Illeanna (22 page)

* * * *

“I don’t like this. It’s taking so fucking long,” Johnny whispered to Gustave and Eloi.

“This is some heavy shit you and your brothers got involved in. The government is going to want to keep this situation as quiet as possible,” Eloi whispered.

“Especially that the senator’s life was and still is in danger,” Johnny replied.

“And this is probably all over a fucking election,” Gustave added, sounding disgusted.

“I don’t give a fuck what it’s about. I want Illeanna back and safe with us. You saw her face, Gustave. If something else happens to her and after the way we kept her out of the loop, I just don’t know if she’ll want anything to do with us.” Johnny admitted his fear.

Gustave widened his eyes.

“She’ll listen to reason. We’ll make her understand,” Gustave stated.

“It’s real tough in the beginning. There’s a lot to learn about this type of relationship. Don’t beat yourselves up. What’s done is done, just move on and improve, focusing on Illeanna’s needs. It’s about compromise and love,” Eloi told them.

“Are you three going to hold hands and kiss now or are you ready to move in?” Louis’s voice came over the earpieces, and they all chuckled.

“Remember, shoot to kill, not wound, they’re thinking the same about you,” Michael stated, and they waited for his signal.

* * * *

Illeanna sat in the chair as the Spanish guy spoke into his cell phone. There were two heavily armed guards in the room with them. Her head was really starting to bother her now. Was this shit they gave her supposed to make her pass out eventually or just make her feel like she was drunk for hours? She tried to listen to what the Spanish dude was saying.

“Okay, so we take the helicopter to the boat. Do you have the yacht ready for sailing? It will take us some time to cross the Gulf. Be sure it is well stocked. We will be leaving momentarily,” he stated into the phone then looked at Illeanna.

She could tell by the look in his eyes that he wanted her. He was looking her body over as he moved closer.

Why didn’t Louis want her to know what was happening? Why did they wait so long to tell her about Julien? Did they think she would make matters worse or be hysterical? She loved them, damn it! She would be devastated if anything happened to any of them. Did they not care as much about her? She felt her belly clench and her heart ache. What was Louis saying to the others over her head in the hospital? What didn’t he want her to know? She felt dizzy and her thoughts were scattered. What had Walter injected into her neck?

“You turned out to be much more than I expected, Illeanna. You are going to be my newest endeavor.”

“No! I’m not going anywhere with you.”

“Oh yes you are.”

“I had nothing to do with any of this. I was simply working at the restaurant when your hit men came in and messed everything up,” she yelled then felt her body sway. The Spanish dude grabbed her to steady her as he pulled her against him. He reeked of cigars and too much cologne. Something sweet and too intense for her senses.

“Those idiots were hired by another associate of mine. If you hadn’t gotten in the way in the kitchen, then we wouldn’t be here right now would we?”

“How can you blame me for this? You sent someone to kill me because I could identify one hit man?”

“I didn’t send anyone in to kill you. If I did, you wouldn’t be here right now and what a shame that would be.” He leaned closer to inhale against her cheek and mouth. She tried to pull away from him as flashbacks of the attacker filled her mind. The way he touched her, how he wanted her and planned on raping her. This man was no different. In fact he was worse.

“It’s all just one screwup after the next. But I’ve tied up all the loose ends. Allen is dead. Luther and his brother Jacque, the chef at your little restaurant, are dead, and Mickey is dead. You see, my lovely Illeanna, all loose ends tied.” He leaned down and closed his mouth over hers. She tried to fight him off, but it was useless. Between the drugs and his strong hold she couldn’t fight him.

“Ah, you’re a wild one, Illeanna. Must be from fucking five men, huh?” he asked, and his eyes went darker, scarier looking. Her stomach clenched. He knew about the men and their relationship.

“I don’t know what you mean,” she squeaked out, the fear getting the better of her.

He grabbed her arm and pulled her along with him.

“We’ll talk about that on trip to Havana.”

She tried to fight him, and he pulled her harder, making her hit his side. He held her close.

“Are we ready?” he asked the one guard.

The guard nodded as they walked out of the room and toward a staircase.

In the distance beyond the walls of the building she could hear numerous gunshots and yelling.

She pulled herself back, nearly falling backward down the stairs.

“You move now!” he yelled then backhanded her across the cheek.

Son of a bitch!

She was getting angrier and angrier as her mind began to process the events and what was happening. Her life was over. This madman was going to take her out of the country. Her men didn’t trust her or love her like she loved them, and Julien was still in surgery. The tears hit her eyes, and the Spanish man grabbed her hard, yanking her up to him and against his chest. They’d reached the roof. She could hear the rotors on the helicopter getting louder and louder.

“No! I’m not going anywhere with you,” she screamed, and she never saw the forearm to her mouth until it was too late. She fell to the ground, and he pulled her back up by her hair.

“Do it now!” he yelled at the guards. When she turned, she could hear more shots being fired and people yelling to stop, and she thought she saw Louis. She gasped as the needle hit her neck.

“Get her inside!” the Spanish guy yelled, and she lost her strength and her ability to stay upright.

