Rachel's Rebellion (Moss Bayou) (23 page)

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah,” she
responded quietly. “It was awesome. You are awesome.”

“More where
that came from,” he teased.

She snuggled
into his warm body. His arms felt so good around her.

“What time is
it?” She had lost all sense of time since being dragged from her apartment.

Gabriel’s
left arm moved away from her. His right hand reached from around her, and then
his wrist watch emitted a green glow. It softly lit the space between them.
“It’s just after midnight.”

Sunday was
here. That made her feel sad. The more time progressed, the sooner life would
return to the way it was. Before Gabriel. Before moments like this when they
were alone in the darkness, their bodies fitted together by some supreme design.

“I think I’m
going to see if we have any news,” he said as he kissed her on the forehead.

He
maneuvered himself off the bed and beautifully naked, he went for the cell
phone on the box-like shelf attached to the wall beside the bed.

“Stay put,”
he told her when she started to move. “I want you warm and naked and looking
loved in my bed.”

He turned on
a lamp and bathed the room in light.

As Gabriel
powered the cell phone on, Rachel took in the view. Every inch a delicious man,
he didn’t look like anything in her Anatomy books from college. No nursing
course had prepared her for him. He was all man. From his broad chest covered
with the light sprinkle of dark hair, to his tightly ripped, sexy abs. And,
where the hair began to thicken at his navel? He was OMG delicious. Her eyes
followed the sexy trail of dark hair. It was like a roadmap to heaven.

“Beauty, I’m
trying to make a call here. You’re making that difficult.”

She giggled.
“Why?”

“You’re
looking at me like that.”

“I’ll try
not to,” she giggled again.

As he went
about making the call, she thought about the dream. Her mind was reliving the
beautiful way he’d loved her. It had been a joining of their bodies…their
souls. When they’d made love in the shower, there had been an urgency. A
release of emotional baggage. A release of fears. After the dinner they’d
shared with Wyatt and Lily, they were alone to make the beautiful journey
they’d made. Her heart beat in her chest with the love he’d awakened.

“Got it,”
Gabriel spoke into the phone.

They had spoken
briefly about the lack of a condom in the shower. The fact that there were no
condoms around, hadn’t stopped them from making love again, either. Neither
dared to say what that could mean. Could she? Would he? She chose not to think
about that.

She still
hadn’t told him she loved him. She still waited. She wanted them to share that
when the whole mess surrounding them was over. Yes, when they were back in her
apartment, and her body was joined to his, she would tell him. Gabriel Deacon
would know she loved him. With all of her heart.

“Rachel, we
have to get dressed.” He said as he ended the call. Walking to the opposite
wall, he knocked three times. It was the prearranged signal Gabriel and Wyatt
had decided upon. Without the cell phones being fully charged and the motel
requiring a credit card to make all calls, it was the next option should there
be the need to get one another’s attention.

“Dex and the
team are already on the way. We’re getting out of here.”

Her heart
sank. The safety of this room. The emotions in this room…“Okay.” With nothing
left she wanted to say, she left the bed and found her clothes.

Once
dressed, she gathered the few items Lily had bought plus the dirty clothes she
had shed yesterday and stuffed it all into the shopping bag.

Packing
done.

“I never got
a response from Wyatt,” Gabe muttered. “Need to knock on the door, I guess.”

“You’re
probably right,” she answered. “I know Lily was really wiped out.”

He put out
his hand and she took it. “Come on, let’s give them a wakeup call before
everyone arrives.”

Together
they left the room and went to the door of room seventeen. Gabe knocked. When
no answer came, he knocked once more.

The door
opened and Wyatt stood there, dressed in unzipped, unbuttoned jeans hanging low
on hips.

As Gabe started
to speak, she moved passed him. “I’ll wake up Lily.” She pushed the door to
enter the room and her eyes went wide.

