Chapter Thirty Rey
When Abra informs us of Erickson’s arrival, I glance back at the man.
He glares at me, but then his attention shifts to Ryan.
The expression on his face is a mixture of surprise, anger, fear, and something else that I can’t define.
I shift forward to look at Ryan, who seems oblivious to the lasers shooting into the back of his skull.
Camille snags our attention by slamming the gavel down to start the bidding.
I sit back and watch the auction play out.
Camille stands at the podium and crisply calls out numbers.
Hands rise and fall as the various groups acknowledge their bids.
Several bidders bow out early, leaving only three: Cleo, Benoit, and Erickson.
Eventually, Erickson sits fuming as the bidding reverts between just Cleo and Benoit.
With Camille’s words of ‘going, going, gone,’ Cleo has gained possession of the De Villiers property.
We stand in celebration. I clap as Ryan embraces Cleo. He has tears running down his face. Before he can turn his attention to me, Erickson grabs him by the arm and yanks him away.
“What are you doing here with them?” Erickson demands.
Ryan looks confused as he glances between Erickson and Cleo. “Mr. Erickson, what are you doing here?”
“What are you doing here?” Erickson snaps back.
“The Parish planned to auction off my parents’ home. I came here to see if I could stop them, but they said no. That’s when I met Cleo and the others.”
“You should be at work. I don’t pay you to waste time on your personal problems! You’re fired!”
Ryan gapes at Erickson. “I took the day off without pay! Please don’t fire me. I need this job.”
Before Erickson can turn and leave, Abra and his brothers circle our little group.
“What’s going on?” Hex demands, glaring at Erickson.
“None of your business! You and your club have caused me enough problems. Just stay away from me,” Erickson snarls.
“Please, Mr. Erickson…” Ryan starts, but Erickson ignores him as he turns on Abra.
“This is all your fault! You stole the Harlequin figurine from me, and now you’re stealing my employee!”
I glance over Erickson’s shoulder to see Miguel Costa slow down to watch the show.
“What figurine?” Miguel asks.
Erickson freezes before glancing over his shoulder. He must see the same thing we all see: a furious Cartel leader.
“Nothing,” Erickson says. “It was just a misunderstanding,” Erickson says before snapping his mouth closed and pushing his way through the wall of denim and leather to escape out the door.
Miguel turns to the two men behind him and nods toward the door where Erickson disappeared.
He follows behind them after giving Abra a piercing look.
“Wait, what figurine?” Ryan asks Abra, grabbing my attention. “It isn’t a Harlequin figurine, is it?” When Abra nods, Ryan continues. “He’s standing like this? As if holding out a scroll?” Ryan asks, bending at the waist and doing a decent imitation of the figurine Abra stole from Erickson.
“Yes, exactly like that, why? Do you know it?” Abra asks.
Ryan nods slowly as he stares at the door through which Erickson fled.
“Okay, we’re all set,” Cleo says, joining us after completing her business with Camille.
“Hold on, I want to hear what Ryan has to say,” Abra says.
“Why don’t we discuss it over lunch?” Hex suggests as he glances around the emptying room. “Looks like they want us out of here.”
“I should probably get back to work,” Ryan says with another look at the door Erickson used. “Although I don’t know if I have a job any longer.”
“Don’t worry about him,” Abra says. “If you want your job back with that bastard, we’ll get it for you.”
“What do you do for him?” Cleo asks as we leave the courthouse.
“What? Oh, I was his project manager. Erickson is a busy man and couldn’t oversee every project he started. That’s where I came in. I’d keep track of the projects and keep him updated. He isn’t the easiest man to work for, but he pays well.”
“Like Abra said, don’t worry about Erickson. We can get Erickson to change his mind. But you might be better off finding something else. We can help you get a different job,” Hex assures him. “Now, where should we eat?”
“Francoise’s is close,” Cleo suggests. “I’ll call him and make sure we get the table in the grotto. That way we can talk freely.”
“Good idea,” Hex says as Cleo pulls out her phone.
“Do you think your wife would like to join us?” I ask Ryan.
His eyes widen in surprise. “How did you know I was married?”
“Oh, well,” I scramble to come up with a reason other than the truth. I glance at Abra for help.
“I think you’ll find we know more about you than you know about us,” Abra says, obviously not having an issue with the truth. “We can explain at the restaurant. Would you like to invite your wife to join us? We’ll be heading over to your new house after lunch. Won’t she want to join us?”
“She would,” Ryan agrees. “I’ll swing by and pick her up before we meet you at the restaurant.”
“Sounds good,” Abra says, clapping him on the shoulder.
Once Ryan leaves us, I turn to Abra. “Are you planning on telling him everything?” I ask.
Abra offers me his hand before moving toward his bike. He passes me my helmet before answering. “I don’t know yet. I might. First, I want to hear his story.”
