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Delaney looked so pale, but her breathing had returned to normal. Sadie whined, crawling closer until she was able to rest her head on Delaney’s arm.
“Don’t wake her, baby.”
I didn’t want to leave her side either, even though the entire force of soldiers employed by the Thibodeaux family was either protecting this house or my brother Louie and his family or they were scouring the city.
I’d lost three men the night before, the assassination-style kills allowing the perpetrator easy access once they’d been eliminated. No one had seen a thing since hundreds of people passed by my house surrounding Mardi Gras. However, that didn’t surprise me.
I brushed hair from her eyes then started to get up when I felt her hand on my arm. “Don’t leave.”
“Hey. You need your rest,” I told her.
“What’s happening?” Her voice was sleepy, still raspy from smoke inhalation.
“Just sorting through the mess.”
She took a deep breath then glanced at Sadie, the pup’s tail thumping madly. “She’s okay?”
“Sadie is fine. She saved your life after you saved hers.”
“He was there. I saw him. The same man from the club in LA.”
“You’re certain of that? You didn’t see his face.”
A single tear slipped past her lashes. Fuck. What had I done to her?
“His voice. I’d know it anywhere. Why is he doing this?”
I gently wiped the salty bead away, uncertain what to say to her. After sliding my finger into my mouth, an intense feeling of an entirely different need rushed into my system. I would die for this woman. Of that I had no doubt. I took her hand into mine, pulling it to my mouth. As I rolled my lips across her knuckles, she slowly eased her other hand to my chest.
“Baby. I’m so sorry.”
“It’s not your fault.”
“Yeah,” I half whispered. “I think it is.” We both heard a knock on the door, and I groaned. “Who is it?”
When the door was opened and Raven walked in, I realized how shaken the entire family was by the stricken look on her face. “I’m sorry to interrupt but the police are downstairs. Thomas is here as well. I’ll stay with her.”
“Delaney, this is my brother’s wife, Raven. She’s a kick-ass girl like you are.”
Raven laughed, although the sound was bitter. “I don’t know about that today.”
“Don’t be gone too long,” Delaney told me.
“I wouldn’t dream of it, beautiful doll. Now, rest. That’s an order.”
At least she managed to give me an old-fashioned salute. I moved toward the door, waiting for a few seconds as Raven pulled a chair closer. Sadie obviously had no intention of following her master. And that was just fine by me.
Delaney shifted her gaze toward me, mist still in her beautiful eyes. I hated myself for what had occurred. I closed the door, taking a deep breath before heading down the stairs and into the living room. I stood just inside the doorway, thankful the two men who’d been sent to investigate the crimes were good friends of the family. At least that would make things somewhat easier. The press had already tried to get a statement, which the entire family had ignored, but we wouldn’t be able to do that forever.
As I headed downstairs, I noticed Rocco was waiting for me outside of Arman’s office. He walked closer, shaking his head.
“What is it?” I asked, realizing just how exhausted I was.
“No one is stepping up to claim the fire. But someone has put the fear of God into people. It didn’t take any time for me to realize that. No one will even mention a name.”
“I don’t care what it takes to get someone to talk, do it.”
“Yes, sir. I’ll spend some quality time with a few of our informants,” Rocco said, far too eager to encourage a full discussion. That’s one thing I appreciated about him. While he might be a family man, doting on his wife and kids, that never detracted from business. Or in truth, vice versa. Balance was his motto.
