Embrace My Reflection (9 page)

“Lucius…” Cindi’s voice had caught Lucius’ attention earlier that night.
Ronnie’s third and last set of the night was supposed to start soon, and Lucius couldn’t wait to see it. He’d enjoyed the first two and could see why Ronnie was considered the top performer at Cindi’s.
Turning to look at Cindi, Lucius noticed the fear and panic in the club owner’s eyes. “What’s wrong? Has something happened to Ronnie?”
“We don’t know. He’s gone.”
Lucius shot to his feet and shoved through the crowd to the door leading backstage. As he arrived at Ronnie’s dressing room, so did Tomas and Andrew. The latter sported a split lip and a huge bruise on his cheek, along with a ripped dress.
“The senator took Ronnie,” Tomas yelled.
“Fuck.” Lucius wanted to punch something, but he managed to keep his anger under control. “I should’ve known something like that would happen. He accosted Ronnie outside our apartment this morning. He wasn’t happy Ronnie’d moved in with me.”
“What do we do?” Cindi rested his hands on his hips, rage barely contained.
“First, Tomas, check Andrew over. Make sure he doesn’t need to go to the hospital. Secondly, Ms. Cindi, I need you, Percy, and your wait staff to circulate through the crowd. Ask the audience if they saw anything. Also, check with the other performers. I have to call my boss. This time, Cameron’s gone too far.”
Everyone raced to do as Lucius ordered. Lucius stepped into Ronnie’s dressing room. He stared at the disaster. Clothes and shoes were scattered all over the space. The chairs were broken and make-up covered the surface of everything, like Ronnie had thrown it at his abductor. The senator might have gotten him in the end, but Ronnie put a fight.
He pulled out his phone and dialed his boss.
“Johnson.”
“Captain, it’s Lucius Montagne. I want to inform you Senator Cameron kidnapped Ronald Lake, a performer at Cindi’s Cabaret.”
“Damn. Are you sure?”
“Yes, sir. I have one eyewitness and he was roughed up as well. There might be more who saw the abduction.”
Johnson swore loudly and violently. Lucius waited until the outburst ended, understanding how his boss felt.
“Okay. I’m calling the local FBI. You make sure no one leaves that club. We need to talk to everyone.”
Lucius knew he should do his job, but he couldn’t stay quiet when it was Ronnie’s safety at hand.
“I know where he took Ronnie,” he blurted out.
“How do you know?” Johnson sounded skeptical, and Lucius didn’t blame the man.
“A week ago, I had a friend of mine do a little research on property owned by the senator. Seems a big oil corporation who has contributed an insane amount of money to Cameron’s campaign purchased a house about an hour from here.”
Johnson grunted. “What makes you so sure Cameron would take Lake there?”
Lucius paced in a small circle, not wanting to disturb the scene, but not able to stand still. “He knows someone saw him kidnap Ronnie, so going to his own place is out of the question. He doesn’t realize anyone else knows about the new property since it isn’t in his name yet. The papers haven’t been finalized. There’s a small house on the land.”
He willed his captain to believe him.
“God damn it. Why did the bastard have to do this in my parish?” The captain took a deep breath. “Okay, I’ll be enroute in five minutes. I’ll have the feds meet up with us at the club.”
“But, sir—” Lucius started to protest.
“I know Mr. Lake is in danger, but I don’t think the senator is looking to kill him. If that was all he wanted, he’d have done it at the club.”
Lucius bit his tongue. Arguing with his boss wasn’t going to help his cause. “All right, sir.”
Captain Johnson exhaled loudly. “I know Mr. Lake means something to you, Montagne, and I also know my men dismissed his concerns when he first complained about the senator. An internal investigation will see if there should be any disciplinary action against them.”
“Ronnie’s my boyfriend, Captain Johnson. You might not want to hear that, but I’m not ashamed to say it out loud. It’s a little too late to yell at the men who ignored Ronnie the first time, but maybe there should be some training classes on how to deal with the public. We do live in New Orleans, sir.”
“Point taken. Now I have to call the Feds, and you have to find me more witnesses.”
Johnson hung up, and Lucius gripped his phone so tightly, he heard the plastic casing creak.
“What’d your boss say?”
