Secrets on the Bayou - S. Heald (best book clubs TXT) 📗

to lie about later. If she never saw anything then there’s nothing to hide, so the flashing of lights was our little sign. I watched as she walked inside and waited until the front door was closed. I heard yelling from the trunk and I could tell that lover boy was still a little pissed about being stuffed in my trunk. I put the crack and Ex in my purse and walked to the back of the car. “Look, I don’t want to shoot you, at least not until I find out what I need to know. So just stay calm and I’ll be back in a few,” I yelled to the banging coming from my trunk. He had nothing but anger on his voice when he responded, “Who the hell do you think you are! You can’t just kidnap people when you feel like it! I didn’t do nothing wrong, just trying to make a dollar lady!” Ok, if that’s the case then he will be a free man, but until I test these drugs he will sit his cute little ass in my trunk.

I took the goods inside and pulled out my handy test kit and see if this is really just plain old ecstasy. After pouring the solution into the test capsule, shaking it, then waiting for results, it came back as sometime different. Aunt B walked into the room about that time and peeked over my shoulder. “Whatcha testing for there pumpkin?” She asked wanting to be a part of the action. I gave into her nosiness and replied, “I was hoping this was plain ecstasy, but it’s not, and I don’t know what it could be.” About that time Aunt B pushed me out of the way and took over. She smelled the baggy and disappeared for a minute. When she returned she said, “Well if you’re trying to make some feel good stuff, your way off young’un, cause this is boric acid.” Well that explains a lot. “I think you should get rid of this stuff while I take care of something outside.” I said to her as I stormed out the door.

Lover boy had quieted down a great deal once I reached the trunk. I opened the trunk with one hand and held the gun in the other. As fast as the trunk opened I said, “I should put a bullet in your ass right now. Boric acid? What the hell is wrong with you?” I was as mad as a junkyard dog and he could tell it. Throwing his hands in the air he stuttered, “I don’t know what you’re talking about, I get the ecstasy from my guy and then lace it in with the other. I always tell them what’s in it before I sell it.” I know that I shouldn’t give in but the look in this mans eyes told me that he was telling the truth. He was just a random idiot thinking he was buying high grade ecstasy when in reality someone was selling him boric acid. But why the hell would someone want to do that. They would have to know how fatal the intake of that is. The only other question I needed to test him with I did, “Who did you get the ecstasy from?” I could tell by the next look he shot me that he wasn’t going to give me a name, so I persuaded him otherwise by cocking the gun and straightening my aim. About half a second later he responded, “A guy named Curley. I don’t know anything else about him, I swear!” Well mama always told me that if you have a bad feeling you best go with it, God rest her soul. So that sneaky bastard was the one selling the dirty drugs all along, but why? Why would he want to kill his own hookers and risk his income? I guess I would just have to ask him after I put a bullet in his ass for putting me on this wild goose chase. I put the gun down and raised my hand to help lover boy get out of my trunk. “I’ll take you back to your car after I fix a drink. You can join me if you want or just sit here on the car. By the way I’m Ellie.” I said to him as I turned around and walked past my car and the old oak tree leading to the front porch and into the house. I knew he would follow; he is a man after all.

I walked into my room and put some jeans and a tank top on. Once I walked back into the living room I saw Aunt B and lover boy sitting on opposite sides of the room looking at each other. Aunt B was smiling when she asked, “So who’s your friend Ellie?” Before I could say anything lover boy piped up and answered, “I’m Josh and she is not my friend. She kidnapped me.” Without missing a beat Aunt B laughed and replied, “Yeah that girl has always had a way with men. She just knows how to steal their heart away, whether it is by kidnapping or cutting it out.” I loved that woman, and the smile on my face showed it. I walked into the kitchen to leave Aunt B and Josh to talk as I fixed a glass of Jack on the rocks and took a big gulp then refilled. I knew that when I saw Curley earlier in that night I had a bad feeling. That mans more slippery than snot on a glass doorknob and I didn’t trust him from the beginning. I still couldn’t understand why he would want to hurt his own girls though. That would be like shooting your best coon dog; just doesn’t make sense.

