Marie felt her face flush and was embarrassed she had acted like a scared kid. “Okay. I’m sorry I’m acting so…”
LD hushed her words by placing his fingers against her lips. “Don’t apologize for how you feel.”
Without another word, he crossed to the fireplace and stoked the fire. When he walked back to her, he stopped to retrieve the quilt from the chest at the foot of the bed. She watched his shirt stretch over his biceps when he smoothed the blanket across the bed, then rolled over to watch him undress on the far side of the bed. Once he was down to white briefs he joined her under the covers.
“Hey, that’s my warm spot,” she protested as he nudged her over.
“I told you to warm the bed for me.”
He went to pull her up next to him, but before he could get close, she stuck her cold feet on him. “That’s for taking my spot.”
LD practically jumped from the bed. “Man, those are cold. Warn me the next time your feet are like icebergs.”
He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down so her head rested on his shoulder. “I think we should both try and get some rest. Goodnight,” he stated as he ran a hand lightly over her back.
She placed a hand over his heart and liked the way it beat steady and strong beneath her palm. “Okay, ‘night.”
She lay there and listened to his breathing deepen and even out. His arms relaxed around her as he drifted off. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t seem to close her eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
His words were softly spoken but still caused her to jump. “I thought you were asleep.”
“I’m not going to sleep until you do. Why don’t you go ahead and tell me what’s wrong, otherwise we’re going to have another long sleepless night.”
Marie shrugged the best she could. “I can’t seem to relax.”
LD rolled her over and pulled her back against him spoon style. “I love watching the fire burn while lying here. It always relaxes me. Watch the flames and let your mind go.”
His breath tickled her ear. “How dark is it going to be when the fire burns out?”
LD didn’t say a word, but got up and padded across the room, dressed only in those tight white briefs, and disappeared into the bathroom. She snuggled deeper under the blankets in an attempt to make up for the loss of his body heat. He reentered the room carrying a small object. Stopping next to her side of the bed, she watched as he plugged in a nightlight and switched it on.
“It’s really cold out here.” He moved to the bed and crawled over her to get back under the covers.
He resumed his previous position behind her, draping a protective arm over her waist. She let herself enjoy the feel of simply being held. It wasn’t something she was accustomed to. While raising her brother and sister, she very seldom enjoyed the company of men. And when she did, she never lingered in their bed nor did they linger in hers.
Between his warm body, the steady strong beat of his heart and the fire crackling in the fireplace, her body started to relax. She felt her eyes drifting closed. “Thank you.”
His arm tightened around her and she felt him shrug. “It’s nothing. We keep nightlights here for those who don’t like the total darkness.”
It was something to her. She really wanted to tell him but her eyes wouldn’t stay open any longer and her mind was shutting down. Tomorrow, she would tell him how much she appreciated all he’d done.
* * * * *
The sun was just starting to dip below the horizon, ending their first full day at the cabin, when LD heard the distinct whistle float across the water and through the open window. He reached for his gun as he crossed the small room. Even though he felt certain he knew who it was, he hadn’t expected to see anyone out here this soon. He checked that Marie was still asleep on the couch before walking outside. He returned the signal and didn’t have to wait long for the response, then a minute later he could see Rob guiding a canoe silently through the green water.
LD watched as Rob tied the boat off and started in his direction. Rob’s memory was exceptional because it had been years since he’d been out here. In his right hand Rob carried a bottle of tequila and LD knew he wasn’t here to bring news about Black. Turning, LD didn’t waste any time going inside and retrieving two glasses.
The bottle was already opened by the time he returned to the porch. Handing the glasses to Rob he watched while his friend poured them each a drink. Taking his glass, LD dropped down into one of the chairs. Rob followed his lead and for several minutes they shared their drinks in silence.
“Where’s Marie?”
“She’s asleep, has been most of the day.”
“Good, she looked exhausted yesterday when I left. I wanted to let you know that Tammie and Tim are far from here and safe.”
“There wasn’t any doubt in my mind you’d take care of them, so why are you really here?”
Rob finished his drink and refilled his glass from the bottle that sat on the deck between them. “How much do you know about my last assignment?”
“You were undercover for over a year working with the DEA somewhere in Florida. That’s all I ever learned, everyone has been very closemouthed about the job.”
“It was one of those alphabet soup task force assignments. I swear there was a player from every agency in the country. I’m guessing you never heard about me shooting the kid.”
LD turned toward Rob, “No, I never heard about that. How old was the kid?”
“Fourteen.”
“Hell,” LD ran a hand down his face. No wonder his friend was changed, that would change anyone. “Did he live?”
Rob stared off into the growing darkness. “Yeah, he’ll live and make a full recovery. It was ruled a clean shoot.”
LD thought about that for a minute. “You did your job, Rob, that’s what we’re trained for.”
Rob turned to look at him. “I know I did my job. The boy had already shot one agent and turned his gun on me. It was him or me, I understand that. But when I signed on, I never thought I’d be shooting fourteen-year-old kids. What next, twelve year olds?”
