He didn’t want to bring her into that part of his world, didn’t want her to see the ugliness he’d dealt with in his job. She deserved to only see the beautiful side of life, not the treachery people like Gustavo Sandoval dished out without blinking. But if her husband had dealings with Sandoval, things might not have been as rosy and sweet in her world as he suspected.
“I’ve run into Gustavo Sandoval a time or two in the past. He’s somebody you want to stay far away from, Suzanna. He is a man without scruples and he doesn’t care who he hurts in his quest for power.”
Her head cocked to the side as she watched him, her golden amber eyes seeming to see into his very soul. It was an uncomfortable feeling, he didn’t like or want to be vulnerable. He’d survived by maintaining his distance from everyone…except the Boudreaus, but that was something different entirely. His relationship with them was personal. And now Suzanna was getting under his skin with her genuineness and openness. The more he learned about her, the more he was convinced she hadn’t been involved in any way with her husband’s murder.
“I can’t imagine Steven dealing with anybody like that. If he had a whiff of impropriety, he’d have never agreed to work with Sandoval.”
“On paper, Gustavo Sandoval and Sandoval Enterprises show up as exactly what they claim, an elite courier service that guarantees transportation and security for companies who require more specialized handling than your national chains can offer. Most people wouldn’t have a clue that beneath his skin, Sandoval doesn’t care about anyone or anything except himself and his quest to take himself to the top. I couldn’t begin to tell you the number of people he’s destroyed on his climb to power.Sandoval Enterprises gobbles up smaller companies that get in their way, leaving hundreds of people unemployed.”
And those are the lucky ones. I won’t tell her about the people he’s eliminated to get what he wants, the body count rising with every business deal gone wrong.
“If Gustavo Sandoval is as heinous as you say, he wouldn’t have taken Steven backing out of the contract well, would he? Do you think…could he have had something to do with having Steven killed?” Her voice quivered on the last words.
Bas quietly handed her a french fry.
“As soon as Sandoval’s name was mentioned, he moved to the top of my suspect list. I need more information, because I don’t want my personal loathing of the man to color my perception. Is he capable of ordering your husband killed? Absolutely. But I’m not ruling out Blackthorn either. He has a lot to gain with your husband’s demise. We also cannot discount there might be a tie between Steven’s death and your near abduction in New Orleans. While your would-be kidnapper wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, we know he was working for somebody else. Add in the fact that he almost killed you, actually took a shot at you, and we need to consider that you might have been as much a target as your husband.”
“Are you saying you think somebody’s trying to kill me?”
Gage wanted to say no. Wanted to pull her into his arms and promise that she was safe, that nobody would ever hurt her. But he couldn’t—wouldn’t—lie to Suzanna. So he told her the unvarnished truth.
“Yes. I think somebody is trying to kill you.”
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
“Girls night!”
Suzanna had barely arrived back at the Boudreau ranch before Nica barreled into her bedroom, proclaiming they were all getting together without any of the men present. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and though she wanted to say no, she knew Nica wouldn’t be taking no for an answer.
“What do you mean girls night?”
“A bunch of us Boudreau women are heading over to Juanita’s tonight. Good Tex-Mex food, great music, unlimited margaritas and best of all—no men allowed. It’ll be a whole gossip-fest and a chance to get away from the husbands, fiancés, and big brothers for a few hours. Relaxation is the name of the game, girl, and you could definitely use a night out. Gage is terrific and all, but he can beintense.”
“That’s really sweet, but it sounds like more of a family thing—”
“You’re coming. No excuses. It’s a great chance to get to know everybody, plus from everything I’ve heard, you could use a little fun.” She sank onto the end of the bed, and looked up at Suzanna. “I know your husband died six months ago, and if going out with us would make you uncomfortable, I understand, but I really think a night out would do you a world of good. I know I can use it. Now that I’ve finally graduated, and all that stress is off my shoulders, I want to kick off my shoes and relax. Have a bit of fun with the gals. Haven’t you ever just wanted to let your hair down and let loose? Howl at the moon? I’d toss inrun around naked in the moonlight, but then big brother Rafe would probably arrest us, and I don’t know that my psyche could stand that trauma.”
Nica’s laughter was infectious, her grin mischievous, and Suzanna found herself agreeing to go to Juanita’s with her and apparently several of the other Boudreau women. Nica even agreed to loan her clothing, since when she’d traveled to New Orleans to meet up with Gage, she hadn’t anticipated going out, and didn’t have anything appropriate to wear. Apparently, the ladies liked to dress up for their Girls Night Out.
Brand new dark wash jeans with the price tag still attached hit the mattress along with a sapphire blue sparkly top with elbow-length sleeves. A pair of gold ballet flats joined them. Luckily she and Nica appeared to be pretty close in size. It felt strange and a little exhilarating to share clothes with somebody else. While most girls did things like this when they were in high school, Suzanna hadn’t had many close friends, and had never done a lot of the high school rituals other girls went through.
Donning the clothes, she was running a brush through her hair, trying to decide whether to wear it up or leave it down around her shoulders when she heard a noise and looked toward the doorway.
“Y’all be careful tonight. I don’t want to get another call like we got last time you had Girls Night Out. Poor Dusty still hasn’t recovered, says his eyes will ever be the same.” Ms. Patti stood in the doorway, a small baby boy in her arms. “Tessa and Beth are downstairs waiting for you.”
“Shoot, Dusty needs to get over himself. We were in our underwear, nobody was naked. Skinny dipping with clothing on. Well, most of us had clothing on. Camilla might have made Dusty nearly go blind, but I swear that woman has no inhibitions.” Nica crossed over to her mother’s side. “Hello, Patrick. How are you my sweet little man?” Nica took the childin her arms, raining kisses against his forehead and cheeks. “I’m tempted to stay home, just so I can spend some time with my nephew.” With a final kiss against his forehead, she handed Patrick back to Ms. Patti. “Where’s Jamie?”
“Where else? She’s out at the barn playing with Otto. I swear the child is obsessed with that donkey.” Right as Ms. Patti said the words, the loud braying of a donkey sounded from outside, and they all laughed. “Are you sure you want to go out tonight? You can always do Girls Night Out later on.
Nica shook her head. “Suzanna and I both deserve to have a night out without any men around. It’s been testosterone city the last few days. Girls Night Out is exactly what we need to decompress and have a little fun. What about Jill and Harper? Are they meeting us here?”
“They are going to meet you at the restaurant. If you’re going, you need to hit the road before the guys change their mind and decide to go with you.”
“Oh, no, this is ladies only.” She looked toward Suzanna and smiled. “You look fabulous. Let’s go.”
She followed Nica down the stairs, to find Gage standing at the bottom. Suddenly she felt self-conscious, wondering if she looked okay. Her palms began to sweat, her heartbeat racing in her chest.
“You look beautiful.” His deep voice slid over her like a caress of silk, and a lick of desire shot through her. Where had that come from, she wondered? Not for the first time, she noticed how tall he was, how broad his shoulders, filling out the T-shirt, drawing her eyes to his muscles. The harsh planes of his face smoothed into a smile, and she took what felt like the first breath since she’d started down the staircase.
