Under the Bayou Moon (15 page)

After the mystery of Boucher’s nephew had been resolved and the holidays had come to an end, they’d returned to New Orleans and aggressively tackled the restoration of the
Bayou Moon
. As the weeks went by, he and Angel had gotten closer. She’d even discussed a few business ideas she thought might help the poorer members of the pod.

Valentine’s Day had started the clock on his final mating cycle. Jacques hadn’t been concerned about it. He knew Angel was going to stay. He figured they’d have a nice romantic Valentine’s Day and then officially open the riverboat the next day for the start of Mardi Gras. They’d stay onboard for a few days just to make sure everything was running smoothly and then go back to Lafayette for the formal mating ceremony.

Everything had been going along as planned. Last night they’d welcomed their riverboat guests together, masquerade style. She’d worn a stunning black evening gown that looked as if she were wearing sun rays. The material looked flesh-colored with black strips fanning out in a sunburst pattern from her left hip, giving the illusion that she wore nothing underneath. It was Grecian style, leaving one beautiful shoulder bare. The dress had clung to her curves perfectly, allowing room for a slit that showed off one enticing leg all the way up to the top of her thigh. Her hair had been straightened and colored a deep rich red that complimented her café au lait skin, and he’d gotten her a black lace mask. She’d turned every head in the room.

The Dubois had come down as well as the sovereigns from the Monroe and Shreveport pods. Even though an invitation had been sent, Boucher hadn’t come. Not that he’d expected him to. The evening had been great, full of music, laughter, and celebration. The gamblers were free with their cash, and it appeared the
Bayou Moon
would be a success.

That night he’d enjoyed undressing Angel. Making love to her had been otherworldly and he’d professed his love to her.

Was that it? Was that the reason she wanted to go?

“Jacques, did you hear me?”

“Why?”

Angel put down her fork and looked at him. What did she want from him?

“Because I need to. I have a life there, and it doesn’t stop just because I’m your mate.”

“So the last couple of months haven’t meant anything to you,
cher
. Is that what you’re telling me?”

She covered his fist with her hand and he moved it.

“Jacques…”

“Get out,” was his terse reply as he got up and walked to the balcony window, looking out toward the city port. He felt numbness take over him.

“Jacques, please understand.”

He was tired of “understanding.” She’d asked for room and he’d given it to her. He hadn’t made any demands of her; all he’d asked was that she give them a try, and now she was ready to pack her bags and go. Well, he wasn’t going to beg her. He had another option. He’d hoped not to have to take it, but it was there just the same.

“Jacques, don’t shut me out. I just need…”

“You just need what, Angel?”

He turned to face her. She was wearing a black satin robe; he could feel the warmth of her soft curves and smell the scent of their lovemaking on her skin. His beast growled in frustration.

“I just need to see if it feels differently.”

“Why now, Angel?”

“Jacques, you told me you loved me last night. Well, I love you too.”

His heart swelled in his chest. He moved to her and kissed her hungrily. His hands skimmed her curves as he held her to him.

“Ahhh,
cher
, you just made me a happy man.”

She hugged him and he held her.

“I just need some time, Jacques, that’s all. A week at the most.”

Jacques froze, his heart shattering. He could always mate with another. It wouldn’t be as strong a union, but it would allow him to retain his sovereignty. It was always the very last resort. When a gator mated, it was for life. He’d have to find a widow, someone near his age at least. His beast lay down defeated.

“If you leave, don’t bother coming back.”

Jacques could hear his voice from far away. He removed his robe and started to dress quickly.

“You don’t mean that.”

He looked at her with honest emotions. He was a realist. The chances of her getting closure or whatever in the hell she needed in Vegas was slim. He was a man ruling on borrowed time. If she really loved him, she would have performed the mating ritual by now. Vegas wasn’t going anywhere. She was running from him and he didn’t know why, and unfortunately he didn’t have the time to find out. He’d take the motorboat back to shore and head back to Lafayette the next day. Right now, he couldn’t be in the same room with her.

“Jacques, wait,” she called to him.

