Chapter 6 Vapor
Blue is otherworldly in the pale moonlight. Her silky green dress caresses her slight curves in all the right places. Her auburn hair, pinned up by a sparkling emerald comb, brushes her bare shoulders. The off-the-shoulder neckline of her dress highlights her collarbones, making me want to leave a trail of kisses along each ridge. Even in my most vivid fantasies, she’s never been this stunning.
“How long can you be away before you’ll be missed?” I ask, sitting beside her on the bench inside the gazebo.
“Twenty minutes. Maybe thirty if Father and Broussard are occupied by their business partners. Did you go to Black Snake Bayou?”
“I did.”
“And did you save the girls?”
“Yes.”
“Oh, thank God.” She presses her hand over her heart and closes her eyes for a moment. “I was so worried.”
“About them?” I ask because I’m curious. Did she know that she was sending me into a potentially deadly situation? And if she knew, did she care about my safety?
“Yes, the girls and you too. Did you go alone?”
“I brought my men with me.”
“Was anyone hurt? Where are the girls? Somewhere safe?” She leans forward slightly. I want to close the distance between us and press my arm against hers, but I hold back. She has information I need. I can’t let my dick take over until I find out everything she knows.
“Who told you about the cartel’s handoff?”
“No one.” She lowers her voice so much that I have to struggle to make out what she’s saying. “I overheard my father and Broussard talking in his study.”
“Why tell me? Why not call the cops?”
“The police?” She laughs at a normal, conversational volume. “Are you kidding me? They’re in on it.”
“What do you mean?” My spine stiffens.
“It’s all so complicated.” She rubs her palms over her skirt before dropping her hands back into her lap.
“Start from the beginning. When did you first hear about the girls?”
“A week ago. I wanted to tell someone, I swear. But I don’t have anyone I can confide in. At least no one who could do anything about it. Then I heard about your meeting with Broussard.”
“Your fiancé,” I say.
“Ugh! Please don’t say that.” She grimaces.
“Why not?”
“Because he’s not… the wedding isn’t my choice.”
“What are you talking about?” I’m thoroughly confused now. She’s not making any sense.
“My father promised Broussard that I’d marry him as soon as I turned twenty-one. My birthday is in three months. Well, two months and three weeks now.”
“The end of August?”
“Yes. The thirty-first.” Her already fair skin turns chalky white.
“Can’t you just refuse? This isn’t Victorian England or some shit. Your father can’t force you to marry him.”
“If I don’t, he’ll throw me out and disown me. Or worse.”
“He’d actually hurt you?” I furrow my brows.
“Honestly? I don’t know. I’m not sure what he’s capable of. Last month, if you’d told me he’d be involved in human trafficking, I would have thought you were joking. But I’ve heard too much. Now I know the truth.”
“How is he involved?”
“He and Broussard launder the money they make when they sell girls they brought in from Mexico. Did you get the money too?” She cocks her head and flashes her glittering green eyes at me.
“What money?”
“Well, they were trading the girls for something. Either money or drugs.”
“Fuck.” I stand and pace back and forth across the concrete floor. “We didn’t check the fucking boats. It didn’t even occur to me to check. The crash happened and then—”
“Crash?”
“One of the cartel men shot out a tire on the van we were using to get the girls out of there. It was their ride, but we stole it.” I pull my phone out of my pant’s pocket. “Hang on a second.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” she says softly, making me even harder.
Focus!
“Ice,” I say as soon as he answers. “I need you and the others to go back to the shack. There’s either cash or drugs in one of the boats. Probably the smaller one since they were there to get the girls.”
“Seriously?” Ice asks. “Another round of swamp ass?”
“If that’s what it takes. Get the cash or drugs and get out of there. Bring Bones and Tank with you. It’s probably gone by now.”
“How the hell did we miss this?”
“We were focused on getting the girls to safety. I didn’t even think about what else they could be hiding in those boats. It’s remote enough that we might get lucky, and no one’s found them yet.”
“On it. I’ll let you know what we find.”
“Text me. I’m still at Broussard’s party.”
“Did you get a chance to look around his office yet?”
“Working on that.” I slide my gaze to Blue, who’s watching me intently.
After I end the call, I return to my seat beside her. This time I’m sitting close enough that I can feel her warmth.
“We thought you set us up,” I say, gauging her reaction.
“No. Never. Why would I do that?” She looks hurt.
“I don’t know anything about you. Didn’t even know the engagement wasn’t your idea.”
