Bayou My Love: A Novel (20 page)

“No,”
I answered. Suddenly aware that I was only wearing a robe, I pulled it tight
against me, crossing my arms over my chest.

“You
said the window broke,” Jack said.

“That’s
what it sounded like.” I tried to recall that moment on the stairs. I’d been so
frightened, it was possible I’d imagined it. It was possible the dog had
knocked something over. But I knew she hadn’t. “I could have sworn I heard
somebody in the house. I was sneaking down the stairs when I saw the fire.”
Shivering, I pulled the blanket back over my shoulders. “Then I went to get the
hose and forgot about the rest.”

Jack’s
jaw clenched. His fingers were kneading the fabric of his turnouts, his
knuckles white. He opened his mouth to say something, and one of the others whistled
for him to come over.

“You
sit tight, cher,” he said, his voice gravelly. He squeezed my shoulder and
jogged over to the others.

He
stood with his hands on his hips, nodding as the other man spoke. His face
looked hard and angular in the moonlight. I couldn’t make out what they were
saying, particularly with Zane still fussing over my scratches and asking
questions.

The
dog snorted under the table, then crept out toward the swamp. She took a few
steps and then stopped, her ears pricked forward.

Zane
dabbed something on a cut on my forehead, and I heard one of the guys say,
“accelerant.”

The
dog growled and dashed into the swamp.

“Hey,”
I yelled.

“Sorry,”
Zane said, drawing his hand back.

“No,
it’s the dog. She went after something.”

Zane
stared in the direction of the swamp.

My
whole body tensed again as he stood, his hand on my back.

“Stay
here,” he said, his eyes still on the woods. “I’ll check it out.”

Jack
trudged back over, fixing me with a worried look.

“What
is it?” I asked. “What’s happening?”

He
stared past me, biting his lip. “It’s not good, darlin’. Not good at all.”

“That
much is clear, but I need details.”

“You
can’t stay here. This is my fault.”

“What?”
None of this made sense. It was becoming more and more like a nightmare.

“I
was supposed to be here tonight,” he said. “I took that shift last minute.”

“You
think someone did this trying to get to you?”

He
sat beside me, shaking his head. “All this arson business. It’s been old
abandoned buildings, and now all of a sudden it’s a firefighter’s house. The
guys think it’s some kind of grudge.”

“Well
they came to that conclusion awfully fast.”

He
nodded. “We thought it was someone with a grudge against the department, but
now it’s evident it’s about me. And I’ve put you in danger.”

I
opened my mouth, but no sound came out.

“This
wasn’t an accident, Enza. They found proof inside. Traces of accelerant, an
intense point of origin, just like the others. Probably tossed something
through the window.”

I
felt faint. The possibility had crossed my mind of course, but to hear him say
it aloud, so matter of fact, meant it wasn’t as unlikely as I’d thought. Tears
stung my eyes, and I couldn’t hold them back any more. All the fear and anger
broke free and rattled inside my chest.

Jack
wrapped his arms around my shoulders. His lips brushed against my temple as he
said, “You’re all right. I’m not leaving you alone again.”

One
of the guys walked over and stood next to Jack. He was stout with short dark
hair and spoke with a thick Louisiana drawl. “I’m taking the rest of your
shift,” he said. “You got somewhere you can go?”

“Thanks,
Robbie,” Jack said. “We’ll go to my uncle’s.”

Robbie
smiled at me and clasped Jack on the shoulder before walking back to the truck.

Zane
emerged from the woods and returned to the others.

“Hey,”
I called out. A cough tore through my chest, and Jack’s hand went straight to
my back to steady me.

Jack
whistled and waved Zane over.

“Sorry,”
Zane said. “No sign of the dog.” He glanced at Jack. “No sign of anyone else,
either.”

“Let’s
get you out of here,” Jack said to me.

“What
about Bella?”

“She’ll
be fine. This isn’t her first night out in the woods.”

I
saw a look pass between the men, but what it meant, I couldn’t quite tell.