Lily Quinn,
always glamorous, always the fashionista, sat up on the bed holding the sheet
around her. She was definitely naked. Rachel smiled. Lily’s long blonde hair
tousled and tangled around her head. Definitely not her usual hairstyle.
Rachel’s smile grew wider. She gave Wyatt a quick glance as he spoke to
Gabriel. Jeans pulled on, only enough to cover the man parts. She looked at Lily
once more, naked and clutching the sheet…looking like
she
got caught in the cookie jar… Rachel continued to smile at Lily. Seems like she
and Gabriel weren’t the only ones making love in the dark.

“We need to
go,” she finally told Lily. “We’ll definitely have to talk later.”

Lily looked
toward Wyatt a moment. “Yes, we will. But for now, let it be for just me and
Wyatt, okay?”

“Sure.”

Me and
Wyatt. There’s a “me and Wyatt” now?

Rachel
turned back to Gabriel as Lily quickly went to the bathroom to dress. Wyatt was
securing his jeans and reaching for his T-shirt when bright lights flooded the
parking lot.

“They’re
here,” Gabe announced.

Lily came
out of the bathroom and stepped up beside her.

“Cops are
here,” she told Lily.

“I guess,”
she replied.

Rachel looked
at her. She looked like she was about to cry. “What?”

“I guess
it’s over,” Lily mumbled.

“You don’t
want it to be?”

“I …” Lily
stole a glance at Wyatt. “Never mind.”

The silence
of the night was filled with people talking and radios transmitting. Gabriel
had moved her into their own room to give Lily and Wyatt a moment of privacy
before the world crashed in around them. Men walked in wearing guns and badges
and jackets emblazoned with letters representing different law enforcement
agencies. CJ Adams arrived with Dex Greer. She said very little as she and Dex
carried in cardboard trays filled with cups of coffee and bags wearing the
Latini’s Bakery logo filled with a variety of pastries. How had Dex managed hot
coffee and warm pastries from Latini’s at that hour, was the first thought to
pop into her mind.

Once the
food and coffee were laid out, CJ moved to a corner by the window and pulled
out her cell phone. It appeared she was texting.

Lily and
Wyatt walked into the small room behind Dex. Wyatt held her hand in his. He
placed a kiss to her forehead when they separated.

Rachel and
Lily were given cups of coffee and each chose a pastry from quite a nice
selection. At the head of the bed, opposite of the cluster of cops, they sat
out of the way as things churned around them. Gabriel looked her way and
smiled, but was quickly absorbed into the discussion once more. Someone had
brought the things Gabe and Wyatt needed to look like police officers instead
of criminals. Both now wore badges hanging from their necks. Each wore jackets
with big letters on their backs. Rachel’s eyes riveted to the one thing she had
never seen on Gabriel before. His weapon out and displayed in the holster
strapped around his hips. It reminded her of what the time between them had been
a part of. Would it end?

A tall,
middle-aged African-American man looked their way and immediately waved to get
the crowd’s attention.

“Let me put
a name to the faces,” Jenkins said to her and Lily. “Before we get so involved
we forget anything else, I’m FBI Special Agent in Charge Richard Jenkins. To my
left here is DEA Agent Mike Furst.” Mike Furst was a big man with a bald head
and a thick, handle bar moustache.

Jenkins
turned to face the others. “You know Dex Greer, Gabe Deacon, and Wyatt Hawke.
Over by the window is CJ Adams, whom you may know as Cally.”

Rachel
nodded. It was all so business-like. Stealing another glance at CJ, Rachel
watched as she removed the band from her hair, redid her ponytail, and then put
her attention on the discussion at the center of the small room. She never
really looked at her or Lily.

“Ladies, if
you’ll hang tight,” Mike Furst told them. “We’ll be talking to each of you
momentarily. The main goal right now is to keep you safe. We can accomplish
that right here in this room.”

Again,
Rachel nodded as did Lily.

The men
turned their attention back to business. Rachel and Lily sat together quietly,
nibbled on pastry and sipped coffee. They listened.

