Underground Captive (18 page)

Underground Captive
             
             
             
             
             
             
             
124

    
             
Jared grimaced in good humor.  Louis had an uncanny knack of interrupting moments of suspense he and Nicki shared.  He wouldn't be opposed to discovering how those moments would turn out.

    
             
"Hello, Louis," he said, smiling sheepishly.  "This is opening night," he continued dryly.  "I suspect everyone is here tonight."

    
             
"Indeed, they are," Louis answered, his obsidian eyes dancing.  "I ran into
Monsieur
Duplantier and Madam Vermierre earlier.  And I see the exquisite Nicollette and Madam Sonnier over there.  Shall we speak to the ladies? I noticed Nicollette looking this way."

    
             
Jared raised an eyebrow and smiled.  Louis actually thought the beautiful girl was looking at
him
?

    
             
"Aye, of course, Louis," Jared said and began inching his way through the throng of people.

    
             
Blanche caught sight of him and eyed Nicki smugly.  "Why,
Monsieur
Fleming, what a delight to see you here.  Nicollette,
ma petit
,
Monsieur
Fleming has come after all."

    
             
"So I've noticed,
Tante
Blanche," Nicki drawled in a husky voice.  "
Bon soir, Monsieur
."

    
             
"
Mademoiselle
."  Jared raised her gloved hand to his lips and kissed it.  Holding her hand just a little too long, he boldly caressed her with his eyes, pausing at the small mounds of her breasts and her delicately tiny waist.  His eyes moved slowly back up to the silken hair, falling past her shoulders, shining like black pearls.  He swallowed hard.  "Ye're quite a vision."

Heat rushed to Nicki’s cheeks.  "
Merci
," she whispered, retrieving her hand.

  
             
"Ahem," Louis began, imitating Jared as he reached for her hand and kissed it.  "Good evening,
Mademoiselle
Nicollette."

    
             
"
Bon soir
,
Monsieur
Louis," she said sweetly.  "How nice to see you again."

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Louis's face clouded with unease before he spoke again.  "I must apologize for not telling you all of the facts."

    
             
Nicki stared at Louis in confusion.  "What facts?"

Awkwardly, Louis cleared his throat, his gaze resting on his feet.  "The

man at the Red Dog Saloon had an Irish brogue," he mumbled.

    
             
Nicki hesitated a moment, blinking in bafflement, not believing what she'd just heard.  "
Pardonnez moi
?"

    
             
Jared stared at Louis, swift anger lighting his eyes, igniting them with gold-green fire.  "Would ye care to expound on that, Louis?" he demanded, his jaw tensing.  "Nicki could have been killed because ye forgot to mention one small detail.  I should throttle ye to give ye an excuse to forget!"

 
             
"Please, Jared."  Blanche laid a restraining hand on Jared's arm, though he'd taken no step forward.  She turned to Louis, fury of her own etched into her pretty features.  "Louis, I don't wish for you and Jared to get into a duel over this," she hissed softly.  "But what made you think it was Ricard? Jared is correct.  Nicki could have been killed and it would have been your fault!"

"I'm waiting, Louis," Jared ground out.

    
             
"I-I have no excuse."  Louis spoke the words cautiously as if testing the explanation, fearing Jared's wrath more than anything. "But I still feel the man was Ricard.  I have gone back several times, but he hasn't come back in.  Please forgive me."  He turned to Nicki.  "I would never place you in any danger.  But if you realize, Nicollette, I didn't tell you to go.  I merely told you he was seen there."  He eyed Jared cautiously.  "I
didn't
tell her to go, Jared," he blurted, splaying his hands regretfully and shrugging his shoulders.

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"Forget it, Louis.  Just remember to tell me all the facts next time," Nicki said sullenly.  At least she had a lead although nothing came of it.  But it wasn't Ricard.  Her brother could be anywhere. 
Will I ever get him home
?

Jared, Blanche, and Louis all looked at Nicki with concern.

    
             
Blanche took Nicki by the arm.  "Come,
cherie
, let us get to our box."

    
             
"Allow us to escort ye there, ladies."  Jared offered his arm to Nicki as Louis offered his arm to Blanche.

    
             
Reaching the Duplantier box, Nicki cringed at the feminine laughter echoing from the small cubicle.  She hurried inside.  "Pa Pa!" she gasped in surprise, seeing her father sitting next to Antoinette Vermierre.

    
             
"Nicollette?" Charles said on a cough.  "Jared?"  He paused at sight of the others, his surprised expression almost comical.  "Blanche?  Louis?"

    
             
"Antoinette!  How are you?" Blanche rushed up to her, ignoring her brother's distress.

    
             
Antoinette smiled, a twinkle in her eyes.  "I am well, Blanche."

    
             
"What are you doing here, Pa Pa?" Nicki demanded, forgetting her despondency as her ire rose.  She was at Crescent Wood working her hands off and her father sported about?

    
             
"I could ask you the same?" Charles said, looking suddenly ill.  "You do remember Antoinette Vermierre, Nicki, and her son, Gustave?"

    
             
"
Oui
, Pa Pa, but you haven't answered my question," she grumbled, narrowing her gaze at her father and ignoring everyone else.

    
             
"I am here to see the opera, of course.  Hello, Jared," Charles said, extending his hand.

