Chapter 6 #2
She made the mistake of looking up into his gaze. Instead of pity, she saw something else. Empathy? Compassion? Understanding?
As her heart swelled, she quickly locked it down and stepped back. Her hand fell to her side, her back stiffened and she reminded herself that the only person she could count on was herself. She couldn’t love. Wouldn’t. The people who were supposed to love her had left her.
“No,” she said. “I didn’t trust anyone. I ran away several times.
My grandmother had too many rules. When I lived with my mother, there were no rules.
She was never around. The third time I ran away, CPS told my grandmother I’d be placed in a juvenile detention home the next time.
By then, I was seventeen and behind in school.
I asked my grandmother for the study materials to take the GED.
I studied and found I wasn’t as dumb as everyone thought.
I took the GED, passed and never went back to public school.
” She walked toward the door. “Enough of my boring life. We need to swing by my grandmother’s island, pick up whatever medicines she has ready for delivery and get started. ”
Xavier followed her out of the tomb, turned, shifted the damaged door into place and jammed a stick between the door and the doorjamb to hold it closed.
Lissette watched the man, admiring how his muscles flexed and strained the fabric of his T-shirt.
If she wanted, she could have him. Her core heated at the thought.
It had been more than a year since she’d had sex.
He’d only be around for six more days, not nearly enough time to form an emotional attachment—on his part.
She’d never formed an emotional attachment to any man she’d slept with—or anyone, for that matter.
Love only ever hurt. Her mother had taught her that lesson.
Sex with the former Navy SEAL. Hmmm. What could it hurt? He’d be gone soon.
An odd feeling tugged at her heart.
Not that she’d miss him when he left. She barely knew him.
He saved you twice, a voice in the back of her head reminded her.
So what?
Firefighters saved women and children from burning buildings. Paramedics saved men from heart attacks and traffic accidents. Brotherhood Protectors protected people. That was what they did.
She led the way back to his truck, pushing thoughts of sex with Xavier to the back burner. She had work to do. Until she warned the others, she couldn’t rest…or go to bed with her handsome sidekick.
Xavier helped her into the truck. As he stepped up onto the running board, she held up a hand. “I can buckle the seatbelt,” she said, falling back on the self-proclaimed mantra she’d invoked and lived by since the age of ten.
Take care of yourself.
“How do we get to your grandmother’s?” Xavier asked as he slid behind the wheel and started the engine.
“I have a pirogue at the marina. Some of the places we’ll visit are on the bayou. They’re also the places my grandmother makes house calls a couple of times a week. We can start with them and work our way back into town.”
Lissette sat back, wondering why she’d spilled her guts to this man who wasn’t much more than a stranger. She should have kept her mouth shut. Then he’d only see her as an ex-con, not a juvenile delinquent who’d lived up to everyone’s expectations by landing in jail.
He should have listened when she’d told him to stay away from her. She was trouble. Maybe even cursed. Why else would her mother have walked out on her when she was only ten years old?
Oh, yeah. By ten, she’d already been more mature than her druggy mother. The woman hadn’t been capable of making sense of her life. She’d always looked for someone else to take care of her instead of taking care of her own child.
Xavier pulled into the parking lot at the marina and turned off the engine.
When Lissette reached for the door handle, Xavier laid a hand on her arm. “I just want you to know, there are good people in this world. People you can trust. I suspect your grandmother is one of them.”
She stared at his hand on her arm, a burning sensation stinging her eyes. The little girl who’d trusted her mother to come home wanted so badly to believe his words.
The grown woman who’d spent time with people even worse than herself lifted his hand and laid it on the console. “You have your fantasies. I like to stick to the cold, hard truth.” She pushed the door open, dropped out of the cab and hurried toward the marina.
The truck door slammed behind her, and footsteps crunched on gravel, quickly catching up to her.
When she reached the pirogue, she dropped nimbly onto the metal bench at the back and started the engine.
Xavier didn’t give her time to speed off without him. He untied the line and quickly stepped into the boat, making it rock wildly.
He hadn’t even settled on the seat in front of her when she whipped the little skiff around and sped off into the bayou.
Fortunately, he’d settled on the bench facing forward. She didn’t have to avoid awkward eye contact. The little motor’s hum was loud enough to discourage any conversation.
The short ride to the island seemed to take forever. By the time Lissette slid the pirogue up against the dock, she was wound tighter than a knotted shoestring.
Xavier leaped out, tied the front of the boat to a post and held out a hand to her.
Since he was standing in front of her, she had no choice but to take his hand and let him pull her up onto the dock. When she stumbled, he caught her against him. His arm encircled her back, holding her close until she steadied.
She should have pushed away, but the warmth and solidness of his chest pressed against hers was so very hard to resist.
A flap of wings alerted her.
She spun, pushed Xavier behind her and grabbed the fishnet from where it hung on the post.
Napoleon half-ran, half-flew at them, the devil’s gleam in his beady eyes.
“Oh, no you don’t.” Lissette faced off with the one-eyed rooster. “He’s with me. Back off, Napoleon.”
The rooster landed in front of Lissette and danced to the side, looking for a way to get to Xavier.
“He won’t attack me, will he?” Xavier asked, remaining behind Lissette.
“If I don’t bag him first, he will.” She gritted her teeth, held the net in front of her and approached the rooster. “He doesn’t like men. I think he feels threatened.”
Napoleon darted to the side.
Lissette’s hand shot out. The fishnet shot out with it and caught the bird as he launched at Xavier.
Wings flapped against the knotted strings of the net, but Napoleon couldn’t escape.
“Ha!” Lissette shouted in triumph, holding the handle of the net, the rooster caught between the strings. “Not so tough now, are you?” She hung the net on the post, bird and all.
Xavier frowned as he passed the captured rooster. “Will he be all right?
“It won’t be his first night trapped in the net,” Lissette said. “Come on, we have a lot to do before dark.”
She led the way to the cottage and climbed the steps, Xavier following. As he arrived on the porch, the screen door swung open, and Madame Gautier, dressed in a colorful muumuu, emerged, leaning on a cane, her right foot encased in a brace boot. “What in de Sam Hill is going on out here?”
“Mémère.” Lissette hurried forward and took her grandmother’s hands in hers. “Shouldn’t you be sitting with your foot up?”
Her grandmother waved her hand. “I sit most of de day. Besides, how else will I know what all de squawkin’ is about if I don’t see for myself?” Madame Gautier’s eyes narrowed as she glanced over Lissette’s shoulder toward Xavier. “And who might be you?” she demanded, planting her fists on her hips.
Xavier stepped forward, stood beside Lissette and held out his hand. “Ma’am, I’m Xavier Xanders. I work with the Brotherhood Protectors. My current assignment is to protect your granddaughter, Lissette.”
Madame Gautier took his hand in a firm grip. “I understand you saved my Lissette two times already. For dis, I owe you my gratitude.”
“You owe me nothing,” Xavier said. “I only did what was right.”
“You be a good man, Xavier Xanders.” Madame Gautier covered both of their hands with her other hand. “Not many would help her. Not many have. For dis, I thank you.”
Lissette pushed back the swell of emotion that made her eyes sting. “Mémère, we have a list of the folk whose reliquaries were stolen—the people whose protection has been compromised. I know some of them have already had bad things happen, and I want to warn the others to be careful.”
“Dat is good of you, mon cher.” Her grandmother released Xavier’s hand and patted Lissette’s cheek. “However, dey might not listen or even open deir doors for you.”
Lissette nodded. “I realize that. I thought I could combine the warning with the remedies you bring for your usual house calls.”