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The prospect working the gate opens it when we drive up so we can just cruise past him and down the long driveway that leads to the clubhouse. Hex built the clubhouse out of the ruins of an old plantation. The old manor house sits on several acres, so we have plenty of privacy. The wild vegetation aids in the seclusion. After attending the wedding of our Dante and Tally in San Diego, I know Hex has been kicking around the idea of building homes on the land surrounding the clubhouse. Especially now that he’s with Cleo. I’ve given him my full support, seeing as I want a home for Delphine and me.
We park in our spots and dismount before following Hex inside. He heads toward his office and I follow him, throwing myself into the seat across from him.
“Now what?” I ask.
“I don’t know. Pirate’s looking for security feed that might show us who was in the speedboat that left as we arrived. I’m hoping he spots Delphine and my sisters. I just wish I knew if the person who helped them escape is friend or foe,” Hex asks, running his hand over his face in frustration. A sound at the door draws our attention. Cleo stands there, her worried eyes focused on Hex as she bites her lip.
“No luck?” she asks.
Hex explains the situation to her. I stand and head to my room. Not only do I not want to relive the aggravation of the past few hours, but I have a call to make. I know someone who can help me re-locate Maxim. In my room, I pull out the burner phone I keep hidden in a secret compartment inside my headboard. The phone rings once before my handler picks up on the other end.
“Maxim Zoloth. He’s here in New Orleans,” I tell my contact. “I need everything you have on him. He kidnapped my woman. We followed him to where he was keeping her, but she’s no longer there.”
My contact whistles on the other end. “Fuck me, Maxim Zoloth? Why the fuck would he kidnap your President’s mother?”
I don’t want to share the relationship between Zoloth, Hex, and Delphine. They don’t need to know the details. “He wants something from Hex and Cleo. Something about a shipment he’s sending to Russia. He wanted Cleo to guarantee the timing of the changes he requested.”
“Okay, I’ll dig around and see what I can find out.”
CHAPTER SIX: DELPHINE
I know I complain quite a bit about how Hex and his brothers involve themselves in every aspect of my life, but right now, I’m extremely grateful to them. If Zip hadn’t spent so much time teaching me how to drive a speedboat and how to make my way through the complexities of the bayou, I wouldn’t be gliding up to the Demon Dawg dock.
Levi helps us out of the boat after tying us off. He falls in step with me as I lead the way to the clubhouse.
“When we get inside, let me do the talking,” I tell Levi. “They won’t trust you right away. I’ll explain how I know you, but they’ll want to know how you came to be employed by Maxim. So talk quickly. I need to know the truth.”
“Mr. Zoloth hired me two weeks ago. I didn’t know who he was. I thought he was just a businessman who needed some muscle. If I’d had known he was going to kidnap you, I wouldn’t have taken the job. I swear it.”
“I believe you, but how did you break us free?”
“Mr. Zoloth gave me the plan,” Levi says.
I stop walking and stare at him with my mouth open. “What do you mean, he came up with the plan? Maxim told you how to help us escape from him? That makes little sense.”
“Not Maxim. Vladimir. He gave me the instructions. Told me to incapacitate the other guard. He also gave me the keys to both speedboats and suggested I disable the second the boat.”
I ponder his story as we enter the backdoor of the clubhouse. The first person I see is Nora. She’s topping off Abra’s mug. When she looks up and sees me, the hot coffee splashes over Abra’s hand. He cusses at her until he sees her staring at me. Turning, he lets out a yell that has the entire clubhouse converging on us.
The noise brings Hex and Cleo out of the back rooms. Hex rushes over and lifts me into his arms before swinging me around. He plants a kiss on my cheek before releasing me and giving the same attention to his sisters. Cleo gives me a tight hug before standing next to me with her arm around my waist as we watch Hex with his sisters. That’s when I feel the air shift and my skin tingle. I know without looking that Dixie has entered the room. I turn to see him just as he wraps his arms around me and lifts me into the air. He swings me around just like Hex did. Only when he lowers me, he cups my face with his hands while kissing me senseless.
“Stop eating her face!” Hex bellows, which gives me the giggles.
Dixie leans back far enough to send Hex a glare. Wrapping my arms around his waist, I snuggle into his embrace. Waking up in the hands of Maxim, I worried that I’d never feel Dixie’s arms around me again. I have no plans to move from this position soon. However, when I see Abra grab Levi’s collar and hoist him up into the air, I have to break away from Dixie and defend the man who rescued my daughters and me.
“Abra, put him down,” I order. He lowers Levi back to the ground, but doesn’t release his hold on him. “Levi saved our lives. We owe him gratitude and our protection.”
Sasha and Shayna step forward and pry Levi free of Abra’s hold. Shayna gives Abra a glare while they lead Levi away. She pulls him into the seat next to her.
“Abra, let him be for a few minutes. Let’s hear what happened and then we’ll decide what to do with him,” Hex orders.
“How about some food?” Nora offers. “I made a batch of dirty rice along with stuffed peppers and hushpuppies.”
We all take seats around the able as Nora and two of the Kutte Bunnies bring out our meal. Dixie pulls me close and keeps one hand on my thigh, as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear again. When I’m halfway through the meal, Hex asks for someone to bring him up to speed.
I explain how Maxim’s men ambushed us at my apartment and injected us with a drug to knock us out. They already know about the phone call, so I skip to the part where we tried to escape using the toothbrushes until Levi entered the room and lead us to the speedboat.
“So that’s what the toothbrushes were doing on the floor,” Dixie says with a chuckle.
