One Love (46 page)

“
Yes,” Alex added taking a
cue from his father. “As a matter of fact we do have an explanation
for them. It has to do with the destination of these
boxes.”

“
Of course before we tell
everything we know, you might want to call Charles Metoyer’s
office.” Joe shrugged. “Could be you’ll get to talk to the big man
himself.”

“
Right. Just mention the
Commerce Department,” Alex said.

“
I’m sure they won’t put you
on hold for long.” Joe stared at the man hard. “But somehow I think
you have an idea what we’re talking about.”

Mr. Bush appeared torn between anger
and fear. With a hiss of rage, he stomped off and climbed the short
flight of stairs to his office. Through the glass wall that allowed
him to see into the warehouse, they watched him make a phone call.
He turned his back to them even though there was no way they could
tell what he was saying. Ten minutes ticked by. The big warehouse
was eerily silent. Alex and Lanessa gazed at each before Lanessa
looked away. The phone rang in the security guard’s
booth.

“
Kenny, go answer that. I
need to keep an eye on these people.”

Kenny was not happy to play a role in
anything at this point. Still he complied and answered the phone.
“Yessir. Okay. Alex St. Romaine? Mr. Bush put through a call.” He
held out the receiver.

Alex exchanged a glance with his
father before going to the booth. The security guard now looked
unsure of himself.

“
What the hell is all this
anyway?” He said to no one in particular.

Alex spoke into the phone for a few
seconds. He held the earpiece away from him. A voice shouted
through the receiver. Alex said a few more words then hung
up.

Joe smoothed down the front of his
shirt. “We ready to leave?”

“
Yes.” Alex gave him a curt
nod. “Lanessa, follow us out.”

“
Okay,” was all she could
reply.

Mr. Bush came down the stairs. He
blinked furiously and wore a tight smile. “Mr. St. Romaine, I just
want to apologize for the little mix up. Mr. Metoyer didn’t tell me
much, I just follow orders and.”

“
How refreshing to see such
company loyalty,” Joe said cutting him off. “Let’s get out of
here.”

They followed him out the door. The
group maintained a pensive mood. All were silent, deep in their own
thoughts about what they’d just been through.

Jackie spoke first. “Can we get some
dinner now?” she pleaded.

Like a spell had been broken, they all
burst into laughter as she declared her craving for good seafood.
Alex placed a hand on Lanessa’s arm.

“
Ride with me... please.” He
stared into her eyes. His voice was intense.

Joe cleared his throat. “I’d love to
be surrounded by three gorgeous young women. Just think of the
entrance we’ll make at Commander’s Palace.” He beamed at Yasmin,
Jackie at Robyn. He was rewarded when they led him the Yasmin’s
car.

“
The stuffed shrimp is out
of this world.” Jackie clapped her hands with delight.

Alex laughed. “Wait until he announces
it’s on him.”

“
Your father will have three
lifelong devoted fans,” Lanessa said. She laughed, too. Then she
realized they were alone and felt awkward.

“
My car is right here,” Alex
said. He opened the door to his Montero Sport.

Once they were on the way, Alex turned
on the compact disc player. They both stared ahead through the
windshield without speaking for ten minutes. Soft jazz, clear and
sweet flowed from the speakers. The inside of the car, softly lit
by the lights from the dashboard, was intimate. Lanessa felt a
pressure building inside. She wanted to escape. What a fool she’d
been to accept a ride with him. It was torture being close to him.
In truth they were a million miles apart.

“
So...” Alex seemed to
search for something, anything to say. “Guess we can use what we
found out today to get you off the hook.”

“
Or at least make Charles
back off,” Lanessa said. “He’ll be too busy covering his butt to
harass me.”

“
Yeah, I like the thought of
that,” Alex said with a smile. “You should have heard him on the
phone. Very upset.”

“
I’m sure you consoled him
properly,” Lanessa chuckled.

“
I did my best but he wasn’t
very grateful. He used terrible language. I’m sure his
distinguished family would be shocked.” Alex chuckled.

“
Oh dear. How will we sleep
tonight?” Lanessa chuckled.

“
Yes, how will we?” Alex
said in a soft voice.

Lanessa blushed and stared out the
window. They were silent again. She reminded herself that Alex had
been willing to believe the worst of her. With all her might she
tried not to be affected by his presence. Why should he have
believed her? Lanessa remembered painfully how many times she’d let
him down before. Her instinct months ago to walk away had been
right. Now here he was caught up in her problems. Alex was kind,
thoughtful and dependable. He needed stability for himself and his
children.

“
Lanessa, I’m sorry,” Alex
said. He was about to go on.

“
Just a minute. You don’t
have a thing to be sorry for. I don’t know why, but I’m a walking
accident. You shouldn’t have gotten mixed up in my
problem.”

“
I wanted to,” Alex put in.
He tried to go on but Lanessa continued.

“
Not that I’m ungrateful. I
really, really thank you for it. I’m going to tell your dad the
same thing.” Lanessa clutched her hands together.

“
I did it
because--”

“
Because you’re a decent
person.” Lanessa cut him off again. She gazed at him. “But here we
are one more time. Not only am I in another bizarre situation, but
my name is again splashed all over town. I can imagine how
something like this would affect your kids.”

“
Tia and Nia are tough.
Besides, they’d learn that you have to stand up for yourself, even
when the odds are against you.” Alex steered the Montero into a
parking space at the restaurant. He turned off the motor and gazed
at her. “Even when someone who’s supposed to love you doesn’t
believe in you.”

Lanessa could not bear to look at him.
“I’m the last thing you need,” she said quietly.

Alex pulled her to him. He turned her
face to his and their lips almost touched. “You’re at the top of a
short list of people I really, really need in my life.”