“There’s no way I’m marrying him, but I don’t know how I’ll get out of it either.” She shakes her head while dropping her chin toward her chest.
“We’ll figure something out.”
“We?” She raises her head. When her eyes meet mine, I feel like I’ve been gut-punched. “You’ll help me escape?”
“Are you being held prisoner?” I ball my fists at the thought. I already want to pummel Broussard for being involved in trafficking, but now I want to kill him. What kind of man does that to a woman?
“Not exactly. I can come and go. It’s not like my father keeps me locked up in a tower or anything. But his guards are always watching me. Whenever I leave the house, they follow me. He tells me it’s for my own protection. He’s been paranoid about kidnapping ever since someone tried to take me and my sister when we were kids.”
“The fucking irony,” I snarl.
“What do you mean?”
“He doesn’t want his kids taken, but he’s fine with laundering money for the men who do it to other people’s children. Fuckin’ hypocrite!”
“Shh! Someone will hear you.”
“I didn’t see any guards watching you tonight.”
“They don’t come inside when we’re at Broussard’s place. I’m sure they’re waiting out in the parking area with the chauffeurs.”
As I try to process everything she’s telling me, I jump from wanting to know more about Broussard’s business operation to wanting to rescue her from a forced marriage. I’ve got to tackle one problem at a time.
“I will help you get out of the marriage,” I promise. “But I need your help first. We’ve got a little under three months before the wedding. What’s the actual date?”
“My birthday.”
“They aren’t even going to wait until the day after?” I scoff.
“Nope. If it were up to Broussard, he’d already have me in his bed. He’s already tried to get me to sleep with him.”
“That’s not fucking happening.” I grasp both of her hands and encapsulate them in mine. She’s so tiny that I easily cover her hands completely. “Listen to me. I don’t make promises I can’t keep. Trust me when I say I’m going to do everything in my power to stop the wedding.”
“Why?” she asks timidly.
“Because it’s the right thing to do.”
“Is that all?”
Time stands still as my heart thumps wildly in my chest. The hope in her expression guts me. I hate seeing her so terrified.
Her lips tremble, and suddenly that’s all I can see. Slowly, without even realizing it, I lower my mouth to hers. Brushing a soft kiss over her mouth, I inhale her perfume. It’s the same one she wore at the club, an intoxicating blend of sweet jasmine and warm vanilla. Hints of fresh bergamot and a whisper of musk create a fragrance that is both alluring and elegantly feminine. I want to bottle it up and take it with me.
“Vapor,” she murmurs.
As she reaches for my neck, I cup her cheeks between my palms. I glance at her eyes to make sure she wants me to kiss her again. Her smoldering half-lidded gaze is all the approval I need.
Gently caressing her lips once more, I linger, deepening the kiss. She moans against my mouth before gasping. The moment her lips part, I glide my tongue across hers. She whimpers and wiggles closer until her thigh is pressed against mine.
We’re not as close as we could be, so I wrap my arm around her hip and tug her into my lap. She freezes for a second, pulling away from the kiss to look at me, then she surrenders completely.
Molding her body to mine, she claims my mouth. Her tongue tangles with mine in the most passionate kiss I’ve ever experienced. I’ve kissed more than a few women, but never like this. It’s not just about being aroused, it’s something more. Something deeper.
I lose myself in the kiss long enough to forget where we’re at. Instead of strategizing how I’m going to get into Broussard’s study, I’m abandoning all thought of anything but her. She’s so soft and sweet. Her lips taste like strawberry slices floating in a glass of sweet tea. I can’t get enough.
My hands worship her curves while my cock throbs in my pants. I tear my mouth away from hers long enough to find the delicate column of her throat. Her throbbing pulse beats against my tongue. I taste her skin and it’s just as sweet as her mouth.
Skimming my hands down to her hips, I settle her ass firmly over my cock.
“Oh!” Her eyes go wide.
“See what you do to me?” I rumble like rolling thunder.
“Vapor…” she whispers.
Somewhere in the maze, a branch cracks. She nearly leaps off my lap before backing away a few steps.
“We should go back before someone realizes we’re gone,” she says as her eyes dart toward the entrance to the gazebo.
She’s right. Wrong place. Wrong time. Everything about tonight is wrong.
Fuck!
“Wait!” I stop her before she can leave. “I need to get into Broussard’s study.”
“Why?”
“To look around. I’m trying to figure out how he’s connected to the cartels. Obviously through the money laundering operation, but I’m trying to figure out how the whole system works. Where the tentacles go.”
“Tentacles?”
“All the branches of their illegal operation.”
