Bayou Sunset (Agents of HIS #4)

Chapter Thirty-Three

AS ROMEO SLOWLY stirred from unconsciousness, he was surprised to find Daisy Mae lying protectively over him, her soft expression veiling a sense of urgency. As his eyes fluttered open, she gestured for him to remain silent by placing a gentle finger over her lips. His heart raced with concern, wondering what events had transpired in his unconsciousness.

As he scanned his surroundings to regain his bearings, he caught sight of Daisy Mae’s brothers concealed in the dense underbrush. The sight immediately triggered a pressing question: who were they hiding from? It seemed improbable that they had managed to elude Alice while transporting his unconscious body.

Alice . Romeo was astounded by the woman’s unexpected skills and strength during the wrestling match, leaving him feeling like a complete underdog. It was the first time he had ever found himself in a wrestling match with a gun involved. He dreaded having to concede to the other agents that he had not only been defeated but by a woman who was smaller in stature than he was.

The melodious sound that greeted his ears gently roused him. Kate gestured for them to display their hands.

As he opened his mouth to speak, Daisy Mae swiftly covered it with her hand, her eyes filled with urgency, silently begging him to remain quiet. It suddenly dawned on him that she was unaware they were the rescue party. From the boat, he had managed to send a distress signal to Devon as soon as he realized something was amiss. Doubt lingered in his mind about whether the signal had been successfully transmitted, but he had provided them with crucial information about the island.

His hand reached up, gently removing hers. “Trust me,” he whispered to Daisy Mae. Fear gripped her as she shook her head in disbelief. Nevertheless, he was determined to show her that he was right on this one.

“It be me, chère ,” he murmured wearily.

“Oh shit,” Kate said, moving toward them.

Rylee did likewise.

Romeo reassured Daisy Mae and her brothers, saying, “Don’t worry. Dey be da rescue party. Everything be okay.”

Daisy Mae hesitated but eventually rose from atop him in response to his encouraging gesture.

“Show ’em where we be hiding,” he requested.

After a nod, she stood, and his two friends appeared.

“You must be Daisy Mae,” Kate said warmly. “I’m Kate Hamilton, and this is my sister-in-law, Rylee Hamilton. It appears we’re a bit late in helping you out.”

Romeo observed Daisy Mae visibly relax as she uttered, “It be all right. Ya, be here now. Steve be badly injured.”

Despite his words, “I be fine. Just need a bit of help standing,” his voice betrayed the lie, revealing his true struggle.

“Yeah, I can tell you’re fine,” Rylee laughed. “The blood says it all. Tell us.”

Upon realizing that honesty was his only recourse, he uttered, “The injury on me side be merely a graze. However, the pain in me leg be excruciating.”

Daisy Mae informed them, “I tried to stop the bleeding.”

“You handled that well,” Kate reassured her, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. Moments like these made Kate’s intuition and support genuinely invaluable.

Steve furrowed his brow, scanning the group and noticing Grits, Casper, and Devon’s absence. Concern etched his features as he asked, “Where be da boys?” It occurred to him that Devon would never have allowed Rylee to come to Louisiana without him and Grits and Casper wouldn’t leave him stranded.

Rylee indicated towards the shore. “Devon has detained two hotheads on the boat.” Then she gestured at the two figures approaching. “And these two went around the back of the island, just in case.”

He felt immense relief knowing that HIS had captured the woman who had shot him and abandoned him, his woman, and her brothers to perish on a remote island. As he regained his strength, he pondered what retribution he would seek against Alice and Marie.

Rylee’s eyes shifted back and forth between the twins, JP and Pierre. “You must be JP and Pierre,” she said. “Can you tell me which one of you is JP?”

JP stepped forward. “I be him.”

Rylee stepped toward him and gently said, “Let me check your head. I understand from the women on the boat that you were hit hard enough to knock you unconscious.”

JP extended his hands before him and confidently stated, “I be fine. I no need to be checked out.”

Rylee stopped, her expression quizzical as she arched a questioning brow. Romeo was keenly aware of her unspoken thought—the exasperation of dealing with stubborn men. After all, she had encountered plenty of them at HIS.

“Okay, then,” Kate said. “Let’s get Romeo to his feet and return to the boat. Grits. Casper.”

JP and Pierre hurriedly bent down to assist Romeo in standing up after his injury, but Grits firmly waved them away with a reassuring smile. “You’ve been injured. Let us take care of this,” he insisted.

Despite their initial reluctance, the twins eventually conceded and reluctantly stepped away, exchanging concerned glances as they yielded to Grit’s determined demeanor.

“Boy, when you do things, you do them big,” Casper said.

Romeo grunted his response.

