Broken (19 page)

As Raif slowly revolved around the dance floor with Neely held close to him, his phone rang. Raif laughed. "My brother has the worst timing ever."

"How do you know it's Ray?" asked Neely.

"Nobody else would be calling."

"We were only dancing."

"Maybe you were only dancing, but I was planning what I wanted to do to you in about five minutes."

"In that case, talk to your brother, and I'll meet you in our room."

While Neely scampered off to put on something to make sure Raif followed through with his plans, Raif answered his phone, "Yes, Ray?"

"I think you need to come home for at least a day or so."

"What's up?"

"We have one of Neely's attackers."

"What? You actually caught one?"

"Sort of. Christopher caught him. The kid, and I mean kid, can identify Lloyd. He paid them."

"Kid? How old?"

"When it happened, he had just turned fifteen."

"What aren't you saying?"

"I hope you're sitting down."

"Ray, stop stalling."

"God! It's Kyle LaFontaine."

"What the hell did you say?"

When Neely unlocked the door to her room, a hand reached over her head and pushed the door open. Neely spun around. A tall, thin, completely shaven man that Neely recognized snarled, "I'm here to deliver a message from Lloyd."

Neely screamed as loudly as she could before the man pushed her into the room. "Neely!" Raif yelled into the phone as he heard her scream.

"Raif!" Ray bellowed into a dead phone.

As an accomplished track star and marathon runner, it took Raif only seconds to get to his room. Hotel security was right behind him. Raif kicked in the door and hurled the man who held Neely's wrists through the sliding glass door that led to the romantic patio outside the hotel room. Security hauled the man to his feet and dragged him away to be met by Honolulu police.

Raif pulled Neely to him. She sobbed, "He said, he was here to deliver a message from Lloyd."

"How would he know where we were?"

She shrugged. "Maybe our wedding announcement in the newspaper."

"And maybe Ray has been right all along. Maybe he's been following us." Raif looked at her face. "Pack," he said. "We're going home right now."

Raif chartered a flight directly to the small air strip in Eau Boueuse. He called Ray in flight and told him what had happened. He also said, "Don't take Kyle to New Orleans yet. Y'all wait at my house. He needs to face Neely, and I have a stop to make before I take one more trip."

Ray contacted Parker and let him know the details about what had happened. At the Eau Boueuse Police Department, Parker sat with Gigi Cockerill and gave her a sketchy story about the recent goings-on. "You can report that a witness who can identify Lloyd and connect him to the rape-murders in New Orleans has come forward."

"Who is this witness?"

"I really can't tell you that for his safety."

"Where is he now?"

"In protective custody. That's all for now."

Gigi walked behind Parker and rubbed his neck. She said seductively, "Parker, you're stressed to the breaking point. How have you been relaxing while your family has been away?"

Parker stood and turned around. He took Gigi's hands firmly in his. "Prayer and meditation. Please, don't do that. It makes me uncomfortable. I've already told you that."

"I can think of a better way for both of us to relieve stress." Gigi looked Parker enticingly up and down.

"No, thank you," said Parker.

"Why? Chicken? Afraid the little woman will know you noticed another woman?"

"It takes a lot more courage to be faithful to the woman I love than to give in to a momentary temptation. I think you have your story for now. You need to go."

"Courage to be faithful?" asked Gigi.

"Yes. It would be much easier to cheat and lie."

"I don't understand."

"A coward can't keep a commitment. I am no coward. Good night, Gigi."

Since Gigi Cockerill seemed to want to stay, Parker left. He called his father in his car. "Daddy, what's the plan?"

Ray could hear the stress in Parker's voice. "Did the siren attack again?"

"That woman is a barracuda. You owe me."

"I'll repay you somehow. Hopefully, it's almost over. We all need to meet at Raif's house. He wants Kyle to face Neely, and he has something on his mind. He sounds like a person I've never met. I feel as if I'm talking to myself. I don't think that's my brother anymore."

