Angelina [Orchidea: Love on the Bayou 5] (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Forever) (8 page)

She took a deep breath.

“It’s not you, it’s me. I’m sorry. I just panicked.”

He cupped her chin with his fingers.

“Panic, why?” And as he said the words, she saw his eyes light up and then grow darker.

“Oh hell, baby. I’m sorry. I know he hurt you and scared you. I didn’t mean to make you feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh God, no, you didn’t, Jacque. It was me. Honestly, I enjoyed spending the evening with you. I’ve just been having a hard time at night and being alone that’s all. But I’m getting better.”

He squeezed her hips and ran his fingers up and down her back.

“I can spend the night, and neither of us would feel alone.”

She chuckled.

“I’m sure you would do that for me, but I don’t think so. Plus this isn’t even a date and I don’t know you.”

“Let’s change that. How about I pick you up tomorrow night for dinner around seven? Does that work with the restaurant and all?”

“Not really. I have to work tomorrow. It’s Saturday, but I’m free Sunday.”

“Okay, how about lunch and dinner Sunday?”

“Both, huh? You’re pretty confident that this is going to go that well?”

“Definitely. I have to make you see that the Bouchet men are not bad guys.”

She felt her insides react to that statement. This was just her and Jacque, not any of the others.

“I had a good time.”

“Me, too. Now walk me out or I won’t leave and I will stay the night with you.”

She climbed down off his lap and held his hand as they walked toward the front door.

“I’ll call you tomorrow.”

“Sounds good.”

She watched him get into his car then closed the door and locked it. Leaning her head back against the door, she wondered what, if anything, could come of this night with Jacque. He mentioned that his brothers cared, too, but she wasn’t going to get her hopes up that something had changed. They didn’t want her. They made that obvious. Jacque was a totally different story.

Angelina looked through the small window in the kitchen to the dining room. She immediately had seen Mike, Tye, and Jacque arrive about twenty minutes ago. It was long past the lunch rush, but all the wait staff were keeping busy as they also prepared for the dinner hit.

“Angelina, table five ordered another dozen oysters on the half shell. Can you bring those out for me?” Ellena asked. Illeanna smiled as she cut up some chicken pieces, preparing to clean them then bake them in Cajun hot spices.

“Don’t you try that crap with me again, Ellena. I know damn well who is sitting at table number five.” She readjusted her apron, which partially covered the dark blue tank top she wore. It was hot in the kitchen. She tried to adjust her top so that the cleavage didn’t show so much as she maneuvered the apron around.

“Can’t help it, honey. It’s an Aubert curse,” Ellena said aloud.

“Not such a curse. My men love my breasts,” Illeanna said, and both she and Ellena laughed. That just made Angelina’s stomach turn in knots. She was so inexperienced, and lately, especially after hanging out with Jacque, she wished she had let him stay last night.

She smoothed her hands down the front of the nice black apron. She wore a skort underneath and made sure it wasn’t sticking up anywhere.

Grabbing ahold of the platter of oysters, she took a deep breath and placed her hand on the exit door to the dining area.

“Go get ’em, girl!” Ellena hollered, and Angelina threw a sassy expression over her shoulder at her.

As she entered the dining area, she noticed that only a few patrons were there and of course three very intimidating-looking Bouchet men. Before she even got to the table, they looked up and smiled.

Hot damn, it was as if she got smacked in the face with a sheet of heat. Every part of her body came alive. Jacque stood up and then Mike and Tye.

“Hello, Lina.” Jacque called her by her nickname, and Mike and Tye looked a bit taken aback by it.

She placed the platter on the table as the men looked her over.

“Hi, guys. Please sit down. Enjoy your appetizers.” As she turned to leave, Jacque grabbed her hand.

“Wait, sugar.” She paused and he placed his hand on her waist then leaned down and kissed her softly on the mouth. They locked gazes and he winked.

“I missed you,” he whispered. She felt her belly quiver, and then she looked at Tye and Mike. Their eyes glistened with interest and she stepped back and rubbed the palms of her hands on her apron.

“Can I get you anything else?”

“You,” Mike whispered, or at least she thought he said that. Maybe it was her imagination because she looked at him, and he just stared at her then gave her body the once-over.

“We’re good, sugar. Thank you,” Tye said and touched her hip.

She heard a commotion coming from the front door, and when she turned to look, she saw Jerry, Elle, Eloi, and Johnny. They saw her, and Jerry walked over to her quickly. Her gut clenched, and she knew that something was wrong. Elle clasped her hand and dragged her back toward the kitchen with Jerry right behind her. “Angelina, have you heard from Vera?” Elle asked.

She shook her head.

“You haven’t gotten any text messages from her or calls?” Jerry asked.

“No, what’s going on?”

“Can you check your cell phone?” Jerry asked her as Ellena and Illeanna met Johnny and Gustave by the door to the kitchen.

Angelina pulled out her bag and took out her cell phone. “No. Nothing. What’s going on? Tell me.”

“Oh God, Vera’s missing. Her parents have been calling all over town. The police are involved.”

“She didn’t return to your apartment last night or this morning?” Angelina asked.

Elle shook her head.

“Maybe she’s still with the guy she left with?” Angelina asked as Jacque, Mike, and Tye entered the kitchen, too.

“No. There’s more. Oh God, Angelina.” Elle turned toward Jerry, and he hugged her as she cried.

Angelina looked at Eloi, and he placed his hand on her shoulder.

“Her shoes and purse were found on the side of the road, a block from the club you ladies were at last night?”

“And, what do you think that means?”