“Because you’re going to stop them?” she asks, hope returning to her eyes.
“Yes. I am. But I need your help. It’s risky and you absolutely can’t get caught. If your father’s willing to essentially sell you to Broussard, then he’d probably kill to protect his illegal businesses.”
“I wish it wasn’t true, but I suspect you’re right.” She wraps her arms over her chest as if she’s suddenly chilled.
“Do you know where Broussard’s office is located?”
“The second floor. I’ve never been up there, but it’s in the right wing of the mansion. That’s the way my father goes when he’s meeting Broussard. I think it’s a couple of doors down because that’s when I can’t hear his footsteps anymore, but I’m not totally sure.”
“But it’s definitely upstairs?”
“Yes. They leave me in the music room near the bottom of the stairs. They think I’m practicing my piano skills, but I’m really just stabbing at the keys out of boredom.”
“Can you find a way to keep Broussard occupied while I search his office?”
“I can try. It all depends on what he’s doing when I get back.”
“How about this, you go back and find him. I’ll wait a few minutes then follow you out. When I find you inside, give me the signal and I’ll go upstairs.”
“What about coming back down?” she asks, biting her irresistibly sexy bottom lip, which is still swollen from our kisses.
“Coming?” I murmur, distracted by her mouth.
“Downstairs.”
“I’ll figure something out. I’m sure there’s a back servants’ stairs somewhere. I’d search for it and use that, but I won’t have enough time to look. If I don’t find it immediately, then I might not make it upstairs.”
“Be careful.” She grabs my biceps and squeezes.
“Always.” I give her a roguish smile before pulling her into my arms.
Crushing my lips to hers, I kiss her until she’s breathless. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I know I’m losing even more time by doing this, but it had to be done. She’s too tempting to resist, and I’m not a strong man. At least not when it comes to her.
“When will I see you again?” she asks.
“Soon.”
“How will we talk?”
“I’ll find you. Trust me, okay?”
“I do.”
The earnestness in her eyes sends my stomach plummeting. She’s counting on me not to fuck this up. I’ve never had a woman count on me for anything before, but I’m not about to let her down. She’s not getting married to Broussard, and that bastard isn’t going to be laundering for the cartel much longer.
“Goodbye, Vapor,” she murmurs.
“Bye, Blue.”
As I watch her walk away, my body aches. My dick’s impossibly hard, but I can’t deal with it right now. I almost laugh thinking about Broussard finding me jacking off in his gazebo. That could be fun, if I wasn’t trying to bring down a cartel and save a woman from a horrible marriage. Look at me, being all responsible and shit.
I snort as I glance at my watch. After five minutes pass, I pick a path back out of the maze. Fortunately, it’s simple enough that it would be hard to get lost in it.
As I emerge, music spilling out of the house fills the air. Party guests are still gathered on the veranda. I smile and nod at a few as I walk past.
“How was the garden?” one asks.
“Very fun. You should try the maze,” I say.
“Maybe we should, honey.” The man’s date gives him a sultry look.
“Not a bad idea.”
They walk past me, heading toward the garden.
Inside, it’s easy to find Blue. She’s the most beautiful woman in a sea of elegant socialites. None of them can compare to her.
She’s standing with her father and Broussard, smiling at the two as if she doesn’t have a care in the world. I hope she’s not too cheerful, or they will become suspicious.
Drifting out of the ballroom, I head for one side of the grand staircase that curves up on either side of the entryway to the upper level. A servant leaves his post near the door to approach me.
“Sir, if you need to use the facilities, there are two bathrooms in the hall and an additional one back by the kitchen.”
“I’m sorry. I think I ate something slightly off and the restrooms are occupied. Are there any other bathrooms upstairs I might use?”
“Mr. Broussard doesn’t want guests roaming through the halls,” the servant warns.
“I’ll be quick,” I say. “Please. I don’t want to embarrass myself.”
“Come right down when you’re done,” the man says, frowning. He’s probably wondering what kind of mess I’m going to leave and if he’ll be the one forced to clean it up. Fortunately for him, I won’t be leaving a trace of my presence.
When I reach the top of the stairs, I turn right. Blue gave me great information. After checking the first door and discovering that it leads to the bathroom, I close it. I’m able to find the door to the study right away, or at least I’m pretty sure it’s this room because the door’s locked.
“Fuck,” I whisper.
Pulling a lock-picking kit out of my inside coat pocket, I quickly get to work. The second the tumblers fall into place, the lock clicks and disengages. I slip inside, closing the door silently behind me.