Bourbon Street Royalty: Jaded Series, Book Two (5 page)

“Oh, ya’ know, the best I can without your expertise,” Rodney mocked. “Speaking of which, what’s up? What’chya doin’ back in town?”

Lucky shuffled his feet, kicking dirt across the cement floor. “My old man died.”

“Shit man, sorry to hear that.”

“Yeah, I didn’t plan on coming back anytime soon, but there’s a shit storm brewing at Gauthier. Hoping I can take care of it and skip town before anyone knows I’m here.”

Rodney leaned against the old Chevy and wiped his greasy hands on a tattered, old bandana. “I’m guessin’ by anyone, you mean Baby Jade. I heard ‘bout the accident, man. That’s some fucked up shit. Sorry about losin’ the baby.”

Lucky swallowed back the bile in his throat. He nodded. “Thanks, appreciate that.”

The two men made small talk for a few minutes longer before saying their goodbyes. Lucky turned onto Bourbon Street wondering if Baby Jade was working. The obnoxious neon sign flashed the words Bottoms Up with an image of the backside of a woman in nothing but a thong. Strip clubs were a dime a dozen in New Orleans, and he had frequented most of them over the years, but this one was different.

The thought of Baby being so close made his heart race. He contemplated stopping for a beer, but decided it wouldn’t be fair to shake up Baby’s life. Not again.

He roared past the strip club. Lucky attempted to push the thought of her from his already jumbled brain, but couldn’t stop himself from driving by her apartment. He came to a stop at a cross section right down from her apartment. The street was pitch dark. The only light on belonged to Ma’Linn. He spotted her stocky silhouette as she bustled around on the inside.

Images of the time he and Baby had shared in the cramped apartment flashed in his head. Even the fucked up time they had spent together as she detoxed, coming off the shit Slade pumped into her body was etched on his heart. After they had managed to get her cleaned up, they had squandered away hours making love and sharing secrets, some so intense they almost tore them apart.

But they overcame. Lucky thought they would be able to overcome any hurdle.

They fought through the pain and torment as they learned to rely on each other, fitting together like two pieces of one fucked up puzzle. Perfectly matched, reserved only for one another.

Lucky took for granted the idea that they were inseparable.

In the middle of his pity party for one, Lucky heard the rumble of an engine before the Mustang even turned the corner, pulling up in front of Baby’s apartment complex. A man jumped out of the driver’s side and quickly ran around to the other side to open the passenger door.

His breath stalled in his throat as he watched Baby Jade place her hand in the man’s and step out onto the sidewalk. His stomach somersaulted as he scanned her frail body. She had lost weight and didn’t look as fit as she had before. Her black hair was still long and piled on the top of her head.

She was fucking gorgeous. His body ached to touch her. To feel her hot, smooth skin. To bury his face in her neck and inhale her scent.

He watched them stroll up the walkway. It was like a punch to the gut the way the two of them held hands all the way to Baby’s front door. They stopped, and a pain gripped his throat like a vice when she tossed her head to one side and smiled at the man. They leaned against the door, deep in conversation.

He couldn’t take anymore as the man caressed her shoulders. Lucky revved up the bike and thundered down the road. Anger burned deep in his gut. He swerved in and out of traffic, with no idea where he was going. He just wanted to get as far away from Baby Jade, and her new man, as possible. This fucked up town had a chokehold on him. He didn’t know if he would survive this time.

CHAPTER SEVEN

Baby Jade

Baby gently stroked Lolli’s deeply bruised arm. She had never referred to her as a friend, but her heart ached for the young girl. Her once beautiful, fresh face was now various shades of purple and blue. Her bottom lip had been busted in two, and one of her once vibrant eyes was now swollen shut, with the other barely a slit. A deep gash on her cheek had been bandaged, but the blood was already seeping through the gauze.

“Listen sweetheart, you have to talk to us. You can’t let whoever did this to you get away with it.” The uniformed officer leaned in closer.

