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AS MY MEETING WITH Bull neared, my nerves were on the verge of shattering into a million tiny fragments. I was wired, literally and figuratively. “I don’t think I can do this.”
“You have to,” Fortune said. “Bull’s expecting you. It’s too late to change the plan.”
I paced the length of Fortune’s kitchen. “Can we call Kase now and tell him where the keys are?”
She shook her head. “It’s too early. I’m sorry, Stephanie, but we can’t take the chance that Kase will rush down here and interfere.”
I doubled my pace, which in Fortune’s relatively small kitchen, made me feel like a fish swimming in circles in a tiny fishbowl. Our trip to New Orleans had been nothing sort of moronic. We’d accomplished nothing, unless you counted the obliteration of the one relationship that meant the most in the world to me.
Why was I following Fortune blindly? Go to New Orleans, she’d said. I went. Handcuff your boyfriend, she’d suggested. I had. What next? Shoot Bull Dozer between the eyes? Would I blindly follow her next order? No. Enough. I couldn’t do this.
Fortune’s cell phone rang before I could tell her I was pulling out. She wasn’t twenty-five seconds into the conversation when I knew something was wrong. Deathly wrong if her ashen pallor was any indication. I held my breath as she asked a curt series of what, when and how questions.
“What’s wrong?” I demanded when she hung up.
Her gaze locked onto mine. “It’s Gertie. She’s gone.”
Gone. That one word sucked the air from my lungs. Gone where? Gone how? I struggled to articulate a question but couldn’t.
“That was Ida Belle,” she said, her voice shaky. “She’s at Bayou Gardens still. She thinks someone drugged her, and while she was out, they took Gertie.”
“What are we going to do?” The panic in my voice matched the terror that coursed through my body. Poor Gertie. Poor Aunt Ida Belle. She must be beside herself. “Should we head over there now?”
Fortune dropped her head in her hands. “Just give me a minute to think.”
A minute? We couldn’t afford that. “But Bull doesn’t know why I want to meet with him. He’s still focused on the insurance policy.” Which meant every second we wasted talking was a grain of sand slipping through the hourglass that was Gertie’s time left on this earth. I ran to the bathroom and, pardon my unladylike commentary, promptly lost my lunch. I splashed water on my face. Pull yourself together, Stephanie.
Fortune knocked on the bathroom door. “You okay?”
I opened the door and slumped against the doorframe. “I was sick.”
“So I heard.” She pointed to my chest. “At least we know the wire works.”
I cringed. “Sorry. I panicked.”
She studied me through narrowed eyes. “Are you going to be able to make it through your meeting?”
My eyes widened. “I’m still going through with it?”
Fortune nodded. “Yep, in fact we need to move it up if possible. Which means you need to call Bull. Not only that, you have to act like you don’t know that Gertie’s unaccounted for. Can you do that?”
Without hesitating, I nodded. “Give me five minutes to wash up and I’m ready.”
It turned out that I only needed four full minutes to clean up. I grabbed my phone and pocketbook and followed Fortune out to the Jeep. “Can we call Kase now?” I asked as she pulled out of her driveway.
“No.”
Why was I asking? Kase was my boyfriend, I was the one who’d cuffed him. And just why had I deputized Fortune as my commander-in-chief? Enough. As much as I’d grown to respect my great-aunt, Gertie, and Fortune, it was time for me to quit looking to them for direction. I pulled out my phone and dialed Kase’s number. Only as I hit the green ‘call’ button did I realize that I’d moved his phone out of reach before I’d left. My heart sank. He wasn’t going to be able to answer.
“You’ve got a hell of a nerve calling me.”
I jumped as Kase’s growl came through my phone. “How’d you reach your cell?” was the only thing I could think to ask through my shock.
“No thanks to you.” He was quiet for a long moment, which I must say unnerved me far more than if he were reading me the riot act.
“Uh, Kase? I’m sorry about the handcuffs.”
