Illeanna (19 page)

* * * *

Johnny’s heart was pounding in his chest. His dick was so fucking hard he was about to yank down his pants and jump his woman. He knew immediately when Gustave didn’t go back to the station that he’d headed home with Illeanna. He was stuck doing paperwork and handling a call over an hour ago. He looked at Illeanna’s just-fucked, wild hairdo and the blotchy red rash along her neck that disappeared under the T-shirt she clutched and probably scattered across her chest. Add in the fact that it was just the two of them, and he was wild with lust.

“You wore a sexy outfit and went drinking?” he asked as she stopped moving toward him and shook her head.

He gave her his best interrogation look, and she lowered her eyes immediately. He felt triumphant as he grabbed the shirt and pulled it from her body.

She was a sight all naked and blushing, as he looked her over, deciding where he would taste her first.

He reached to her and tilted her chin up toward him.

“I missed you,” he confessed. She smiled, and it went straight to her eyes and right through his heart.
Damn, I’ve got it real bad
.

He took a few unsteady breaths as he held her gaze.

“Undress me,” he told her. She nibbled her bottom lip, and all he could think about was the feel of her mouth on him, her hands, anything. He felt desperate for her touch and attention.

She did as she was told and slowly undressed him. She reached up to start with his shirt that was now untucked from his uniform pants. The moment her finger touched his skin and removed his shirt he was grabbing her wrists and bringing them to his lips. He kissed her wrists softly as she moaned.

“I missed you, too,” she whispered.

He held her gaze then lowered his eyes to his pants, a silent indication of what she was to do next. She got the hint as she pulled slowly from his hold and leaned forward to kiss his chest. “That’s nice, sugar,” he told her.

She continued to kiss him along his skin until she undid his pants and pushed them down his legs. His cock sprang out to attention, and she touched him, holding his shaft between her feminine fingertips.

He pushed off his shoes and pants until he was naked in front of her.

She was going to make him come just by touching his cock.

“Come on,” he whispered and lifted her up. She wrapped her legs around his waist, and she kissed him hard on the mouth. He knew she felt it, too, and was shocked at how excited he was about that.

* * * *

The water felt hot against her skin but so good to her overused muscles. Johnny began to pour shampoo into his hand and build up lather before shampooing her hair. He was massaging her scalp, taking care of her, and she enjoyed every second of it. She rinsed the soap from her hair and turned toward Johnny. His eyes were dark and mysterious, and she wondered what he was thinking.

He held her by the waist, the water spraying down over them, and she licked her lips.

“Fuck, Illeanna,” he growled then lifted her up, pressed her against the tiled wall, and pushed slowly into her.

“You’re wet for me, sugar. Hot, wet, and welcoming,” he whispered then covered her mouth and kissed her deeply.

He felt so good, and she embraced the sensation of completion again because he was inside of her. She only had that feeling when one of her men was making love to her. She smiled as she held on to his shoulders, knowing that Angelique was right. She could love them all individually and not one more than the others.

He was hard and long as he pulled out slowly and then moved back into her slowly. It was a gentle pace, and with every stroke he tilted his hips to penetrate deeper.

“So good, sugar, like heaven,” he whispered, and she was caught up in the moment and the emotions she felt.

“You feel good, too, Johnny, and I really did miss you,” she stated.

He pulled back to look at her.

“You okay, sugar?” he asked.

“Oh yeah, very okay,” she teased then thrust against him. He got her hint, lifted her ass cheeks, and stroked deeper and faster into her. She had that incredible tight feeling deep in her core. She knew it was coming. She craved the depth and the emotions attached to it.

“Oh, Johnny, please,” she panted.

He covered her mouth, silencing her moans, and he pressed his finger against her puckered hole, shocking her. Like a bolt of electricity going through her entire body, she exploded, and he poured himself into her, thrusting hard against her until he could no longer move. He pulled from her mouth and kissed her jaw and her neck then placed his forehead against hers. They locked gazes as he squeezed her ass cheeks and hips to him.

“Fucking incredible. I love you.” He kissed her smack on the lips before pulling her into a hug, leaving her breathless as his endearment filled her soul.

* * * *

Julien answered the cell phone as Louis pulled into the hotel parking lot. The clerk at the front desk called to say that Jack Pettro returned to the hotel. They immediately gathered their stuff and headed out of their hotel. They were hoping to be back home to Illeanna by tomorrow afternoon.

“It’s Michael.”

“Hey, Michael, what do you got?” Julien asked. He caught Louis’s eyes as Louis placed the truck in park. It was eight o’clock in the morning.

“I think you guys were onto something with the Phillips case. Pettro is not wanted for skipping out on bail, the Feds have been looking for him for months now. He’s connected to the dealings between Phillips and his cohorts. The trail is leading to Senator Pierre and possibly illegal importing businesses.”

“What? They think the senator is involved? Wait, what does this guy Pettro have to do with all this?”

“He’s a jack-of-all-trades kind of guy. Gets involved with anything that has a high pay tag. I don’t know who sent you the info on this guy, but I think he’s going to be a valuable person to question. Where are you exactly?”

