Angel’s Promise by Aleatha Romig

Rett

It was my fucking wedding night and I wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted to be upstairs with my bride. The tap of my shoes upon the hardwood announced my arrival seconds before I entered the room outside of my inner office. Truly, the cameras in the hallway should have warned my men I was coming—that and the text message I sent for them to meet me here.

“Boss...” Leon said as I entered.

The lifting of my hand and a shake of my head was all I could manage at the moment. I’d purposely put off this conversation for as long as I could. Emma deserved a damn candlelit dinner after her wedding. What she didn’t deserve was the reason I was here now. As two of my most trusted men, Noah and Leon were both present. I would have included Ian, but he was upstairs making certain Mrs. Ramses was not disturbed again.

Henri, the man who’d allowed Boudreau and Ingalls entry into my home was currently on a drive with Carter, another of my men. The question at hand was where that drive would end.

Leon pushed the button. We all turned expectantly as the bookcase slid behind the wall, creating the entry to my inner office. The men waited as I led the way, taking my place behind my desk. Before sitting, I removed my phone from my pocket, then removed the tuxedo jacket, placing it on the back of my chair. Once everyone was within, I sat and closed the door from the control on my desk.

I gestured toward the two chairs opposite my desk. “Sit.”

Silence prevailed as I loosened the bow tie. “I don’t fucking want to be here,” I confessed. “Tell me what’s happened, is happening, and why. I need to decide if Henri’s service to Ramses is over.”

Leon and Noah exchanged a look before Leon took the floor. “Henri fucked up. He knew he did the moment Ingalls pushed into the front door.”

“It was because of McBride,” Noah added. “Henri didn’t want a commotion with the good judge present.”

“If that was his goal, he fucking failed,” I said, standing. “My wife is waiting upstairs.” Looking from Noah to Leon, I walked around the desk. Crossing my arms, I leaned against the large wooden monstrosity. “Henri’s worked for me for over five years. He knows things, too many things. I watched the surveillance video. He fucked up by not recognizing Ingalls. As soon as he saw Boudreau, he called for backup. Henri did everything right up until and immediately after he fucked up.” I waited before adding, “He still fucked up.”

“If you put him back on the streets,” Leon said, “he’s vulnerable.”

I nodded. “That’s not one of my options. He stays put or he’s gone. I can’t risk him giving shit up to Boudreau because he’s upset that he was demoted.” It was a genuine issue with my trusted capos. There was no unknowing the secrets they learned working in close proximity to me. They either succeeded or died.

“Boss,” Leon said, “Henri knows he fucked up. He knows that right now you’re making the decision on whether he comes back from that drive with Carter. Fuck, Carter knows what may go down. Ain’t nobody happy about it. I for one am pissed.” He stood and walked to the bookcase and back. “I also have known Henri for some time, and I think he deserves another chance.”

Letting out a breath, I turned to Noah. “You?”

These two men understood the significance of their presence. The final judgment would be my call. I’d make it. I’d live with it and own it. I wouldn’t pass the fucking buck on to anyone else. However, a lesson I learned in my family journals was that not every decision had to be made alone. Get trusted advisors and utilize them.

It worked on multiple levels.

My confidence in these men was evident in their presence and in my asking their advice. With that confidence came responsibility. By trusting their opinions, it raised their position in my ranks and worked to ensure their loyalty. That in turn increased their stake in the Ramses name and cause.

Noah leaned back, placing one ankle on his knee.

“Comfortable?” I asked, more than a bit put off.

“He fucked up, boss. But I think we can look at this for what it really was.”

“And what the fuck was that besides nearly a shoot-out in my foyer?”

“You watched the surveillance?”

“I did.” I watched it in fast motion. I had this little issue of a wedding this evening and a sexy wife I wanted to fuck.

Noah placed his foot on the floor and turned to Leon. “We have some thoughts.”

“About Henri?” I asked.

“About Boudreau,” Noah said. “I’ve watched the video about four times. Leon mentioned he had the gut feeling Boudreau was nothing more than a mouthpiece for someone else. Fuck, boss, I’m not sure why we didn’t pursue this in the past. I know all the evidence, even the ranks we’ve infiltrated, led to Boudreau, but after watching Ingalls and him tonight...” Noah shook his head. “There’s no way he’s the fucking brains in this operation.”

