“The women, of course,” Brax admitted with a grin. “I’ve been trying to get Whitney to pair me with Zara. He says she’s too smart for me. Who gives a fuck what they have in their head? Comeaux might not be a patriot, but he knows how to treat a woman when she doesn’t give him what he wants. He beat the shit out of his old lady last night and then fucked her brains right out of her head.”
That black rage in Gino’s belly coiled into something deadly. Something lethal.
“How do you know?”
“Heard him swear at her in Cajun. Knew he was going to whale on her and I snuck up to his bedroom window and watched. He’s like a bull. Funny thing is, his brother was there. Right in the bedroom, calm as you please. Watchin’ right along with me. When Pascal quit beating her, he stripped her clothes off and the two of them went at it. Hot as hell watchin’ that shit.”
The fourth soldier rubbed the front of his jeans. “Just thinkin’ about it makes me wish I could join them.” He glanced up at the house. “We could kill the brothers and tap that. Afterward, just slit her throat and get out, no one would ever know.”
The other three soldiers laughed. “You’re a bloodthirsty bastard, Buck,” Tyler said.
“Nope, just horny,” Buck corrected.
Wyatt gave the signal, and Gino moved, making his way around the encampment to come up behind them. Wyatt and Malichai went straight toward them. Draden and Rubin came in from opposite sides. They couldn’t make a sound and every kill had to be silent. If Comeaux’s wife or children happened to look out the window, they couldn’t see GhostWalkers moving stealthily in the grass.
I’ll take the big guy closest to the fire. The one called Brax, Gino informed them. The sick fuck wasn’t getting close to Zara or Comeaux’s woman.
The others chose a target. Rubin wanted Buck. Draden took Tyler. Malichai had Tom.
Wyatt would back them up with his gun, if necessary. They would all slide forward in the grass together, get as close to their objective as possible before committing to the kill. This was a world Gino was very comfortable in and he began to move, easing his body onto the ground, using his toes and fingers to pull himself forward, eyes on target.
The soldier called Tyler, let out a heavy sigh. “Whitney wants Zara bad. Wonder why? He usually doesn’t care that much if they get away. They’re always replaceable.”
“He likes to get them when they’re young and do his work on them, then he gets pissed that they act like women when they grow up,” Tom said. “I’ve been trying to get into his breeding program for months.”
Tyler shook his head. “Not me. It’s dangerous. None of the women want any part of it and unless, they’re tied down tight with a gag in their mouths and gloves over their hands, it’s too dangerous to get it up. I prefer the whores in town to any of Whitney’s creations.”
Buck shrugged. “All women are whores. You just have to let them know you’re not taking any of their crap. They’ll do whatever you want given the right motivation.” He leaned forward and spat into the flames.
In position. Gino was right behind Brax’s chair. Buck actually turned his head and stared right at him without seeing him.
Wyatt waited until the three others had given the okay that they were in position. It’s a go. Three, two, one.
All four rose up simultaneously, knives sliding neatly through throats, while hands muffled any sound. Each held their target through the death throe and only when the bodies had stopped twitching did they allow them to slide down into their chairs, feet dangerously close to the fire-pit.
“I’d give anything to see that bastard Pascal and his filthy brother find the soldiers. They were talking about killing them and now, suddenly, they’re all dead,” Wyatt said.
“Is there a way to get his wife and kids out of here?” Gino asked.
Wyatt shook his head. “Nonny’s reached out several times, but she won’t leave. Too afraid, I think. She’s never been away from home and the only life she knows is here. I’ll have Nonny try again, but even doing that is dangerous. Pascal gets wind, he’ll try to burn our home down.”
“Maybe we should make certain he tries,” Malichai said. He sounded grim. Darker than they’d ever heard him. “Gives us an excuse to kill him.”
“I could do it,” Gino said. “No blowback. He uses the waterway as his own personal highway. He’s always going to the Huracan Club. It would be easy enough to kill him.”
Wyatt sighed. “We aren’t the police here. I detest the bastard. Pretty much every decent family up and down the river despise him and his brother, but we’ve got enough going on without taking that responsibility too.”
Gino shrugged and turned back toward the river. “There’s still two of Whitney’s soldiers out there. Let’s go find them.”
? ? ?
“It’s hot tonight,” Zara observed.
“Humid,” Pepper agreed. She wound her thick braid on top of her head and pinned it into position to take the heavy fall of hair off her neck. “I can’t tell you how often I’ve considered cutting my hair off. Wyatt would lose his mind though.”
“Does it matter what Wyatt wants?” Bellisia asked.
“To me?” Pepper was already nodding. “Absolutely it does. If he prefers my hair long, then I’ll keep it that way.”
“What about you, Cayenne?” Bellisia asked. “Would you cut your hair if Trap said not to?”
Cayenne stretched and then pulled herself up onto the railing surrounding the porch. “Nope. Trap doesn’t like something, I don’t do it.”
“Really?” Bellisia frowned at them. “I don’t get that. I take into consideration what Zeke likes or doesn’t like, but he isn’t going to dictate to me.”
“Why would you think Wyatt dictates to me?” Pepper asked. She unbuttoned the pearl buttons on her blouse and poured water on her chest, uncaring that it got on her blouse, rendering the material see-through. “I said he prefers my hair long so I keep it that way. I didn’t say he told me I had to keep it this long. I don’t mind doing things that make him happy.”
“Trap dictates,” Cayenne said. She shrugged. “I don’t mind at all. I decide whether or not I’m going to do what he says. If it matters more to him, I do it, if it matters more to me, I don’t. It all works out.”
“Cayenne, marriage isn’t a dictatorship,” Bellisia said.
“Tell Trap that.” A ghost of a smile appeared on her face. “The man doesn’t know the meaning of the word ‘ask.’ I’m with Pepper, I don’t sweat the small stuff. I like pleasing him, and he gives me the world, and I don’t mean in material things, although he’d buy me a country if I wanted one. I know I’m his world, and that’s good enough for me. The rest of it, Bellisia, is just diction. Trap has learned not to make the same mistake with me twice. I’ve learned to wait until I cool off—and he does—before I work out what’s wrong and fix it.”
Bellisia sighed. “I guess that’s why we all are attracted to different men. What you can take in your marriage, I’d never be able to in mine.” She went down the steps to the garden hose, turned it on and let the water pour over her head until she was soaked.
“I could use a little of that,” Cayenne said. “Spray me.”
“Me too,” Zara said.
“You’re both going to end up feeling sticky,” Pepper pointed out. “It will cool you off for a few minutes and then you’ll be steaming.”
“With Zeke, I feel like I have a partner,” Bellisia said, turning the hose on Cayenne.
Cayenne hopped off the railing and stood at the top of the stairs, turning around so Bellisia could really get her wet. She was wearing a white T-shirt and instantly the material was see-through just like Pepper’s blouse. They didn’t care, no one was around. Pepper joined Cayenne, putting her hands in the air and spinning around gracefully so Bellisia could soak her clothing and hair. When she was dripping she looked down at herself a little ruefully.