Page 55 of Bayou Sunset

Romeo grunted his response.

The men gently eased him into a sitting position, causingRomeo’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 barrageof 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.

Chapter Thirty-Four

DAISY MAE SAT next to Steve’s hospital bed with her eyes fixed on him and worry etched into her expression. He had just undergone minor surgery to extract debris and bullet fragments from a wound on his leg, with the incision meticulously sealed. Although not life-threatening, the injury was substantial enough, causing him to limp for an extended period as it had grazed the bone and muscle.

She found herself in a quandary. This morning, she spoke with the insurance agent, only to learn that they were unwilling to offer her the total value of her boat. Purchasing a new one would deplete most of her savings, and with her business in Bayou Junction, it would be a considerable amount of time before she could recover from the financial setback.

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