Chapter 1

      Annoyance painted Darryl Boudreaux’s expression as his gaze shifted from the line of police cars encroaching in his driveway to the Jaguar XF pulling into it. He prepared himself for the barrage of questions he knew would be coming from his older sister, Maitlyn Parks, who was flinging her thin frame out of the luxury vehicle.

      Minutes earlier Darryl had been unnerved by the sound of sirens blaring toward the front of his home as his former girlfriend Asia Landry laid sobbing into the wool fibers of his newly installed carpet. The small-caliber handgun that she’d pointed in his direction moments before lay on the floor by her side, still as ominous as when it had been aimed at his head. Now he stood, troubled by the spectacle of it all, just imagining what his neighbors had to be thinking. He let out a deep sigh, blowing warm air past his full lips.

      “What the hell is going on here?” Maitlyn asked as she bounded up his front steps. “Are you all right?”

      “Fine as wine,” he said sarcastically, his expression shifting into a mask of indifference. “What makes you think anything could be wrong?”

      Maitlyn shot him a look of irritation, countering with her own sarcasm. “Uh, maybe because Asia has her face pressed against the glass in the back of that police car, looking like she stepped right out of someone’s horror movie, that’s why!” Maitlyn pointed with her index finger.

      Darryl sighed. “She had to have one last hurrah.”

      “Darryl, this is—” Maitlyn started before the two were interrupted by a uniformed police officer. The man extended a clipboard in Darryl’s direction.

      “Mr. Boudreaux, sir, we just need to get your signature. Then we’re going to take Miss Landry down to the police station.”

      “What will happen then?” Darryl asked as he took the clipboard from the man’s hand and swiped his moniker across the document that was secured to it.

      “Miss Landry will be booked and held until she can see a judge in the morning. He and the district attorney will decide what happens then, sir. I can assure you, though, that they take possession of a weapon and threat to cause bodily harm very seriously.”

      Darryl nodded as he handed the formal complaint back to the officer. “I leave for New Orleans later tonight. I’m scheduled to be away on business for the next few months. Is that going to be a problem?”

      The officer shook his head. “I don’t think so, sir. And we have a number to contact you should it be necessary, correct?”

      “Yes, and thank you. I’ll also make sure my attorney contacts the D.A.’s office about that restraining order.”

      As the man in uniform wished him and Maitlyn a good night, Darryl pushed his hands deep into the pockets of his khakis. His gazed locked on the woman whose face appeared permanently fused to the faintly tinted glass pane.

      Asia Landry looked crazed, but not nearly as crazed as when Darryl had told her their relationship was finished and he no longer had the desire for a future with her. He had tried to be as civil as possible, hoping against all odds that they could end their relationship amicably and remain friends. But when he had said goodbye and had wished her a bright and prosperous future, the one good screw in her brain stem had come unhinged.

      As Darryl and his sister watched the police cars pull out of his driveway, he couldn’t help but wish that he’d listened to his brothers when they told him to break up with Asia on neutral territory, their suggestions ranging from a local Starbucks to the public library. But no, he’d wanted to be more sensitive to Asia’s feelings, not wanting to cause her any public embarrassment, and so he’d invited her to his home.

      Now, as his neighbors waved at him, eyeing him with raised brows before disappearing behind their own closed doors, he was the one left feeling mortified. Maitlyn’s nagging suddenly broke through, intruding on his moment of reflection.

      “We told you she was crazy! How many times did we tell you that witch was a raving lunatic!” Maitlyn sighed with exasperation.

      “Thank you, Mattie. Smack my hand for not paying any attention to all that advice you and the rest of our family dish out every minute of every day,” Darryl said dryly.

      Maitlyn cut an eye in his direction as she assessed the wreckage in his living room. His glass coffee table had been shattered. His personal possessions had been thrown from one side of the room to the other. Everything was in a complete state of disarray. And then she saw the bullet holes through the family portrait that hung on the wall. Maitlyn’s palm flew to her mouth as she stepped in to take a closer look. Tears rose to her eyes.

      She shook her head as she turned to face her brother, meeting his intense stare. Noting her distress, he shrugged his shoulders as he reached to wrap his arms around her. “It’s okay, Maitlyn,” he said, trying to make light of the situation.

      “No, it’s not,” she said, visibly shaking. “You could have been hurt. She could have killed you!”

      As Darryl hugged his sister tightly, he had no words. He could still hear the harsh sound of that gun being cocked and the shots that had rung through the air as bullets had whizzed by his head. He refused to let it show but the moment had been life-altering, everything feeling as if it had changed. He closed his eyes as he gathered his thoughts.

      “I’m fine and that’s all that matters. Now, if you help me get this mess cleaned up, I’ll buy you dinner.”

      Maitlyn swiped at her eyes. “Don’t worry about cleaning up. I’ll handle it while you’re gone. Are you all packed?”

      He nodded. “Yeah, my luggage is in the bedroom.”

      “Then let’s just go grab something to eat and I’ll make sure everything is as good as new after I drop you off at the airport. Right now, though, I need a drink.”

      “Are you sure?” Darryl questioned.

      “What’s a big sister for?” Maitlyn said, forcing a smile on her face.

      Darryl smiled with her. “Well, since you’re being a good big sister, I need one more thing from you,” he stated firmly.

      “What’s that?”

      “I need you to promise me you won’t tell the folks about what happened.”

      “Darryl!”

      “Promise me, Mattie!”

      Maitlyn met her brother’s gaze and held it for a brief moment. As she slowly nodded her head, she slid both her hands behind her back and crossed her fingers. “Whatever you want, Darryl,” she said unconvincingly.

      “I mean it,” Darryl intoned as he headed toward the back bedroom and his luggage, instinctively knowing that every one of his siblings would know about what happened before the clock struck midnight. “Don’t you dare tell Mommy and Daddy!”

      Grabbing his leather bags, he headed back to the front of his home and his sister, who was still assessing the damage Asia had caused. As he stood beside her, he was suddenly grateful for the time away. By midnight he’d be on the red-eye flight headed east, soaring sky-high as he headed to his parents’ home in New Orleans. Tomorrow he’d be back to work, ready for one of the most rewarding opportunities of his career. And with any luck everything about his time with Asia Landry would soon be nothing but a bad memory.

      * * *

      Katherine Boudreaux tossed up her hands in exasperation. “She tried to kill you? Lord, have mercy!” she exclaimed, the palm of her hand pressed tight to her chest.

      “Asia did not try to kill me, Mom,” Darryl said as he looked toward his brother for help.

      The oldest of the Boudreaux offspring, Mason Boudreaux, shrugged his shoulders. “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t