Blood surged through Black’s veins as he made his way through the crowd. He was enjoying himself, more than he had in years. He didn’t even mind the blow to his jaw, though he’d have to hunt that fool down tomorrow and kill him.
He wished there was more time to appreciate the high that was associated with a kill. Unfortunately, time was of the essence.
Ahead, Marie moved frantically through crowd like a frightened child. Her small size made it difficult for her to move people out of her way, whereas his height allowed him to look over the crowd and pick the best route.
She looked back over her shoulder and spotted him. Fear was evident in her eyes and as he moved in closer, he swore he could smell it. The scent lured him like a fly to honey. It was impossible to resist.
As he drew nearer, he once again wondered who he should kill first.
Marie?
LD?
He tugged the sleeves of his jacket into place and knew he was ready for this to be over. The hunt has gone on long enough, said the lion to the lambs.
He was a gentleman, so ladies first. He paused to dust the dirt from his trousers, then his jacket, trying to restore them to their neat, clean look. Appearances told so much about a person.
It was slaughter time.
Picking up the pace, he closed in on his first target.
“Marie!”
The woman LD grabbed turned, took one look at him and screamed. He immediately released her arm and kept going. Damn, finding them in this crowd was next to impossible. He pushed his way through, moving in the general direction he’d seen Black disappear with Marie.
A man commented on his costume to the woman he was with. She, in turn, took one look at his wound, then his face, and stepped back. He didn’t know if it was the blood on his shirt, the gun he held or the look in his eyes that had people clearing a path for him, but he was glad for it. He didn’t care why the crowd was moving out of his way, just that they were.
Without breaking his stride, he shoved his gun into his waistband, pulled out his badge and clipped it to the front of his shirt. Then with gun in hand once more, he made his way toward the parade itself. He reached the barrier that kept the sightseers on the sidewalk and off the road. He expected to be stopped by law enforcement as he stepped over it, but they were already occupied with a group of teenagers a few yards away.
Taking advantage of their distraction, he moved down the street against the flow of the parade. Half a block ahead, he saw a disturbance in the crowd, before a dark-haired woman in jeans jumped the barricade. The woman took off, running away from him. He knew it was Marie and called out to her, but his voice didn’t carry above the noise.
He increased his speed and watched as a tall masked man with wicked horns followed in Marie’s path.
Black.
LD broke into a run and pushed the wave of nausea that hit him from his mind. He couldn’t afford the time or energy to think about his own pain.
Marie disappeared around the next corner, closely followed by Black. LD’s gut tightened as he lost sight of them. He forced himself to keep running, and ignored an almost overwhelming urge to sink to the ground and close his eyes.
As he rounded the corner, he came face to face with his own worse nightmare. Marie was climbing up onto one of the floats with Black right behind her. Black grabbed her leg, but she managed to kick him off and kept climbing.
LD raised his gun and took aim. This was the opportunity he’d been waiting for.
“Drop the gun.”
Ah, hell, LD thought as he lowered his gun. He should have known something like this was going to happen. Turning his head toward the voice, he spoke in a calm voice. “Look officer…Matt?”
They hadn’t seen each other since their college days, so it took a couple of seconds before Matt recognized him. Once he did, he lowered his gun and LD breathed a little easier.
Matt’s eyes grew wide when he saw the blood on the front of LD’s shirt. “You need to lie down, LD. Man, you’re bleeding like a stuck pig.”
Before LD could stop him, Matt thumbed the radio microphone attached to his uniform and called for backup and an ambulance. LD shook his head, “There’s no time to explain.”
LD pointed to Black who held Marie on top of the float. “That man is going to kill the woman I love.”
That thought alone was enough to bring him to his knees and render him helpless. If his bullet wound didn’t do him in, losing Marie would finish the job. He turned back to Matt. “Can you trust me on this and cover my back? I’d rather not be taken down by NOPD’s finest.”
“Shit, LD. We’re under orders to apprehend both you and Ms. Bernard.”
LD felt his fear for Marie rush through his body. Then Matt studied his face for a split second. “Oh hell, it’s only my career on the line. What do you need?”
“Get on the radio and have the mounted officers ready to give chase if Black makes a run for it. There’s no way I can go after them. Otherwise, clear everyone away the best you can and try to get a sniper in here.”
“Consider it done.” Matt began talking rapidly into his radio.
There was a single scream, followed by more from the crowd, and LD looked over to see Black holding Marie against him as he waved his gun frantically at the other float passengers. People were jumping off the float as it unhurriedly rolled its way down the street.
LD moved slowly, fighting the urge to jump aboard and take Marie back by direct force. To do so would be disastrous and he knew it, so instead he pushed his feelings aside and focused on the man, not the woman.
As the float continued its leisurely pace, LD positioned himself beside it. Obviously, the driver hadn’t gotten word what was happening, which was good because this allowed LD to view the road ahead without taking his eyes off Black.
“Black, let her go.”
“You’ve come for the woman. I knew you would.” Black turned to face LD, pulling Marie in front of him, using her body as a shield. A trained sniper would have a hard time with the shot, he didn’t have a chance.
