Sacrifice (18 page)

Dallas walked up to me. “And what did you tell him?”

“
That I had to get back to work on my book and if he wanted to get to know me he should have called and scheduled an appointment.”

“
I bet he didn’t like hearing that.”

I turned away from him, “No, he didn’t. But I think I made it clear that he couldn’t just drop by whenever he felt like it.”

“
Good.” Dallas grunted and moved toward the rear entrance of the house.

“
How did it go with David?” I nervously asked.

He stopped and I watched as his back stiffened before me. “How do you think it went, Nicci?” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck. “It was difficult as hell for both of us,” he mumbled.

He turned to me and I saw the tension of the meeting written all over his face. I could only imagine how it must have been for two old friends, both in love with the same woman, to have to face each other again.

“
At least tell me no punches were thrown,” I joked, trying to lighten his mood.

“
No, it was good to see him. Very good to see him.” He smiled a little and his face relaxed. “We talked about what had happened to him. He explained his injuries to me and how much he has gone through to get where he is.”

My lower lip trembled. David had confided in Dallas things I felt he should have shared with me. The momentary feeling of rejection jarred me.

“
He wouldn’t tell me about any of that. He said he didn’t want me to pity him.” I paused as I placed my hand on his arm. “Please, tell me what he said. I have to know.”

Dallas gave me a concerned glance and then he sighed. “All right, Nicci.” he began as he eyed the garden walls. “The bullet entered his left upper cheek and existed through his lower jaw. Luckily, it completely missed his brain. The nerve damage from the gunshot wound left him with little feeling in his left cheek and the doctors told him that will probably never come back. They had to reconstruct his cheekbone and jaw with pieces of his rib. He said that took eight surgeries to complete because they had to do it in stages. He spent almost three months with a tracheostomy and six months with his jaw wired shut. He told me he had lost a great deal of weight, which he has started regaining. But the tooth implants in his mouth are pretty new and he still has some trouble chewing. Short of some scars, and the hearing loss in his left ear, he has come through it pretty well.”

I was heartbroken by the depths of David’s suffering. The sickening sense of loss I had known when I first learned of his death three years ago returned to me. I felt as if I had been transported back in time to the moment when a police officer stood outside of my front door and calmly informed me of the shooting.

“
We also discussed what we need to do about Simon,” Dallas stated, tearing me away from my memories.

I shook myself out of my stupor. “And what did you decide?”

Dallas turned away from me. “That we may be able to use your relationship with Caston to help convince him to eliminate Simon.”

“
And David agreed to that?” I asked astounded that I was to be a part of their plans.

“
He didn’t have to agree, Nicci. It was his idea.” When he turned back to me his eyes were as cold as ice. “With Simon dead, the organization is going to need someone to keep operations going. So David and I are going to become partners. I will run the organization until things can be squared away.”

I stared at him, feeling more than just a little dismayed by his disclosure. “What do you mean you’re going to run the organization? You’re not going to go back to your family’s boatyard? What about your Uncle Elliot? He was counting on you to take over the business.”

“
He’ll understand. It won’t be forever. Once David and I can get Simon’s affairs settled, I can return to the boatyard.”

“
But how long will it take to settle Simon’s affairs? Are we going to have to relocate to New York?”

Dallas took in the garden walls, avoiding my questioning gaze. “You won’t be going to New York with me, Nicci. It will be too dangerous. Until things are squared away, you will need stay in New Orleans where it’s safe.”

I stared at his profile as I tried to decipher the truth behind the lies he was telling me. “How can expect me to just put our life together on hold? I don’t understand any of this, Dallas. I thought you were happy building boats in Connecticut.”

He turned and his eyes met mine. “Nicci, I was happy for a time. But you and I both know I’m not a boat builder. Balancing ledgers and kissing ass to a bunch of rich people, who don’t know one end of a boat from the other, was never my thing.”

