by Sharon Wray
“What about that SUV?” Philip said. “It tried to stop the car, but then a van forced it off the road.”
“I don’t know. I thought…” Calum opened a water bottle he found in the fridge and took a long drink. “Doesn’t matter now.”
Garza sighed. “Rafe is gone. Juliet is kidnapped. And we’ve no idea where she is.”
“She’s probably with Samantha,” Pete said. “We just need to find where Balthasar’s taken them. Except we have no idea where he’s been hiding. Although we do have a map we were hoping to try out.”
Nate handed Pete more gauze. “Arragon might know.”
Garza snorted. “Arragon isn’t helpful. Even if we knew how to contact him.”
“We don’t need to contact Arragon,” Calum said. “Rafe is with Arragon.”
“Does Rafe know about Juliet?” Philip asked.
Calum held up his phone, showing his text. “He does now.”
* * *
Rafe braced himself against the seat as the SUV slammed to a stop. The cops had barricaded the entrance to the interstate. It was the eighth roadblock they’d encountered.
Good.
He’d seen Deke take Juliet. Even worse, Rafe had ID’d Eddie Marigny as the driver before that van forced them off the road. And that’s when everything fell into place. Deke was taking Juliet to Balthasar. “Ditch me here. I’ll find Juliet and meet you wherever you want.”
“No.” Arragon, next to him, leaned forward to speak to Orsino, who held a death grip on the wheel. “Is there another way, Brother?”
Orsino glanced back, his long blond hair and pale-blue eyes betraying his Nordic ancestry. “There may be recourse along the river.”
Rafe tapped his foot. “Balthasar took Juliet. You saw it. Let me find her and Samantha, and I swear I’ll return after I kill him.”
Orsino drove the car into an alley. “Lady Juliet is not your concern.”
“I’m not talking to you.”
“Rudeness is beneath you, Romeo.” Arragon clucked his tongue. An annoying habit Rafe hadn’t missed.
“She’s my wife.”
Orsino caught his gaze in the rearview mirror. “You have no wife.”
Rafe’s heart contracted, and his breathing shortened. “Balthasar knows the only way to get me is through her. It’s the same leverage game the Prince has been using for eight years.”
Arragon checked his watch. “Lennox has been instructed to find the rogue Balthasar and retrieve the vial. If possible, Lennox will retrieve the two women.”
“The deal was I return and Juliet lives. If she doesn’t, I don’t. That’s how leverage works. When the thing a man desires is gone, you no longer control the man.”
Orsino stopped the car near Nate’s motel. Red and blue lights flashed in the distance. The entire lower river area had been blocked off too. “’Tis an impasse.”
“Because the cops have the city on lockdown. Something you should’ve thought about before setting those diversions.”
Arragon started texting.
Rafe grabbed the phone. “You’re not getting out of town with me in the car.”
Arragon held out his hand. “Return it.”
Orsino shifted to stare at them both.
“No.” Rafe dialed. “I need to speak with the Prince. And since you took my cell phone, I’ll use yours.”
“Orsino, find us a refuge.”
Rafe put the phone on speaker. “Head to Liberty Square, between Montgomery and West President Street. It’s under construction.”
The Prince picked up after two rings. “Yes, Arragon?”
“’Tis Romeo. Balthasar has Juliet and the vial. I want to go after him and the men he’s now working with. I need to save her.”
“No.”
“I have information. Something that affects your youngest brother. In exchange, I want to find Juliet. When I know she’s safe, I’ll return with Arragon.”
After a long pause, the Prince said, “I’ll hear you out, and then consider your request.”
Arragon raised an eyebrow, and Orsino frowned in the rearview mirror.
It was more than Rafe had expected. “Balthasar is selling the vial through a law firm in New Orleans. Beaumont, Barclay, and Bray.”
Arragon murmured, “An unscrupulous group of villains.”
“Indeed,” Orsino added.
“I know,” the Prince said.