“We’re at the Millford hotel in Lafayette.”

“Okay, don’t make any moves yet unless it looks like you could lose Pettro. I can have a team there in less than twenty minutes.”

“Okay. We’ll cover him and together figure out what the fuck is happening,” Julien stated then disconnected the call and updated Louis.

“I don’t like this one bit. What if it’s a trap? A way to take us out and this potential witness.”

“Believe me, Louis, I’m thinking a lot of crazy thoughts right now. You know how I feel about politicians,” Julien stated.

Louis looked at the window and turned toward Julien.

“Three o’clock, over my shoulder, Pettro is headed inside.”

Julien looked. Then locked gazes with Louis.

“We do as Michael requested and don’t lose Pettro. It’s early morning and he probably hasn’t a clue that he’s being hunted.”

“This feels like it’s above and beyond bounty hunting now,” Louis stated.

“Let’s go,” Julien replied. As he got of the car, he checked to make sure his weapon was concealed under the light jacket. Louis nodded his head. He knew that Louis was armed as well as they headed inside.

* * * *

They made their way to the front desk clerk as Pettro entered the elevator.

“Well?” Louis asked the young woman from yesterday.

“He’s in room 576. Um…you’re not the only ones looking for him,” she stated, and Louis glanced at Julien.

“What do you mean?”

“Some other guys in dark suits came by a little while after you left. They asked similar questions and then about whether or not some bounty hunters came looking for that Pettro guy.”

“What did you tell them?” Louis asked.

“I told them yeah. Was I not supposed to?” she asked with an attitude.

“Don’t worry about it. Did they say who they were?” Louis asked.

She was silent a moment then looked around the lobby.

“I think they were government agents or mobsters. I’m really not sure and they didn’t say. But there was one big guy who reminded me of some guy from the
Sopranos
.”

“Okay, thanks,” Louis stated, and she handed him the key to room 576.

They took the elevator and arrived at the room, Julien on one side and Louis on the other, ready to use the card key. Louis nodded at his brother, signaling if he was ready, and Julien winked. His gun was drawn, and he was more than ready and capable. Louis opened the door, and they entered the high-class hotel room, being sure to secure the door behind them. There in the corner of the room on the balcony was Jack Pettro, gazing at the view while drinking a glass of brandy. Their guns were drawn as they approached.

“Jack Pettro?” Louis stated, and immediately Pettro turned toward them wide-eyed and shocked. He reached for something as he dropped his brandy glass. It crashed to the ground on the concrete patio floor.

“Don’t move. We’re not here to harm you,” Louis stated as he moved closer. Julien had his brother’s back.

“Not here to harm me, then what’s with breaking and entering and the guns?” he asked in retort, and Louis eyed him suspiciously.

“We’re bounty hunters and your file was faxed to us.”

“Bounty hunters? What the hell is the meaning of this? I haven’t been arrested in over three years,” he stated, and Louis peeked at his brother.

“I think you should come in here and sit down,” Julien told Pettro. The man seemed annoyed but willing to cooperate.

They sat by the table and asked him a lot of questions when they came across the fact that he knew Senator Pierre.

“I am very good friends with Senator Pierre, and I am certain I have some rights here.”

“You are? How do you explain about the illegal arms deals with known terrorist groups along with Jean Phillips?”

“Illegal arms deals? Terrorists? What in God’s name are you talking about?” Pettro asked and after a few more questions, they started to feel like maybe this was all a setup.

“Mister, I think we’d better get the hell out of here. The Feds are on their way, and some other group is looking for you. We don’t know who they are but they killed a few people already.”

Pettro’s eyes widened in shock.

“Could this have something to do with Bennitto Flores? I thought I saw some of his men following me out in Baton Rouge and New Orleans. I lost them a few days ago.”

“Well they found you. We’ll have to ask the Feds. We got a friend of ours helping us. He should be here by now.”

“Let’s move. I don’t like sitting here like this. There’s no way out of here,” Julien stated. They grabbed Pettro and headed outside to the hallway. Louis looked. It was all clear. Julien placed Pettro between them. How did they turn into the hunted so quickly on this one? Julien did not like the feeling in his gut. They headed toward the elevator.

“Let’s take the stairs.”

Just as they began to enter the stairwell, the bell rang above the elevator door, and multiple men came out bearing arms. Julien locked gazes with them. He hesitated. Were they good or bad?

The shots rang out and he had his answer.

“Move!” he yelled, and they hurried down the stairway. It took them no time to come toward the last two floors. “First floor or basement?” Louis asked Julien.

“Fuck if I know.”

“There’s an exit on the basement level. It leads out to the side parking lot and high grasses.”

Louis and Julien looked at one another then made a run for it. They shoved open the exit door and the alarms wailed. They knew that they’d given their location away, but if Michael’s men were in the hotel, they would know where to find them.

As they headed for the high grasses, gunfire lit them up, making them run for their lives. They were no longer worried about Pettro. Julien immediately thought of Illeanna and his brothers.