“I
need to go in and get some real clothes,” I said.

“I’ll
grab some things for you,” Jack said. “Stay here.” He jogged across the yard to
the house, casting one last look in the direction of the swamp.

“Thanks
for patching me up, Zane.”

He
smiled. “Any time. But let’s not make it a habit.” He crossed his arms over his
chest, looking back to the house. Standing guard.

“Sorry
you had to go through all of this,” he said. “But the worst is over.”

I
smiled warily. I didn’t believe him for a second.

Chapter
16

Jack
called Buck as we were driving past the canal. I could hear Buck shouting on
the other end of the line.

“She’s
OK,” Jack told him at last, sliding his hand over my knee. “Shaken up, but not
badly hurt.”

He’d
changed out of his turnouts, but he still smelled like smoke. I inhaled as much
of the night air as I could.

At
their house, Josie hugged me so tight I flinched. She and Buck were both
sleepy-eyed, wearing pajamas.

“Oh,
honey,” she said to me. “We’re so glad you’re all right. Both of you.”

She
hugged Jack, and he said, “If you don’t mind, we’ll turn in and talk in the
morning.”

“Of
course, dear,” she said. “You know where everything is. I’ve already made up
the bedrooms for you.”

We
thanked them, and Jack led me upstairs.

I
heard Josie and Buck whispering as we climbed the stairs. The lamps were on in
the two bedrooms, the sheets turned down. Jack took my bag into the green room
I’d stayed in before. “This one’s got the better mattress,” he said. “I’ll just
be next door.”

He
kissed me on the forehead, folding his arms around me.

“I
don’t think I can sleep.” I leaned my cheek against his chest. “Will you stay
up with me for a while?”

I
hadn’t noticed I was trembling until he held me tight against him.

“Hey,”
he said. “You’re safe here.”

I
nodded, trying to relax my grip around his waist. He slid his hands up and down
my back.

After
a few minutes, he said, “I’ll be right back.”

When
he went downstairs, I pulled one of his shirts from the duffle bag and slipped
it on. As I climbed into bed, I heard a muffled exchange between Jack and
Josie, the rattle of dishes in the kitchen.

I
closed my eyes but saw only orange.

After
a little while, Jack came back with a bottle of whiskey and two glasses.

“Thought
this might settle your nerves a bit.” He poured a shot into each glass.

He
handed me one and sat next to me on the bed.

“Thank
you,” I said. “For saving me. It sounds stupid to say, because thank you isn’t
enough.”

He
turned to me and slid his hand over mine, then brought it to his lips and
kissed the inside of my wrist. He held it there, pressed against his face, as
he laced his fingers in mine.

“I
thought I’d lost you,” he said, his lips brushing my palm.

I
moved closer to him then, and he released my hand so he could gather me against
his chest, winding his arms around me.

I
lay my head on his chest, listening to the thumping of his heart.

“Getting
a call to your own house is bad enough, but when I didn’t see you outside—” He
squeezed me tighter, sliding his hand down to rest on my hip.

I
sank into him, draping my arm around his waist.

“I
don’t ever want to feel that again,” he said.

There
was a scratching noise outside the window, and I jumped, clutching Jack’s
shirt.

“Hey,”
he said. “It’s OK. It’s probably just a raccoon.” His lips brushed against my
ear as he spoke.

I
eased back against him. It was hard to stop the thoughts from churning.

“Do
you think it’s Remy?” I said at last.

His
body tensed, though he tried to hide it as he slid his fingers along my skin.

“The
guy might hate me, but I don’t see him going to all this trouble.”

“He
said he hoped you would die in a fire.”

“People
say a lot of stupid things.” He reached for his glass and downed the drink in
one swallow.

“Yeah,
and sometimes they do stupid things. Why would he do this to you? What happened
between you two?”

He
said nothing, stroking my hair.

“Jack,
you can tell me. Whatever it is.”

He
reached over to the nightstand and refilled his glass.

