Bayou Sunset (Agents of HIS #4)

Chapter Twenty-Three

ANTICIPATING HIS FRIENDS’ arrival at Duke’s, Romeo carefully selected a strategic spot and ordered three frosty beers for the table. Who cared how early it was? Cleaning up from an explosion deserved beer.

His chosen location in the bar allowed him to maintain a watchful eye on Daisy Mae, ensuring she remained within his line of sight while offering a clear view of the entrance and kitchen door.

“Let me guess,” Grits sighed as he sat, “you earned your nickname again.”

Casper chuckled as he sat.

“Fuck ya, both.” Steve couldn’t care less if they knew he had fucked up with Daisy Mae. It was how she felt about it that mattered. Without taking his eyes off his woman, he asked his brethren, “Status?”

Romeo caught snippets of his friend’s words, “The twins—” before Daisy Mae’s laughter enveloped his ears. At that moment, he felt relief seeing her joy despite the weight of the morning’s events.

“Earth to Romeo.” Grits snapped his fingers in front of Romeo’s face, bringing him back to the table and its occupants.

“ Mais, oui. Go ahead.”

“Boy, your accent and wording have gone south with your brains. Get your mind off the girl in that way and think like a damn agent. Her life depends upon it.”

Grit’s final words had a substantial impact on Romeo. He straightened his posture and cleared his mind from the previous evening. “ Merde . I be focused.”

“On what?” Casper asked as he tossed some peanuts in his mouth.

“Don’t be provoking me, Casper,” Romeo said, prepared to strike whoever was involved in what happened to Daisy Mae, whether it was their fault or not. “Go ahead, Grits.”

“Well,” Grits said as he glanced around their table, “you’ve got a mess on your hands.”

Romeo wanted to growl. Instead, he sipped his beer and said, “That’s why ya be here.”

“The twins aren’t copping to having stolen the map. They point the finger at Mario for all that has gone wrong. Mario points the finger at the twins and even Daisy Mae. We plan to speak with Antionne next and see what the big-time treasure hunter says. He may have nothing to do with this.”

“In other words, ya haven’t learned shit.” Romeo hoped his disappointment didn’t show in his voice because he knew his teammates were working hard on the case. He couldn’t accept failure on this problem. Someone blew up her boat. She could have been on it. That was what got to him the most. Whoever decided to destroy her livelihood could have easily taken her life. He wouldn’t settle for anything other than catching the villain.

“I wouldn’t say that,” Grits said as he raised a hand to order another round for them.

“I’m good.” Romeo only wanted the news. “Tell me what ya learned.” And why the hell hadn’t Grits and Casper led with that? He’d discuss that with them at another time, but his focus now had to be on Daisy Mae’s safety.

Grits took a long draw of beer and then set the glass down. “It appears that everyone in town knows the twins have a treasure map.”

“ Merde .”

“Exactly. That means our suspect pool is larger than expected.”

“Can ya handle it, or should we call in more of da boys?”

Grits and Casper looked at each other for a minute, then Casper shrugged. Grits spoke for the two. “We can handle the groundwork. But I think you need extra security for Daisy Mae.”

Romeo felt like he’d been thrown in the bayou at the deep end with weights around his ankles and gators on the prowl. “What the fuck? I can guard her.”

“As your team leader, I’m telling you that you can’t.” Grits firmly set to his features, telling Romeo he’d play the team leader card as long as needed to get his way. As only second in command, Romeo was to obey. He could argue, but in the end, if Grits felt he was right, that was the way the team rolled.

But this wasn’t an HIS-sanctioned op. This was his problem that his friends were helping him with. Wasn’t it? He didn’t want someone watching over Daisy Mae, while he got pulled away. He would be with her twenty-four-seven.

“I be with her always, so we no need help.”

“What about when you’re sleeping?” Casper asked.

Again, he made sense when he spoke. Someone to watch over them when they slept would be nice, but would Daisy Mae feel comfortable sleeping with him while someone watched over them? Hell, Daisy Mae wouldn’t want someone else watching over her period.

Romeo sipped his beer and watched Daisy Mae over the mug’s rim. After he set the glass down, he sighed in resignation. His teammates were right. “She won’t go for it.”

“Well, buddy,” Grits said, “it’s your job to convince her. Until we get someone in place, Casper will be your backup. I can handle the questioning alone.”

So, they’d already had a plan whether he agreed or not. Merde. When had he lost control of things? This was his op if they wanted to call it that. Romeo stared at Casper. “How ghostly can ya be?”

“She won’t even notice I’m around,” his teammate confidently said.

Romeo looked at his half-empty mug and wiped at the water sliding down the side. Maybe he could avoid telling her, and things could continue normally. What the hell was typical? She’d been in trouble since he’d been home. He shuddered at the thought of it all. His gut twisted thinking about the bullets flying at her and then the explosion. What was next?

He nodded. “ Mais oui . Call in da boys. Only what ya need, and be discreet.” He turned from Grits to Casper. “Ya had best be as transparent as a ghost. If she sees ya, she might just shoot ya.”

Casper chuckled. The asshole chuckled. He didn’t realize Romeo was serious. Daisy Mae would not tolerate her space being invaded any more than it had already been. Hell, would she allow him back into that space after he’d gone and stuck his large ass foot in his mouth?

“Who ya want to call in?” Romeo asked Grits, ignoring Casper altogether.

“I’m thinking Kate and Rylee. You could use women here for Daisy Mae.”

If Rylee came, Devon would come, meaning the Hamilton brothers might expect to get paid for their work. He couldn’t blame them but didn’t relish wiping out his savings. If it made Daisy Mae comfortable and safe, he’d do whatever it took. It was a good thing Jesse was on a mission, or he’d show, and Romeo wouldn’t know how he’d manage to regain control.

“Ya know dat means Devon, right? Which means da big boss might have something to say about how we be using our time off.”

“Let me worry about the big boss,” Grits said. “You worry about returning to Daisy Mae’s good graces and prep her for the whirlwind that is Rylee.”

That was all he needed—two head-strong, gun-toting, take-no-prisoners women. His head hurt already.