Chapter 18

They'd walked long enough that Ephie had finished her ice cream and thrown the cup away. Remy wondered if she was tired by now. As much as he wanted to show her the town, he didn't want to wear her out, either. "Ready to head back? We can cross the street and come up on the other side so you can see what's over there. Or we can stay on this side. Whatever you want to do."

"Let's cross over," she said.

They waited for the light and crossed when it turned. They hit the opposite side, and she hugged her arms around herself like she was cold.

"Chilly?" he asked. It did get cooler in the evenings here because they were higher up. New Orleans was about as low as you could go without actually being underwater.

"A little. Probably from the ice cream. I'll be all right."

He slipped off his leather jacket and put it around her shoulders. "Here. Temperature doesn't bother me that much."

"You're sure?"

He nodded.

She pulled it closer around her. "Thanks."

They walked in silence the rest of the way back to the car, mostly just taking in the sights and sounds. People-watching was really something special in a place like this.

At the car, he got her door, then went around and took his seat behind the wheel. She seemed to be drifting off as he drove. Understandable. It had been a long day.

He parked in the driveway. She stayed asleep, buckled into her seat. He went around to her side, opened her door, unlatched her seatbelt, then carefully picked her up and carried her to the door.

The sweet scent of her perfume enveloped him. He bent his face into her hair and inhaled. He'd missed that. She'd always smelled good to him.

Holding her with one arm, the warmth of her body seeping into his, he unlocked the door and took her straight to the guest room. He laid her on the bed, still wrapped in his jacket. He slipped off her shoes, then shook out the throw from across the foot of the bed and covered her with it.

He backed away, thinking he could leave without waking her, but then Jean-Luc trotted in and meowed.

Ephie blinked her eyes open and let out a big yawn. She smiled at him as she realized where she was. "Did you carry me in here from the car?"

"I did. I hated to wake you."

Jean-Luc jumped up on the bed, going right to Ephie as he materialized. She scratched his head. "Hey, buddy." She looked at Remy. "I guess I was sleepier than I realized. I'm too tired to stay up any longer. I realize you probably aren't going to bed yet. Sorry."

"You have nothing to apologize for, and you don't need to keep the same hours as me. You're here to enjoy yourself and have a nice break. Not to entertain me."

"Thanks for tonight. That was fun."

"You're welcome. I'll see you tomorrow, okay?"

She nodded, still petting Jean-Luc. "Okay. Good night."

He left her and went to his room. There were plenty of hours before the sun rose. There were a few things he'd been meaning to do around the house, but those things would make noise, and Ephie would be sleeping.

He'd also planned on telling Ephie about why she was really here, but that wasn't going to happen, either. Not now, anyway. Better to let her sleep, but he'd do it first thing when he woke up tomorrow.

He checked his phone, which he'd put on silent earlier, just to see if he'd missed anything important. He found he had. A call from Leonie and a text a few minutes after that telling him to call her as soon as possible.

She probably hadn't meant at one in the morning, but she'd said as soon as possible. He didn't want to wake Ephie up, so he went outside to sit on the front steps. He preferred the backyard, but that would put him closer to the guest room window.

He dialed, expecting to get Leonie's voicemail. After three rings, he got her instead.

"Hello," she mumbled.

"Sorry to wake you, Leonie, but I just saw the text. What's going on?"

She sighed into the phone. "You had me worried when you didn't answer. I don't like that, Lafitte."

"Ephie wanted ice cream. We were busy."

"She's safe then?"

"Perfectly." He frowned. Like he'd let anything happen to her. "What was so urgent?"

"Turner tried to kill me. Or at least incapacitate me."

Remy's mouth fell open. "What? How?"

"He sent me another letter, the one I sent you the picture of. In the envelope was a black feather laced with a variety of toxins. He meant for me to touch it. If I had, I would at least be in the hospital."

Where she'd be more vulnerable.

"Worst-case scenario, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"But you're all right?" He didn't like the woman, but he didn't want her dead, either.

"Yes, I'm fine. The police commissioner is an old friend. He did a security check on my house and chambers. My chambers were bugged, by the way."