He looked up to see Tomas and Andrew standing close by. Andrew had changed into jeans and a T-shirt. His make-up had been washed off, along with the blood from his lip. The bruise still looked vicious.
“Did Cameron do that to you?”
Andrew nodded. “It was during Liza’s big number. All the other guys were out watching her, and I’d come back to change since I’m the first one on in the third set.”
Andrew paused, and Tomas reached out, patting the man’s back.
“I noticed Ronnie hadn’t come out to talk to you, so I went to his room. I was just going to joke about someone trying to steal you away.”
Tomas wrapped his arm around Andrew’s waist, drawing the smaller man closer. The tears in Andrew’s eyes spoke of his fear.
“It’s all right, Andrew. The senator won’t hurt you again,” Lucius reassured him.
“I’m worried about Ronnie. What if Cameron does something awful to him?”
Lucius closed his eyes and calmed his breathing because Andrew hit on Lucius’ own fear. Ronnie didn’t go willingly. He obviously did all he could to get away from the senator.
What if he angered Cameron to the point the man did something terrible and hurt Ronnie even worse?
“Ms. Lake’s tough, Andy. She’ll do what she must to survive. She has to know Lucius will come find her.” Tomas comforted Andrew, his dark eyes meeting Lucius’ over Andrew’s head.
“Tomas is right, Andrew. I taught Ronnie how to take care of himself in high school. I’m sure he’ll use those moves to keep himself safe.”
He could lie when he needed to.
Andrew shuddered and continued, “When I got to his room, I heard a crash and I rushed in because I worried Ronnie had fallen or something. I opened the door and Cameron hit me. He was dragging Ronnie behind him. I tried to stop him, Lucius, I really did, but high heels aren’t the easiest to fight in.”
“Don’t beat yourself up about it, Andrew,” Lucius said. “You told us who has Ronnie, and that’s just as important as stopping Cameron. Plus we’d all prefer you alive and slightly bruised than severely injured or even dead.”
Cindi and Percy returned, dragging two people behind them. One was a tall, muscle-bound man in jeans and a white tank top. The other was a petite red-headed woman. They looked rumpled and slightly embarrassed.
“Gina and Marcus were outside the back door when they saw Cameron carry Ronnie from the club,” Cindi announced.
“Yeah, we wouldn’t have thought anything about it if the little guy hadn’t been struggling.” Marcus grimaced.
“The guy in the suit told us it was a lover’s quarrel, but I didn’t really believe that.” Gina snapped her gum and shook her head.
“And you’re sure it was Cameron and Ronnie they saw?” Lucius checked with Cindi.
The club owner nodded, and Percy held up his phone. “I found a picture of Cameron and they identified him.”
A thrill washed over Lucius. He had three eyewitnesses who all picked Cameron out as the guy who’d kidnapped Ronnie. Hopefully, when Johnson arrived, his captain would give him the okay to go after Ronnie.
“Tell what you’ve got, Montagne.”
Captain Johnson strolled in, wrinkled suit attesting to the speed with which he’d dressed. Two men in impeccable three-piece suits walked with him. Lucius assumed they were from the Bureau.

Twenty minutes after arriving, Captain Johnson turned to Lucius and met his gaze. “We’ve got enough. Take however many men you want and go arrest the asshole. I’ll ask the witnesses to come down to the station and give their statements.”

Johnson shook his head. “Why do some people obsess like that? And why do powerful men believe they’re above the law?”
Lucius shrugged. He couldn’t answer either question. He gestured to the two agents, one of whom was his friend, Special Agent Dante Deshone. “I’d like some agents with us as well.”
“Fine by me. Now get your ass out of here.” Johnson gestured toward the front of the club.
“Yes, sir.”
Lucius headed out to the dance floor of the club with four agents and four NOPD officers following him. He spoke to Cindi before he left. “We’re going to get Ronnie, Ms. Cindi. I promise I’ll bring him back.”
Cindi swept him into a bone-crushing hug. “I know you will, sugar. Ronnie’s going to be pissed it took you so long.”
“Yeah, but I can’t be a lone wolf on this. Too much is at stake. I want Cameron to be punished for his crimes, and if I go rushing in without solid evidence, it could ruin the case.”
