m with someone now.”

  “Never?” Lisette asked before she could think better of it.

  “Never.”

  Lisette didn’t know what to think. She was still deeply jealous of this woman who was something special to Mathieu.

  “Were you around for Amanda?” Lisette asked instead. It was gross curiosity, she knew, but she couldn’t help it.

  “I was, and I maintain my stance I had then. I kept my opinions about Amanda to myself, and I will continue to do so.” The stern way Odalia stared her down was interesting. It made Lisette wonder if she’d seen the writing on the wall where Amanda was concerned from day one, and had chosen to stand beside Mathieu regardless. It was an assumption, but damn it if it didn’t make Lisette actually like Odalia.

  Odalia spread her hands for a moment and Creature licked them. “Anything else you’d like to ask?”

  “Probably. But not now.”

  Odalia propped her elbows on her knees, an odd sparkle to her gaze. Almost as if the woman wanted to stir up mischief. “I’ll admit you aren’t what I expected.”

  What was that supposed to mean?

  “What did you expect?” Lisette asked since the other woman didn’t seem as if she was going to continue without some prompting.

  “Another Amanda.” Odalia shrugged.

  “And what am I?”

  “Not Amanda. I might even like you. Eventually.”

  They stared at each other, studying and evaluating what they saw. Lisette knew the ugly serpent of jealousy squeezing her chest was of her own making.

  The ring of Lisette’s phone broke the stand-off. She dug in her backpack pocket and could have leapt when she saw Lafayette’s name on the screen.

  “Hey,” she said, half-turning away from her new hostess. She needn’t have worried. Odalia rose from the couch and took the two dogs out to the back yard, snagging a rubber toy on the way.

  “What are you doing tonight?” Lafayette asked.

  “Uh…nothing.”

  “Let’s have dinner.”

  Hm. Spend time with a woman Lisette was jealous of, or hang out with her brother.

  “Okay. When? What time should I meet you? Where?”

  “There’s one catch.”

  “And that is?”

  “It’s dinner with Mom and Dad.”

  Lisette swallowed hard. Was she ready for that? Was it safe?

  Last night she’d allowed herself to step beyond the last year and the wrongs done to her. She’d moved forward. Maybe the next step really was trying to make amends with her parents. There might not be much hope there, but giving it a try would be one more achievement on her side.

  “Okay. You’ll bring the cheese puffs at least?”

  “Two bags of them. I’m glad you’re coming.”

  Lisette hung up and breathed deep. Shit. What did she wear to dinner now?

  chapter Fifteen

  Danger

  Mathieu stood out in front of the precinct, breathing a little easier as he read Odalia’s latest text.

  Odalia: Got her. She’s hot. Kind of a bitch.

  Lisette was a sweet soul—unless you crossed her. He could all too easily remember how pissed off she could get. She’d do that crossing her hands business, take her deep breath and unleash a few Cajun curses on him that just bounced off. This time though, he’d feel them. And every second he spent apart from her would rend his soul just a little bit more.

  But she was safe.

  She might not understand, but for now she was out of Seth’s reach.

  My fault. Sorry. He texted back.

  It was time to set the trap.

  He pulled out the business card Seth had left him and dialed the number. Officers passed him, none the wiser for what was going on. The lives in the balance. He knew Seth had killed those women. He didn’t know if it was an escalation from battery, or if Lisette was merely the victim who got away. Regardless, Mathieu intended to put him away.

  “Detective Mouton. I didn’t expect to hear from you so soon.” Seth’s words were clipped, short. Economical.

  “I just wanted to touch base with you again,” Mathieu drawled.

  “Really?” Seth’s reply dripped of disbelief. They both knew they were each positioning themselves for something.

  “You said the name Lisette. The only Lisette I know was a little girl’s rabbit found dead in its hutch. You wouldn’t be an animal killer would you, now?” He could practically hear Seth’s teeth grinding through the phone. He was baiting the man—a dangerous thing—but Seth’s focus needed to be on Mathieu, not Lissy.

  “Play things should be taken care of better than that,” Seth replied coolly. “No, I don’t know anything about Lisette the rabbit, detective. Anything else?”

  “That’s a shame. I promised that little girl I’d find out who hurt her bunny.”

  “Where is this little girl? Maybe I can help her,” Seth replied, surprising Mathieu with his response.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

  “I won’t warn you again to stay away, detective.”