Raif and Neely walked into an expectant crowd, none more anxious than Kyle LaFontaine. When Neely walked into the room, their eyes met. He could not break his gaze.

Neely said softly, "Everybody, leave us." She held Raif's hand firmly. "Not you. I need you to stay."

Everyone except Neely, Raif, and Kyle left the room. Still, Kyle was transfixed by Neely's face. She let go of Raif's hand and walked to the boy who sat at the end of the sofa. She sat beside him. She looked at his angelic face and wondered,
is this really the same face I saw a year and half ago?

Neely said softly, "We never officially met. I'm Neely Rivers Gautier. I understand you're Kyle LaFontaine." Kyle dropped his eyes to the floor.

"Kyle, look at me," she ordered.

"I can't. I'm too ashamed. I'm so sorry." The boy started to cry.

"Look. At. Me," Neely said assertively. "You had no trouble looking at me once. You can look at me now."

Kyle raised his eyes to Neely's. "All right," she said. "Now, Kyle, tell me what you did."

"Do I have to say it all again? I just want to throw up."

"So, throw up, but I want to hear you say it."

Kyle complied. "I came into your shop with four other guys. Lloyd paid us to beat you up and rape you. I was supposed to kill you. We told you we wanted 'MOM' tattoos, and you asked to see cash up front and I.D. You asked if we had any particular style in mind. I told you yes and grabbed your wrist. When you started to scream, I hit you. While some of the others locked the door and turned off your lights, I dragged you behind the counter with the help of one of the others. You fought hard; we kept hitting you. I'm the one who tore off your clothes. I was first. We all raped you. We kicked you and I started to strangle you, but I couldn't do it. I couldn't kill you. I guess you passed out. We ransacked your shop and left. I'm so sorry."

Neely said, "Kyle, what do you want me to do?"

"Forgive me, but do whatever you need to do. I deserve to go away forever."

"Yes, you do." She stood and walked to the window to stare out at the darkness. "Part of me wants to let you rot in jail. You know, for what you did, you most likely would be tried as an adult. You would be somebody's play thing for a long time."

The boy gasped. "No. Not that. No."

She turned back from the window and stared at him. "Kyle, do you believe in Jesus?"

With a look of utter confoundedness Kyle asked, "What?"

Neely repeated her question.

"I used to when I was a little boy," Kyle said.

"Do you remember what He said about the people who crucified him?"

Kyle shook his head.

Neely said, "He asked God to forgive them because they didn't know what they were doing."

"They didn't deserve to be forgiven."

"None of us do, Kyle. Have you asked Him to forgive you?"

"Why would He?"

"Because He said He would if we ask. You need to seek His forgiveness before mine. But, Kyle, an evil man used you. He manipulated an angry, sad, lonely little boy into doing a wicked thing. However, you're still responsible for your own actions." She took a deep breath.

"I've thought about this all the way from Hawaii. This is my proposal for you: If you'll help put this evil man away,
and
if you'll go into intense counseling, I'll hold off on testifying against you. You do realize that there is no statute of limitations on forcible rape in Louisiana?'

He shook his head, eyes filled with fear.

Neely nodded. "I also want you to give up the names of the other members of the gang. Some of them are over eighteen. I'm sure Lloyd used some form of coercion on the kids, but, Kyle, one of the older ones came to Hawaii to do something else to me—the one that did that last thing to me. I know you remember it."

He blurted, "I tried to stop him."

"I know you did. That's why I'm offering you this one chance."

"Are you serious?" His pale blue eyes stretched wide in amazement. "You won't testify against me?"

"Yes. Kyle, there's nothing I can do if the state still charges you, except refuse to testify. I think if you help them, they'll cut you a lot of slack. We're talking about a cop killer." She took another steadying breath. "Kyle, I can't remember any of their faces but yours. I didn't recognize the guy's face in Hawaii, but his voice. I know that if I don't testify against you, I can't testify against them either. It's up to you to help me now. Help me put these evil people away. Please?"

"Of course, I'll do it. I'll do whatever you ask. Mrs. Gautier, may I ask something else of you?"