Page 22 of Knife in the Back (New Orleans #4)

Everett didn’t seem to have the sense to be wary of that mild drawl, but Naomi sat up straighter. “Mr.Broussard,” she started.

“No, Naomi,” Everett said, not even looking at her. He leveled a glare at Broussard. “Let the man speak.”

James came to his feet. “Everett, that’s enough.”

Everett rolled his eyes and went back to leaning against the fireplace. “Whatever.”

James slowly sat, shaking his head. Naomi had always liked the man, but he’d let his son get away with far too much. Jimmy was bitter and arrogant and now Everett was becoming the same way.

Broussard had not sat, however, continuing to regard Everett with anger. “Where did you hear that, Everett? That your mother wasn’t a ‘real cop’?”

Naomi cleared her throat, not having expected Broussard to take up for her. “My ex-husband would say that all the time. He never respected my job. That’s where Everett’s heard it from.”

“It’s not a lie,” Everett said, his handsome face twisted into a sneer.

“No,” Naomi allowed, keeping her voice calm in the hopes of defusing a potential argument, “but it’s not the truth, either, and I think you know that, Everett.

I did gather evidence from the drop boxes, but I also processed narcotics and handguns and other evidence.

If you’re going to be condescending, at least do it with all the facts. ”

Everett spared her a glance. “Whatever.”

Broussard took a walk around the living room, silent for a full minute. Every eye in the room tracked his progress. Even little Harper, Naomi noticed.

That she was no longer staring straight ahead had to be a good sign.

Finally, Broussard returned to his chair. “My temper is frayed, Everett. This has been a stressful day for us all. I’m going to put this conversation off until I’m not already angry.”

Everett shrugged. “Okay. What—”

“Stop.” Jace came to his feet, holding the ice pack to his injured arm.

“Just stop. I don’t know what’s between you and your mother, and it’s none of my business.

But your attitude sucks. This is a serious conversation and, whether you like it or not, it’s not all about you.

I was nearly grabbed off the street, too, and so was Harper.

She’s just a little girl and she doesn’t deserve this.

None of us—including you—deserves this. Look, bro, Burke is a good guy.

He will find out who’s responsible. But if you can’t help him, just shut your mouth, because everyone else here just wants to go home.

” He turned to Naomi. “Apologies, ma’am. You were saying something seemed off.”

Naomi blinked, trying to remember exactly what she had said. “Um, yeah. Antoine, can we watch the footage again?”

Antoine gave Jace an approving nod. “Of course we can.” He restarted the clip and Naomi focused on the scene unfolding. When it was finished, she was frowning.

“What is it, Miss Cranston?” Broussard asked.

“The guy dragging Jace is almost…polite.”

Jace’s brows went up. “Polite? Ma’am, he tried to break my arm.”

“That wasn’t polite,” she agreed, “and I didn’t mean to insinuate that any of this is okay.

Maybe a better word would be ‘solicitous.’ At one point you stumbled and the guy slowed down and helped you right yourself.

When you stumbled, he could have taken advantage of your forward momentum and used it to shove you into the SUV.

Instead, he let you get your balance, which allowed you to fight him off. ”

“Show us again,” Broussard instructed, and Antoine played the clip a third time.

“I think you’re right, Miss Cranston. He could have panicked, of course.

Figured that dragging Jace to the SUV would be harder if he fell down.

He’d be deadweight and, no offense, Jace, but you’re no petite flower.

You have to weigh, what, one seventy-five? ”

“One ninety-five,” Jace murmured, still standing.

He stared thoughtfully at the flat-screen.

“But this guy had muscles. When I shoved him there at the end, it was like slapping against rock. I think he could have done exactly what Miss Cranston just said—use my stumble to force me into the SUV. All he really needed to do was shove me in and crawl in after me. The driver would have taken us away. Then he could have used whatever was in that cloth to put me out.”

Val rubbed a hand over her face. “God, Jace.”

The boy smiled down at her. “I’m okay, Mom. And you’re the one who taught me to use logic, right? If I let myself dwell on what might have happened, my brain will get all paralyzed and I won’t be able to think at all.”

She gave his hand a squeeze. “You’re right. I’m proud of you. But it’s hard for me to see this video.”

“Can you make me some hot cocoa?” Jace asked, blinking puppy-dog eyes at her. “It would help my arm.”

She snorted a laugh. “Now you’re patronizing me. Get your own cocoa.”

He laughed. “I didn’t want any anyway.”

“What are you thinking, Jace?” Broussard asked with a small smile of his own. “Since you’re being all logical?”

Jace considered for a moment, then looked at Naomi. “He let me go, didn’t he?”

“I think that maybe he did,” Naomi said. “Maybe he thought you were more trouble than you were worth. At one point, it looked like he was more interested in hurting your arm than getting you in his vehicle. Maybe he got distracted. At any rate, his message was sent.”

That left the room quiet.

“Maybe that was the point,” Molly said quietly. She crossed the room and knelt in front of her niece, taking the little girl’s hands. “Harper? I need you to hear me. Can you hear me?”

The girl nodded.

“Did the man have a cloth or a hankie? Like he did with Jace?”

“No.”

“When he grabbed you, did he hurt you? Like he hurt Jace?”

