Midnight Orchids Read online

  “Dis volatile situation, will it put da Pard in danger?”

  “No. At least, I don’t think so. It shouldn’t.” She bit her lip. “If you would rather I not remain in Pard territory, I’ll go.”

  “Dat’s not necessary, cher. However, if a problem arises, I want to know about it.”

  “Of course. Thank you.” She could hear the relief in her voice and was certain Caine and Emelise heard it as well.

  Several hours later, Kylie was dressed in a black skirt that hugged her body and a dark red shirt that fit in with the color scheme at Scarlet Flux. Was it fate that made her pick out those exact items at the thrift store the day before? Maybe. She’d put her hair up in a twist and had a faint trace of makeup on. It was understated yet attractive. After one last glance in the mirror she stepped into the only expensive item she owned: a pair of black thigh-high Louboutin boots her father had given her on the last birthday she’d shared with him before his death. The four-inch heels made her legs look longer than they were. At 5’4 in her bare feet, they would give her enough height to make leaning across the bar during work much more comfortable.

  “Looking good, girl. I love those boots. Where did you get them?” Emelise asked when Kylie joined her in the living room.

  “My father gave them to me for my birthday the year he died. I was…stunned because they’re Louboutin’s. I’ve looked at his stuff online; they’re not cheap.”

  “Wow. No, no they’re not. They look good on you, though.” She paused a moment. “I’m sorry for your loss. Losing a parent isn’t easy. I lost my mama a few months ago and the pain is still so raw sometimes that I just want to break down and cry. There are things I wish I could share with her but I can’t because she’s gone.”

  “I don’t believe that. Just because the body is gone doesn’t mean the spirit is. She’s out there, waiting for her rebirth, but even then, the part of her that was your mother will still be there watching over you.”

  “Oh, you and Lily are going to get along great. She has similar views. Who knows, maybe you’re both right. Anyway, let’s get out of here. The club will be opening soon and I’d like to introduce you to Joe before then.”

  Kylie followed Emelise to the dock and carefully climbed into the boat. The heels on her boots made it a little tricky but she managed to not embarrass herself. “How long have you lived in New Orleans?” She wanted to get to know the woman who was her boss and potentially a friend.

  “A few months. I moved here not long after my mama died. She wanted to be cremated and her ashes scattered in the desert, so that’s what I did. I didn’t have anything keeping me in Phoenix and I’d wanted to come here ever since I was a little girl. What about you? Why did you decide to move to New Orleans? I know you said you needed a new start in your life, but I know there’s more to it. You don’t have to tell me everything, Kylie, but I’d like to know more about what brought you here. Not just because you work for me, but because you’re part of the Pard and we look out for each other. If there’s something, or someone, in your past you’re putting distance between, we need to know. In case it comes back to bite you on the ass.”

  Kylie looked out at the trees as the boat made its way to the docks on the outskirts of New Orleans She was certain her words were going to come as a surprise to Emelise since she’d been so uncomfortable going into detail with Caine. Kylie wasn’t sure why but she felt comfortable talking with Emelise. Maybe it was because they were both women. “You know how every little girl dreams of meeting ‘the one’? That one guy who sweeps you off your feet and makes you feel like you’re the most special girl in the world? Well, I thought I found mine. Ezra was a smooth talker. He was attentive, sweet, considerate—all the things you want a man to be. Until he wasn’t.

  “After my father died, a little over five years ago, he changed. It didn’t happen overnight, and if you asked me, I couldn’t tell you exactly when it started; I just know it was after my father’s death. At first it was just little things that I passed off as him being playful. Little pinches on my arm or slaps on my ass. He made me quit my job as a bartender and before I knew it, I was so isolated from everyone. I’d fallen out of contact with friends, the only time anyone in the Pard saw me, he was with me, and because the marks didn’t last for days like they would on a human, no one ever saw the bruises. The one time our Alpha saw him get rough with me, he turned a blind eye.”