“True, lad. Now go and rescue your love.” Percy clapped Lucius on the shoulder.
“I’ll have Ronnie call you as soon as he can,” Lucius promised before racing from the building.
Dante jumped into Lucius’ car with two of the NOPD officers and the other men got in their car.
“This Ronnie the one you talked about in the army all the time? The one you let get away?” Dante didn’t look over at Lucius.
Lucius checked the mirror to make sure the others followed him and nodded. “Yes. Ronnie and I were best friends in high school, and I left him behind when I joined the military.”
“Seems he did pretty good for himself, aside from being stalked by the crazy senator. I’ve already put a call in to my superiors in Washington, giving them a heads-up about what’s happening down here.” Dante paused for a second before continuing, “Why didn’t you ever tell me that Ronnie was a guy?”
“Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, man. As long as you didn’t know, you weren’t in danger of getting in trouble for not ratting me out.”
“I wouldn’t have done that.” Dante sounded affronted.
“I know.” Lucius shot a quick grin in Dante’s direction. “My silence was safer for both of us.”
Dante didn’t look convinced, but Lucius would do the same thing if he went back to that time. He wouldn’t risk any man’s career to save his own ass.
“Is that why you didn’t re-enlist?”
“Yeah, plus I was ready to come home. I planned on finding Ronnie and seeing if he’d forgive me. Of course, it took me two years after returning to New Orleans before I worked up the courage to look for him.” Lucius shook his head. “Maybe if I’d found him sooner, he wouldn’t have this problem with Cameron.”
Dante punched Lucius’ bicep lightly. “Don’t beat yourself up over this, Luc. It’s not your fault the senator has a screw loose somewhere. I still haven’t quite figured out why he’s focused on your boyfriend. He’s never given any indication he likes guys.”
“That’s what we’ve been trying to figure out as well. When Ronnie’s dressed to perform, he fits the type Cameron stalks. Aside from that, Ronnie’s a brunette and, even when he’s dressed like a woman, he doesn’t fit any type Cameron’s established.”
“Don’t get people most of the time.” Dante shook his head. “You know where you’re going, right?”
“Yeah. I got the directions to the property in my GPS. It’ll get us there without a problem.”
They fell silent as Lucius concentrated on traffic and getting them out to Ronnie without causing any accidents. Within an hour, they hit the North Shore where the wooded areas around the roads hid houses. He turned onto an overgrown two-track road. He stopped the car about a half-mile away from the house. He didn’t want to alert Cameron that they were coming.
Everyone climbed out and, after putting on their vests and windbreakers identifying them, they gathered around Lucius. He had the plans for the house and property spread out over the hood of his car.
“Okay. The house is in the middle of this clearing. The trees practically surround it. As far as I can tell, there isn’t a clear line of sight from anywhere in the house. Thank God it doesn’t have a second floor.” Lucius pointed to Dante and one of the NOPD officers. “Dante and Will are coming with me. We’ll go in the front door. I want the rest of you spread out around the house. I want to make sure Cameron doesn’t run when he realizes he’s caught.”
“Yes, sir.”
He folded up the plans and tossed them back in the car. Everyone checked his or her weapon.
“I know you know this, but no firing unless you’re fired on. I don’t want anything going wrong and the victim getting shot or one of us getting injured. I’ll take care of Mr. Lake as soon as we know where he is. Agent Deshone will take care of Cameron.”
Every officer nodded and they headed down the rough trail, trying their best not to make any more noise than necessary. Lucius didn’t want Cameron to know they were coming for him. He didn’t plan to let the senator get away with kidnapping Ronnie, plus he believed the one accuser of Cameron’s who disappeared didn’t do so voluntarily. After rescuing Ronnie, he was going to get a warrant to search the property. He wouldn’t be surprised to find the woman buried somewhere around there.
Dante, Will, and Lucius stopped just inside the tree line. A car was parked outside the house, and Lucius had one of the men call in the license plate to make sure it was the senator’s. At the confirmation, Lucius waved the others to go around either side of the house. He waited five minutes, hoping it was long enough to get everyone in position.
Meeting Dante’s gaze, he nodded. They crouched and moved as fast as they could over the ground, up the porch steps to the front door. Luck was with them when they discovered the front door open a few inches.