So as I was pondering on these new thoughts I overheard Aunt B offing Josh a drink. He seemed to be loosening up some and I wasn’t sure that was a good thing or not. Aunt B had a way sometimes with tampering in my love life. She thought that every woman should be married at least a few times to know what life was really about. The closing of a cabinet startled me as Aunt B sat a glass on the countertop. “Snap out of it young’un, Aunt B is about to make some magic happen!” Aunt B said as she started pouring from an unmarked bottle. Once she had about a third of the glass full she added jack on top of it. I couldn’t let her mess with this guys head like this, even if he was a total knockout and I could picture him naked without even looking at him. “Aunt B I don’t think that’s a good idea, besides I’m about to take him back to his car.” I could tell that wasn’t going to fly with her, because she was out of the kitchen giving him the drink before I had time blink an eye. Damnit, it was going to be a long and interesting night.

After a few of Aunt B’s love and truth concoctions Josh was telling us all about how he use to be a logger and how his family was on top of the world. “Everything was great. We had a good paying business doing what we loved to do. Then one day we were working on a big job and a tree fell on my dad and killed him. After that my mom drank away her problems along with the family business’ money and the business just crashed. I started scrapping cars and trying to support the family. That lasted for a while, but times are tough you know? So I mechanic full time now and sell occasionally when someone pays good enough,” he explained. I don’t know if it was the fact that I felt sorry for the guy or I just thought him being a logger and then a mechanic was sexy, but for some reason I just wanted to hear more. His voice was soothing and reminded me of molasses on a summer day. Yeah I know, I’m a total loser, but hey the man was sexy. After we sat around the living room laughing and getting to know each other I looked at the clock and it was a few minutes after One a.m. in the morning. Aunt B sensing to see where my mind was headed stood up and waddled to the hallway. Looking over her should her she said, “Well boys and girls I’m going to hit the sack. You kids play nice.” Like a flash she was gone and now I was all alone with a good looking blonde haired, green eyed, tan hunk of a man. I was starting to wonder if Aunt B had spiked my drink instead of his. To avoid awkward silence I asked him, “So can I take you to your car now? Since it’s so late I don’t mind letting you crash on the couch; that is if your girlfriend or kids won’t miss you tonight.” Yea I played that card. What? I may be many things but I am no home wrecker and I defiantly want to know if he has some little hottie waiting for him. He eased my nerves some when he replied, “No, no, I don’t have any kids or a wife. Those things seem to complicate life too much for me. And it’s up to you if you want to wait until morning to take me back. I’m sure you don’t want to be on the roads this late; you may hit an alligator or something.”

I offered him another drink in hopes that the smile on my face would be hidden in the kitchen. After returning to the living room we moved to the front porch and sat on the swing. I told him why I had kidnapped him and about the hookers who had been killed and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he felt horrible. We sat and joked and laughed for two solid hours on the front porch and I finally decided it was time to call it a night. He followed me into the house as I walked into my bedroom to get him a blanket and pillow for the couch. As I turned around he was staring me right in the eyes with a sexy little grin on his face. His teeth were so white and his eyes had more sparkle than the stars looking down on Louisiana. I had to say something before I melted in his arms, “I got you a blanket and a pillow for the couch… is there…anything else you need?” I couldn’t believe I was stuttering like a school girl. Out of nowhere his rough hand barely ran its finger along the curve of my face and down my neck. A welcomed chill climbed my spine with desire of his touch. The only thing going through my mind was how I was going to kill Aunt B for what she had done. Josh leaned down and his soft lips grazed across my cheek bone as his other hand grabbed the blanket and pillow out of my arms and tossed them on my bed. In one motion he had pulled me into his arms and was holding me tight as he kissed gently from my ear to my collar bone. What had Aunt B given him? Horney juice? I knew I should have stopped him but my body wouldn’t let me.

I gave into his arms and let my fingers softly caress his