  Kylie closed her eyes. “The night I finally left, I thought he was going to kill me. He kicked me, beat me, and strangled me almost to the point of passing out. I finally had enough. So when he passed out from downing a bottle of whiskey, I shoved what I could into one bag, took the money he had in his wallet, grabbed his car keys, and fled. I abandoned his car in a nearby town and hopped a Greyhound bus out of Maine.”

  Emelise sat there in silence as she talked about her life and the hell she’d been through. “Oh my God, Kylie. What he did to you, that bastard needs to be hurt, seriously. And your old Alpha? He’s no better if he didn’t step in. You don’t have to worry about that here. If anyone dares to lay a hand on you in anger, they’ll have hell to pay. Caine doesn’t put up with that shit and neither do I. Hell, I don’t think anyone in the Pard does.” She paused a moment before she continued. “I know Remy would go off if someone tried to touch you. I saw the way he was looking at you, girl. That cat is interested.”

  Kylie sighed. “I doubt he will be when he hears I let myself be abused for five years.” She shook her head. “Besides, I just got out of a relationship; I’m really not looking to get in another one anytime soon.”

  “If Remy Delacroix held that against you, I’d personally kick his ass. I get what you mean, though. I can only imagine what it feels like to go through that and then suddenly be away from it.”

  “It’s freeing and scary as hell. I fled with very little money and I had no idea if it was going to take me a while to find work but even if I’d had to live on the streets for a while, it would have been better than staying with Ezra.”

  “It’s scary moving somewhere else regardless, but you had the added stress of not knowing when you’d be able to support yourself. Sometimes I really think the Fates are guiding us. How else do you explain you showing up in New Orleans three days before Joe leaves, leaving me without a Mixologist for the VIP lounge?”

  “If the Fates are guiding us then they suck because they guided me to half a decade of hell on earth,” Kylie growled.

  “Yeah, there is that. That wasn’t very nice of them but they’re deities. They have a different view of things.”

  That made Kylie laugh a little. “Good point.”

  The ride from the docks to the club was a quiet one. She spent the short drive putting the past back in the little box in her head she’d shoved it into when she left Maine, so she could focus on the present and future. She didn’t want to be bogged down with those memories.

  Chapter Three

  Remy

  Remy was trying to focus on the drawing in front of him. He’d been hired to design a house for a wealthy businessman and his new bride. They wanted something that was reminiscent of the Baroque style but he found it difficult to concentrate. His mind kept drifting to Kylie. He wanted to see her. Fucking hell. He needed to get this design done. He tried, yet again, to push her from his thoughts and managed to get fifteen minutes of work in before his mind wandered again.

  “God damn it!” His growl reverberated in the room and he closed his eyes. He wasn’t going to get any work done tonight. “Fuck it,” he muttered as he put everything away. He would come back to it in the morning.

  After a quick shower, Remy dressed in a pair of black pants that didn’t hide the fact he wasn’t a small man, paired it with a button-down shirt in dark blue and a pair of leather boots, and headed out. He needed a drink and he knew just the place to get one.

  He stepped into Scarlet Flux and noticed his Alpha at the bar on the ground floor. Emelise must be down there, otherwise Caine would be in
the VIP lounge. He nodded at Caine and headed for the stairs leading up to the VIP section. He was among the few from the Pard who were permanent members of the VIP lounge. Since the object of his obsession was up there, it was a damn good thing.

  He didn’t want it to be obvious that he was there to see her, so instead of going right to the bar, he found a seat at one of the tables so he could watch her from a distance. The woman was good at what she did. He watched her put on a show while making various drinks and the corners of his mouth lifted in a smirk. His mate was something else. Well, she wasn’t his, officially, but there was no mistaking what his leopard felt.

  He’d been sitting there for only a few minutes when one of the patrons decided to get a little handsy with Kylie. She’d just set a drink down in front of the guy and he grabbed her wrist before she could move away. A low growl rumbled through Remy when the guy grabbed her. Then he saw Kylie’s face. For a brief second there was a flash of fear in her eyes and he damn near lost it. He approached the bar and leaned in close so the guy could hear him over the music. “Get your fuckin’ hand off her before I break it.”