When he spoke after a long moment of silence, his voice was dangerously low. “You’re going to have to do better than that.” How I wished he’d added ‘darlin’ to the end of his sentence, but he didn’t. “In fact, you’re going to get your chance as soon as I get to Sinful. See you in a little while.”
He ended the call before I could respond. I looked sideways at Fortune. “Kase in on his way here.”
She pounded the steering wheel. “Crap.”
I bit my lip to keep from asking her what we were going to do next.
“So, here’s what we’re going to do next,” she said as if she could read my thoughts. “You call Bull and tell him that you want to move your meeting up. Try to act as nonchalant as possible.”
Nonchalant was the furthest thing from what I really felt but she was right. My hands shook so badly that it took me three tries to dial Bull’s cell number correctly. But, to my relief, I managed to bluff my way through the conversation.
“Great job,” Fortune said when I’d hung up. “You sounded like a girl scout selling cookies.”
Oh, please. How hard was it to convince someone they wanted a box of Thin Mints? Nowhere near as hard as convincing someone to enter into an illegal weapons ring. In order to hold onto what vestige of sanity I still had, I focused on breathing in and out for the rest of the drive. I should have been praying, but my gut instinct told me that, in all likelihood, God was growing tired of the scrapes I kept getting myself into.
I shared the sentiment. In spades.
***
WITH MY STASH OF RUSSIAN weapons safely stowed in the backseat, I drove the Jeep toward the designated spot where I was to meet Bull Dozer. I’d left Fortune parked in Aunt Ida Belle’s SUV less than a mile away. Far away enough to be out of sight but within the wire’s transmission range.
Bull had readily agreed to move our meeting up when I’d implied that he’d benefit greatly from agreeing to do so. He’d snapped at the bait like a ravenous bayou alligator. What on earth had Gertie seen in the man? I shuddered.
Our rendezvous point was a road-side vegetable stand a couple of miles outside of Sinful. The choice struck me as odd when Bull had originally suggested it, but Fortune was convinced that it was used in his smuggling operation. I pulled up and reverse parked so that the Jeep was facing the road for an easy escape, just as I’d promised Fortune I would.
Bull sauntered over to the Jeep before I had a chance to get out. He wore a pair of faded denim overalls and a cocky smile. I hoped my expression didn’t convey my absolute disgust. I forced myself to smile. I couldn’t let on that I thought him a world class chump or that I knew Gertie was missing. “Hello, Bull.”
“Good afternoon, Miss St. James,” he said. “Fine evening we’re going to have.”
I nodded. “I’m sure. Thank you for meeting me.” I gave a pointed glance in the direction of the make-shift lean-to that doubled as a vegetable stand. A solitary stooped figure was arranging a stack of corn cobs on a rickety table. “Are you sure this is a good place for a private discussion?”
Bull shoved his hands in his overall pockets and rocked back and forth on his heels. “Don’t mind old Sampson,” he said. “He keeps an eye on things out here for me.”
I bet he did.
“I heard you was asking after me at Spanky’s on Sunday.”
“I was,” I admitted. “I was hoping to find a way to speak to you alone. You and Gertie have been spending quite a bit of time together lately.”
He didn’t so much as blink at the mention of Gertie’s name.
“I love Gertie,” I continued on. “She’s like family to me. But she’s a bit of a straight arrow.”
Bull threw back his head and laughed heartily. “Coming from the mouth of Miss Manners.”
“Miss Prim & Proper,” I corrected him. I should have let it pass but, honestly, this annoyed me more every time I heard it. “Yes, I’m a manners columnist. But that isn’t how I make my money.”
At the mention of money, Bull’s laughter died away. “That so?”
I nodded. “I’ve had to develop a side business.” I strove to sound confident and assured, as if dealing in weapons was as natural to me as wearing pearls. “It’s been lucrative.”
“That so?” Bull said again. I struggled to hide my annoyance at the repetition.
“Oh, yes. But recently I’ve run into a problem. Seeing as how you’re a business owner, I thought perhaps you’d be able to help me.”
