Illeanna (3 page)

* * * *

“Goddamn it, Illeanna, what the hell were you thinking?” Louis yelled as he immediately fell to the ground beside her, patting her down and looking over her injuries. He was never so scared in his entire life.

Her long black hair was pulled back into two braids behind her and appeared messy from her tumble. Her head had a cut and a scrape along the temple and forehead, and her neck was lightly bleeding.

“Is she okay? It looks like the uniform saved her from scraping up more of herself. What the fuck, Illeanna?” Julien added as he, too, began to look her over and make sure she was okay to stand.

“I’m fine. What the hell was that all about anyway? What were you two doing here?” she asked, looking as if she hadn’t just been held by knifepoint by some hit man. That’s exactly what Louis and Julien thought as well as the Feds. Except they weren’t after the senator. They were after Jean Phillips.

Louis touched her face and felt the fear begin to subside. He knew that she could have been killed, and he was pissed that she risked her life to stop the guy from evading capture.

“Why did you get in the way?” Louis asked.

“He was going to hurt you. It was just instinct,” she stated as he raised his eyes and she turned away.

“You trying to tell me that suddenly you care about us?” he asked without thought. The damn woman was on his mind continuously. She filled every one of his fantasies, and he could have lost her today.

She pulled away from his touch and began to try and stand.

“Let us help you,” Julien said as he grabbed her one arm and Louis grabbed her around the waist to help her. To be this close to her, to touch her and breathe her in meant so much. It had been too long.

“Please, Louis, I can handle this,” she stated softly and almost as if she was forcing the words from her lips.

It was obvious that she was hurt elsewhere by the way she cringed as she stood up.

“What else hurts, Illeanna? They have the paramedics in the front of the building,” Julien asked as she stood and tried to move away from them.

Neither would allow it as both Julien and Louis held her firmly between them.

“You can let go of me now,” she stated toward Julien, and he held her gaze.

“We could have lost you. Damn it, Illeanna,” Louis stated firmly as he held her gaze.

Her green eyes were captivating, and he missed being this close to her. Close enough to get a good look at her skin, to be inches from feeling her body close to his, and to touch her.

“Excuse me, but we would like to have a word with this young woman,” some guy in a suit stated as he held a notepad in his hand and a few other men joined them. In the distance Julien could see other law enforcement personnel arriving on the scene.

“Are you okay, miss?” the man asked her as he looked her over and smiled. Julien and Louis remained by her side.

“Who are you?” Louis asked on the defensive, and he didn’t care how he sounded.

“I’m Federal Agent Mertoff. I’m part of the senator’s security detail. Who the hell are you?”

“We’re private investigators.” Julien answered before Louis.

“While he’s talking to her, I’d like to talk to the two of you,” another man in a suit stated, sounding obnoxious.

Agent Mertoff cleared his throat and looked at both Julien and Louis.

“This is my partner, Agent Barkley. He’ll need both of your statements, why you two were here at the restaurant, et cetera.”

“We’re not leaving her,” Louis told the agent firmly with his arms crossed in front of his chest.

He saw Illeanna touch a finger to her forehead and wipe the blood that was dripping away from her eye.

“I think she needs medical attention. We can walk her over toward the medics and have a talk there,” Agent Mertoff offered, as he seemed to pick up on Louis’s attitude.

Louis knew he could appear intimidating. All of his brothers had the same kind of look, especially when they were ticked off. Right now, his main concern was Illeanna and her safety. The business of why they were there at the restaurant could wait until later.

“You two know her?” Barkley asked as he eyed them as if they were criminals.

“She comes from the same neighborhood as us. We’ve known Illeanna for years,” Julien offered, trying to be polite as they walked toward the ambulance. Illeanna was limping. Two paramedics quickly began to look over Illeanna. Louis didn’t like Barkley one bit, or the way he was looking at Illeanna now. He couldn’t even focus on the case or their involvement into the investigation. Obviously their part was over, and they would give the Feds any other info they had to help.

The paramedics had helped her out of her uniform jacket, and she was only wearing a thin, white tank top. Her breasts were pouring from the top. The hem of the tank barely made it to the waist of the baggy white uniform pants, and her hip bones were showing. She looked like a model instead of a victim. But it seemed she had gained the attention of every man in sight. Was it him or was he seriously becoming possessive of the woman? She wouldn’t even admit to the attraction she felt for him and his brothers, yet Louis felt like he was about to explode with jealousy as these strange men cared for her.

He half listened to his brother Julien explain to Barkley about their profession, who they were following, and their involvement.

“We’ve been following Jean Phillips for months. He had made a reservation this evening for a suite at the Hilton. We believe that he planned some sort of meeting and then another rendezvous with a young woman we believe to be from one of the local colleges. She is an intern on the senator’s campaign committee,” Julien told the agent.

“You got a name?” Barkley asked.

Julien looked at Louis for confirmation to give the name.

“Sarah Walker,” Julien stated, and then they turned toward Illeanna and the young paramedic. The paramedic seemed to be touching her a lot. Was that really necessary?

