Page 9 of Bayou Sunset

“It's not like I told him I loved him,” Daisy Mae said. “He didn’t know when he left.” This wasn’t true, but Daisy Mae had never told a soul about that night before Steve left. How would she have endured the shame?

“Chère,” Shelly said, “ya were his best friend's sister, and Steve is full of southern honor.Mais oui, he wouldn't have gone after ya.” Shelly tilted her head and grinned. “Now, though, dey no be best friends, do dey?”

“When he come home from da college, he all but ignored me. He and Pierre weren't close den.”

Alice scratched her head. “Maybe it's time ya told him ya love him.”

Daisy Mae dropped her feet off the coffee table and leaned forward. “Have ya lost your ever-loving mind?” The last time was still fresh in her mind, even though it’d been years. That hadn’t worked, so what would make her think it’d work now?

Alice smiled and nodded. “Possible. But it would help move tings forward. There's no telling how long he be here dis time.”

Daisy Mae dropped her shoulders and sighed. “It do matter. I still be angry at him. Plus, I won't leave here and da family business. Steve couldn't get out of here fast enough.”

“Well then, what are ya going to do? Dis may be ya only chance.”

Daisy Mae realized that but knew it wouldn't work in the end. She wanted to remain here and rebuild the family business. Daisy Mae chose to be on the water instead of at home waiting for her husband to return from work.

“I be avoiding him and eventually find someone who heals me broken heart. And I will help find a treasure and put me business back on da map.” Now, if it all worked out like Daisy Mae wanted, she'd be completely and utterly surprised. However, she had hope, which had gotten her far. Deep inside, Daisy Mae still hoped that Steve would declare his undying love for her. Knowing that wouldn't happen, she had to focus realistically.

Treasure hunt, it was.

Chapter Five

LATER THAT EVENING, Brad Hamilton, taking the time to inquire, spoke to Romeo on the phone and asked, “How is your dad doing?”

Romeo felt a surge of fear as he imagined his father dying on the operating table. “He be better.” Anything was better than dead. Thank goodness he'd been rushed to the hospital in time.

“How long do you need?”

Thinking of what his dad had said about his mom and Daisy Mae, he had no fucking idea. “I have no ETA.”

“Not a problem. Bravo Team is due a break. Jake and Alpha Team are spinning up for a new op now,” Brad informed him.

Romeo, Bravo Team’s second in command, was hopeful that the scheduled time off was not due to any shortcomings on his part. Considering the team’s recent busy schedule, everyone seemed to be looking forward to the well-deserved break. “Merci, cher.”

“No problem.”

With Romeo’s thoughts on HIS, he asked, “How did da interrogation end? Did Bernie spill his guts?”

Brad cleared his throat, signaling that he was about to give a non-answer. “Don’t worry about things here,” he reassured Romeo, his tone steady. “We've got things covered.” With that, he ended the call, leaving Romeo with a sense of lingering curiosity, yet no opportunity to press for further details.

Romeo stared at his cell as if it held the answer to his other concern: How would he discover what was going on to alleviate his dad's worries?

There seemed to be no way around it. He would have to visit the twins. Not that it was a bad idea. He had drifted apart from them after he left for college. Pierre had accused him of being too uppity to spend time with backwoods folk, which was why hedidn’t come home. If only Pierre knew the truth.

He checked the time and decided that a late dinner at Duke's was in order. He grabbed his wallet, his dad’s truck keys, and backup weapon–tucking it in the ankle holster–and headed out. He desired to carry his primary gun but didn't need to bring attention to it or him. Even though Louisiana was a reciprocal state, Maryland didn't have an agreement with them, so Louisiana wouldn't honor his permit to conceal carry. He didn't consider the backup weapon a problem. It was out of sight and would hopefully go unnoticed. If not, he'd call Brad to bail him out of jail.

Driving through town, if one could call it that, with the sparse buildings, memories ran through his mind. He and the twins, especially he and Pierre, had done things that embarrassed him now. They'd been basically juvenile delinquents. Not completely jail-worthy, but a time or two, they'd hit dark gray areas. Like when they TP'd the English teacher's home. She never approved of their Cajun French. But that was what they'd learned since birth.

Romeo had almost lost his Cajun French language skills after attending college, yet he still unconsciously used a few words, especially when he returned home.

Pulling into Duke's dirt parking lot, Romeo smiled. He recalled the numerous attempts he and the twins tried to use fake IDs here to get served, but they never worked. It had been foolish to try repeatedly with different IDs.

Now, the twins owned the place. How apropos.

Romeo pulled down his ball cap, opened the door of his father’s truck, and exited. He wondered if he'd run into Daisy Mae inside. His gut clenched at the thought. Boy, was she pissed at him. Why exactly? He wasn't sure. It wasn't like he dated her and walked away. He'd never have done that to her, of all people. But was it still because he wouldn’t take her with him when he’dleft? Or that he wouldn’t takeherbefore he left?What should I do now?

He didn't want to contemplate that now. As his dad worried, he needed to find out what the hell was going on and if Daisy Mae was really in trouble.

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