Jacques didn’t stop. He reached the door, and without looking back, he left her standing in the room where only hours before he’d uttered the words he’d never uttered to any other woman except his mother. The words reserved for a mate who didn’t want to be mated.

J’taime.
I love you.

“Here you go, Angel. Do you need anything else?”

Angel thanked Mitch for the report and shook her head no. She’d been back for a week at the Tiki. Things had changed back to the way they were before Michael had made his “improvements.” The only difference was the plans for a massive renovation sitting in front of her. They’d been delivered by Jacques’s personal assistant. She hadn’t even known he had one.

The man named Gabriel had been working at the Tiki alongside Mitch since she’d left. He’d been learning the ins and outs of their casino, its strengths and weaknesses, and had put together a list of upgrades from urgent to minor. She’d been impressed. Mitch never mentioned the guy, thinking she knew he was there, and to be honest, besides trading e-mails and the occasional phone call, she really hadn’t thought too much about the Tiki. She felt guilty. When she was with Jacques, all she could think about was what she’d be giving up at home. Now that she was home, all she could think about was what she’d thrown away with Jacques. She could still hear the chill from his voice when he’d told her not to come back. It had been so final. Her connection with him up until that point had been like silky strings from her mind, body, and soul to his. They’d gotten to a point where she knew what he was thinking without him saying a word. His body language was an open book to her. When he’d told her to leave, it was as if someone had taken a pair of scissors and viciously cut those strings. She couldn’t feel him or hear him. There was only silence, and until that time, she hadn’t even recognized the music of their intimacy playing.

“Thanks, Mitch. Everything looks great. I see the casino didn’t fall apart while I was gone.”

Mitch chuckled while sitting across from her.

“Nah, we’re still standing, but if you don’t mind my saying, you’re looking like you could use a vacation from your vacation.”

Angel pasted as much of a smile on her face as she could. She knew she was failing miserably. Her nostrils burned as she tried to hold back the tears. It was no use. Her eyes got watery anyway. She hadn’t slept more than two hours a night since she’d been back, and it showed. When she looked in the mirror, all she saw were dark circles under her eyes. She’d tried not to think of Jacques, but he consumed her thoughts nearly to the point of madness. She found herself in the bathroom crying as the last evidence of their lovemaking from Valentine’s Day faded away. That one red spot on her shoulder had been her last link to the man who held her heart completely, her only reminder that she’d been well and truly loved…once.

“To be honest, Mitch, I’m not doing so well.”

The words trembled from her lips; a confession to her as much as it was to Mitch. Mitch sat up in his chair and took her hand with a look of concern.

“Are you sick?”

“No, no, nothing like that.” Angel shook her head before wiping away a loose tear.

“I’m-I’m in love with a guy.” She looked at their hands, one older with age spots yet impeccably manicured, the other slim and supple, barely having seen anything.

“Ah, honey, that’s terrific! Why are you so down? Last I checked, love was supposed to lift you up. If it’s bringing you down, is it really love? Do I need to have a talk with this guy? You say the word and I’ll have the fellas to bring him in.”

Angel sniffed in alarm. Mitch was old school Italian; he grew up with “wise guys”. She didn’t want him to do anything of the sort.

“No! Uncle Mitch, he’s great! It’s just that, to be with him, I’d have to leave my home and move to Louisiana. The Tiki’s all I’ve ever dreamed of. How can I give up my dream?”

“Ahhh, I get it, you’ve fallen in love with that Bertrand guy.”

Angel nodded, smiling at how much of a “wise guy” Mitch was. She’d gotten so used to Cajun accents she’d forgotten how much she loved Mitch’s New York Italian one.

“Yes,” she huffed, removing her hand from his and getting up.

She’d opted for her navy suit again, her hair was back in its updo, and she was ready to blend into the background. Only, over the past few days, she’d been discovering just how difficult it was to pick up the remnants of her old life.

“Listen, sweetheart. Home is where the heart is. It doesn’t have to be either/or. Most casino owners don’t run the day-to-day operations of their company. They hire competent people to do that. Your father just liked the business. That’s why he stayed here, but a lot of owners get updates or come in periodically to check up on the place.”