LD poured some more tequila into both of their glasses. “No one ever said this job would be easy.”
“They also never said it would be this damned hard.”
LD looked over his shoulder through the window to where Marie was sleeping. “No, they never did.”
Rob downed the remainder of his drink and stood. “I wanted you to know what’s going on and there’s a good chance I won’t be staying with the agency much longer. Thanks for the drink.”
LD watched as Rob paddled the canoe across the swamp disappearing into the underbrush and growing darkness. He stayed there and finished his drink while the blackness of the night claimed the world around him. Things were changing for both of them and he couldn’t help but wonder where they’d both end up when all was said and done.
Chapter Eighteen
The phone rang for the third time and he knew he should answer it. Not answering would only make the person calling madder. He grabbed a stack of underwear and tossed them into the open suitcase. He wasn’t worried about where he was going, only about how quickly he could get there.
He answered before the forth ring, deciding he needed to give the impression of calm, even though their scheme and his world were quickly falling apart. “Hello.”
“Did you find out where they are?” Black’s voice was hard as steel and just as emotionless.
“I tried.” He managed to keep most of the anxiety out of his voice.
“I expected you to try. What I need to know is did you succeed?”
He resumed his packing with a renewed vengeance. “The governor wasn’t in the office, nor was he taking calls.”
“You didn’t go to his house?”
“No. I thought that might be too suspicious.”
“You fool. It would be expected of you to show up and offer to help.”
He stopped and rubbed his eyes.
He hadn’t thought of that. Why couldn’t LD have stayed away? If LD hadn’t returned, everything would have worked out. “You know how closemouthed they are when it comes to family matters.”
“Not my problem. Stop packing your suitcase and drive to New Orleans. Now. Go to the governor’s house and offer your services, and stay until you get the information we need.”
He sat on the bed. “I’ll leave in the next ten minutes.”
“Keep your phone handy. I’ll be contacting you.”
He hung up the phone and dropped it beside him. He didn’t like the way this was turning out, not at all. But he didn’t have any other choice if he wanted to live.
As he walked through his condo, he wondered how Black knew he was packing to leave. He scanned the rooms and had the uneasy feeling everything he did in this place was being watched.
He closed the door behind him and blamed LD for everything that was going wrong in his life.
* * * * *
The clatter of dishes and the sound of Marie’s voice softly singing drifted through the screen door to where LD sat on the front porch. With his feet propped on the rail, the chair balanced on its two back legs and a mug of steaming chicory coffee in one hand, he strived to reach some level of calmness.
He knew anyone looking at him would think he was the picture of tranquility. He knew this because he was working really hard to maintain that illusion. He prayed the impression would become a reality. It didn’t appear to be working though, because on the inside he was bouncier than a Mexican jumping bean on a hot August day. This feeling was quickly putting him in a foul mood. He knew it and if he wasn’t careful, he would take his frustrations out on Marie.
Just because, after four days, he was hornier than a nineteen year old at the high school prom, didn’t mean he couldn’t control his emotions or his libido. The problem was he didn’t want to control either.
It also wasn’t her fault his father had yet to contact them. If the family would have gotten around to purchasing a satellite phone like they talked about, then he wouldn’t be suffering like this, but standard cell phones didn't work out here. His dad promised to send a cousin out with information as soon as any news of Black’s motives or location was uncovered. He thought some news would have made its way to them by now. The waiting was beginning to fray his already strained nerves.
He lifted the steaming cup to his lips and cringed. Taking a sip, he lowered the mug and winced. His shoulders and back ached and there was no one to blame but himself.
The first day passed quickly, Marie spent most of the time sleeping and then Rob visited in the evening.
The next two days, he was outside for most of the daylight hours, working around the cabin. There was always something that needed to be fixed, painted or chopped around the place. He turned and looked over at the small island and the pile of wood he’d split yesterday. Today he would cart the wood across the short pier connecting the cabin to the island, to the porch where he would stack it.
With any luck, by bedtime he would be tired enough to sleep without dreaming about the soft warm woman curled next to him. Of course, this plan failed miserably the last two nights.
These reasons were playing a minor part in his unpleasant mood. The real cause rested in his shirt pocket. He checked over his shoulder to make sure Marie was still in the cabin and then pulled the cool smooth cubic zirconia out. The morning sunlight reflected through the stone and a rainbow of color danced across the deck.
Dropping the stone back into his pocket, he felt the weight of guilt fall across his shoulders again. If he never saw another diamond again, real or fake, it would be just fine with him.
“Are we still going for a boat ride this morning?”
LD froze. Marie was still inside the cabin because he hadn’t heard the screen door open, but from the clear sound of her voice, she was standing just on the other side of the door. Lifting his feet off the rail, he let the chair fall back to all four legs with a hard thud. He placed the mug on the porch rail as he grabbed his battered straw cowboy hat from the deck before standing. “I’ve got stuff to get done today. We’ll see.”