“The night of Nate Walker’s operation in Afghanistan, Nate’s in-theater commander made a call while Nate’s two A-teams were being ambushed. Instead of helping Nate and Jack’s teams, the commander called this law firm. And that night every team member’s wife received one of Juliet’s lilies.”
“What does this have to do with my brother?”
“Juliet’s lily, the vial, Nate’s ambush—they’re related to one plan. Weaponizing a poison derived from Juliet’s lily. And there’s one man who’s patient enough to do something so complicated and cunning. One man with a connection to Juliet, her lily, and a Special Forces unit. One man who hates Colonel Kells Torridan more than you.”
“I hold no hatred for Torridan. And that man you speak of is dead.”
“What if your brother didn’t kill him? What if that man is alive and playing all of us?”
“It’s not possible—”
“If I can prove that man lives, then your brother could be freed from prison. But I need to do this alone—without the brotherhood.” Rafe clenched the phone until he was sure he’d break it. “I give you my word. I’ll come back once I save Juliet and prove your brother’s innocence. Technically, I’m still a free agent until I return.”
Arragon shook his head. “’Tis a false hope, Romeo.”
Rafe ignored the lack of support. “Balthasar isn’t working alone anymore. This is larger than Kells Torridan’s A-teams.”
“Arragon?” the Prince asked.
“’Tis true, my lord. Balthasar isn’t alone.”
Orsino pulled into Liberty Square and parked between a dump truck and a bulldozer. When he turned off the car, the only light came from the silent phone.
“What say you, my lord?” Maybe switching to formal language would help.
“You’ve twenty-four hours. But you will return, Romeo. Do you understand?”
“That you’ll kill everyone I love? Got it.” Rafe tossed the phone to Arragon. “I need a gun, my cell, and any other weapons you can spare.”
Arragon exhaled loudly while Orsino handed him a nine-mil, two loaded mags, and a knife.
After loading up, Rafe asked Arragon, “Do you know the Prioleau Plantation on the Isle of Hope?”
“Aye.”
“In twenty-four hours, I’ll meet you near the tomb of Noble Jones. You shouldn’t have trouble getting out of town by then.”
Arragon took Rafe’s cell from his back pocket and handed it to Rafe. He had a string of texts from Calum to which he responded Meet you at the club in ten minutes.
Orsino unlocked the door, and Rafe got out. He was about to close the door when Arragon said, “And if Balthasar has killed your joy?”
Rafe pressed his gun against his hip. Then he pounded the top of the car with his other fist. Arragon would know this wasn’t a threat. It was a promise. “This day’s black fate on more days doth depend. This but begins the woe others must end.”
* * *
Rafe met Nate at the club. Rafe had run from Liberty Square, but adrenaline hammered in his veins, and he was barely out of breath. “How’s Philip?”
“Stable.”
Rafe pushed open the door to the kitchen. Philip lay on the table. Calum sat on a counter, his shirt stained with blood. Pete had dark circles under his eyes, and Garza leaned his ass against the sink.
Rafe beelined for his brother. “What happened?”
“It’s my fault.” Philip struggled to sit, and Rafe helped him.
“Yes, it is.” Calum hopped off. Strange since Rafe couldn’t remember Calum ever hopping off anything. “Philip set up a meeting for Juliet to meet with a buyer for her land, and then Deke and Eddie took her.”
Rafe kept a hand on Philip’s shoulder to keep him steady. “I saw that part.”
“Did you see the part where Eddie attacked Philip and I was almost run over?” Calum held up one hand. “Pete stitched Philip up, and, although I’m in pain, I’m told I’ll be fine.”
Philip’s body shook from his erratic breathing, and Rafe asked, “Are you okay?”
“Yes.” Philip straightened his shoulders until his face crumpled.
Rafe nodded to Garza, who helped lay Philip back down. “You need to rest.”
“I need to find Juliet.”
“Do you have any idea where Deke took her?”
“We were supposed to meet Delacroix at Prideaux House.” Philip pressed a hand against his side. “Delacroix wants to buy her land.”
“Holy shit.” Nate yanked off his gloves and pulled something out of his back pocket.
A tourist map?