“No!” she cried out as the guard grabbed her, throwing her over his shoulder.

* * * *

Louis, Michael, Johnny, Eloi, and Gustave made their way closer to the top of the roof. They’d taken out at least a dozen men. They could hear the rotors of the chopper. They were going to be too late.

They were confronted by numerous other men.

“Go, Louis! Get to her. We’ve got your back!” Johnny yelled at him, and Louis climbed further up the ladder on the side of the building. He was on the other side of the roof. He could see the chopper. Bullets whizzed past him, but he didn’t care. He had to get to Illeanna.

He could see her. She was fighting with Flores. He struck her, and she fell.

Fuck!

He was inching his way closer, and he could hear all the fighting going on behind him. He hoped Johnny, Michael, Eloi, and Gustave were safe. He had to get to Illeanna. The big guy in camo covered in artillery was reaching for her. Louis watched as he stuck her in the neck with something then lifted her up off the ground.

Flores was in the chopper calling to the guard to bring her to him.

“No! You can’t have her!” Louis yelled as he pointed his gun and shot.

Another series of shots went out as the chopper lifted and took off. The guard was on top of Illeanna, crushing her. Louis ran toward her as more shots rang out from his left near the doorway then silence. He looked around quickly and saw Michael, Eloi, Johnny, Franco, and Gustave, guns drawn and clearing the rooftop. More agents came through the door leading back into the house, and he knew they were in the clear.

He reached for Illeanna, dragging the dead guard off of her. She was covered with blood and out cold.

“Jesus! Oh God don’t be dead, don’t be dead!” Louis yelled as he ripped open her shirt to check to see if the blood drenching her belly belonged to her.

“Oh shit, was she hit?” Gustave asked as he fell to the ground along with Johnny.

Eloi and Michael remained standing, and Franco knelt down at her feet.

Louis checked her pulse and looked up at Gustave and Johnny. “She’s alive. The blood isn’t hers.”

“Oh Christ, thank God!” Johnny touched her hair. Gustave reached out and caressed her thigh.

“Wake up, sugar. Come on, baby, wake up,” Louis told her as he caressed her cheeks.

“She’s out cold. Whatever they gave her was meant to put her out for awhile,” Michael stated as he placed his finger against his ear. They could all hear the radio call.

“The chopper is headed out, probably toward the Gulf. We’ve got men on it… over.”

“Fuck! He’s going to get away, that piece of shit!” Michael stated.

“You’ll get him, Michael. You’ll get him,” Franco told him as he caressed Illeanna’s leg.

“Let’s get her to the hospital,” Gustave stated as Louis lifted her up and placed her against his chest. She was limp and out cold but alive.

Illeanna awoke to a beeping sound and a bit of pain in her jaw, cheek, and lower back. Her head was throbbing, and she really didn’t want to open her eyes, but she had no clue where she was. Last thing she remembered were bullets flying around her, the Spanish guy yelling, and some huge soldier lifting her into the air then falling on top of her. As a matter of fact her head really hurt back there. She reached up and could feel the bandage around her head.

“Hey, sugar, don’t move, you’re okay and you’re safe in the hospital.” Gustave leaned down and kissed her cheek. She tried to open her eyes, but the pain was bad.

“It hurts,” she whispered.

“You got banged up good, honey. You have a concussion from falling backward and probably from the drugs they gave you,” he continued to tell her.

“Drugs?” she questioned, trying to open her eyes. It was all coming back to her. The injection at the hospital, Walter, the Spanish dude, the fight, the chopper, and Julien.

“Oh God, Julien. Where’s Julien?” she asked and tried to focus on the room and who else was there.

“It’s okay, sweetie, he’s right over there. He’s doing great and been asking for you. So worried about you and not him. He needs a tranquilizer I think,” Johnny added to the conversation as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. But she couldn’t see Julien. She wanted to be sure he was okay.

“Help me up. I need to see him,” she demanded.

“You shouldn’t be moving around. Not yet,” Louis chimed in, and she locked an unsteady gaze on him. They held one another’s stare.

“I want to see him,” she whispered.

He gave her that angry “I’m in charge” look that he and his brothers were used to giving. She tamped down her anger. She just needed to see that Julien was okay, and she could deal with everything else later.

Gustave helped her, along with Johnny. She was sitting up, and her head was really throbbing. She felt nauseous and about to vomit. She swallowed hard.

“Damn, woman, you need to be lying down,” Franco reprimanded her, but she was too busy looking at Julien. He looked so pale. His shoulder was all bandaged up. It looked huge, and he had no shirt on. She wanted to touch him, to comfort him, and to know that he was okay.

“Help me get up,” she whispered as she tried to move her legs.

“No! You keep that ass in that bed before you pass out and hurt yourself.” Louis raised his voice firmly then gently took her shoulders and held her gaze.

“We almost lost the two of you. You will do as you’re told and so will Julien when he wakes up.”

“I just need to touch him,” she admitted to a very angry-looking Louis. His face was all scrubby and filled with whiskers. They all needed to shave. They had guns on their waists in holsters and were wearing some kind of identical jackets.

