Page 32 of Blood and Sand

“Hello, Dana.” He took another step forward while I took steps back to get as far away from him as I could until I bumped into Chanel. The smirk across his face caused my stomach to drop to my feet. “It’s time to go.”

I gasped at the sharp pain in my neck, and my vision blurred. “Wha…who…”

I grabbed at the spot. My body became so heavy that I couldn’t stand under my own power anymore and crumpled to the floor. “Rey…help…” I tried to cry out, but the words came out slurred and jumbled.

“How do you plan to get her out of here?” Chanel asked as my eyes drooped.

“Don’t worry about that. Just make sure the agent heading this way is occupied.”

The voices finally faded, along with my vision, as darkness consumed me.

Chapter twelve

Detective Rey LaCroix

Ishouldn’thavewaited.I shouldn’t have let them hold me back from going to her. I knew as soon as the communication devices started fucking up, something was wrong. I should have gone with my gut.

“Where is she?” I asked, pacing the interrogation room. Not only did we not know where Delaney was, he had Dana too.

“Where’s who, baby?”

The sound of her voice tore at my nerves. It was like nails moving down a goddamn chalkboard. Once upon a time, I would’ve thought twice about putting my hands on a woman, but now, I imagined my hands squeezing Chanel’s thin neck until her bones crushed under the weight.

“Chanel, don’t fucking play with me!”

Agent Hart stepped between us, slightly pushing me back before I could reach her. “This is not helping Dana.” He pushed me back against the wall, pointing his finger in my face. “If you can’t get your shit together, then fucking leave, and I’ll find her my goddamn self.”

It was hard to agree with him, but he was right. Wasting time blowing up at Chanel was a minute longer DeeDee had to spend with that psychopath. A minute longer she was away from me.

I took in a calming breath, then exhaled and pushed his hand off me and his finger out of my face. “I’m good.”

I walked around Agent Hart, pulled the chair from under the table, and sat, hoping the table between us would keep me from killing her before I found out any information. “Why are you doing this, Chanel?”

“Doing what, baby?” She tilted her head and smiled. “Fighting for what’s mine?” The smirk on her face made me pause. I’d brought this person into our lives. If anything happened to Dana, I didn’t know how I’d forgive myself.

“As long as that bitch is in the picture,” she continued, “you’ll never let her go. So, when he came to me, I agreed to help.”

She shrugged like we weren’t discussing a human life. Like we weren’t discussing the love of my life. But now, I recognized the unhinged look in Chanel’s eyes. Everything Dana said about her was front and center now. What I had thought had been a harmless obsession went way beyond that. I could see it now, but now might be too late.

“He approached you?” I asked.

“Yes. Asked if I needed help getting her out of the picture. Why wouldn’t I agree to that?” She looked at me like I was the crazy one for not understanding. “You’re mine, and she was keeping you from me.”

“Who is he?” Agent Hart asked from behind me.

He was propped against the wall of the interrogation room with his arms crossed over his chest.

“Oh! It’s you? You love her too, don’t you?” She smiled at Agent Hart then focused back on me. “How does this bitch do it? I just don’t understand why everyone loves her so much. If she’d never come along, you would have married me, Rey.”

Tears gathered in her eyes. There was no fucking way I would have ever married Chanel Boudreaux. There was nothing special about what we shared. She was beyond delusional if she thought because we fucked, we had something special.

“Chanel…”

“Don’t.” She angrily wiped her tears away. “Don’t look at me like that. I’m not crazy, Rey! Everyone in this fucking parish pities me. The poor girl from the other side of the bayou. The orphan. The one nobody wanted. But you did, didn’t you, Rey?”

I gritted my teeth. “I did,” I lied, and the smile that stretched across her face made me want to vomit. “And now I need your help, Chanel. Who is he?”

“If I tell you, can you promise me you’ll give me a chance?” she asked with hope in her eyes. “A real chance.”

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