Page 54 of Bayou Sunset

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 headin 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 twohotheads 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.

---