“Boudoux!” someone shouted to the right, and Julien saw the gun pointed at his brother. He shoved Louis down as shots were fired. Julien knew he was hit as he fell to the ground, tumbling along the way. He scurried to his feet, grabbing Louis as Louis grabbed him.

“You okay? What the fuck?” Louis yelled. They continued to run and there was no sign of Pettro. They cleared the field and heard more shots in the distance as well as sirens and men yelling. Julien was holding his shoulder. He knew it was more than a flesh wound. The pain was radiating against his shoulder bone, but he had to get out of danger with his brother. As they breeched the perimeter of the high grass and the fence line, Pettro was lying on the ground, bleeding from his stomach.

“Boudoux! It’s CIA, friends of Agent Fromm!” someone yelled, and Louis looked up to see men coming toward them.

“It’s not the same guys. I think it’s the good guys,” Louis stated.

Julien felt himself losing the adrenaline rush as he slipped to the ground.

“Julien!” Louis called his name and fell to the ground beside him.

“You got hit? Fuck!” Louis yelled as Julien tried to remain conscious but couldn’t seem to do it. He saw Louis’s facial expression. His brother was scared as Julien closed his eyes.

* * * *

Illeanna opened her eyes. She was in bed, alone, and she feared that the masked man was back again. The panicky feeling consumed her. Her heart rate increased, and she couldn’t seem to catch her breath.

Calm down, Illeanna. You’re fine. You can handle sleeping without them. You can do this. Just take nice, easy breaths.

She could hear mumbled voices outside the bedroom door. Glancing toward the windows, she could tell it was late morning. She looked at the clock by the bedside table. Ten forty-five.
Damn, they wiped me out last night. Why did they leave me alone?
Since the night of the attack, none of them ever left her alone and especially in bed. She had that uneasy feeling again. She was about to get up when the door opened. Gustave was there and he didn’t look happy. He walked further in, followed by Johnny and now Franco who closed his cell phone then ran his hands through his hair. They looked shocked, upset, and she felt the tears reach her eyes.

“What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked, trying to hold the sheets up to her chin and grip them for support.

Gustave sat down on the bed and licked his lips before he spoke. He was clearly shaken up.

“There’s been a situation in Lafayette,” Gustave began to say.

She covered her mouth with her hands. “Louis and Julien? Are they okay?”

“Julien’s been shot,” Franco stated.

“No, oh God no!”

Gustave pulled her into his arms and held her close.

“He’s alive and in surgery as we speak. We need to get dressed and get to the hospital.”

She pulled away and scrambled out of bed.

“I’ll call Michael and let him know we’ll be leaving shortly,” Franco stated then headed out of the room.

Illeanna rushed through washing up and brushing her teeth. She was frantic and filled with fear.

“Here, sugar, I brought you some clothes.”

She looked at Gustave as he set her bra, matching panties, jeans, and blouse on top of the counter. Quickly she dressed then ran a brush through her hair.

“Ready?” Gustave asked and she nodded.

As they headed out the front door, Franco’s phone rang and he answered it as they hurried toward the truck. Johnny got into the driver’s side of the sheriff’s patrol truck. They piled in, Franco in the passenger seat with her and Gustave in the back seat.

Gustave grabbed her hand and pulled her against his side.

“Julien is tough, Illeanna. He’ll pull through. Don’t you worry.” He tried to reassure her, but she couldn’t even focus on the reality of what was happening. Julien was shot, he was in surgery, and they didn’t know much more.

“So who is the surgeon and what is the plan?” Franco asked into the cell phone.

The one-sided conversation was making her crazy. She wanted to know more. She needed more information.

The call lasted a bit longer, and then Franco closed it up and glanced at Johnny. They exchanged nonverbally, and Illeanna tightened her grip on Gustave’s hand.

“He’s been in surgery for a couple of hours,” he began to say.

“A couple of hours!” she yelled, and they all looked at her except for Johnny, who remained focused on speeding out of Orchidea and onto the highway.

Gustave took a deep breath as if he was uncomfortable or something.

“We didn’t want to inform you too early. We knew that it would take awhile once Julien went into surgery. The calls have been sporadic,” Franco stated.

“We needed to know what was happening first, Illeanna, and about the incident they were caught up in,” Johnny added.

They didn’t inform her immediately? They’d kept her in the dark? Why? She mulled their words over as Franco continued to talk. She couldn’t help the feelings of distrust.
Why wouldn’t they tell me immediately? I love them, damn it. What the fuck!

“He was shot in the shoulder. The bullet has to be removed to prevent lead toxicity and they need to see the full damage. He lost a lot of blood. The hospital was far and he had to be airlifted. Michael took care of him, Illeanna. He’s getting him the best treatment. Once they’re inside, they’ll be able to see the damage,” Franco told her.

The thought of Julien suffering such pain made her heart ache. She felt numb. They left her out of the loop. She swallowed hard and stared out the side window watching the landscape pass by quicker than her eyes could follow.