Page 159 of Nevermore
Lucius pushes his hands back through his hair then lets out a defeated sigh. “Yeah, she’s right. Pete’s sisters came all the way out here.”
“And Nanny…” Norm gives me a half smile then chuckles as I frown.
“That’s enough to take me out of the moment.” I visibly shudder as he buttons up my fly. “That old bat would kill a boner created by ecstasyandViagra.
Pete shrugs then starts tying his dreads into a knot. “Ok, princess. We’ll let you have this now but when we get back to the hotel, we’re taking turns punishing your perky ass for giving all four of us blue balls.”
We all laugh at that, agreeing with a few reluctant grunts but when I notice Leo hasn’t moved let alone responded, my gut flips. “Leonor?”
I help Norm to his feet then start toward her.
“Leo, sugar, what…”
Stopping beside her, my heart starts slamming against my ribs when I see what is unmistakablyblooddotting her hands. “What the fuck?—”
“Call Franc.”
“What?” Luck barks as the three of them join us. “Why do you want me to call my fuckhead brother right now?”
Slowly and with trembling hands, Leonor turns to face us, nodding repeatedly as a single tear rolls down her cheek before her eyes drop to her outstretched palms.
And there, sitting in the crimson stained ivory, still wet and dripping, are two eyes.
Leonor is holding a pair of eyeballs.
Real, human eyeballs that she found in her bag.
But what really does it, what has fear ricocheting throughout my entire body, is the fact that I’m almost positive I knowwhothey belong to.
Leonor found Pierre’s eyes,her father’s severed eyeballsin her duffle bag after our comeback show, and if there was anything that could get me to haul ass out of New Orleans, this is fucking it.
NORM
Justine showed up at the same time the police did.
She took one look at the sea of blue and charged through every barrier they set up.
I’m almost positive she knocked out a rookie beat cop.
The determination on her face outweighed any fear she might have felt and that woman was so fast to get to Leonor we didn’t have time to catch her.
Or prepare her.
The blood was still on Leo’s hands, the way she was shaking. The fact that she actually started to cry. All of it had us coming unglued so when our girl’s mama saw her like that, I think Justine was ready for one hell of a fight.
Until she found out whose eyes were now in an evidence bag.
Taking a drag from my cigarette, I watch the way she’s holding Leonor. Tightly, almost too tight, while she strokes her hair and sways them side to side. They’re wrapped in a blanket together, cocooned under one of Lucky’s throws that was in the back of the beast while Mark and Pete keep watch. They’re both tear stained with flushed cheeks, both of them staring vacantly while they cling to each other. We brought them chairs but neither of them will sit down, and they won’t leave the police tent in the parking lot despite the fact that our girl gave her statement a half hour ago.
I’m not too upset about that.
I don’t ever want to let Leonor out of my sight again, and I think the four of us are one step away from throwing both of them into the van and taking off to literally anywhere that isn’t here.
They’d fight us, though.
No matter what’s happened, no matter how bad shit might be, neither one of those women would leave this city permanently and I’m sure if it caught fire, they’d both be ready to go down in the flames.
Not that it matters to the men who love them—tousbecause we’d deal with the fight if it meant we didn’t have to see either of them cry like this anymore.