Without another word, he shoved the hat on his head and walked off. Marie rubbed her temple as she turned away from the door. With a dishtowel in one hand and a feather duster in the other she looked around. There was nothing that needed to be cleaned today. Over the last two days she’d cleaned the cabin from one end to the other. Yesterday, she even climbed the ladder to the sleeping loft. Once up there, she cleaned the small area that held two double beds, a nightstand and a lamp. Bored beyond belief and desperate not to think about her current situation, she even cleaned the windows.
The floor was as spotless as one was going to get out here, the beds all sported fresh linens and the bathroom sparkled. Unless she wanted to go mess it all up, there was nothing left to do. She went to the kitchen, put away the cleaning items then poured a large mug of coffee. Picking up her mug and the book she’d found yesterday, she walked out onto the porch.
She dropped into the chair LD just vacated and made herself comfortable. Opening the book, she started reading where she’d left off the night before.
Fifteen minutes later, Marie closed the book and gave up attempting to read. She looked over to where LD stood loading wood into a wheelbarrow. Once full, he grabbed the handles and made his way across the short pier toward the deck where he was stacking the split firewood only a few feet away. Averting her eyes, she looked out across the swamp and wondered again why he was avoiding her.
The man was a walking contradiction. At night, he held her close and tight, as if he was afraid she might disappear before his very eyes should he let go. Yet in the daylight, he wouldn’t even look at her. The bruises on her face and neck were, for the most part, starting to fade but still pretty vivid.
The only reason she could come up with for him treating her this way was she disgusted him, because every time he did look at her, he quickly turned away. Their attraction was noticeable every night when he held her, but when she tried to act upon their mutual desires, he would tell her to go to sleep. His body still wanted her, but obviously the rest of him didn’t.
Marie closed her eyes and wished it were that easy for her. Unfortunately, her heart, mind and body craved his touch. She felt as if she was going to explode if they didn’t do something. Soon. She opened her eyes at the sound of the empty cart rolling back to the island.
“Can we please go for a boat ride?”
LD stopped and looked back at her. His eyes were hidden beneath the hat brim, but she was sure he wanted to do just about anything other than take her for a ride.
“I’m getting cabin fever,” she explained. “Some new water and trees to look at would be perfect.”
A slight smile spread across his lips as he shrugged. “I’ll get the boat if you’ll pack us a lunch and some drinks.”
Marie was out of her chair and back in the house in a flash. She prepared a quick lunch and gathered the other items, shoving it all into a small soft-sided ice chest. Returning to the porch, she walked toward the boat. She couldn’t wait to feel the wind blowing through her hair, taking her nervous energy with it.
“Over here.”
LD’s voice came from the small island and she turned to see him waiting. Walking across the bridge, she stepped onto the soft dirt and made her way to the water’s edge. “Why are we taking the pirogue?”
“There’s a slight problem with the boat.”
“Slight problem?” She tried to keep the irritation from her voice but failed. “And that would be?”
“We’re low on gas.” LD didn’t bother to look at her as he took the ice chest and placed it on the floorboard.
“Low on gas. You mean we’re stuck out here?” This time she didn’t try to cover up the aggravation she felt.
“No, we aren’t stranded. There’s plenty to get us back to my uncle’s. We just don’t have enough extra to go running around the bayou.”
/> Great, just great. She was so looking forward to the adrenaline rush she would have gotten from LD’s wild driving. She needed that burst of emotional energy to take the edge off her desire.
“Are we going?”
“Yes,” Marie answered as she stepped into the boat. She only hoped this tranquil ride would help her unwind.
Marie stretched as she watched LD pole the canoe through the water. The morning ride was peaceful and more relaxing than she’d anticipated. They’d enjoyed a leisurely lunch on a small dry patch of ground LD found. After lunch, they’d returned to the boat for the slow trip back to the cabin. She was seated facing him so they could talk without her having to look over her shoulder. There was the added advantage that this position allowed her to enjoy the view of him standing at the back of the pirogue.
“Earlier you mentioned this property belonged to your great-great grandfather? Did they live out here?”
His shirt strained across his chest as he pushed the pole deep into the water. The pirogue was like a silent creature cutting through the swamp. “There are many tales about this place. Some say Lafitte used it as a hideout. Others say it was a safe haven for gunrunners during the War of 1812. The one thing we do know for certain is my great grandmother kept a still out here and ran moonshine during Prohibition.”
Marie laughed. “You’re kidding! The governor’s family descended from moonshiners?”
LD shrugged as he sank the pole into the water again. “She made the stuff and great grandpa delivered it. They say what they made sold for a high price. No one ever went blind or died from drinking it. Together they made enough to move their family into town and send my grandfather to college.”
Marie wondered how the woman coped with the stress of living on the wrong side of the law. “That must have been scary for her, knowing she and her husband might go to jail if anyone told. What would have happened to her family if she’d been taken away?”
LD looked down at her instead of across the water and, despite the evening shadows, she saw the hard glint in his eyes. “I’m sure it was difficult, but she knew she wasn’t alone. They trusted each other. She didn’t have to carry the burden alone because she believed in the man she loved.”
Bayou Treasure Page 17