“Did you know about this?” Rafe asked Calum.
Calum scowled. “No.”
Nate smoothed the paper on the table. He’d marked black X’s in the historic district.
“Why would Delacroix want to buy Juliet’s land?” Garza asked.
Philip spoke in short bursts. “For hunting. A getaway. On the Isle.”
“Who the hell is Delacroix?” Rafe asked.
“The second-richest man in town.” Calum took two pills Pete handed him and downed them with a bottle of water. “Didn’t you meet him the night of the explosion?”
“No.” Juliet had talked about him, but they’d never met. “Where does Delacroix come from? Why is he in town?”
“Shit, shit, shit,” Nate muttered, staring at the damn map.
“Delacroix arrived almost a year ago,” Calum said. “Started buying property. Even got the Habersham sisters to recommend him for the preservation society.”
“Delacroix knows the city,” Rafe said.
Nate raised his head. “We met at the gym and have been daily fighting partners.”
Pete scoffed while cleaning up blood-soaked towels. “Delacroix knows your strengths and weaknesses?”
Nate sighed. “Yes.”
Rafe clasped his hands behind his neck and paced. “Dammit, Nate.”
“Delacroix also gave a lot of money to the police,” Garza added.
“Delacroix bought connections.” Rafe fought to keep the exasperation out of his voice. “A rich man comes to town around the time Juliet’s problems started. The same time our family members and a detective were murdered. This man befriends Nate, one of the strongest men in the city. Supports local cops. Endears himself to the gatekeepers of Savannah’s upper crust. And no one thought that was odd?”
Calum put down the water bottle. “I checked Delacroix’s background. His father is from Lyon, his mother from Louisville. They made their money in textiles and railroads. He went to Oxford and speaks six languages.”
Rafe paused his pacing. “Calum? Where does Delacroix bank?”
“RM Financial.”
“That’s strange,” Philip said. “That’s the bank that bought Juliet’s business loan.”
“Fuck.” Rafe pulled out his gun and dropped the magazine. He needed to reassure himself he was fully loaded with a round in the chamber.
“I don’t understand,” Garza said.
Nate pointed to one X on the map. Prideaux House. “This is Balthasar’s safe house.”
“Clarification would be nice,” Calum added. “Before you start shooting things.”
They didn’t have time, and Rafe didn’t have the patience. “Nate, load up every weapon and flashlight we can find.”
“I brought the duffel bag,” Calum said. “With the guns.”
“Good.” Rafe helped Philip sit up again. Rafe wasn’t leaving Philip behind. “Garza, figure out a way to drive us across those police barricades.”
Garza helped Pete wipe down the table. “Where are we going?”
“Prideaux House. Then, if the women aren’t there, the Isle. Calum, call Sheriff Boudreaux and have him grab every armed man he can—except for the Marignys—and meet us at Pops’s house. Just in case.”
Calum, Pete, Garza, and Philip asked at the same time, “Why?”
Rafe shared a long look with Nate. “Because it’s likely that Balthasar has taken Juliet to the manor to find the other vial.”
Chapter 45
Nate stood to the side in Pops’s trailer. It’d been a hard trip out here. Not because they’d raided the Prideaux House attic and found Balthasar’s safe house, along with a nice stack of the same C-4 used in the previous night’s explosion and no women. Or because Garza lied to get them across the barricades. It’d been hard because Nate felt responsible for this clusterfuck. Every action he’d taken had made everything worse, and he still had no way to save his men.
Rafe stood in front of a table in Pops’s trailer with tidal charts, a hand-drawn sketch of the Isle, and architectural drawings of the manor. Philip sat nearby; his face was drawn and pale, and his breathing sounded short and choppy. Garza and Pete stood with arms crossed, frowns affixed. Calum leaned against the door jamb leading to the kitchen, controlling his world through text.
“What’s the situation?” Jimmy Boudreaux came in with Pops, Grady, and Tommy.
Rafe got to the point. “Balthasar, a dangerous man, has kidnapped Juliet and another woman, Samantha. I believe he, with armed men, is holding them at Capel Manor.”
