Page 29 of Carnival Queen

“Code and Sly, we need to know the names of the ships they’re using,” said Nine. “If they’re coming through New Orleans, which docks are they using? If they’re not coming through here, I want to know where they are. We’re about to cripple them.”

“What about Guyana?” asked Baptiste.

“Whoever is in Guyana fucked with the wrong family,” said Gaspar. “We’ll find them if they don’t find us first. Either way, we just might be starting a war all because of taxes. Just think of this as our own little Boston Tea Party. Only it’s being held in our backyard. The Bayou Tea Party.”

Deanna pulled her sweater around her shoulders, fastening the top button to secure it. The sun was out, and it was warming up, but still not quite warm enough for her.

Having been born and raised in the New Orleans area, she was used to steamy, sweaty, humid weather. Not whatever this was. Only a few weeks before, they’d had a rare occurrence of snow in New Orleans. As a kid, she would have loved that. As an adult, she wasn’t so sure.

Seated on the edge of the fountain in the maze, she passed a hand through the water, swiping back and forth. Her world was spinning out of control, and she had no clue how to make it slow down.

Within the span of a few months, she’d lost both her parents, sold her father’s company, and now had lost her job. Although the latter seemed to be working itself out. She tried to remember what had happened that evening. It wasn’t even dark yet.

She and her parents enjoyed a late lunch together and did a bit of shopping. As they left Jackson Square, they passed through several small alleyways they knew to be shortcuts to the parking garage.

Staring at her reflection in the fountain, she tried to remember the conversation but couldn’t seem to bring it forward in her mind. It was as if she’d skipped four or five chapters in a book. Her reflection wavered, and she stilled seeing another image behind her. It was dark and menacing, tall and evil.

Touching the water, she gasped, leaning forward in attempt to make it disappear. Suddenly, she fell, the cold of the water soaking her to the skin.

“Deanna!” yelled Pax, running toward her. He lifted her from the fountain, shaking and stunned. “Deanna, look at me.”

“S-someone was here.”

“No, honey. No one was here. It’s just me,” he said, walking toward the offices. “Comms? Get someone from medical to the offices ASAP.”

Roger that.

Setting her down inside the door, Tru and Dylan came running out with blankets and hot tea.

“It’s okay, honey,” said Tru. “You’re alright now. What the hell happened?”

“I don’t know,” said Pax, staring at the ashen face of Deanna. “She was sitting on the edge of the fountain and had her hand splashing the water. Then, she just leaned forward and went in face first.”

“S-someone was there!” she cried.

“Oh, honey,” said Dylan. “It’s alright. It’s going to be alright.” Deanna just stared at the people around her, shaking her head.

“I’ll never be alright again.”

CHAPTER TWENTY

“Is she okay?” asked Ivan, looking at his son. They were waiting on the front porch of her cottage for the medical team to come out.

“I don’t know, Dad. I’ve never seen anyone do that before. She was just sitting there, lost in her own thoughts, waving her hand in the water. Then, she started leaning forward like she was looking for something or found something. Then she was in the water.”

Rachelle and Ashley stepped out onto the porch, closing the door quietly.

“Is she alright?” asked Pax.

“We’ve given her a sedative,” said Rachelle. “She was pretty shaken. How close were you to her before she fell in?”

“At least a hundred feet,” said Pax. “I was in the middle of oak alley, and I could see her in the maze. She kept leaning forward, and that’s when I started to walk toward her.”

“She said someone was behind her. Unless we have a stray ghost that’s playing tricks on our folks, she saw something or remembered something.”

“We need to find out what she remembered, sis,” said Gaspar.

“I know that, but right now is not the time. Let her sleep, and when she wakes, we’ll come back and talk to her again. Kelsey is going to stay with her. If you need us, we’re just a call away.”

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