  “I’ll do my job.” Mathieu wouldn’t be warned off the case.

  “Suit yourself.”

  The line went dead, leaving Mathieu standing in a light misting rain as others scurried inside to avoid the moisture. He blew out a breath and wiped the droplets off his brow before heading inside.

  His shift was slipping by like sand between his fingers. The other cases he was legitimately working on lay unopened on his desk. Between Seth’s visit, arranging for Lisette to stay with Odalia, and an impromptu meeting with Amber, the day was halfway gone, and yet it felt as if he’d been there a month. Was it really just last night he’d lost himself in Lisette’s body? She’d sighed softly as she fell asleep, nestled against him.

  She was a force. Maybe not of nature, but she had the power to make him forget all reason and intention. Without her he’d be a bitter, lonely man, perfectly willing to wallow in his poor decisions. She’d pulled him out of the fog and reminded him what it was to want something again.

  He’d begun by desiring her body, he’d continue by demanding her submission. Sex, twining their bodies together in sweet pleasure was something he remembered all too easily from before. Now, he wanted more. It wasn’t his right to ask for her heart, but her submission—that he would take and cherish. She’d thought herself broken. He’d show her just how strong and capable she really was.

  First, he needed to do his job. Hours later than usual, he sat back down at his desk and began his daily routine, browsing his cases, plucking the threads up from where he’d let them rest for a night. There were details to follow up, paperwork to fill out, phone calls to make and other departments to check in with. It was a hollow process of activity today. Usually his job gave him satisfaction. Pride. Now, he was consumed with thoughts of Lisette.

  Was she really safe? Could Seth get to her before Mathieu could lay a trap?

  Mid-afternoon, his phone rang and warmth pierced his chest, spreading down his limbs and into his soul. Grandmère would say he was enchanted, and if he was, he didn’t want it to end.

  “Lissy. . .”

  “Are you going to tell me what’s going on?” Her irritation seeped through the phone, but she was alive to be pissed at him.

  “No.”

  “Ugh. Is this about last night?”

  “No.”

  “Are you going to say anything besides no?”

  “I’d rather not talk about that right now.” He leaned forward at his desk and doodled on a stack of sticky notes.

  “Well, too bad. I’m not going to let you brush me under the
rug.” He wished he could see her now. Lisette pissed off was a spectacular sight. Her cheeks would grow rosy and her eyes would flash.

  “I’m not sweeping you under a rug and this has nothing to do with last night.”

  “But you won’t tell me what it is about?”

  “No.”

  “Fine. I have nothing else to say to you.”

  “Hey, wait a minute. . .”

  “Seriously, Mathieu, if you aren’t going to tell me what’s going on, I have nothing else I want to talk to you about.”

  “That’s not very nice.”

  “Well you aren’t being nice. I don’t get so much as a good morning or goodbye, you’re gone and now I’m staying with your—whatever she is to you.”

  “Odalia is my ex-partner, nothing more.”

  “Yeah. Whatever.”

  Mathieu had half a mind to tell her what he was doing for her, but he didn’t want to destroy the peace she’d found. The safety she felt with him. Seth could do all of that.

  “Lisette?”

  No answer.

  He glanced at the phone, but the call had ended. He couldn’t chance seeing her tonight, but soon, very soon, she’d understand exactly what she was to him.

  Seth glanced up and down the street, but no one paid him any mind. And why should they? He was one of many going to and fro tonight, though most of them had their heads down or shielded themselves with an umbrella. Seth didn’t bother with either. He embraced the elements, used them to his advantage.

  Witnesses couldn’t tell as much about a person in the rain. He was just another person scurrying home. Well, not to his home.

  Somewhere on this street was the home of Mathieu Mouton. He had a good hunch that if he followed the detective, he’d lead Seth straight to Lisette. He didn’t know how the black man fit with his ex, but he wouldn’t rule out any possibility.

  Mouton had smelled of Lisette. That alone spoke of intimacy. He tamped down on the tendrils of jealousy. Lisette had been a good fuck but nothing more.

  His phone rang, vibrating against his hip. Seth pulled it out far enough to see the Caller ID flashing the same name ringing him for the third day straight. He was still on leave, so his CO could go fuck himself. He’d show up once this was finished, like he always did after a mission. He didn’t want to have any loose ends left hanging when he went back on duty. He’d made that mistake once, and what a headache it had been. Which meant he needed to find Lisette. Soon.