“Is she going to be okay?” Louis asked the paramedic as he finished bandaging the cut on her forehead and took her vitals. Louis was about to lose it as the paramedic kept smiling and blushing as Illeanna answered his questions and talked to him as if nothing happened back in the kitchen. She was playing tough, but she was scared. He would never forget the look in her eyes as the guy grabbed her and held the blade to her neck.

There was a moment when she looked at him and Julien as if memorizing their faces, as if it would be the last time she saw them. He swallowed the tightness in his chest and adjusted his stance as he watched over her.

The young paramedic was finishing up just as another young woman came rushing toward the paramedic.

“Illeanna, oh my God, are you okay? What the hell happened back there? Did you hear about Jacque? He was shot. That could have been you, Illeanna, if you went out there.” The young woman carried on talking nonstop as Louis absorbed her words. It could have been Illeanna who exited the kitchen when the gunman was shooting. Illeanna could have been killed.

“Oh my God, Jacque was shot?” Illeanna asked.

“Yeah. He’s going to be okay, but he’s a lot bigger than you are, plus all those rolls of fat. The prick still was asking if the senator was there to compliment his food. What a sicko.”

“No way, Leeza? He actually thought the senator would stick around to compliment him when some gunman was loose?” Illeanna asked.

They shook their heads as others gathered around Illeanna.

The agents began to ask Illeanna more questions when they heard another voice in the crowd.

“Break it up, clear it out, and let me through.”

Louis saw Illeanna’s facial expression as their brother Detective Franco Boudoux emerged through the crowd.

* * * *

Illeanna nearly passed out when Franco arrived on the scene. Dressed in tight black jeans, a black button-down shirt, wearing black sunglasses, he looked like a sexy badass. She gulped hard trying to hide her reaction. She didn’t have to look to the right to see that Julien and Louis had busted her. She tried to brush off the reaction and the possessive feelings she felt as Leeza nearly jumped Franco.

The paramedic just moved out of the way when Franco caught her eyes then looked at Julien and Louis.

“What in God’s name is going on? Why is she up there? Is she hurt?” he asked as he brushed by Leeza but did look the young woman over in a glance. Leeza was petite and cute with blonde hair and blue eyes. She didn’t have a boyfriend but dated a lot. Illeanna hoped that the three Boudoux didn’t find Leeza the least bit attractive.

She shook the thoughts from her head. The Boudoux were not her type at all. She didn’t care for their attitudes, their cockiness, or their dangerous lifestyles. As much as she envied her sister Angelique and her courage to engage in a ménage relationship, Illeanna still felt it wasn’t the right relationship for her. At least not with the five Boudoux brothers who could make her putty in their hands.

They each had intoxicating looks, bodies, and personalities. They were lethal to unsuspecting females before they even spoke a word.

Louis and Julien were beginning to explain what went down when Illeanna tried to get down from the back of the ambulance.

“Ouch!” Illeanna stated as she lost her balance and felt her ankle give out. Franco caught her and immediately lifted her into the cradle position.

“Your ankle hurts?” he asked as she held on to his shoulders. Oh damn, did the man have nice, wide, muscular shoulders. He definitely worked out. Damn, she could feel the definition under her fingertips. Why couldn’t he be one of those overweight, obnoxious homicide detectives from the old police shows on television? Like the ones that drank too much and had whiskers growing unneatly on their face, who spoke without manners as they burped or chewed gum like a cow? Instead there were men in law enforcement like Franco, Gustave, Johnny, Julien, and Louis. Oh God, she was in trouble. Quickly she reached for her ankle to take attention off of her face and what her expression may reveal.

Illeanna placed her hand over her ankle and began to rub it.

“I think I hurt my ankle when that guy tackled me on the stairs,” she stated, and all three men huddled around her as Franco placed her back down onto the back of the ambulance.

“You! Over here now. Her ankle hurts,” Franco yelled at the young paramedic, making both him and Illeanna jump in fear.

Damn, could Franco be demanding and scary. She swallowed hard and again felt the tinge of uncertainty about being close to any of the Boudoux. They were rough around the edges and came from a large family all living in New Orleans and parts of Louisiana. Their accents were thick and bold just like their personalities. She felt her body begin to shake inside. She knew she was a bit of a control freak when it came to personal decisions and her lifestyle, but these men demanded control every second and in everything they involved themselves in. That right there made her fearful.

“What does she mean when the gunman tackled her down the stairs?” Franco asked his brothers in a voice that made her shake. Julien began to give a quick explanation.

She could get lost in their power and control. She could lose herself, and that would mean losing any independence she had. She clutched her pants, as the paramedic looked her ankle over. The shaking increased. It wasn’t a lot but enough that she noticed, and she wondered if the adrenaline rush was beginning to wear off. It would explain how she walked over here to the ambulance from the back of the building. Not that it was far, but she was still all wired up from the fall, the situation, and the close proximity of the men.