“
But we--”

His kiss smothered her words of
protest and doubt. The gentle insistence of his tongue along her
lips fed a deep hunger. Lanessa moaned and clutched him against her
body. She needed to be closer, to feel his bare skin against
hers.

“
Ah, you feel so good,” he
mumbled between planting kisses on her neck.

Lanessa could not speak. She shivered
when his hands massaged her breasts. Like a starving woman, she
forced his face back up and kissed him again, greedily. Alex
whispered endearments were mostly unintelligible since his voice
was muffled against her flesh. His lips traced trails of fire down
the front of her blouse. First the top button then three more came
undone. Headlights and the sound of voices shook them back from a
special place of craving. They looked around them still
dazed.

“
A little more privacy might
be in order,” Alex said with a grin.

“
Not to mention space.”
Lanessa grinned back at him.

“
The Omni Hotel would be
perfect.” Alex rubbed his nose against hers.

“
I think we should at least
tell the others before we leave.”

“
Alex sighed dramatically.
“I guess just driving off would be inconsiderate.
Right?”

“
Of course.” Lanessa laughed
and buttoned her blouse. “Now come on. I’m really hungry for the
first time in weeks.”

Lanessa giggled as Alex put up a mock
fight not to leave the car. He groped her and made lewd
suggestions. When they finally got inside and found the others
already at a table, they faced the expected teasing. Lanessa
enjoyed every bit of it. She and Alex blushed like kids caught
necking. Even as jokes were passed back and forth through dinner,
the heat in her limbs lingered. Later when they were served coffee,
Joe smiled at Alex.

“
I think I’ll ride with
these sweet young ladies. They should deliver home safe and sound.
Right?” Joe looked at Yasmin, Jackie and Robyn in turn.

“
Right,” Jackie
said.

“
Absolutely,” Robyn chimed
in.

“
You’re in good hands, Joe,”
Yasmin added.

“
Then it’s settled. We’ll
follow y’all,” Alex said. He put an arm around Lanessa.

“
Yeah, right,” Jackie
quipped.

The others only laughed. As Alex
predicted, his father insisted on paying the tab for everyone. Once
the bill was settled, they headed out.

“
Listen, we need to move
fast now that Metoyer knows we’ve found the warehouse.” Joe lost
his jovial mood and was back to business.

“
Taken care of. I left a
message for Brandon and Tate at their offices. I told them they’d
better get over there.” Lanessa said.

“
How did you know what
they’d find?” Alex said.

“
With my buddy on the case,
I was sure enough.” Lanessa took Yasmin’s hand.

“
I had inside info, so to
speak. It was the least I could do,” Yasmin replied. “Well, I’m
ready to head home.”

“
Hey, we could be in Baton
Rouge before ten o’clock. Not bad. We tracked down the goods,
kicked butt and had time for a fab meal.” Robyn looked at everyone
with a wide smile.

“
We the man!” Jackie
swaggered toward Yasmin’s car.

Waving goodbye and laughing at her
antics, the rest of the group followed her. Lanessa and Alex
watched them drive away. Alex took Lanessa by the hand and walked
to his car. They drove to the hotel without speaking. Once they
arrived, Alex handed the keys to the valet parking
attendant.

“
Alex, we still need to work
through what happened between us.” Lanessa watched to see any trace
of hesitation in his expression or his eyes.

“
Baby, we can talk all night
if you want.” Alex held out his hand to her. “Okay?”

Lanessa gazed at it then wrapped her
fingers around his palm. “Yes.”

The evening was more special than any
they’d known before. They curled up on the king-sized bed and
poured out their hearts to each other. Sharing so much made their
lovemaking a soul deep experience that made them feel joined in
more than a physical sense. Every hope, dream and desire was made
real.

***

Lanessa emerged from the Federal
Courthouse and into the sunshine. Reporters pushing microphones
near her face immediately surrounded her.

“
Ms. Thomas, is it true that
you have knowledge that could bring down one of the most powerful
corporations in this country?” A red-haired female report
shouted.

“
No comment. Judge Johnson
imposed a gag order as you all know,” Lanessa said.

“
What about your dealings
with Paxton-Waite?” A short bald man broke in. He held his ink pen
poised to scribble every word.

“
No comment.”

“
Will you testify against
Ken Hargrove, a member of the most politically powerful family in
Louisiana?” Another reporter called out.

“
No comment.” Lanessa
started to walk forward when a familiar voice to her left caused
her to halt.

“
Isn’t it true that you have
a drinking problem? That a policeman found you passed out in your
car recently?” Glenn Curtis stared at her with animosity. “Aren’t
you as much a target of this grand jury as Caine Dawson, Charles
Metoyer or Ken Hargrove?”

Lanessa met his gaze as cameras
recorded the scene. The other reporters fell silent. “As for your
last question, no comment. Judge Johnson gave strict instructions
that we cannot discuss the grand jury proceedings.”

Glenn smirked at her. “And the other
two questions?”

“
Yes, I’m a recovering
alcoholic. And yes, I was found in my car. How I got there is under
investigation, Mr. Curtis. The DA’ll contact you soon. I’m sure
you’ll be willing to share all you know, since you’re so interested
in the truth.” Lanessa pushed her way through the crowd ignoring
the babble of questions.

The reporters turned like a swarm of
bees to pursue Glenn. He looked stunned to suddenly be the center
of attention. Lanessa stood smiling at him. She waved gaily at the
besieged little man. A horn behind her blew. Alex pulled up to the
curb in his car, parked it and got out.

“
Was it rough? You should
have let me come with you.” Alex embraced her. “I don’t care about
publicity.”

“
I know, honey. But this was
something I wanted to do by myself. Knowing you’d be here waiting
made all the difference,” Lanessa said.