“We’ll fill you in on everything later, sugar. Please just lie down and rest?” Louis asked her.

“Fill me in later huh? I get it, Louis. I get it loud and clear.” She closed her eyes and heard his long, exasperated release of breath. He was still holding her at bay, still keeping her out of the loop. She stopped the tears from flowing. In a matter of seconds she was asleep again.

* * * *

“Where is Illeanna?” Julien asked as he looked around the room.

“She’s over there sleeping. She’s doing a lot better than yesterday. She can probably be released by tomorrow,” Johnny stated.

“Help me by raising the bed a little so I can see her?”

Franco got the remote to raise the bed slowly. Julien cringed as the bed began to tilt up. He held his breath, trying to submerge the pain. This was going to be a hell of a recovery process. But at least he wasn’t dead and neither was Illeanna.

He looked at her. She was all bandaged up. Her cheek and lip were swollen.

“What the hell happened?” he asked as he looked at his brothers.

“It’s a long story,” Johnny stated.

“I got all the fucking time in the world, don’t you think?” he replied sarcastically. “Who hurt her? What the fuck happened while I was out cold?”

Franco began to explain with Louis, Johnny, and Gustave adding their information, too.

“He could have killed her,” Julien stated as his stomach clenched and his anger built up inside of him.

“He wanted her alive. It seems that he was planning on taking her with him,” Johnny stated.

“He almost had her in the chopper but Louis got to her in time as Franco explained to you,” Gustave added.

“Holy fuck! Did Michael and the CIA catch Flores?” Julien asked as he leaned his head back against the pillow. He was in a lot of pain and getting tired again and so quickly.

“No.” Louis ground his teeth and looked about ready to vomit.

“The fucker disappeared in the Gulf,” Franco added.

“Julien?” Illeanna whispered, drawing everyone’s attention to her and the bed a few feet away from Julien’s.

“Hey, sugar, don’t move. Take it easy.” Gustave hurried to her side and helped her. She was trying to sit up.

“Oh God, baby, what happened to you?” Julien asked.

“A little showdown with some Spanish dude. No worries. How are you feeling? I was so worried about you,” she stated as Gustave placed his hands on her waist to help her sit up. She held her head and tried to open her eyes wider.

“You’re still so tired, Illeanna. The tranquilizers were heavy shit,” Franco added.

“Oh and the fact that someone is waking me up every thirty minutes wouldn’t be making me tired, too?” she asked sarcastically. Thirty minutes or so ago she nearly took Louis’s head off when he woke her.

“Concussion?” Julien asked with concern.

“When Julien shot the guard that was carrying her, he fell to the concrete ground with Illeanna and landed on top of her. We think that’s how she hit her head and got the concussion.”

“I’m fine now. It’s you I’m worried about.” Illeanna grabbed on to Gustave’s forearms.

“Help me up. I want to go see him,” she whispered.

“No, Illeanna. Stay in bed,” Louis stated firmly.

“No, Louis. You’re not the boss of me. I’m doing much better. I’ll probably be out of here by tomorrow. I need to know that Julien is fine,” she replied in an angry tone.

Julien was wondering what was being unsaid and what was wrong with Illeanna. She seemed pissed off at all of them except him.

Gustave lifted her up and carried her to Julien’s bed. He placed her next to him, and he used his good arm to hold her.

“I don’t want to hurt you.” She placed her hand softly on his chest. He closed his eyes and pulled her against his side.

“Never, sugar. God, you feel so good,” he whispered, and she leaned up to press a soft kiss to his cheek.

“What is going on in here?” an older gray-haired nurse asked as she entered the room.

“She’s not supposed to be in his bed. The two of you are supposed to be resting,” she reprimanded, and Julien and Illeanna laughed.

“Take me back, Gustave.”

He immediately lifted her up and carried her back over toward her bed.

Before Gustave laid her down, he hugged her to him. Julien heard her intake of breath and Gustave’s words. “I love you, sugar.”

“You look like you’re in pain. You need some more painkillers?” the nurse asked as she brushed by Franco and reached for the IV bag.

“No, I don’t want to be unconscious anymore. I’ve missed everything that’s happened for the past few days,” he replied.

“You’ve been shot, young man. People die every day from bullet wounds and from infections from not resting and not doing what you’re told. If you’re not going to cooperate, I will clear this room and move Miss Aubert to another location.”

“No!” both Julien and Illeanna said at the same time then looked at one another and smiled.

The nurse shook her head but held the bag. “Painkillers, Mr. Boudoux?”

“Just a little,” he replied, and the nurse adjusted the IV and began to walk out of the room. She winked and smiled at Franco, but Julien saw it all.

“You arrange to have the bossiest, oldest-looking nurse take care of me?” Julien asked in a huff.

“We informed Michael’s brother Antoine that you can be a bit stubborn at times.”

“Really?” Julien asked as he began to feel the painkillers kick in. His words began to slur as he spoke. “I’ll get you back,” he stated then looked at Illeanna and smiled before he closed his eyes and went back to sleep.