I threw my hands in the air. “So you weren’t happy building boats. That’s no excuse to return to the kind of life you had with Simon. There are other options, Dallas.”

He shook his head. “Not for me. I had forgotten how alive an assignment used to make me feel until I shadowed you at the party last night.” He paused and gave a heavy sigh. “I need this, Nicci. I need to feel useful again,” he whispered.

He had missed former life. And I had noticed. I had always blamed his short temper and moody outbursts on our moving in together and trying to find our rhythm as a couple. But as I thought back on our brief time in Connecticut, the distant looks and sleepless nights he had often exhibited could only be attributed to one thing. Like a caged animal longing for the freedom of the open wild, Dallas was losing his battle to put his past behind him. The months he had spent away from his former profession had only frustrated and not pacified him. All the years he had devoted to the FBI, and working for Simon La Roy as an elite purveyor of secrets, had made him someone who could never be fulfilled by an ordinary life. The realization brought a strange sense of comfort to me. In a way it was a relief to know my head had finally begun to comprehend something my heart had felt all along.

As I pondered the intrigue to come, I felt my body sink as if it were suddenly burdened with an unbearable weight. “What happens if this plan to eliminate Simon doesn’t work, Dallas? What will we do then?”

“
You already know the answer to that question, Nicci. I’m not going to sugarcoat this for you. If the three of us need to disappear quickly, you’d better be ready.” He reached into the pocket of his jeans and pulled out the silver key I had given him earlier. “This belongs to you,” he said as he handed me the key. “If you have to go to David’s, at least tell me first. I know I can’t keep you from seeing him, but you’re going to have to be very careful about being followed. We need to protect his whereabouts for as long as possible.” He turned and walked inside of the house.

I stood holding the silver key in my hand, feeling more confused than ever. My happiness paled against my growing apprehension for our ability to survive this game of cat and mouse. Suddenly, I thought of my family. The idea of Simon hurting my father or my uncle for revenge against me made my already quivering resolve crumble. I could not let my family suffer for my choices. They had been through enough. I needed reassurance that all measures would be taken to spare my father and uncle from any more heartache. I closed my fist around the key and headed toward the house.

Chapter
Twelve

“
So what’s this all about, kid?” Uncle Lance asked as we sat down to brunch in the main dining room of the Court of Two Sisters Restaurant the following morning.

I gazed around the nearly empty dining room. Rows of tables were compactly arranged on the shiny black and white tiled floor. At the entrance, a group of busboys chatted with each other as they waited for the hungry diners to arrive. I looked back at my uncle. He was dressed in a casual double-breasted gray suit and black tie. His brown hair was sleeked back and he smelled of some exotic cologne. As I stared across the white linen tablecloth into my uncle’s green eyes, I struggled to find just the right words to explain why I had requested the emergency meeting.

“
I need to know,” I began. “Well, I don’t need to know but…could you do something for me?”

Uncle Lance raised his dark eyebrows at me. “Is something wrong?”

“
Not wrong.” I reached over to the table and nervously played with my fork. “You remember last Christmas when I brought Dallas home.” I glanced up at my uncle.

He nodded warily.

“
And after you and Dad learned why he had returned home with me, I told you about David’s former boss, Simon La Roy. Well, Simon contacted me a few days ago. He’s in town and—”

“
Does this have anything to do with why you were seen with Greg Caston at that Katrina benefit last night?” Uncle Lance interrupted.

My mouth fell open. “How did you know about that?”

He laughed. “Nicci, have you forgotten what a small town this is? I got three phone calls about you, Caston, and La Roy at that shindig the other night.” Uncle Lance gave a low whistle. “Please tell me you’re not involved with that horse thief Caston,” he implored.

“
No, I was introduced to him by Simon La Roy. It seems there are some forged paintings of David’s floating around the art market and Simon thinks Caston may be involved.”