“Beats having to break it down,” Dante whispered in Lucius’ ear.
Lucius nodded and motioned for Will to go to the left. Dante would go to the right as they entered. Lucius would focus his attention straight ahead. They would take their time and clear each room before moving on. Lucius didn’t want to miss a person who might come up and get them in the back.
They slipped into the house without incident and slowly made their way down the hall. They checked each room they passed. It seemed like the senator was alone with Ronnie, which was good for the law enforcement guys. At least they didn’t have to worry about any other people getting hurt. Now they just had to make sure Ronnie didn’t get hurt.
Lucius gripped his gun and refused to think about all the things that could have happened to Ronnie while Lucius was getting permission to come after him. He had to believe Ronnie fought back and if there were bruises, it was because Ronnie didn’t roll over and give in to Cameron.
A crash came from the back of the house. Lucius tensed and glanced over at Dante and Will. Both men nodded and they snuck toward the noise. They stopped right outside a partially opened door and another crash sounded. A shout echoed as well, but it didn’t sound like Ronnie to Lucius.
Lucius reached out to grab the door knob. Before he could touch the handle, it shot open. He looked up to see Ronnie standing there, hazel eyes wild with anger and fear. Lucius tucked his gun away just in time as Ronnie launched himself into Lucius’ arms.
“Are you okay, baby?” He embraced his lover tight, waving Dante and Will into the room.
“Yeah, I’m fine, though he ruined this dress and I paid a lot of money for it.” Ronnie’s voice shook as he complained. “What the hell took you so long? I thought you’d be out here looking for me minutes after we arrived.”
Lucius eased Ronnie back and cradled Ronnie’s face. “I’ll buy you a hundred dresses just like that one as long as you’re okay. I had to wait until my captain had enough evidence Cameron took you. I wanted to come after you as soon as Cindi told me you were gone.”
“How’s Andrew? The rat bastard hit him really hard.” Ronnie bit his lip and winced as his teeth hit the cut marring his mouth.
Lucius stepped even farther away from Ronnie and trailed his gaze over Ronnie’s form. Ronnie’s dress was torn into shreds, his black satin underwear and corset peeking out from what strips were there. Lucius took off his windbreaker and vest, setting them on the floor before removing his own shirt.
“Here, honey. You probably want to cover up.”
Ronnie frowned and looked down at his clothes. A blush crept up Ronnie’s cheeks. “I’m a little cold.”
He helped Ronnie slip the shirt on. Lucius smiled slightly as the sight of Ronnie swimming in his clothes.
“You don’t want your work colleagues to see me in a dress and women’s underthings?”
Tension colored Ronnie’s words, but Lucius didn’t take offense at Ronnie’s questions. His lover had had a rough night and was entitled to be bitchy about things.
“No, Ronnie. It has nothing to do with you dressing in women’s clothes. To be honest, most of the men with me have seen you perform at Cindi’s. It has more to with me not wanting any of them to see you almost naked. You’re mine, and I don’t want to share you, even just letting guys look at you.” Lucius stroked his fingers over Ronnie’s bruised cheek. “You’ll be cold, and you didn’t strike me as the type of guy who likes to parade around in his underwear, no matter what kind they are.”
“Only in front of you,” Ronnie muttered. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply, like he was calming himself down.
“And I appreciate that.” Lucius looked up as Dante and Will dragged Cameron out of the room.
The senator looked like he’d gone four rounds with a heavyweight boxer. His nose looked broken and one eye was swollen almost shut. His usually carefully coiffed hair stood up in spikes and his suit was streaked with blood, dirt, and spit. The man sort of looked like he’d been tarred and feathered with tracks of powder and bright red feathers stuck to him.
“What the fuck happened to him?” Lucius gave Ronnie an incredulous glance. “Did you beat the shit out of him?”
Ronnie wrapped his arms around his waist and glared at Cameron. “I’d have done worse if I could have. That bastard kidnapped me and dragged me out here against my will. He seemed to believe there was something between the two of us when, in reality, I can’t stand the sight of him. There was no way I was going to let him touch me any more than he already had.”
When Ronnie shuddered and curled his lip in disgust, Lucius almost went after the senator himself. No one touched Ronnie, not even Lucius, without the man’s permission. He was thrilled Ronnie got some punches in on the senator.