Baby had spent the last hour listening to the man plead with Lolli to tell him who had attacked her. He used different tactics; good cop, bully cop, bad cop, and even flirty cop. However, she knew that Lolli would never relent.

Why would she? Ratting out Slade to the cops meant an automatic death sentence.

Lolli attempted to shake her head no, but the obvious pain caused her to wince. Tears streamed down her swollen cheeks. She squeezed Baby’s fingers. Baby squeezed back, silently letting the broken girl know her secret was safe with her.

“Can we do this later? She doesn’t seem up to it, and she’s really emotional. I wouldn’t be surprised if she just couldn’t remember who it was.” Baby patted Lolli’s hand.

The officer stood erect and eyed Baby. “And you’re sure you’ve told us everything you know about the situation?”

“Yes, I know it’s not much help.” She shrugged and pretended to play coy.

“Don’t you think it’s odd that she was found outside your place of employment? She wasn’t attacked there, so clearly she was placed there on purpose. A message maybe?”

Baby squared her shoulders. She knew what the officer was implying, and even worse; she knew he was right, but she wasn’t about to let him know that. “I don’t know anything about that. I got off work, walked outside, and heard someone crying out. I looked around, and that’s when I found Lolli rolled in a blanket lying in the alley. A customer was leaving and saw us, so he stopped to help. He gave us a ride to the hospital. Again, that’s all I know.”

The cop surveyed her as if weighing her words for the truth. The way his eyes narrowed signaled that he didn’t believe her.

“Well, we’re not done here. I’ll be talking with both of you again soon. In the meantime, I’ll need to talk to,” he flipped through his tiny, pocket-sized notepad, “a Mr. Drew Kenner.”

Baby folded her arms across her chest and jerked her head towards the door. “Try the coffee area.”

He nodded and marched out of the room without even a word to Lolli.

Baby plopped herself down in a chair beside the bed. “It’s ok, honey. He’s gone. You just get some rest now.” She smoothed the young girl’s matted hair back from her face and dabbed at her tears with a tissue. She couldn’t make out a reaction on Lolli’s misshapen face, but the tears finally stopped. The rhythm of her chest indicated that she had finally drifted off to sleep.

She thought about the officer and wondered what he was asking Drew. Better yet, she wondered what Drew was telling him. It was strange to be thrown into such an intimate situation with someone she didn’t know from John Doe. Now, he was picking her up at her apartment, dropping her off, bringing her coffee, and taking care of her.

Where the hell did he come from?

Baby waited to make sure Lolli wasn’t going to be waking up anytime soon and decided to head home for the night. She had called into work, without letting on about what happened. She left a message with the bartender. Mickey would hit the fucking roof when he found out, but she didn’t care. He probably already knew about Lolli anyway, since he was Slade’s right-hand sleaze bag.

Drew was waiting for her in the reception area, drinking his umpteenth cup of black coffee, and flipping through a stack of magazines.

They drove back to her apartment while making small talk. “You sure you don’t want anything to eat? I can pick up some takeout or something and drop it back by,” he said as he pulled up to the curb.

“No, really, I’m fine. I have some leftovers from my neighbor. She keeps me stocked up.”

Drew bolted from the car, just as he had done the night before, and opened her door before she had a chance to do it for herself. They walked to the door, and it threw her off when he rested his hand on the small of her back. Her body went stiff. The gesture was too intimate. She attempted to step to the side, with no luck. His hand followed. Not in a pushy way, soft, yet firm.

“Do they know when your friend will be released from the hospital?” He asked.

“Not sure, maybe tomorrow or the next day since she doesn’t have insurance. I didn’t get much of a chance to talk to the doctors with the cops all over the place.”

Drew nodded and rubbed the scruff on his chin. “Um, about that, not sure how it went for you, but I’m pretty sure the cop thinks I know more than I’m telling.”

