Relentless Seduction. Jillian Burns

finally stopped. She folded up her umbrella, took off her glasses and cleaned them with a piece of tissue from her tote. She needed to regroup. The aroma of Cajun spices drifted around her and her protesting stomach finally forced her to stop at a vendor.

      Crawfish etouffe, shrimp gumbo and several varieties of jambalaya made Claire’s stomach growl and her mouth water. She chose a bowl of jambalaya with chicken and sausage and sat to savor the Southern flavors with a large chunk of French bread.

      Her first bite made her moan in pleasure. She could learn to love a place that produced food like this. The people down here took polite to a whole new level and, despite the daily afternoon drizzle, the air held a soft fragrance that Boston could never match. A heady fusion of magnolias, even when not in bloom, and the earthy scent of mud from the Mississippi flowing along the city’s border.

      With a wistful sigh, she threw her empty Styrofoam bowl and plastic spoon into the trash, wiped her hands and mouth with the travel-size wet-wipes from her tote, and trudged back to the row of booths where she’d left off.

      The sun was setting and Claire only had one row of booths left to question. Almost on autopilot, she held out the necklace to the elderly lady sitting in a folding chair behind a card table. “Did you sell this necklace?” The crocheted doilies and afghans on display didn’t give Claire much hope.

      The old lady’s face transformed into a mask of suspicion. “Why do you want to know?”

      Claire’s heart tripped and then raced to a double beat. “It belongs to a friend of mine. Where did you get it? Who gave it to you? Was it this woman?” She pulled up the picture of Julia on her phone.

      “Nah, I was doin’ a favor for my grandson. He asked me to sell it.”

      “Y-your grandson? Does he have three blood drops tattooed down the left corner of his mouth?”

      The lady scrunched up her face. “Heavens, no. He’s a good boy. Not like that Shadow.” Straightening, her eyes widened in fear. “Oh, lordy, you ain’t the police, are you? He’ll hurt me for sure for telling you.”

      “No.” Claire shook her head. “No, not the police. Do you know where I can find… Shadow?”

      Her eyes narrowed again. “No. And I don’t want to.”

      Claire let out a breath. The woman clearly suspected her. “Would your son maybe have mentioned where Shadow hangs out or where he works?”

      The woman guffawed. “He don’t work.” She shook her head derisively.

      Claire squeezed the pentacle in her fist until it dug into her flesh, sharp and painful. She was too close to give up now. Her best strategy was the truth. “Ma’am, the fact is my best friend went off with Shadow a couple of days ago and I haven’t seen her since and I’m worried something happened to her. I need to find Shadow and ask him before—” How embarrassing. Her voice caught and her lip trembled.

      “Hush, child.” The old lady stood and came around the table to put her arm around Claire. “I’ll tell you what I know, never you mind the tears.” She leaned close to Claire’s ear. “That Shadow is no good. I told my boy not to hang around that trash, but he keeps coming around. Wanting me to sell stuff for him.”

      She leaned close and cupped a hand around her mouth. “Uses the money for drugs, I’m sure. But he scares me so I don’t tell him no. One time I heard him trying to get my boy to go to this bar with him. What was the name…?” She tapped a finger to her lips. “Something about caves or holes or… I remember it sounded disgustin’…” She snapped her fingers. “The Pit!”

      Claire nodded, surreptitiously wiping a tear from her cheek. “O-okay, thank you so much for your help.”

      She bought a set of doily coasters from her, thanked her again and then headed for the entrance to look for her cab.

      Her mind was working rapid-fire, deciding what to do next. Go to that bar, see if this Shadow guy would even show up there and—And what? Call the police? Maybe Julia would be at The Pit with him. Claire’s breathing hitched. She almost hoped Julia wouldn’t be there with this Shadow person.

      It was almost dark. Stalls were closing up. She stood alone in the parking lot. The place had been crowded earlier. She shivered as the hairs on her arms stood out. She glanced to her right and left, feeling someone’s eyes on her.

      That was absurd. No one knew she was here.

      Except Rafe Moreau.

      CLAIRE WHISPERED A SHORT prayer of thanks when she saw the cab pull into the flea market parking lot. She was more than a little spooked. Chiding herself that she was letting her imagination run wild didn’t help. She’d never really thought of herself as having much of an imagination.

      Digging into her purse, Claire pulled out her cell phone and the card the sergeant in charge of Julia’s case had given her. She dialed his number and his brusque, “Mulroney,” calmed her fears slightly. She told him what she’d learned about “Shadow” and that he might be hanging out at a bar called The Pit.

      Mulroney promised he’d send an officer to check it out, but his tone still suggested they were being sent on a wild goose chase.

      If that was Mulroney’s attitude, she probably ought to check out the bar herself. But going alone could be dangerous. Look at the trouble she’d gotten into at the more tourist-friendly vampire bar. If Rafe hadn’t stepped in to stop that crazy guy from choking her…

      Perhaps he could be persuaded to help her one more time. Was she crazy to ask a complete stranger for help? For all she knew Rafe Moreau could be involved in Julia’s disappearance. Logic dictated she not trust him. But after the way he’d come to her aid, she couldn’t bring herself to think he was the bad guy.

      “Once Bitten, please,” Claire instructed the cabbie as she climbed in. Relying on instinct was foreign to her. She usually made decisions only once she’d ascertained all the facts. But in these circumstances, her choices were limited.

      When the cab pulled up to Once Bitten, there was a line of people at the door waiting to get in that ended half a block away.

      It was closed! She tried to see if there was an hours of operation sign. Peering between a guy with a huge mohawk and a fang-wearing Dracula look-alike complete with tuxedo and black cape, she saw a plaque by the door that read:

       Open: Sunset

       Close: Sunrise

      Well, that was informative.

      Maybe Rafe wasn’t even working tonight. If he wasn’t, how would she find him? And if he were, why on earth would he want to go with her to some place called The Pit after his shift was over?

      This had been a stupid idea. Maybe she should just let the police handle it. What did she think she could do, anyway? What did she think Rafe could do?

      Except… The look in his eyes when he’d threatened that crazy man… As if he’d seen things, had done things she wouldn’t want to know about. There was something dangerous about Rafe Moreau.

      If she could just get him to come with her. He’d dismissed her bribe the other night. But surely a large sum of cash could convince him. She hadn’t seen a tip jar on the bar, and this crowd didn’t seem like big tipper types. She’d have to have her dad wire her the money from her savings account. For Julia, she had to try.

      Reluctantly Claire made her way to the end of the line. It was past sunset. Evidently the owner didn’t keep a strict sense of time.

      “Claire?”

      She spun at her name spoken in that husky Southern drawl. “Rafe!” A burst of joy filled her chest. Then astonishment that she could feel such an emotion for a stranger. This situation was making her irrational.

      “What are you doing here?” Rafe glanced around as if making sure no one he knew saw him speaking to her before his gaze settled solidly on her.