“No,” Harper whispered, pressing her face against her mother’s shoulder.

Lucien stroked Harper’s hair. “It’s okay, honey. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

Molly threw Lucien a mild frown before looking up at her sister. “Tell everyone what you told me, Chels.”

“We’d gone to Très Bien, a diner in our neighborhood.

I didn’t even drive my own car because parking is insane everywhere right now.

We were done with dinner and were waiting on the curb outside the diner for our Uber when this SUV stopped right next to us and a man jumped out.

He was wearing a dark hoodie and a surgical mask.

I didn’t see his face at all. I was looking at my phone to see how long before the Uber arrived and I didn’t see him until Harper yelped. ”

“What happened, Harper?” Molly asked. “Harper, honey, it’s important. You know I wouldn’t ask if it wasn’t.”

Harper sucked in a deep breath. “He picked me up. Held me against his chest.” She paused, wrinkling her nose. “His shirt pocket smelled funny.”

“Like how, honey?” Molly pressed, ignoring the scowl on Lucien’s face.

“Like…sour, but…but sweet. Like candy. Made me dizzy.”

Naomi exhaled slowly. That had to have been something to knock the child out, just like they’d tried with Jace.

Molly smiled at Harper, brushing trembling fingers over the child’s cheek. “That’s good, Harper, really good. Did he say anything?”

She swallowed hard, then nodded. “Paramee.”

Molly looked at Broussard. “Paramee?”

“Para mi,” Naomi whispered, her chest contracting, the man’s meaning both clear and vile. “Oh no.”

“Yeah,” Antoine said. “ Para mi , Burke. For me .”

Broussard nodded grimly, having come to the same conclusion. “That’s very helpful, Harper. Thank you.”

Molly’s face had lost some color, but the smile she gave her niece didn’t falter. “Uncle Burke’s right. You’re doing so well. What happened after he picked you up?”

“I got a headache.”

Molly nodded, her smile now pained. “I bet you did. What happened then?”

“Mom was there and he let me go.”

“I realized she wasn’t beside me anymore,” Chelsea said, her voice shaky.

“I saw her with that man and I ran after them, screaming my head off. A couple on the street saw me and the woman got between the man and the SUV’s back door, which he’d left open.

He’d been sitting in the back seat, not the cargo hold like he was with Jace. ”

“Okay,” Molly said. “What happened next?”

“More people started looking and the man shoved Harper at the couple, then he got in the SUV, and it drove away. Turned onto a side street. I got the license plate.”

“Stolen,” Molly said. “I ran the plate.”

“I knew you would,” Chelsea said, then started to quietly cry. “I couldn’t thank that couple enough. They saved Harper.” She clutched her daughter close.

“Did you get their names?” Antoine asked. “We should talk to them again. See if they remember anything about the driver, the man, or the SUV itself.”

Chelsea leaned into Lucien. “I did. Bill and Donna Burrell. Visiting from Galveston.”

“I’ll check into them ASAP,” Antoine promised. “What next, Burke?”

Broussard studied all the faces watching him, waiting for their marching orders.

“Naomi and Everett stay here, along with her mother and James. The rest is up to you all. We can defend ourselves better if we’re all in one place, so I’d prefer if you all stay here—at least until we get an idea of who’s behind this.

I don’t have enough full-time staff to assign each of you bodyguards, but I can call up some part-timers if you want to go home. I’ll support your decision either way.”

Elijah looked up at his father. “I’m staying wherever Jace is staying.”

“I’ll watch him, Kaj,” Jace said soberly.

“Val?” Kaj asked. “What do you want to do?”

“Grab our boys and run for the hills,” she said weakly, “but that won’t work, either. I’ll stay here with Elijah and Jace. I’ll bring the dogs over, if Burke is okay with that.”

“Absolutely,” Broussard said. “I’ll feel safer with Czar around.”

Naomi had met Val’s Black Russian Terrier, one hundred thirty-five pounds of protection dog who took his job very seriously.

“And Delilah?” Elijah asked. “You’ll feel safer with her, too, won’t you?”

“Delilah is Elijah’s retriever mix,” Antoine whispered, filling Naomi in. “Adopted from the pound. She’s a fur ball who loves everyone.”

Broussard chuckled and the sound was soothing. Naomi thought she could listen to that sound all day long. “Delilah would be more likely to lick them to death.”

“Well, that’s true,” Elijah conceded, “but it’s still to death.”

Broussard grinned at the boy. “Then, yes, she can come, too.”

“We’ll stay, too, Burke,” Lucien said. “I don’t want Chelsea and Harper alone. Consolidating our bodyguard resources seems like a smart decision.”

James waved to get Broussard’s attention. “When there’s time, Ruthanne needs to tell you what she told Naomi and me earlier. Detective Gaffney tried to kill her.”

Naomi shuddered while the others in the room gaped. She’d almost managed to pack that little fact away, but it came screaming back. Gaffney tried to kill my mother.

Broussard’s brows shot up. “Can you tell us now?”

Ruthanne nodded, retelling her story.

When she was finished, Broussard nodded soberly. “You’re welcome here for as long as you want to stay.” He clapped his hands once. “Let’s eat, regroup, and then we will make ourselves a plan.”