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Deanna stood, cracking her back as Jean put all the materials that they’d been reviewing back into the correct folders.

“I think I’m going cross-eyed,” she smirked.

“Me too, girl,” said Tinley. “Let’s get washed up for dinner and meet in the cafeteria.”

Deanna nodded at the group as they walked toward their cottages. When her phone rang, she smiled, recognizing the number for Louisa, their new carnival queen.

“Hello, Miss Queen,” she smiled.

“Deanna,” she whispered.

“Louisa? What’s wrong?”

Deanna knew it was wrong not to tell the others where she was going, but she had to get to the girls, and she had to go alone. She wasn’t about to let them suffer because of all this mess, nor was she going to put the Belle Fleur team in any danger.

She sped toward the warehouse, parking her car on the street. The girls said the two men were waiting at the main entrance to the warehouse. Deanna knew there was another way in.

Instructing the girls to climb up the catwalk and make their way to the roof access, she climbed the fire escape and opened the latch for them. As she pulled them to safety, someone fired a shot at them.

“Go! Run!” said Deanna

“Miss Deanna,” cried Lottie.

“Honey, go!” The two girls took off toward the fire escape as Deanna went back down into the warehouse. “Don’t shoot. I’m coming down.”

Two men were staring at her. Two men who wanted her dead.

“You’ve caused a lot of trouble for me. You and your fucking dead old man,” he growled. Deanna felt the sting of his hand on her face, tears filling her eyes.

“I don’t know anything about what my father was doing,” she said. “I came because the girls said someone broke in and was going to destroy the floats.”

“Oh, I am. I’m going to burn the whole fucking place down with you inside it unless you tell me where my files are.”

“I don’t know about any files. I don’t know anything,” she said calmly.

“Wrong answer.”

Deanna could feel the burn of the knife slicing through her blouse into her skin. He’d started at her naval and slid the blade up, tearing the buttons from her shirt. Of course, that was after several brutal punches to her face.

“You know, I thought I’d kill you, but you might make us a pretty penny,” said Douglass. “Nice tits, firm ass, pretty face. Well, it will be once it heals.”

Deanna shook her head, her eyes nearly swollen shut. Her mouth was bleeding, but what really pained her was her abdomen and ribs. One of the men gripped a handful of hair, jerking her head backward.

“Where are the files? Tell me, or so help me God, I’m going to fuck you in ways your nightmares couldn’t imagine.”

“I-I don’t have them,” she said again. It was the last coherent thought she had. She thought she heard screaming and yelling, she thought she heard her friends speaking, but she couldn’t be sure.

In and out of consciousness, she missed the parade that she’d worked so hard on but was able to watch from her hospital bed. She tried to lie still, not move, as they’d instructed, but some things were just too funny not to laugh, which only caused her to cry.

“Hey, hey,” said Cruz. “Take it easy, honey. They look great, and they look happy. Tailor and Alec are making sure nothing happens to the girls. You did that.”

“Not me,” she said, shaking her head. “You did that. I shouldn’t have left here. I should have told you.”

“Yeah. You should have,” said Cruz. “I’m not going to sugarcoat that. When you’re well, you can count on your new bosses giving you a good lecture about not leaving here without telling someone again. For now, you just have to get well.”

When Cruz turned to leave, Pax was standing in the doorway.

“Can I see her?” Cruz nodded.

“Just for a minute. She just took more pain meds.” Pax took the seat vacated by Cruz and reached for Deanna’s hand.

“I screwed up,” she said, looking at him.

“No, you didn’t. You saved those girls, and you held on. You lasted for us to get to you. All this will go away,” he said, waving an arm over her battered body. “You’re going to be great, and I’m glad you’re going to be working here.”

“Why are you in black?” she asked, staring at him dressed in black from head to toe.

“I’ve got something we need to do. When it’s done, I’ll be back to take you home. To your cottage.”

“Why are you being so nice?” she asked in a sleepy voice as her eyes fluttered shut.

Pax had no response for her as she fell asleep. He stood, kissed her forehead, and left the room. Cruz watched as the young man walked out the back door, shaking his head because whether Pax knew it or not, Cruz knew exactly why he was being so nice to Deanna.