  “Back off, dude. I’m just trying to talk to the lady.”

  “Looks to me like you’re tryin’ to do more den dat. And from da look on her face, she’s not interested in hearin’ what you have to say. Get. Your. Fuckin’. Hand. Off. Her. Now.” He bit each word out while he struggled for control.

  The guy recognized the threat in his voice and he quickly let go of her wrist. He held his hands up in defense. “Sorry, dude. Didn’t mean anything by it.”

  “I’m not da one you owe an apology to.” The man swallowed at the look in his eyes and turned back to the bar. “Sorry, Miss. I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just trying to talk to you.”

  “Good boy. Now I suggest you get da fuck outta here before I have you thrown out for harrassin’ da lady.”

  The guy nodded and made a beeline for the stairs.

  “You okay?” Remy looked her over. She still looked a little shaken up but he saw her straighten her shoulders as she went right back to work.

  Kylie

  From the corner of her eye, Kylie had seen Remy walk into the VIP lounge. She’d half expected him to take a seat at the bar but he surprised her by sitting at one of the tables. She kept an eye out, wondering if he would flirt with the server the way so many of the other male patrons had, but all he did was ask for a drink. Huh. That was interesting.

  She found herself enjoying the fact he was there, even if he hadn’t come over to say hello yet. When one of the patrons came to the bar for another drink, she’d debated cutting him off because it was his fifth drink, but in the end she poured it and set the glass in front of him. Just as she started to move away, he grabbed her wrist and Kylie froze. Fear flashed through her mind as a memory was triggered and she knew she was trembling, just a little.

  Before she could think of something to say to get the guy to let her go, Remy was there. She heard the threat in his voice the first time he told the guy to let her go, but the drunk didn’t get it until he said it the second time. Relief flooded her when he let her go and headed for the stairs.

  “You okay?”

  She’d gone right back to work but at his question she paused. Was she okay? More or less, yes.

  “Yeah. It just…startled me when he grabbed my wrist.” Okay, so that wasn’t entirely true but there was no way in hell she was getting into that in a crowded bar with someone she barely knew. It didn’t matter that her leopard wanted to come out and roll around in his scent until they smelled like him. She’d been been there and done that; there was no way in hell she was letting anyone close again. Just because he seemed like a nice guy didn’t mean he was. Ezra seemed nice in the beginning, too. He didn’t show his true colors until she’d already moved in with him and given up so much of her autonomy.

  “Startled? Is dat what dey’re callin’ it dese days?” Remy shook his head and slid onto a stool so he could lean against the bar. “I saw da fear, cher. Dere’s a story behind dat, I’ll wager.”

  Kylie flinched at his words. “Doesn’t matter,” she countered. “I’m fine.” She was going to have to do better than this if she didn’t want people prying into her past. The more people who knew about it, the greater the risk of discovery. She didn’t want to have to run anymore.

  “All right, cher. I won’t go pryin’ into someting dat’s none of my business.”

  “Thank you. And…thank you for getting rid of that guy. That was his fifth drink. I probably should have cut him off but I’m not sure what Emelise’s rules on that are. I’ll have to check with her later.”

  “No’ting to thank me for. He had no right to put his hands on you, cher.”

  “Maybe not, but I didn’t see anyone else stepping in to make him back off.”

  Remy frowned. “Now dat you mention it, you’re right. I thought Emelise had a bouncer for da lounge?”

  “Joe said he didn’t show for work today.”

  “Where’s Joe at?”

  “Taking a break. He figured I was doing well enough, he didn’t need to hover and watch my every move.”

  “He’s right about dat. You’re good, cher. You make it look easy.”

  Kylie smiled a little. “Thanks. I did this for three years, a while back. You should have seen how many bottles of liquor I broke in the beginning. I think I lost more than I made the first few weeks.”

  Remy chuckled. “Happens to us all when we start someting new.” He spotted Joe coming back and winked at her. “I’ll let you get back to work. I need to go have a chat wit’ Emelise real quick.”

