But that would be a lie. He’d felt something interesting when she’d popped the Bayou Bark into his mouth, brushing his lip with her finger in the process. The charge of electricity had been immediate and intense. He’d never had such a profound reaction to a woman’s touch.
“She divorced him as soon as he was convicted. Unfortunately, by that time, she had a three-month-old baby girl, the house they’d been living in was foreclosed on, and her car was repossessed. She ended up in a women’s shelter with her daughter and whatever she could fit into a single suitcase.”
The mental image of the pretty candymaker and her daughter living in a women’s shelter made Landry’s chest tighten. “Did she know her husband was stealing jewelry?”
“No. She’d just given birth to their baby when he was caught. During her pregnancy, she was too sick to work, and her doctor had put her on bed rest. She relied fully on her husband’s income.”
“How’d she end up in Bayou Mambaloa?” Landry asked.
“Gisele volunteered at the women’s shelter, took her and Ava under her wing and helped her to get back on her feet.”
“Based on the chocolate sample, I’d say she’s doing well.”
“Well enough to support herself and her daughter.” Remy frowned. “Though I’m concerned about Ava’s imaginary friend and the monster she saw in the window. Add the fact that people along the bayou are experiencing potential thefts, and this situation is not good. She’s a lone female with a small child to protect.”
“That’s where I come in,” Landry said.
Remy nodded. “I’d like you to stay and guard her place all night.”
“Ms. Catoire was clear on that subject. She doesn’t want me to stay the night,” Landry reminded him.
“What did Shelby say?” Remy grinned. “Ms. Catoire’s fiercely independent.”
“Can’t blame her after living in a shelter.” Landry respected her determination to provide for herself and her daughter. And Ava... A smile tugged at his lips. The petite little girl with soft, black curls and big blue eyes, the mini-me of her mother, had left an impression on him. The magic in the chocolate was nothing compared to the magic in that brush of Camille’s fingers against his lips and the warmth of Ava’s little arms around his neck. Landry had never felt that kind of warmth and connection from his own family. Fifteen minutes in the presence of Camille and Ava had left a bigger impact on him than the eighteen years of his youth. It was what had been missing in his life and the reason he’d left home to join the military. He didn’t want to live the seemingly emotionless life of the multi-million-dollar Laurent family.
Landry cleared his throat. “I’ll check things out at Ms. Catoire’s place and take it from there. If she wants me to stay, I will. If not, she’ll have my number should anything come up. I can be there in ten minutes or less.”
“Roger,” Remy said. “Do you want me to drop you at the boarding house, or are you going back to the boat factory with me?”
“Boat factory,” Landry said. “My SUV is there. I also want to do some research on Ms. Catoire and her ex-husband.”
“Sounds good. If someone is intentionally targeting her and Ava, you’ll want a better idea of who has the motivation to do so.” Remy drove to the edge of town, where the newly renovated boat factory served as a functioning factory, producing aluminum boats as well as serving as the operational base for the Bayou Brotherhood Protectors. When members of his team were not working a particular security or protection assignment, they worked in the factory, making boats. It was a great way to keep them busy and productive with results they could see, feel and use.
Landry especially appreciated this perk of being a Brotherhood Protector. He’d grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth, where he hadn’t had to lift a finger to take care of himself or any of the places he lived. They’d had servants for everything.
The only expectation his parents had ever had of him was to eventually work in the family business. Only then, he’d have to work under his father. That wasn’t going to happen. His father hadn’t had time for him when he’d been a child. He’d missed every birthday, all his ball games and his graduation. He had never been a part of Landry’s young life. Landry sure as hell wasn’t going to give his father any part of his adult life.
Landry wanted to make his own way in the world. He wanted to build his own life and create his own fortune. When he’d told his father he wasn’t going to become part of the family business, his father had blown a gasket.
It had been the last week of his senior year of high school. His father had told him that if he didn’t come to work for the family corporation, he’d be on his own. He’d receive no more money, he’d have to find his own transportation as his car was in his father’s name, and he’d have to find his own place to live. In effect, his father would cut him off.
Landry had told his father he’d expected him to react that way. He’d already been to a Navy recruiter and scheduled his entrance into the Navy following his high school graduation.
“You’ll never amount to anything without the Laurent fortune backing you,” his father had said. “And you’ll never get rich in the military.”
“Maybe not, but I’ll be doing something I believe in, serving a greater good rather than padding my bank account.”
“You’re a fool. All you’ll be is a target. A statistic in a global political war. While big businesses?—”
“Like yours,” Landry had cut in.
His father lifted his chin. “Like mine, pull the strings for the political puppets to make more money supplying both sides of the war machines. You don’t get it.”
“No,” Landry had said. “You don’t get it. I want nothing to do with the family business. Never have. Especially since the word family was never a part of the equation.”
“Go ahead,” his father had said. “Ruin your life. But don’t come crawling back to me. That door will be closed.”
That had been the last time he’d spoken to his father. He hadn’t even said anything to him at his mother’s funeral three years after he’d joined the Navy.
