Flame Unleashed (Hell to Pay) by David Jillian

Author:David, Jillian [David, Jillian]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: F+W Media
Published: 2015-09-14T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 13

Odie inhaled traces of mint and lavender as he handed Ruth out of his gray Audi coupe. Sunset brought a cool breeze that drew the scent of damp moss and dried leaves.

With the help of a few Indebted colleagues from Mobile and Memphis, Barnaby and their mortal friends would be watched over for the next few days. Odie’s fellow Indebted had taken kills in their home territories before speeding down here, so hopefully Jerahmeel wouldn’t know about the increased numbers of the Indebted in New Orleans.

When Odie had invited Ruth to his home, he didn’t think she’d agree. But even an Indebted needed rest if he or she reached the limits of his or her emotional and physical strength. He could provide that rest for her. Watch over her.

Since when did he consider her to be something more than a pawn in his ultimate scheme?

He wasn’t prepared to answer that question. Best to concentrate on driving the hour to his home.

After the first hundred years of toiling in New Orleans, he’d amassed enough money to purchase a large property. The rundown plantation had been abandoned after the Civil War, and he spent many years and thousands of dollars restoring the crumbling big house to its current beauty. The rows of live oaks lined the entrance to the home as he drove down the outside of the row around to the side of the house. Spanish moss drifted from branches in tangles, stirring in the slight breeze. A few prized pecan trees dotted the lawn, their branches spread wide and rounded.

Ridiculous as it might be, Odie hoped that Ruth would like his home. He refused to analyze why her opinion mattered. But it did.

When he pulled up to the entry porch and opened the door for Ruth, pride welled as he watched her eyes widen when she spotted the massive white columns and tall windows on both stories. Even in the waning light of dusk, his mansion had an imposing presence.

“You have a lovely home.”

She walked up the front steps of the whitewashed plank porch, her heels punctuating each step with a solid tap.

“Let me.”

He unlocked the front door, pushed it open, and preceded her to flip on the foyer and porch lights. When she gasped with that expression of wonder, the shadows of fatigue on her face faded.

That deep breath also enhanced the cleft between her breasts, as she still wore the black wrap top from last night. His mouth went dry. With effort, he dragged his gaze from that tempting valley.

Her lips formed a heavenly O shape. “This home is gorgeous. Look at the stairway curving up there. And the wood paneling on the walls must be original, right?”

“Yes, restored and varnished fresh. You know your plantation homes.”

“Not particularly, but there were some estates and a few plantations in Maryland where I grew up. But they were nothing like this house. The architecture up north was much different. Here, it’s grander, more open, more airy.”

“Probably because it rarely gets below freezing here, unlike Maryland.

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