  Kylie watched him go. She felt a pang of regret and pushed it down. She didn’t need to even think about letting herself get close to anyone. It didn’t matter how nice he seemed. She struggled to push back memories that threatened to pull her under. Not here, not now. She needed to work. It took more effort than she liked for her to push the memories back inside the little box in her mind so she could focus on the drink orders she had to make.

  Remy

  Remy headed to the ground floor of Scarlet Flux and made a beeline for Emelise, who was sitting on a stool at the bar next to Caine.

  “We need to talk.” He knew he was abrupt and the look his Alpha gave him wasn’t a pleasant one. “Dis is important.” He wasn’t going to let himself be swayed by the dark look he received from Caine.

  Emelise arched a brow. “My office. And you, stop glaring,” she said to Caine before she motioned for Remy to follow her. She wasn’t surprised when Caine joined them.

  “What’s going on?” She only waited for the door to close behind them before asking.

  “I was up in da VIP lounge, enjoyin’ da show Kylie was puttin’ on makin’ drinks, when some drunk grabbed her wrist. Someting about it scared her; I saw it in her eyes. He let her go when I got in his face, but I shouldn’t have had to do it. Da bouncer for upstairs didn’t show. Did you know dat?”

  “Yes, I knew, but Joe is up there. He’s more than capable of handling a drunk.”

  “Not if he’s on break when someting happens.” There was an angry growl in his voice.

  “Watch yourself.” There was obvious threat in Caine’s voice.

  Remy forced himself to calm down. “My apologies, Emelise. I’m not tryin’ to take tings out on you. I don’t know what’s gone on in her past, but she was scared when dat drunk grabbed her. You need a bouncer dat you can depend on. I want da job.”

  Emelise gave him a look. “Is that so? Why should I give you the job, Remy? Just so you can stalk Kylie without looking like that’s what you’re doing?”

  “No. So I can make sure drunks don’t get outta hand wit’ her or any of da servers. If dey’re grabbin’ her, what do you tink dey’re doin’ to da servers?”

  She frowned at that. “No one has said anything to me about problems with patrons. I think I need to have a meeting with my staff after we close tonight.” She rubbed her temples a moment. “What about
Delacroix Carpentry and Architecture? Are you planning on ignoring the company you’ve built with your brother?”

  Remy shook his head. “Naw. I can do dat in da daytime and still be here at night, especially when my mate is workin’.”

  “Fine, you’ve got the job. Don’t make me regret it, Remy Delacroix.”

  Remy winked at her. “Wouldn’t dream of it, cher.” He nodded at his Alpha and left. He didn’t even care if he got paid to be the bouncer. He wanted to be there to keep Kylie, and the other women, safe. But most especially, Kylie.

  He sauntered back upstairs and moved to lean against the bar until Kylie noticed him. “You don’t have to worry about some drunk grabbin’ you again. You’re lookin’ at da VIP Lounge’s new bouncer.”

  Kylie blinked. “Emelise hired you to be the bouncer? Just like that?”

  He shrugged. “What can I say, I made a good argument. You let me know if dere are any troublemakers I haven’t spotted yet,” he told her with a wink before he moved to a spot where he could keep an eye on the entire area. He could tell she was startled he was working there now and that puzzled him. The woman was a mystery he looked forward to figuring out.

  Kylie

  Once the last patron was gone and the doors were closed and locked, clean-up began. The entire staff helped so that it was done quickly.

  It was while they were cleaning that Emelise spoke up. “I need everyone’s attention. Something happened tonight that shouldn’t have. Our newest member, Kylie, had some trouble with a drunk grabbing her wrist. It was brought to my attention that if the Drink Mixologist was grabbed, chances were good some of the servers were, as well. Yet, no one has said one word to me about any problems they’ve had with patrons. That’s not the kind of club I run. If something happens, I want to know about it. If someone is harassing a staff member, in any way, I need to know so that they can be removed from the premises and banned from the club. I will not have any of my staff feeling unsafe while at work.”