“Are you sure?” Jimmy asked.
“Mostly sure,” Rafe responded. “Balthasar’s safe house was empty, and it’s the only place he would’ve taken them that makes sense.”
“Why take her at all?” Tommy asked.
Rafe pressed his fists on the table. “Juliet’s lily is a poisonous flower brought over from Italy in 1645 and used by pirates to control the population. Technically, it’s a biological agent that could be weaponized. But only from the original source, which is why Gerald went crazy eradicating it. It’s also why Gerald, along with Eugene and Legare, were murdered. They were protecting the secret of the lily.”
Jimmy scoffed. “This is insane.”
“It’s true.” Grady glanced at Pops, who nodded. “I helped Gerald hunt that lily until his death. Now Pops helps me.”
“And now,” Rafe continued, “someone’s figured out that there are two vials containing a poison and an antidote made from the lily. This someone has one vial. And Balthasar, who’s now working for this someone, has taken Juliet to find the other.”
The men of the Isle murmured, scratching their heads, before Pops said, “What do you want us to do, Son?”
“Divide into four groups. One goes by johnboats down the Black River, toward Crab Creek, and hikes in from the south. The second will take Tommy’s boat and come in through the back meadow and cross Oyster Creek, using smaller estuaries to make it to the manor. The third group will canoe along Snake Creek and protect the east perimeter. I’ll head through the cemetery, hitting the back of the house.
“I want a soldier and guide on each team. Nate and Grady will lead the first. Pete and Pops will go with Tommy on his boat. Garza and Jimmy will take the third route.”
“I’m going too,” Philip said.
“No,” Pops said.
Philip started to get up, when Rafe put a hand on his shoulder. “Stay here with Calum to monitor the SAT phone. It’s the only comm we’ll have out there.”
Philip glanced at Calum, who was still texting, and then nodded.
Rafe went back to the hand-drawn map and used a chess piece to mark th
e manor. “Balthasar is probably holding the women here. Deke and Eddie Marigny are working for him, along with two armed guards. Our three teams will advance from the front and sides. I’ll get into the manor and set up in the upper bedroom, facing the front lawn. I’ve got my father-in-law’s sniper rifle with a thermal scope. I’ll lay down cover fire while your teams take out the guards and storm the house.”
Nate studied the property again. Swamp and forest cut apart by estuaries. “How will you be able to tell us from the bad guys?”
“Infrared glow tape,” Tommy said. “We use it on our shirts for night paintball.”
“Works for me,” Pete said. “Weapons?”
Jimmy said, “My brother and I have four handguns and two bolt action rifles with scopes. Pops has two shotguns, a .22, and two Remington bolt action rifles. Gerald left us three big game rifles and two double-barreled shotguns. Everyone gets a thermal scope.”
“And plenty of ammo,” Pops added.
Garza crossed his arms. “Who’s going with you, Rafe?”
“I’m going alone through the cemetery. I move faster on my own and can walk those woods blindfolded.”
Murmurs rose up until Rafe said, “Our Isle—and our women—are under siege. What happens tonight will affect our future, and we’ll be judged by those who come after us. We have to win. If we don’t, we deserve to die.”
* * *
Where am I?
Juliet lay in the dark on a hard surface. Her first deep breath burned her nose. It smelled like death in a bathroom. She moved until her bare feet hit a wall. Someone had removed her sandals? So she wouldn’t run away? Her head ached and she tasted blood. Then she remembered the car and…Deke.
She rolled over and threw up. After a minute or an hour, she struggled to her feet. She ran her hands over herself. Her body felt liked she’d been thrown in a dryer with rocks, and she had a lump on her forehead. But other than not having shoes nothing seemed…wrong. Thank God.
She heard male voices and inched in their direction. When she found a door, it opened into a foyer lit by flashlights held by two men—Deke and Eddie Marigny—facing two other men. One sat on the stairs with only his legs visible, the other on a folding stool with a briefcase on his lap. This second man wore a black suit and shirt, leather shoes, and thin tie.