“But I’m a pit boss; I make sure this place runs right.”

“No, you’re a young woman trying to carry on the legacy of her father. I know you love the Tiki, but she’s just a building. If an earthquake hit and leveled the place, she’d crumble into dust just like the rest of these buildings. What did your father always say?”

“What matters is family,” she whispered, and for the first time, she felt light again.

“That’s right. Family! You found your biological parents in New Orleans and you found love. It’s time you go start your own family, Angel. Michael is somewhere off in Miami doing whatever he wants to. He’s not coming back, and if he does, trust me, it’ll be with his hand out. You’ve got me, but I’m an old man. I want to see you happy. If Bertrand makes you happy, go to him. This building will be standing when you come to visit.”

Angel ran into Mitch’s arms with tears in her eyes, giving him a tight hug and accepting one back in return.

“Okay. I’ll go! I’ll go to be with him.”

“Good! I for one would like to see some grandbabies outta you.”

Angel smiled wide. Babies, Jacques’s babies. Yes, she wanted his babies. She remembered that day he’d taken her into the woods and said one day his babies would suckle at her breast. He’d had so much pride. She’d been a fool.

“I’ve gotta go and pack.”

“Don’t let me stop you.”

Mitch kissed her cheek and she swiftly left her office, unbuttoning her dull jacket and taking down her hair. She didn’t want to blend in anymore. She wanted people to notice her. She wanted Jacques to notice her.

She took the elevator to her floor and let herself into the suite she’d called home for the last nine years. It felt empty to her now. She pulled out her cell phone and tired the number she’d been itching to dial since she’d left Louisiana. Jacques’s number rang several times before going to voicemail. Angel tried it again, tossing clothes into a suitcase she’d barely unpacked. His phone went to voicemail again. She didn’t know if she should leave a message. No, she couldn’t say what she needed to on voicemail. She needed to see him, mate with him, and feel his warm body encircle her.

Angel went online to look for tickets. The earliest one she could find would leave in four hours at one thirty. With the time difference, she could be in Baton Rouge by ten o’clock tonight. She’d travel to Lafayette early Sunday morning. Angel purchased the tickets and called a car to come meet her downstairs. Her next call was to her parents. She’d missed them. They hadn’t wanted her to go, either, but said they understood why she had to. They’d been supportive of her decision. She’d spoken to them every day. They told her Jacques had gone back to Lafayette shortly after she’d left. That was all they knew. She’d need them to pick her up at the airport.

The phone rang twice before her mother came on the line.

“Angel?”

“Hi, Mom.” She’d never get tired of saying that. She’d missed saying it when Momma Palermo passed; now she had another opportunity and enjoyed it every chance she got.

“What’s the matter? You sound out of breath.”

“I just finished packing. I’m coming home. I’m going to be with Jacques.”

There was silence on the line for a moment.

“Honey, have you spoken with him?”

Angel felt a sense of dread come over her.

“No, why? I just tried to call him, but he didn’t answer.”

“I was afraid of that.”

“What, Mom, what is it? Is something going on?”

“Honey, Jacques is getting mated today.”

Of all the things she’d expected to hear, that wasn’t it. She staggered to her bed to sit down.

“Mated? But I’m his mate. How can he be mating without me?”

“It’s a choice mate. Someone he’s picked out. He’d never have the connection you all have, but it would at least allow him to keep his shifting ability.”

Angel’s head felt like it was going to explode, and she started having trouble breathing. Tears sprang to her eyes; she was too late. He was going to mate with someone else because she couldn’t see what was right in front of her.

“No!” The sob broke from her in anguish as she dropped the phone. Angel could hear her mother calling her name, but she couldn’t move. Putting her head between her legs, she tried to breathe. Was she having a panic attack? She’d never had one before but knew this had to be it. Her phone ringing was the only thing that brought her a measure of focus. She picked it up weakly.

“Angel, get yourself together.” Her mother’s voice was laced with steel.

“A sovereign cow
does not
give up so easily. I want you to catch the first flight you can. They can’t start anything until the sunsets.”