    
             
Jared took it.  "Hello, Charles."  His mischievous smile was downright wicked as he watched Charles squirm from Nicki's accusing questions.

   
             
The Duplantier box was filled with Antoinette and Charles, Gustave and his wife, and several other younger couples.

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Jared smiled charmingly.  "Madam Sonnier, Nicki, I would be honored if the two of ye shared my box for the evening." 

    
             
Nicki bestowed a heartstopping smile at him as Blanche said, "We'd love to,
Monsieur
Fleming."

"Louis, would ye care to join us?" Jared asked courteously.

"It would be a pleasure," Louis replied.

Passing an icy look to her father, Nicki quit the cubicle.

 
             
"Madame Vermierre, excuse my manners.  I'm Jared Fleming," he said, bowing chivalrously.

    
             
"Charles speaks highly of you.  I'm so glad to finally meet you."

    
             
"If ye all will excuse me, I must see to my companions.  Good evening, Charles."  Jared bowed to Antoinette once again, departing with Blanche and Louis close on his heels.

    
             
The gong sounded for them to take their seats just as they reached Nicki, who was standing, clearly seething now, where Jared first saw her.  Silently, he extended his hand to her and escorted her to his private box.  After an hour and a half of listening to what they unanimously decided was the most glorious voice they had ever heard, the curtain came down on the diva and her troupe.

    
             
Jared's company had calmed Nicollette considerably, but she'd still have a few choice words for her Pa Pa whenever she saw him again.

    
             
They tried to get Charles's attention again.  However, he was swallowed up by the crowd and before long was out of sight so they decided to have a late supper at Antoine's.  As they walked out of the opera house, Jared was commenting on the opera and the talent of the diva when Nicki suddenly grabbed Blanche's arm.

    
             
"
Tante
Blanche!" she blurted, pointing across the street.  "Look over there!  It's Ricard!"

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Blanche followed the direction of Nicollette's finger.  "
Bon Dieu
!  It is

Ricard!"

    
             
"Ricard!" Nicollette called.

For the space of a heartbeat, he looked in her direction with something akin

to fear on his face.  Then he lost himself in the crowd.

Jared followed the direction of Nicollette’s and Blanche's gazes.  For a brief second, he saw a young, bearded, dark-haired, Creole man.  With the blink of an eye, the man turned and fled.  It all happened too quickly for him to be sure of how the man looked.  Jared turned to Nicollette.  "What made him run?"

    
             
"I don't know.  He seemed frightened of something.  Oh,
Tante
Blanche, we must find out what.  We must inform Pa Pa.  He will know what to do."

    
             
"Calm down,
ma petit
.  There is nothing we can do tonight.  Whatever is bothering your brother, I feel certain you will see him again."

  
             
"That is the man I saw at the saloon!" Louis exulted.  "I knew I wasn't wrong!"

At everyone's look of surprise, he shrugged.  "I know Ricard.  I spent the better part of two years with him in France."

    
             
Jared arched his brows.  "Two years?"

    
             
"
Oui
.  When Ricard came to France three years ago, he contacted me.  But a year ago he said he was leaving.  However, he didn't say where he was going.  I just assumed he was going back to Crescent Wood.  Unfortunately..." His voice trailed off at the look of hurt and worry in Nicollette's eyes.

    
             
"
Ma petit
, we'll discuss this in the morning," Blanche declared, gently rubbing Nicki’s back.  "Right now we will enjoy our evening."

    
             
"
Oui
,
Tante
Blanche," Nicki whispered.  Miserably, she looked up at Jared.  It surprised her to see how tautly he held his jaw and how his copper brows nearly touched from the frown on his face.  She placed her hand on his arm.

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Nicki’s tentative touch, so unlike her fiery nature, brought Jared out of his reverie.  He looked at her lovely face, full of hurt and puzzlement, and softened his frown.  He too was puzzled as to why Ricard Duplantier didn't seek out his family.

The thought made Jared’s mind race.  Soon, he thought, soon.  His chance for revenge would come soon.  But did he want it?

    
             
If he put in an effort, he could win Nicki's love.  This girl who was as beautiful and delicate as a rose.  Or perhaps as prickly as a thorn.  This girl who had aroused a passion in him that he hadn't felt since before the death of his wife.

    
             
'Twas no denying his desire for her.   But he wanted to see Ricard Duplantier dead more than he wanted to hold Nicollette; to kiss her; to make love to her.  And he wanted that with every fiber of his being.

13   

             
"Why didn't you tell me you and Nicollette were coming to town?" Charles asked as he joined Blanch on the settee.

    
             
Blanche raised her cup to her lips and took a sip of the steaming black coffee that Odessa had, minutes ago, placed before her.  She put the cup back on its saucer on the coffee table.  "It was a spur of the moment decision,
cheri
.  Nicollette seemed agitated and down-crested.  I'm glad we came.  We enjoyed the opera very much.  Did you find it entertaining?"

Charles looked guiltily at his sister.

"Shall I pour you a cup of coffee,
mon frere
?"

"That would be very nice."  Blanche set a cup of coffee in front of him as a worried frown spread across Charles's features.  "Where's Nicki?"

"Still asleep."

   
             
"Is she still angry with me?"