“Is
this because of me? That night at the bar?”

“No,”
he said quickly. “This is not your fault.” He slid his hand along my cheek.
“But he could have been planning to hurt you that night as a way to hurt me.”

I
swallowed hard. Remy was a jerk, sure—but I thought I’d seen a crack in his
facade that night. I’d seen a glimmer of the wounded part of him, something
that made me think he was only pretending to be a brute. It was hard to think
of him actually trying to hurt me.

“Why
would he do that?”

He
stared into his glass. “Because he wants me to suffer, Enza. As much as I made
him suffer.”

I
sat up straighter, squeezing Jack’s knee. He took another long drink and stared
at my hand.

“His
brother Luke worked with us, back when I was in the New Orleans unit,” he said.
He wouldn’t look at me.

“Hey,
it’s OK.”

“Believe
me, it’s not. It’s not something I’m proud of, Enza.”

I
lay my hand on his shoulder. “You can tell me anything.”

After
a long pause, he shook his head. “There was a big warehouse fire, and Luke and
I pushed into a back room. The windows blew out, and we got caught in a
backdraft. Everything was red, so hot you couldn’t breathe.” He stared at the
space between his feet. “Part of the roof collapsed on us, and Luke was pinned
under a beam. I tried to pull him out, but I wasn’t strong enough. When the
rest of the roof started to come down, another guy, Derrick, pulled me out
before I could get Luke free. I fucking hated him for doing that.”

“Oh,
Jack.” I didn’t know what else to say.

“I
couldn’t save him,” he said.

We
sat in silence, staring into the darkness.

“It
wasn’t your fault,” I said at last. It sounded less trite in my head.

“Of
course it was. How could it not be? The first thing you learn is to take care
of your own.”

I
put my arm around him, but he shrugged it away. The pain and guilt seemed to
roll off him in waves.

“And
his wife,” he said. “She never got over it. I couldn’t face her after that. I
knew she wished it had been me who died in that warehouse, and most days I did
too.”

“Jack,”
I said, my eyes brimming with tears. I had no idea what words might comfort
him. What can you say to someone who hurts so deeply?

“Those
two were the happiest couple you ever saw. I mean the kind that couldn’t keep
their hands off each other, always smiling and laughing, making you jealous
deep down in your soul, then making you feel bad for feeling jealous, and
wishing you could be so lucky.” He glanced at me with glassy eyes. “She drowned
herself in the lake behind their house a few months later.”

“Oh
my God,” I said, and regretted it immediately.

“All
because of me,” he said.

I
wound my arms around him, but his body was rigid as an oak.

“It
wasn’t your fault,” I said. “It was a horrible accident, but it was just that—an
accident. You can’t blame yourself.”

“I
couldn’t stand to see those guys. I had to leave the parish, find another
department and start over.”

“Hey,”
I said, but he wouldn’t look me in the eye.

I
grabbed his chin in my fingers and tugged his face toward mine. His brow was
furrowed, his eyes glassy. “Look at me. You’re the bravest man I know.”

He
shook his head. “Remy has every right to hate me. We got into our fair share of
fights over the years. He put me in the hospital once, and I had him arrested
one time, but then it died down. I figured he was getting over it.”

He
grabbed my hand and pulled it to his lips, squeezing it tight. His eyes
darkened. “I’d kill him if he hurt you. And I won’t give him another chance.”
He kissed my palm and said, “I won’t leave you alone again.”

“You
have to go to the police.”

“I’ve
got no proof.”

I
felt my cheeks burning. “We can’t let him get away with this. He’s got to pay
for what he’s done.”

His
grip tightened. “This is my fight. Not yours. I don’t want you tangled up in
this any more than you already are.”

“You
have to tell someone. He has a motive.”

“Everybody
has a motive, darlin’. If you look hard enough.”

“So
what’s the plan? Sit around and wait for him to try again?” My eyes teared up.
The thought of Remy walking around free, hanging this over Jack’s head and
making us both live in fear was too much for me to take.