“Aren’t you worried about the fact that he worked for Erickson?” I ask.
Abra smirks at me. “You mean like you did?”
I open my mouth to argue, but can’t. Abra’s right. I was working for Erickson before I realized the fucker was a bastard. So, instead of arguing. I growl at him. Abra chuckles as he bops my nose with his finger. “I’m sure it will be fine. I don’t think Ryan has any allegiance to Erickson.”
“You’re probably right,” I agree as I climb on the back of Abra’s bike.
When we arrive at the restaurant, the proprietor hugs Cleo as if she were his long-lost daughter before leading us to the same area of the patio where Abra and I had eaten just a few days ago. With bushes covering every side, it is the perfect place to discuss private business.
Ryan arrives fifteen minutes after we’re seated. With him is a gorgeous woman, with high cheekbones, long, golden-brown hair, and soft blue eyes. “This is my wife, Naomi,” Ryan introduces his wife. After we’ve all greeted her and they’ve taken their seats, we place our orders with Francois.
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Naomi says, smiling at us. “But I don’t understand what’s going on. Ryan said we were having lunch with the Demon Dawgs and that you had news about his inheritance. How are you involved with the De Villiers’ family?”
“We aren’t, but circumstances have collided,” Abra says.
“I don’t understand,” Naomi says.
“It started with me,” Abra says. “Well, technically, it started with a good friend of mine, Cicero. One of my closest friends is a historian specializing in the French Revolution and its impact on New Orleans, particularly in the French Quarter. He learned about the deep friendship between the De Villiers and the French Royal Family.”
“He learned about the treasure?” Ryan asks, knowingly.
“He isn’t interested in claiming the treasure,” Abra assures him.
“He simply wants to know if it exists and what form it takes. My friend, Cicero, believes the Harlequin figurine plays a key part in locating the treasure. He learned that Erickson had the figurine and asked me to acquire it. I’m not going into details about how I acquired it. ”
Ryan smirks, but nods in agreement. “I don’t need to know the details. However, I would like to know how Erickson obtained it. My stepfather kept that piece close and was distraught when it went missing. I never suspected Erickson of taking it.”
“Did Erickson have access to it?” I ask.
"Erickson visited my stepfather a few times after he hired me. He told me that he loved the architecture in the French Quarter and always admired the house. When the figurine went missing, I never considered Erickson to be the thief. I assumed my stepfather misplaced it. That figurine is of great importance. Not only is it a valuable piece of De Villiers’ history, but it’s the only way I can prove that I should have inherited Maison des Cinq Chênes.
My stepfather promised to leave it to me in his will, but first, I had to prove myself after I made a decision that resulted in him not speaking to me for over a year. ”
“What do you mean?” Cleo asks. “What happened?”
Ryan reaches over and grasps his wife’s hand.
“My stepfather accused me of bringing shame to his family. It wasn’t until he was close to dying that he forgave me, but like I said, he wanted me to prove myself worthy of the De Villiers heritage.
But I couldn’t do it without the Harlequin figurine.
My stepfather didn’t know it was missing, and I didn’t have the heart to tell him.
By not telling him, I lost my inheritance. ”
“How?” I ask Ryan. “Why would he make it so difficult for you to claim your inheritance?”
“Because I made a bad decision even though it was for the right reason. It was the only decision I could make at the time,” Ryan explains.
As he talks, Naomi places her hand on his.
He flips his hand over so they can entwine their fingers.
“When Naomi and I got married, my parents gave us a priceless gift. It was a collection of jewelry that the De Villiers brought with them from France. It had been in the family for several generations. My stepdad wanted me to have it to prove that he considered me his son and heir. Then I let him down.”
“Oh, Ryan, I’m so sorry. This was all my fault…” Naomi says, but Ryan places his free hand against her cheek to stop her.
“No, it wasn’t your fault. I made the decision.”
“What decision?” I ask, although I’m reasonably sure I know the answer.
“Naomi got sick. I’m not going into details about what she went through, but she needed expensive medical care, or I would have lost her.
I had just started working for Erickson when she received the diagnosis.
I wasn’t on a medical plan. Naomi had something through her work, but it wasn’t enough.
We needed money. I considered asking my parents for help, but my mother was going through her own medical nightmare, and my stepfather was suffering.
I didn’t feel like I could add to their distress, so I pawned the jewelry.
I planned to take the money and pay for Naomi’s treatment and then go back to the pawnshop and claim the jewelry at a later date. ”
“Did you go back?” Rey asks.
Ryan nods. “I did. Several months later. However, the pawnshop owner refused to give me the jewelry. He claimed that he didn’t know what I was talking about.
When I told my stepfather about what I’d done, he lost it.
My mother never recovered and died, so we were both suffering.
Naomi was healthy again, which was the only thing that kept me sane.
My stepfather kicked me out of his life and refused to have anything to do with me for over a year. ”