“I’ll be fine, Franco, really. I think I just need some ice.” She tried to minimize the attention they were giving her. After all, she was a grown woman, she was handling everything fine on her own, and she was alive. The sooner they realized that she did not like their coddling the sooner they would leave her alone.

“You hush now. We’ll be talking more ’bout this later,” Franco stated firmly as the paramedic began to mess with her ankle. It was very sore but more than likely a sprain. She opted not to go to the hospital but instead follow up with her doctor in Orchidea. Why was he threatening to talk to her later? Like she was going to give them the opportunity?
Don’t think so
. The sooner they left her alone the better off she would be. In an instant the thought made her belly ache and awareness fill her deep inside. She couldn’t still be in danger. She had nothing to do with this event that had taken place except be in the line of a killer’s escape route. She looked at the men. It must be her nerves.

“I’ll wrap it up for you, Illeanna, but you be sure to follow up with your doctor if it begins to swell or continues to hurt. I would ice it as much as you can tolerate.”

“I will,” she began to say when Franco interrupted.

“She will.”

The next hour consisted of repeating her side of the story numerous times to the agents. Agent Mertoff asked if they could identify the other gunman who got away, but they couldn’t.

“The kitchen staff probably got a good look at him,” Barkley added as he looked over his notes and the names of the staff.

“Did you get a good look at him, Miss Aubert?” Agent Mertoff asked.

“Yes. I could describe him to you.”

She began to answer their questions about any distinguishing marks and the clothing he was wearing as well as his facial structure, eye color, and anything else she could offer. She was feeling a bit frustrated trying to remember exactly what he looked like and tried to describe him. It was Agent Barkley that stood next to her and took her hand into his own.

She immediately felt the tension around the small circle of men. Louis, Julien, and Franco eyed the agent with daggers in their eyes.

“Try closing your eyes, darling. Just relax and think about the kitchen and when the first gunman entered.”

She did as the agent said and took a few deep breaths then recalled what she could about the man. She surprised herself when she remembered that he had a piercing in his right ear and part of a tattoo sticking out from the collar of the dress shirt he wore.

When she finished describing all she could, she felt the agent squeeze her hand. She opened her eyes and locked gazes with him.

“You did really good, Illeanna. I’m going to give you my card. I want you to call me if you remember anything else. We’ll be in touch,” he stated, still holding her hand.

She looked at the men and cringed a moment. The agent seemed to pick up on the Boudoux men watching as he winked at Illeanna. Was he purposely trying to piss them off?

“My personal cell phone is listed on the back. You call me at that number if you need anything.” He looked at the men before he smirked then walked away. Oh yeah, he knew exactly what he was doing.

“What an asshole,” Louis stated, and his brothers chuckled then looked at Illeanna.

“I thought he was kind of nice,” Illeanna couldn’t help but add before she took another glance toward the direction the agent walked off in.

It was Franco who crossed his arms in front of his chest and looked her over.

She felt her body tingle as he stared at the cleavage of her breasts then her face. The nerve of him to think that he could look at her with hungry eyes. She wasn’t some bimbo who went all gaga over nailing a Boudoux. She had more class than that.

“Am I free to go now?” she asked him, and he raised his eyebrow at her.

“Did you drive to work?” Julien asked, and she nodded.

“Your keys and purse inside the kitchen?” Louis asked.

“Yes, why?” she asked.

“Because Louis is driving you home, and Julien will drive your car. I’ll meet you at the house in a bit,” Franco informed her.

“I’m fine really. I don’t need you driving me home, and I need to make sure that the kitchen is all right,” she demanded.

“The restaurant is closed as they investigate. There’s a crime scene in there, sugar,” Franco told her.

“A crime scene? You mean Jacque died? Leeza said he was alive.”

“Not Jacque, honey, another guy that the two gunmen intended to kill. This is an official investigation,” Franco stated then looked at his brothers.

“Take care of her and keep me posted on the ankle. I’ll be there as soon as things are wrapped up here. The agents are going to want to talk with you two tomorrow.”

“We know and we’ll handle it,” Julien stated as Illeanna tried to walk herself toward the restaurant. They were all being so authoritative, and it made her uncomfortable. She wasn’t a child. She was a grown woman.

Immediately Louis lifted her up and began carrying her.

“Put me down, Louis!”

She locked gazes with him as Julien touched her cheek. She had to look up toward both men to hold their gazes.

“Not a chance in hell, sugar. You’re in our care now so just comply.”

His statement outraged her as he began to head toward the restaurant’s back entrance. She swallowed hard, despite not wanting to see any crime scene or accept what had really taken place in the kitchen, the moment they entered she found herself latching on to Louis as she stared wide-eyed at the mess.

“If it’s too much for ya, being back in here, Julien will grab your things.” Louis told her in a soft, calm tone. She contemplated giving in to the uncomfortable feeling she felt and hiding her emotions from these two men. She took too long to answer as Louis held her a little tighter.

“Where they at, sugar?” Julien asked, and she whispered where he could find her belongings.

“Let’s get you home,” Louis stated then carried her back out and toward his truck.