“But you said you loved me,” Cameron whined.
“At what point? I have never talked to you, except to tell you to leave me the hell alone. I don’t even know why you’re stalking me. I’m not a girl, dude. I’m a man. I have a penis, not a vagina. You aren’t gay.”
“I love you. That must mean I’m gay for you.” The senator struggled against Dante’s hold.
“No, that just means you’re crazy.” Ronnie shook his head, pushing his hair out of his face.
“Get him out of here, Dante. Call Captain Johnson and let him know we got Cameron.”
“Right.” Dante nodded toward Ronnie. “It’s nice to finally meet you, Mr. Lake.”
Lucius chuckled at Ronnie’s puzzled frown. “Don’t worry. I’ll explain later. We need to get you to the hospital and a crime scene group out here.”
“What about Andrew? You didn’t answer my question. God, nothing bad happened to him, did it?” Ronnie laid his hand on Lucius’ arm.
Lucius patted Ronnie’s hand. “Nothing happened to him. He’s a little bruised, but nothing that needed medical attention. Tomas will take care of him and maybe it’ll help their relationship move beyond the flirting stage.”
“Thank you, Lucius.”
Ronnie flung himself into Lucius’ arms and their lips met in a fierce kiss. Lucius put all of his love for Ronnie in it, happiness that his lover was okay swelling in his heart. He tasted salt on Ronnie’s skin and pulled back to see Ronnie crying.
“What’s wrong, love? You’re okay. I’m sorry I let him get a hold of you and hurt you. I’ll try to do better from now on.”
“No, it’s not your fault,
cher
. All the blame goes to Cameron. He’s going to jail for this. I’m just so happy you’re here and you came to rescue me, even if it was a little later than I thought.”
Ronnie turned, wiped the tears off his cheeks, and straightened his shoulders. “The sooner we get to the hospital, the sooner we can go home.”
“You’ll probably end up spending the night in the hospital. They’ll want to keep an eye on you. Unfortunately, once I make sure you’re okay, I’m going to have to work this case. Get statements and things like that.”
“I’m going to have to testify, aren’t I?” Ronnie didn’t look excited about that.
Lucius offered Ronnie his arm and escorted him down the hallway. He kept his pace slow, not wanting Ronnie to hurt his bare feet on anything.
“Yes, unless the senator pleads guilty, which I don’t think he will. He’s crazy enough not to think he did anything wrong. I have a feeling, though, there’s a woman buried here and he’s responsible for her death.”
They stopped at the bottom of the porch steps and stood there, staring out over the rough ground. Lucius faced Ronnie.
“Do you want to walk or would you be willing to let me carry you? I don’t want you to injure your feet on rocks or sticks, but I also know you might feel the need to get to the vehicles on your own.”
Ronnie touched his cheek for a second before sighing. “You can carry me. I don’t need to prove anything to anyone, and I’m tired of being strong.”
Without saying a word, Lucius swept Ronnie into his arms and headed back down the trail to where he’d parked his car. The rest of the officers and agents were standing around, waiting for them.
The senator sat in the backseat of one car. Dante approached Lucius and Ronnie.
“I’ll ride with one of the other guys.”
Lucius shook his head. “Would you drive us to the hospital?”
Dante met his gaze and nodded, understanding shining in his eyes. “Yes.”
His friend opened the back door of Lucius’ car and held it while Lucius set Ronnie inside.
“I have to talk to them, then we’ll head out.”
Ronnie didn’t answer, just curled up on the seat and rested his head against the back. Lucius shut the door and turned to look at all the guys.
“Thank you for helping out. Now, you can head to the precinct. You’ll have to write up your reports. If you could deliver the senator to my boss, Captain Johnson, I’d appreciate it. I need a few of you to stay here and start processing the scene, plus call the parish sheriff to let them know we’re out here.”
“Sure. I hope your boyfriend’s okay, Lucius,” Will said before he headed toward one of the cars.
The other officers murmured their own well wishes as they walked off. Lucius climbed into the back seat with Ronnie, while Dante slid behind the steering wheel. Ronnie snuggled close to him, and Lucius brushed a kiss over the top of Ronnie’s head.