“There was blood on them and there was a report of two witnesses who heard a woman screaming and trying to get out of a Porsche,” Eloi explained.

Angelina remembered Elle saying something about a black Porsche.

“Oh no. You think…” She didn’t finish her question. She looked at Jacque as he approached along with Tye and Mike. “We heard,” Mike said then locked gazes with Eloi.

Jacque pulled Angelina into a hug and held her.

He spoke over her head to Eloi and Johnny.

“Do you think this is connected to the other abductions?”

Angelina pulled from his arms.

“No, no this can’t be. Why? Who would do something like this?”

“Angelina, calm down,” Mike told her.

“Don’t tell me to calm down. Don’t you dare even try to understand!” she yelled at him then turned to walk away but stopped herself. She looked at all of them.

“Witnesses said she was fighting to get free? Why didn’t they drug her then, like they drugged me?”

“We’re just running different ideas here, Angelina. It may not be the same guys,” Johnny told her.

“Because she went with them willingly,” Elle whispered then sniffled.

Angelina had a thousand thoughts running through her head. She had been pissed off at Vera for flirting with Jacque and trying to make a move on him. She was aggravated at the way Vera threw herself at guys to hook up. She wasn’t the least bit surprised when Elle said that Vera met someone and was heading out with him. She should have made sure that the guy was cool. She should have checked on her.

She took an unsteady breath and felt the tears reach her eyes. She wouldn’t cry and definitely not in front of the Bouchet men. She headed toward the back door, kicking it open, and walked to the back parking lot. How could there be people like this out there? They were just having fun, going to see a band play.

“Angelina?”

She heard Tye’s voice and that tone of his.

“Don’t, Tye. Don’t say a word to me.”

“Lina, we know you’re upset, but we have to talk about this.”

“We don’t have to talk about anything.” She turned toward the three of them. Mike, Tye, and Jacque were standing there looking at her. She wondered if they thought she was just as foolish as Vera that night at Dominate. Did they think less of her because she took a drink from a stranger and was nearly abducted and raped?

“Sugar, we know you’re upset. She made a mistake,” Tye began to say.

She stomped forward toward him and looked up into his eyes as she poked her finger in his chest. He towered over her, but she didn’t care. She thought he was saying that this was Vera’s fault.

“You don’t know how it feels. You don’t know what it’s like to not know where you are, why you feel so strange and why someone’s touch just doesn’t feel right. Should I fight, should I accept it? Did I ask for this because I came here to have fun with my friends? You don’t know.” She raised her voice and Tye grabbed her wrists and held them.

“Don’t, baby. Please don’t talk like this.”

She pulled from him.

“Go back inside, Tye. This has nothing to do with you or your brothers. I don’t even know why you’re here,” she whispered, feeling a tight pain in her chest for saying those words. She had wished for so long that they would acknowledge her. But right now, none of that mattered. She needed to help find Vera.

She turned to head back inside but Mike grabbed her hand.

“Just wait a minute. We know you’re upset, but we do belong here because we care. We almost lost you to some asshole. I think we have the right to be here and to make sure that you’re safe.”

She shook her head. This wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want their protection as bodyguards, as friends. She didn’t need their big brother concerns. She wanted their love, their affection. They couldn’t see the whole picture. She made a fool out of herself in front of Terrance and Lucifer
. God, Lucifer probably thinks I’m an idiot.

“I was so scared. Even now, at night, I wake up in a cold sweat and I think he’s there, taking me away. You don’t understand. You just don’t get it. I know I made a fool out of myself in front of Terrance and Lucifer. But I don’t need some goddamn babysitters. I need to help find Vera.”

She walked back toward the door and to Elle who was still crying. Angelina pulled her into her arms and hugged her tight.

“We’ll find her. We’ll make a plan and we’ll find her.”

Elle and Angelina had met with detectives working the missing persons cases. Eloi and Johnny had gone along with them and there didn’t seem to be any leads. Vera’s parents were devastated and organized a group of family and friends to hand out flyers and notify people of Vera’s disappearance. They had been at it all day and night Saturday and Sunday. When they weren’t passing out flyers, they were consoling the family and helping to make meals as people visited Vera’s parents’ home. Sunday afternoon, the local media broadcasted the story. They interviewed the parents and also Elle and Angelina because they were seen with her last. It was eight o’clock on Sunday evening when Angelina arrived at her apartment with Ellena and Leon.

“You look exhausted. You’ve been at this for two days with no sleep. Why don’t you take a shower and go lie down. Leon and I will stay here.”

Angelina didn’t want to argue. She felt so tired and weak. She hadn’t been eating or sleeping well at all.

She hadn’t even responded. She just headed into the bathroom to shower and change.

* * * *

“I’m worried about her. She’s not sleeping or eating. She’s making herself sick over this.”

Leon pulled Ellena into his arms and held her.

“She’s taking it hard. This is a terrible situation, but the detectives are doing their best to find Vera.”

Ellena pulled back and looked up into his eyes.

“Do you think Vera is still alive?”

He swallowed hard. She had a feeling he was trying to be positive for her sake.

“Let’s hope so. I really don’t know, Ellena.”

“Honestly, in your experience how does it look?”

He hesitated a moment.

“Not good, simply because if she was taken by the same individuals that took the four other women, then they were never found.”

“Oh God, I can’t believe this. I can’t believe that Angelina could have been taken. I just can’t seem to stop thinking about that night either.”

“I think she’s doing the same thing. Angelina understands the feelings of being out of control, of not knowing what’s right or wrong because of the drugs and also how she acted with Terrance and Lucifer Bouchet.”

Just then they heard the knock on the front door.