She leaned against the door. “Yeah, I was afraid of that. He acted the same way with me. What did you say to him?” She forced a smile.

“Not much. Told him it was my first time in Bottoms Up. I was getting ready to leave and heard you asking for help in the side alley. Got you both to the hospital, and I’ve been a ride ever since. That’s about it.” Drew shrugged. “And that’s the truth.”

She nodded. “That’s the same thing I said. You know, I can’t thank you enough for all you’re doing.”

He reached out and took her hands in his. “Don’t give it a second thought. I wouldn’t be anywhere else.”

Baby jerked her hands away and rubbed them along her jeans. “Well, I’d better call it a night. Thanks again.”

“Sure thing. So, I’ll see you tomorrow?”

She unlocked the door and stepped inside. “Not sure of my plans yet. I have to work and may need to go see my mother. Have a good night.” She closed the door before he had a chance to respond.

She tossed her bag onto the treadmill and popped open a beer, wishing she had something stronger in the house. Her emotions were off the charts. She was blindsided by the fact that Drew Kenner was getting under her skin.

The sound of a motorcycle on the street made her queasy. Her mind drifted from Drew to Lucky. Where the hell was he? Why did he leave her all alone to deal with everything all by herself? Was she not worth it? Being able to put up with the pain to be together? She was angry with herself for thinking he was different from the others.

And now, with Drew dropping into her lap, Baby’s heart felt like it was all caught up in the middle of a tornado, spinning wildly out of control. She had only met him two days ago, and it was already obvious that he was into her. The thought of getting mixed up in another relationship made her want to peel her face off with her bare hands.

Baby Jade finished her beer and drank some of Ma’Linn’s sleeping concoction before taking a quick shower, using the drizzling cold water. Mickey was such a douchebag. She was going to have to man up and buy her own water heater if she ever wanted a hot shower again.

CHAPTER EIGHT

Lucky

The relentless pounding in Lucky’s head only got worse as he tried to pry open his heavy eyelids. Attempting to peer around the large room, he could barely make out his surroundings. The almost bare walls held only a few expensive pieces of art. There were also various awards and diplomas.

Leather bound books and fancy framed photographs lined the glossy, wooden bookshelves.

The desk. The chair. The extravagant nameplate that read: Colby Gauthier, engraved in heavy, gold letters.

Lucky was lying on the leather sofa in his father’s office at Gauthier. On the same couch where his dad spent most nights sleeping, rather than coming home in the early days.

He vaguely remembered the drive across the Lake. The empty bottle of scotch lying on the floor explained the hammering in his temples. He propped himself up and rubbed his groggy eyes with the palms of both hands. His stomach hurled into his throat causing him to swallow hard to keep from throwing up.

What the fuck
?

A photograph lay on the floor next to the empty liquor bottle. It was a picture of his father and him when he was about ten years old at the Gauthier crawfish boil. It was a rare reminder of when his family was happy. Not rich, but well off. Hanging out with friends and coworkers while playing ball, and cooking up some Cajun goodness. Not long after the picture was taken, his father quit attending functions with the employees. It was all beneath him by that point.

However, Lucky remembered that day as if it were yesterday. It was in late June, and the company had rented out the pavilions on the lake for the employees. There was a time when his father prided himself on keeping his company family oriented. There were games, food, and music, all in attempts to keep up morale, as he used to say. Even before they had money, Lucky’s mother had carried herself as a matriarch, making her rounds and keeping up the political face.

However, his father was beaming on that particular day. He was in an especially good mood. He had participated in all of the father-son events with Lucky. They had won trophies and awards. They played hard and carried the dirt to prove it. He remembered his giving him a well-done pat on the back when he managed to hit the softball over the fence, resulting in his team winning the Gauthier league trophy.

Hot tears stung his eyes as he recalled the smile on his father’s face. He couldn’t remember a time when Colby Gauthier ever smiled like that again.