Jack
slid his arm around my shoulders and pulled me close. “Don’t worry. We’ll fix
this.”

“How?”

“Let
me worry about that. Why don’t I run you a bath?”

I
was coiled so tight, it felt like I’d burst. It would take more than a hot bath
to unwind from all of this, but the gesture was sweet. I nodded, and he kissed
me on the forehead.

When
I heard the water start, I finished my drink and poured another. My hands still
trembled. I stared at my fingers and cursed Remy, wishing that hexes were real,
that I could get something from Duchess to dole out revenge. But wasn’t a
thirst for revenge how we all got here?

In
the bathroom, Jack was sitting on the edge of the old clawfoot tub, dragging
his hand through the water.

“Maybe
this will help you relax,” he said, standing. “I’ll leave you be.”

I
slid my hand along his cheek. “I thought you said you wouldn’t leave me again.”

He
stared at me for a long moment, his eyes filled with hurt and longing.

My
fingers drifted down his neck, down the center of his chest, following the
trail of buttons on his shirt. His body tensed as I reached his belt and pulled
him closer to me.

“I
just want to forget about today,” I said. “At least for a little while.”

His
hand rested at the small of my back.

“I
know things have gotten more complicated, but can we go back to simple for a
minute?” I asked, slipping my hands under his shirt.

“A
minute, huh?” He squeezed my hip.

“A
night.”

He
traced his finger over my lips and said, “You know I want you desperately, but
I feel like I’m taking advantage.”

I
moved my hands into his hair and gave it a firm tug. “You’re not,” I said,
staring him down. “I need you, Jack. I can’t stop thinking about you.”

He
leaned down and kissed my neck. “You know I’ll do anything you ask, cher. I’ve
become helpless that way.”

“It’s
too bad your aunt and uncle are downstairs.”

“I
can be quiet. Can you?” He drew me tight against him, deepening his kiss,
catching my lip with his teeth.

I
pulled back to catch my breath and murmured, “Undress me.” I lowered my hands
to my sides, and he stood there blinking at me.

“I
like the way my shirt looks on you,” he said, undoing the buttons. When he
reached the last one, he slipped the shirt from my shoulders and dropped it to
the floor.

He
slid his fingers along my collarbone, down over one breast, drawing a line to
my hip. As he sank to his knees, he pulled my panties over my hips.

My
breath caught in my throat as his eyes met mine. The mingling of tenderness and
wickedness in them made my chest clench. He rose to his feet, his fingers
sliding up my thighs, over my ribs, pausing over my breasts. I loved watching
him look at me. I’d never been comfortable naked in my whole life, but with
Jack, it was different. I wanted to stand before him, unflinching, with
everything bared as I soaked up his gaze.

“You’re
curvier than any man deserves,” he said, his voice husky. “I could spend all
night touching you.” His hands roamed up and down my back as he spoke, leaving
my skin tingling.

My
hands rested on his shoulders as he pulled me against him. “I thought I lost
you tonight,” he said. “I don’t know what I’d do if that happened.”

“I’m
right here… All yours.”

He
unbuttoned his shirt, saying, “Get in,” and nodded toward the tub.

I
sank into the water as he unbuckled his belt, shoving his jeans and boxers to
the floor. His eyes were fixed on mine as he climbed in with me, sloshing water
onto the tile.

The
water was steaming, soothing my aching neck and shoulders.

Jack
sat opposite me as he maneuvered his legs around mine. I sank deeper into the
warmth as I took him in: his broad shoulders, his chiseled arms and chest. Each
movement of his bicep caused the feathers of the bird to ripple.

I
wanted to catch those feathers on my tongue.

“How’d
you get so lovely?” he said. “I feel like I’ll go blind if I stare too long.”

“Stop,”
I said.

“Don’t
you know what a knockout you are?” He slipped his hand under my heel, his
thumbs massaging my foot. “You could stop my heart with one look.”