Unable to use his wounded arm, LD shoved his gun into his waistband and dug in the pocket of his jeans with his good hand. He withdrew a small bag. He’d carried the diamonds with him ever since he’d swapped them for the fakes. “I came to make a trade.”
He held the bag up so Black could see. “These are the diamonds that belong to you. You can have them, and me, if you let her go.”
“No!” Marie’s voice carried to him. Ignoring the fear in her voice, LD focused on Black and waited.
Black and Marie staggered as the float shuddered to a halt. Silently LD cursed the fact he wasn’t holding his gun, because he’d just lost a perfect opportunity to take out Black. Apparently, the driver finally got word there was a madman riding on top the float, because a moment later he skittered out from underneath and dashed out of sight.
LD stopped and looked up at the pair. Dangling the bag like one would a bone in front of a dog, he prayed Black would take the bait. “You know you want them more than you do her.”
Black eyed the bag, then looked back at him. “You wish I wanted them more than her, but you’re wrong. What I want is for you to suffer like I have, each and every day. Going to sleep each night, praying you’ll not wake the next morning. That’s what I want.”
A new layer of sweat covered LD’s body. Black was set on revenge and there was no way to change his mind. LD needed a plan—fast. He also needed a distraction.
What he really needed were both at the same time, but he guessed he’d settle for the latter. Using his teeth to hold the bag upside down, he opened it, letting the diamonds fall into the palm of his good hand. Releasing the sack, he let it drop to the ground as he lowered his arm.
“You really think I’d spend my time pining away my days like some lovesick fool? I’m not you, Black. There are others out there that could easily replace her.” He watched Black for any sign of weakness.
Marie gave a very unladylike sn
ort of indignation, which was extremely believable. That’s my girl, he thought as he resisted the urge to look at her. He needed Black off balance—unsure of his goals. Words were his best weapon at the moment.
“Then you don’t really love her?”
There was a slight hesitation to Black’s voice and that gave LD the assurance he needed to continue down this path. “Never said I did.”
Marie bubbled over at his words with enough righteous anger to flatten New Orleans better than a class five hurricane. “Men, you’ll say anything to get into a woman’s pants.”
“You’re right, but at least we don’t confuse great sex with happily-ever-after.” LD cut his eyes over to Marie, giving the appearance of taking his attention off Black.
“Excuse me! I don’t remember asking for a ring and a white picket fence. And for the record—it wasn’t that great.”
LD was close enough he could see the fear in her eyes that belied her taunts. He arched an eyebrow at her as he widened his stance. “If you didn’t want me, then you shouldn’t have let me strip you naked in your foyer and take you on that table. And for the record, you weren’t complaining about me then.”
Marie shrieked with outrage and took a step toward him, seemingly too upset to notice Black.
“Stop it. Stop arguing.” Black waved his gun between them.
It was now or never. He prayed a short quick prayer this would work, because he was only going to have one shot. “SING for me, Marie.”
As he said the words, he tossed the diamonds high into the air and pulled his gun. Marie took Black by surprise when she raised her foot and kicked back into his knee, then she dragged her heel down his shin landing hard on his foot. She jabbed back with her elbow, catching him hard in the ribs and in that instant he made his target.
He knew as he swung the gun toward Black and fired he was an instant too late.
Black’s bullet caught him in the stomach and the impact knocked him down. Flat on his back, he opened his eyes. For a moment the diamonds he’d tossed into the air appeared suspended in space. Time stood still, the parade disappeared and the only sound he heard was his beating heart. The stones glistened brighter than the stars in the nighttime sky but not as brightly as Marie’s smile, the smile he’d never see again.
One by one, the diamonds began to fall. He fought against the blackness that tunneled his vision and threatened to take him to a place that he wasn’t ready to go.
As the last stones hit the ground and bounced, LD surrendered to the darkness.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Marie tried once again to catch her breath, but couldn’t. Her words came out on a sob. “I can’t believe it.”
Her hands shook and tears blurred her vision as she tried to comprehend the words she’d just heard. Her world was once again spiraling out of control.
“I know it’s not a diamond, but considering everything we’ve been through—I couldn’t bring myself to buy one. If you don’t like the sapphire, I’ll get you anything you want, even a diamond. Just please tell me those are happy tears.”
Marie wiped her eyes and glanced at the deep blue sapphire ring LD only moments before slipped onto her left hand. She was blessed and she knew it. LD stood still and fired at Black knowing he was going to be hit. It still amazed her he’d hit Black in the heart, killing him instantly. “I love this ring and I love you. It’s hard to believe, that’s all.”
LD reached up with his good arm, running his hand under her hair to the back of her neck to pull her down until their lips touched. His lips were soft, warm and enticing as always.
She pulled her feet up onto the hospital bed as she rested one hand on his chest. Once certain she wouldn’t hurt him, she deepened the kiss and let herself enjoy the moment, as she planned to cherish all the moments to come.
LD moaned and broke the kiss. “We either need a lock on the room’s door or I need to get released—really soon.”