The men gently eased him into a sitting position, causing Romeo’s side to bleed, but he brushed off the concern. Instead, his mind was preoccupied with the daunting task of standing on his injured leg. Summoning his courage, he attempted. The men effortlessly hoisted his dead weight with impressive strength, lifting him until he could finally stand.

Merde . It was excruciatingly painful, but deep down, Romeo was confident it wasn’t too serious. Despite lacking medical expertise, he could sense it in his very being. As he cautiously reached the back of his leg, the sensation of blood confirmed his fears. It was a through-and-through shot, but he found solace in that it hadn’t lodged itself in the bone, considering it a small victory amid adversity.

“Let’s get you home,” Kate said tenderly.

Romeo’s heart fluttered with hope, but he couldn’t shake the fear of returning to Baltimore. His real home might be here with Daisy Mae. He longed to convince her to take a leap of faith with him, to embark on a new journey and build a life together. It was a daunting request, but he was ready to go to great lengths for her.

The seemingly endless journey back to the boat felt arduous. Grits and Casper carefully supported him, preventing unintentional pressure on his injured leg. Maneuvering through the sparsely cleared trail was precarious. Suddenly, a snake dropped before them, bouncing off Romeo’s legs. He almost pissed himself, realizing the potential venomous threat posed by the snakes in the vicinity.

“Watch it,” he hissed to the men holding him.

“What, scared of a little snake?” Grits joked.

If Romeo had been capable of doing so, he would have hit Grits in response to that remark. Romeo felt powerless, sandwiched between two men, without defending himself. Merde. He urgently needed to get to the boat.

Kate and Rylee stood before him, firing off a barrage of questions about the recent events at Daisy Mae. Initially hesitant, Daisy Mae finally opened up and candidly answered all their questions, providing them with the missing information.

Several feet behind the women, Casper asked, “What will you do about her?”

“I know not what ya be talking ’bout,” he responded, lying his ass off. Merde. He planned to take her home with him or remain here. Whatever it took.

Upon arrival, Romeo was stunned to find Mario’s boat patiently waiting for them, with Mario seated confidently in the captain’s chair.

At the sight of Mario, Daisy Mae asked angrily, “What he be here for?”

“He was the only one available, and he offered to help,” Devon remarked as he turned toward them. Marie and Alice sat on the boat’s bench with their hands cuffed.

“ Chère , dere be no hard feelings between us. I hear what happened, and I wanted to help, me,” Mario said. He launched a small inflatable boat with determined strides and began paddling to shore, his grip firm on the oar.

Romeo expressed immense gratitude upon seeing the inflatable boat launched, as the thought of how he would have managed to swim to the boat was daunting. Upon reaching the shore, Daisy Mae watched Grits and Casper assist Romeo as he boarded the small boat. Inside the craft, with limited space that accommodated only him, Daisy Mae, Mario, and the ladies’ weapons, they embarked on their journey toward Mario’s boat. The others took to the water to swim to the boat.

Daisy Mae maintained a vigilant gaze on him, her disapproving expression directed at Mario. “ Merci ,” she eventually expressed to her former adversary.

“It no ting,” Mario responded, his skin glistening with sweat as he labored to row the boat.

Once they reached Mario’s boat, Devon offered Romeo a hand as he carefully helped him into the larger vessel. Every movement aggravated the pain in Romeo’s leg, and the blood had already seeped through his shorts and stained his leg. However, thankfully, the bleeding had stopped for the time being.

Devon surveyed Romeo’s injuries and sighed. “In addition to locating the jailhouse, we must find a hospital.” Knowing that Devon had more medical training than the other team members, Romeo silently hoped that his expression wouldn’t reveal the severity of his injuries.

Mario and Daisy Mae worked harmoniously to secure the inflatable to the boat, double-checking the knots to ensure its security. Once everything was in place and everyone was aboard, they carefully launched and embarked on their journey back to civilization.

Devon’s voice was tinged with frustration as he spoke, “So, you were supposed to wait for us. You’re lucky we found you.”

Romeo was deeply troubled by the prospect that this incident could spiral into Devon forcibly implanting everyone with tracking devices, eliminating their privacy and freedom. Despite the group’s resistance, Devon was adamant about implementing this invasive surveillance, citing the challenges of locating them. While some suggested wearing tracking devices only during operations, Devon argued that they would need to be always worn, emphasizing how often individuals found themselves in dangerous situations when left to their own devices, an increasingly evident trend lately.

Romeo was indifferent at the time. All he wanted was to find a doctor and rest, but he resisted doing so while he was with Daisy Mae. Perhaps he felt the need to display a sense of toughness around her, but he wouldn’t allow her to witness any more of his pain than she already had.

“Romeo,” Kate said with narrowed, watchful eyes, “you don’t look so good.”

“I be fine, chère ,” he said before he passed out on the deck.