Bull quit rocking. He crossed his arms over his chest. “Me a business owner?” He pulled a face. “Haven’t you heard that I’m a professional good-for-nothing slacker?”
I nodded. “I certainly have. You’ve done an admirable job creating that illusion. But I know differently.”
“Well, now, I’m sure you’ve heard all kinds of talk.”
Time to up the ante. “It’s more than talk, I’ve verified that. Your part ownership in Bayou Gardens intrigued me. I couldn’t figure out why you’d invest money in such a dump, although I’m sure Harold Lisieux was happy to see an influx of cash.”
“I don’t know what—”
I held up a hand to forestall his denial.
“Don’t insult my intelligence, Bull. I make it my business to know things.”
“Such as?”
Fine, let him test me. I’d done my homework. “I know that in addition to being Harold’s silent partner, you’re running an import-export business.” I stayed quiet while my words had a chance to sink in. “Quite an entrepreneur, aren’t you, Bull?”
He didn’t answer but neither did he continue with the hayseed shtick, which I took as forward progress. The sun wasn’t quite setting, but it was dipping lower in the sky. Time to get this show moving along. “I admire your moxie.”
“Why are we here?”
Finally, he asked. I was only too happy to tell him. “I am looking to expand my operation, and I need a partner who isn’t afraid to take risks in exchange for great rewards.”
The words ‘great rewards’ were like a slot machine lever that pulled up three cherries, judging by the way Bull’s eyes flashed. “Rewards?”
I did my best to smile like a cat who’d discovered an unlimited supply of cream. “Such as you can’t imagine, but the risks are great too.” I twisted in the driver’s seat and beckoned for him to come closer. “I brought a tiny sample of my wares with me just to give you an idea of what we’re talking about.”
Bull gave a low whistle when I unzipped the bag. A black rifle lay on top of the stack.
“It’s a beauty,” I said.
“That a Kalashnikov or a Dragunov SVD?”
I remembered Fortune’s admonition to be cautious when it came to details. “If you don’t know just by looking, then you’re not the partner I’m looking for,” I said as disdainfully as I could manage.
“It’s a Kalash,” he said. “I’m sure of it.” He tore his gaze from the guns and met my eyes. “Let’s just say we partner up, and there’s cash in it for me. What’s in it for you?”
“Distribution opportunities,” I said, grateful for Fortune’s coaching. “I imagine you’ve developed a sophisticated network. Your cargo is more difficult to transport than mine.”
Indecision paraded across Bull’s expression. Greed pulled him one way, caution another. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he hedged.
Bull. He knew darn well what I meant. I attempted a nonchalant shrug. “You’re not getting any judgment from me. After all, we’re a country built by immigrants.” It unnerved me that such a heinous mischaracterization of human trafficking could trip off my tongue. “But the items I buy and sell can’t tell stories. That helps me sleep at night.” I paused a moment. “Are you interested in talking numbers?”
“I might be interested in a potential partnership,” is what he said.
I’m a greedy amoral bastard, is what I heard.
“Good. Let’s set up a time to meet.” I reached behind me to zip up the black bag. “It’s getting late and I’m anxious to go check in on Gertie and my great-aunt.”
He didn’t flinch when I mentioned going to see Gertie. I confess this threw me. What sort of a human being could be so cold? Pure human scum, that’s who.
“Can I get a ride with you?” Bull walked around the Jeep and hefted himself into the passenger seat before I could think of a rational objection.
“You’re heading over to Bayou Gardens?” I asked.
“Why not? I’m as anxious as you are to see Gertie.” He pulled the seatbelt across his chest and clicked the buckle in place. “Unless you mind?”
Mind? Of course, I minded. This wasn’t part of the plan. But what else could I do but politely acquiesce? “Of course not.”
Still, every instinct I had screamed that something was indeed very wrong. And once I’d pulled out on the road and was less than a couple of miles from the vegetable stand, Bull proved me right when he stuck the barrel of a gun into my ribs.