“
I can see why La Roy called you. Caston’s had an obsession with you ever since David’s paintings hit the main stream. He wanted me to introduce you to him two years back.”

I folded my arms over my chest and glared at my uncle. “You know him?”

Uncle Lance nodded. “Yeah, we play cards together. He cheats. A lot.”

I shook my head. “Uncle Lance, next time I try to pull off any kind of covert operation in this town remind me to check with you first.”

Uncle Lance chuckled. “Kid, this is N’awlins. Everybody knows everybody down here. And if you hang out with shady characters, like I’m prone to do, then this city gets a whole lot smaller.” His eyes narrowed on mine. “Was Dallas with you at that benefit last night?” he inquired.

“
Dallas kept an eye on me at the party. Simon wanted me to send Dallas back to Connecticut, but you know Dallas.” I shrugged.

“
Dallas knows better than to walk away when you’re mixed up with characters like La Roy and Caston.”

An uncomfortable thought crossed my mind. “Do you think Dad heard about the benefit?”

Uncle Lance frowned slightly. “It’s possible? But you know how out of touch your father is with local happenings. The only part of The Times-Picayune he reads is the business section.”

“
And if he had heard something?”

“
He would have called by now. He would have been ranting about how you need to go back to that shrink and get your head together before you start seeing more dead people walking around.”

I shook my head. “That sounds like something he would say.”

“
Your father isn’t happy unless he is micromanaging lives. Just like he micromanages that company of his.” He paused and gazed thoughtfully at the white linen covered table. “Maybe I’ll just do a preemptive strike and let him know that you and Dallas were at the benefit. That way in case someone does get to him, we’ll have covered ourselves.”

A young man dressed in a red vest, white shirt, and black tuxedo pants arrived at our table with two menus and a basket of hot bread. He put the bread down on the table between us and began to hand us our menus.

Uncle Lance waived off his menu and turned to the waiter. “I’ll have the trout amandine and the lady will have the grilled shrimp. Ranch dressing on both salads, and I’ll have a Bloody Mary as soon as possible.”

The waiter dipped his head. “And what would you like to drink, ma’am?” he asked as he took my menu.

“
A vodka and orange juice,” I replied, suddenly feeling the need for alcohol.

The waiter quickly scurried away.

I looked over at my uncle. “Rough night?”

He shook his head. “Beverly is a handful.”

“
Beverly from the sheriff’s department?”

He smiled and raised his eyebrows playfully. “Yeah, we were up until the wee hours of the morning, ah, going over David’s case.”

I rolled my eyes at him. “I’ll bet.”

“
And what’s your excuse, kid? I’ve never seen you drink this early before.”

I took a deep breath and leaned in closer to my uncle. “I’m not as comfortable as you around men like Simon La Roy and Greg Caston. So the drinking helps.” I paused and shifted uneasily in my chair. “Look, now that you know what kind of people I’m involved with, I want you to take precautions. If I have to disappear, I need to know that you and Dad are going to be all right.”

Uncle Lance gave me a skeptical frown. “Disappear? Now you’re starting to sound like spy boy. What do you mean precautions? What exactly are you involved with, Nicci?”

“
I can’t tell you everything quite yet, Uncle Lance. Just promise me that you’ll be careful and keep an eye on Dad for me.”

“
I wish you would confide in me.” His eyes searched my face but I kept my countenance unchanged. He made a frustrated sounding sigh. “All right. I’ve known you long enough to realize when I’m not gonna get any answers out of you. I understand and I’m here if you need me.”

The waiter returned with our drinks. Uncle Lance grabbed his Bloody Mary and took three big gulps.

He put his glass down on the table and stirred his drink with the stalk of celery that was sitting in his glass. “Just watch your back, kid. I don’t think you realize what you’re getting yourself into. From the way I hear it, Greg Caston and Simon La Roy have been threatening each other for years, and sooner or later one of them is going to go too far. Just don’t get caught in the crossfire. You might get hurt.”