That caught him off guard but made him think, too. "Turner's really serious about this."

"You think?" She made a noise like she was sucking her teeth. "You need to take this seriously. It's very possible they tracked Ephie to your town. They could be there now."

He scanned the street before him, paying close attention to the few cars parked along it. Most people parked in their garages or driveways, but now and then there were cars on the street. He couldn't see anyone in the cars currently parked on the curb. "They won't get past me. Nothing is going to happen to her."

"That's easy for you to say. You don't know what this Turner is like. He's ruthless. Vicious. He'll do anything he thinks necessary. And Darryl believes he'll hurt Ephie first just to show me what he's capable of and to scare me into testifying on his behalf so that he can get parole."

Remy scrubbed his hand across his chin. "I've made the sheriff aware of the threat and the possibility that Turner could send goons here. Extra precautions are being taken. I promise I'm doing everything I can."

"Where is Ephie now?"

"Asleep in the guest room."

"Do you have an alarm system? Is it on?"

"I don't have one. I'm a vampire. I'm my own alarm system."

"Not good enough, Lafitte. That is my only child."

He frowned. "What do you want me to do? Sleep on her floor? She's safe, I promise."

"Sleeping on her floor isn't a bad idea."

"You have to be kidding. If you want her to really be safe, she needs to know what's going on."

"No. Ephie won't be able to handle it. She'll want to come home immediately, and that will only put her in more danger."

He sighed just to let her know he didn't approve. "I don't like lying to her, Leonie."

"You're not lying to her. You're protecting her."

He didn't like Leonie's opinion of her daughter. "You don't give her enough credit. She's not this fragile flower you make her out to be."

"Oh, and you know this because after twelve years away, you've spent a couple days with her and suddenly you're an expert? I've known her her whole life. I'm the one who put her back together when you disappeared and left her a broken mess. Don't pretend you know her, because you don't."

That hurt. He'd loved Ephie deeply. Probably more than she'd loved him. He'd been prepared to spend eternity with her. He wanted to hang up on Leonie, but he didn't need her running to the vampire council and turning him in. "She will be safe here. You can count on that."

"I hope so. You realize things are only going to get worse once his parole hearing happens and I don't do as he wants."

"Ephie can stay here as long as she needs to. You just worry about yourself."

"I have a lot of people looking out for me."

"Does that mean the entire force knows and not just the commissioner?"

"A select few know, yes. Enough to provide me with the protection I need."

"Good. I should go."

"Fine. But listen—I want daily texts from you letting me know things are all right. You understand?"

"I do. Good night." He hung up. He sat a moment, unhappy with everything that was going on. Ephie being threatened, most of all. But her not knowing about it really upset him, too. He was being forced to lie by omission.

He hated that. If things were ever going to work out for the two of them, this was not a good start.

He got up, keeping his phone in his hand, and walked to the sidewalk. He looked in both directions. There were two cars to the right and one to the left. The vehicle on the left-hand side was an SUV with tinted glass. The two cars on the right were sedans, no tint. He could see right through them.

Didn't mean there wasn't someone crouched down inside them. He went to the right first, strolling toward the sedans with purpose. He stopped at each one, using the flashlight on his phone to illuminate the interiors.

Both were empty.

As he turned to head toward the SUV, it started up and drove off. He quickly took a snap of the license plate, but when he looked at the photo, it was dark, blurry, and hard to make out.

He stared after the vehicle. It was too far away and too dark for even his eyes to read more than the first few digits on the plate. What bothered him more was that he hadn't heard anyone get in it, which had to mean someone had already been inside.

Wasn't any kind of proof where Ephie was concerned, but it didn't sit well with him. He had the make, model, and the first three numbers of the plate. He'd see what Birdie could do with that tomorrow.

He went back inside and found Ephie standing in the foyer, visibly upset. "What's wrong? Are you okay? Is Jean-Luc okay?"

Her fists clenched. "What were you doing out there? And why were you talking to my mother? What do I need to be protected from? More importantly, what are you lying to me about?"