“It’s her,” I said. “I’ve suspected it since I spoke to Michelson yesterday. It’s like she wants us to know. She’s fucking giving clues. I’ve got men working on the cryptocurrency, but it was the numerical code that was her calling card. Mrs. Ramses wants to see her mother.” I shook my head. “That isn’t fucking happening. It’s Jezebel, she’s the money and the brains.”

“No one has seen her in years,” Leon said. “We suspected she was alive, but where?”

“She’s here in New Orleans,” I answered. “Fuck, I think Ruth talks to her somehow. Then again, I never know if what comes out of Ruth’s mouth is fabricated or authentic.”

“Ruth thinks it’s real,” Leon said with a grin.

“Do you trust Ruth?” Noah asked.

I walked around the desk and sat again in the chair. Removing my cufflinks, I rolled my sleeves halfway up my arm as I thought about Ruth Guidry. “My mother did. She trusted Ruth implicitly.”

“That’s not what Noah asked, boss.”

“I don’t trust her to keep her mouth shut around Emma. I do trust her when it comes to Ramses. She’s devoted her life to this family.”

“Then we need to find out if she’s really talking to Jezebel,” Leon said. “Boudreau confirmed while he was here that he’s in touch with her. It fucking makes sense. I’ll have Ruth’s phone records scanned.”

My lips came together. “Fuck, I pay her bill. Do that.”

“It won’t be that easy,” Leon said. “Jezebel North has been planning this for too long to fail.”

“You know,” Noah said, “if we’re right and Jezebel is the brains behind this, it answers other questions, such as where Kyle O’Brien was for two and a half years before resurfacing in New Orleans.”

My fingers splayed over the desk before I looked up. “I could have fucking killed Boudreau tonight and it wouldn’t have ended the coup.” I was voicing my realization.

“If she sent them here, it was a test,” Noah said.

“For them or us?” I asked.

“Probably both,” Leon answered.

My questions continued. “How have we missed this?”

“Because she wanted us to,” Leon said. “I used to know her, back when she ran her business.”

“I don’t want to know how well,” I replied with a bit of a grin.

“No, it wasn’t like that.” Leon’s lips came together. “She was always beautiful, striking even, enticing. It could be said she was bewitching.”

“Is this a conversation you should be having with your wife?” I teased.

“Maybe your priest,” Noah added.

“No, like I said, it wasn’t like that. Neither of you knew her?”

“Not well,” I said. Although, the description Leon had just given of Jezebel—striking and enticing—reminded me of her daughter, the one waiting for me upstairs. “Fuck, here’s where your age gives you a better understanding. I was young when everything went down between her and Boudreau. Over the years, Jezebel North has become more of a legend than reality.”

Leon paced behind the chair where he’d been seated. His brow furrowed as he began to talk. “Jezebel North made a name for herself because she refused to go away quietly. Society fucked her over and she made it her goal to return the favor. She worked hard to learn things. Ain’t no better way to learn secrets than from a man about to come. Hell, he’ll say anything.”

Speaking of which...

I looked down at my wristwatch. “I have a bride upstairs and this conversation will wait.” I turned to Leon. “I want you to think on this. You’ve been around these parts and have connections. There isn’t a square inch of the seventeen wards you don’t know. If Jezebel is here, where is she hiding?” I spoke to both of them. “Keep tails on Boudreau and Ingalls after they make it out of the bayou. Maybe they’ll take us to her. Check Ruth’s phone records and the house phone. Leon, I also want to hear all you have to say about Jezebel, just not now.” I thought for a moment. “Miss Guidry won’t tell me anything about her; my concern is that she’ll tell Emma. Fuck. We’ve wasted time concentrating on Kyle when who we should have been trying to find was her. We only have ourselves to blame.”

“We weren’t expecting a woman,” Noah said.

“She ain’t no ordinary woman,” Leon said wistfully.

After checking the camera in the outer room, I hit the button to open the door. The bookcase moved. I stood and began walking that way.

“Boss,” Noah said, “Henri?”

“It’s my fucking wedding night. I’m feeling generous. Besides his fuck-up gave us some needed information. Warn him. If he does it again, he’s done. And as for this house, I want the guards doubled. No one is getting in who isn’t approved. Is that clear?”

Both men nodded as they followed me from the office.