“What about
Russ Patterson,” Wyatt asked.

“He’s
missing,” Dex informed him. “What he doesn’t know is T-Bob and Mullet are both
alive. At least we don’t think he knows. Seems someone must be tipping him off.
He manages to stay one step ahead of us.”

“We got a
statement from T-Bob Chaisson almost as soon as he could talk,” added Mike
Furst. “As they say, he sang like a canary. Once Mullet Guillot figured out he
was hung, he started talking as well. Their stories match.”

“APBs have
been issued and warrants are being drawn up for Russ Patterson and thanks to evidence
and the confessions of T-Bob and Mullet, Silas and Aurora Prescott, as well.
Should have the go ahead soon on those.”

“Why was
Russ Patterson trying to pick us off at Jensen’s dock?” Gabe asked.

“We believe
it was an order from Silas and Aurora Prescott.” Jenkins paused to read some
notes he held. “Nothing to prove it yet, but according to T-Bob and Mullet,
Silas ordered the murder of Anthony Till. Silas and Aurora called all the
shots. Down to the smallest detail.”

Rachel
looked at Lily. “I can’t believe this.”

“I hope they
get what’s coming to them.” She licked sugary residue from her fingers. “I
can’t believe they fooled us all.”

“No wonder
they really didn’t seem to care what their son had done to Hope last year.”

Lily tried to
hide a yawn. “What about sending those people to beat up Tanner a couple of
months ago? You don’t do that to family.”

“No. Never.
You think they cared about Laurel? She died using drugs they shipped in.”

“Probably
not,” Lily shook her head. “Besides, Laurel was an addict so they probably feel
they’re off the hook.”

Lily tried
to hide another yawn. This time it came large and deep. Tears formed in her
eyes it was so big a yawn.

“Didn’t
sleep?”

Rachel
watched as Lily’s eyes dropped and studied the remainder of her coffee.

“Lily, it’s
okay. I get it.”

“That makes
one of us.” Lily tried to smile. “It’s like I cannot stop this…” She looked
toward Wyatt. “Whatever it is.”

Rachel
grinned. “I definitely understand that.”

“You do?”

“I couldn’t
fight it. I wanted Gabriel. Even when I thought he was Deke Johnson.”

Rachel gave
her arm a reassuring pat. “You obviously didn’t sleep.”

Lily gave a
hint of a smile. “No, Rachel. We didn’t really sleep.”

“Looks like
it,” Rachel grinned again.

“It was…”
Lily looked away. “It was…beautiful.”

The sounds
around them invaded the moment. Voices became quickened. Orders were given.
Rachel focused on the group once more. Everyone seemed to move at once.

SAC Jenkins
spoke to CJ Adams. “You get Houma PD to get us a couple of door guards for
these girls.”

CJ nodded
and returned her attention to the cell phone in her hand. It was the most
reaction Rachel had seen from the woman since she had arrived. She had been
cool and quiet toward her and Lily. She seemed angry and Rachel couldn’t figure
out what was the cause.

Dex Greer
hung up his phone. “Roger Boudreaux says Russ has been spotted. He’s nearing
Collier Road. That can only mean one of two locations. The Collier plantation
is out there. The only other house out that way is the Prescott House.”

“Let’s
move,” Jenkins told the group. Then to CJ Adams, “Stay here. Guard the door to
this room. Help should be here any moment.” CJ gave a curt nod.

Rachel stood
as Gabe looked her way. He smiled. “I’ll be back for you.” She nodded.

Wyatt turned
to look at Lily, made a pucker with his lips and sent it to her.

The room was
emptied of everyone except CJ Adams. The door closed and Rachel prayed.

“Guess it’s
just us girls,” Lily spoke to CJ.

“It’s not a slumber
party, Chickie. Just stay out of my way.”

Lily nudged
Rachel and shrugged.

They huddled
together on the bed as CJ stepped outside. “More cops must have arrived.”