Marie ran a hand down the side of his face. “The doctor said two more days.”
He raised her hand to study the ring, then his brows furrowed. “You heard what the doctors said this morning, I’ll be lucky to regain eighty-five percent mobility in my left shoulder.”
“I also heard them say the wound to your stomach should heal without any lasting effects. It’s still amazing the second bullet passed through without hitting any major organs.”
“True. I’m sure Black would come back to life if he could and finish the job, but that’s not the point. I don’t think you planned on marrying someone who wasn’t whole, was unemployed and with no job prospects. I’ll understand if you change your mind.”
She pushed herself to a sitting position beside him, so she could look into his eyes. “You know, you’re not the only wounded person in this room.”
LD reached out and gently brushed his hand over the small bandage that covered her injury. “It’s not the same and you know it. The doctor said you’d be back one hundred percent after a few weeks of physical therapy. Now, please answer my question.”
He rested against the raised head of the hospital bed. One short week ago, she’d been sitting in the surgery waiting room, wondering if she’d ever speak to him again.
He’d made it through the first surgery, only to return twice more to the operating room within the first twenty-four hours due to complications. She’d never been so scared in her life. Terrified she’d never be able to hold him, talk to him or see his smile—she’d fought to hold on to her sanity. And now he wondered if she was going to change her mind. “One question.”
“Okay, I’ll answer anything.”
“How did you get this ring without me knowing it? I’ve been here almost every hour of every day for two weeks.” LD blinked a few times. It was obvious he hadn’t expected that question.
“My family and yours. Remember when Tammie just happened to come by this morning and insist you go home, shower and rest? That happened to be the same time my father scheduled a couple of jewelers to come by.”
“So you plotted all this behind my back.” She looked over at him and took in his appearance. He needed a shave, his hair needed a trim, there were circles under his eyes and he was gaunt from weight loss. Still, he was the most handsome man she’d ever seen.
“Yes, I did, and I don’t regret any of it. Are you going to marry me?”
She looked into his eyes and could see his fear. She opened her senses and felt the love that started in his heart and penetrated every cell in his body. “I’ve always dreamed of marrying the man who loved me with all of his heart. How could I not marry you?”
He closed his eyes and shuddered. When he opened them again, he smiled at her. “Thank you, now come here and kiss me.”
She obliged him and laughed as he wrapped his good arm around her and pulled her half over him. Then his mouth was back on hers and like always she melted into him, forgetting the world around them.
“LD. Whoa. Sorry, we’ll just wait outside.” Rob’s voice broke the silence of the room.
LD ended the kiss and rested his forehead against hers. His breathing was as erratic as hers.
“We really do need a lock on that door,” she whispered softly for his ears only.
He laughed and then straightened, settling back against the bed. “It’s okay, Rob. We were expecting you and Alan.”
Marie turned, staying next to LD. Her breathing became rapid and she couldn’t shake the fear this would be the time they’d haul her out in handcuffs. She’d met with Alan Conrad and other law enforcement officials so often in the last week the meetings were starting to run together. “Do I need my lawyer?”
“No, we don’t need him here.” Alan Conrad’s voice carried the quiet authority she’d become acquainted with over the last few days.
Marie kept a smile at bay when Alan Conrad visibly winced. The lawyer the Carmouches recommended and she’d hired was not one of Mr. Conrad’s favorite people.
LD took her hand and squeezed. “It’s okay,
honey. Alan called while you were out and asked if he could stop by. He has news for us.”
She held onto LD’s hand and turned back to the other men. “News, about Black? Please, pull up a chair.”
The two men seated themselves on the opposite side of the bed.
“I actually bring good news tonight,” Alan Conrad stated with a smile.
Those words caused hope to flare inside her. “So you’re not going to arrest me?”
Alan Conrad had been nothing but a hard-core agent during their conversations. Now though, he smiled and she could tell the woman who’d put that ring on his finger was a lucky person. “No, in fact I’m here to tell you all the charges against you and your brother and sister are being dropped.”
A weight fell from her shoulder like a boulder rolling down a hill. One moment it was there, the next it was gone. “Dropped? How? I’m not complaining it’s just yesterday morning you still weren’t sure what was going to happen with me.”
Alan cut his eyes over to Rob. “You have Agent Jackson to thank for it. He’s been spending every waking second plus some tracking down Black’s men. Through them he found Black’s last base of operations. Apparently, once Black was dead it was like rats abandoning a sinking ship, because no one bothered to clean the place out.”
LD turned to Rob. “What did you find?”
Marie turned her attention to Rob, too, and was amazed at how composed he was. As if events like this occurred every day.
“We found Black’s laptop and brought in a couple of experts who managed to get into it without destroying the information stored on it. Black kept a journal on that machine and documented his thoughts and actions.”
Marie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You mean he documented his crimes?”
“In detail,” Alan answered.
“It’s good for both of you he did,” Rob continued. “Especially Marie. We found records as far back as nineteen years ago. He dated everything. We found notes from ten years ago when his organization started using your company to transport its goods. He also documented his first person-to-person contact with you.”
Bayou Treasure Page 24