Bayou Woman
Reeks: Bluebonnet, Texas
Ruby Kennard
- New
- Orleans
- has
- a
- special
- attraction
- for
- Jake
- O'Bryan.
- At
- seventeen,
- his
- first
- year
- in
- college,
- he's
- been
- fascinated
- with
- the
- history
- and
- ambiance
- of
- 'The
- Big
- Easy.'
- It
- was
- his
- intense
- interest
- in
- this
- unique,
- unchanging
- culture
- that
- drew
- him
- into
- an
- obsessive
- relationship
- with
- the
- mystical
- bayous,
- and
- it's
- traditional
- people.
- However,
- his
- first
- encounter
- with
- one
- of
- the
- pure
- blood,
- Creole,
- had
- nearly
- gotten
- him
- killed,
- in
- a
- back
- alley
- behind
- Bourbon
- Street.
- -Jolee-
- Jake
- had
- heard
- the
- legend,
- Voodoo,
- and
- wishful
- thinking,
- mixed
- with
- pure
- superstition..most
- likely.
- Even
- so,
- Creole
- and
- Cajun
- alike
- awaited
- the
- child's
- future
- as
- Queen
- of
- the
- Creoles.
- Therein
- lay
- Pierre
- LeBlanc's
- greed.
- Already
- one
- of
- Louisiana's
- king-pin
- mobsters,
- it
- isn't
- enough.
- With
- Jolee
- as
- his
- wife,
- he
- would
- gain
- more
- power
- and
- total
- control
- over
- the
- other
- crime
- lords
- until
- the
- entire
- state
- would
- fear
- and
- respect
- his
- demands.
- But,
- he
- has
- to
- wait
- until
- Jolee
- grows
- into
- adulthood,
- first.
- For
- Jake,
- it
- had
- been
- an
- introduction
- into
- the
- dark
- side
- of
- Bayou
- life
- and
- one
- he
- never
- forgot.
After
- college,
- he
- was
- recruited
- by
- the
- War
- Commission
- to
- participate
- in
- a
- covert
- operation
- in
- Afghanistan.
- After
- his
- tour
- ends,
- he
- returns
- to
- the
- Louisiana
- Gulf
- coast.
- He's
- hardened
- and
- bitter
- by
- the
- senseless
- slaughter
- of
- the
- desert,
- throw-away
- children.
- Referred
- as
- 'sand
- fleas',
- the
- innocents
- are
- deemed
- collateral
- damage
- by
- both
- governments.
- To
- his
- family's
- relief,
- he
- uses
- his
- trust
- fund
- to
- start
- up
- his
- off-shore
- drilling
- operation
- and
- moves
- his
- life
- forward.
- Unknown
- to
- him,
- his
- destiny
- has
- already
- set.
- Tonight,
- he's
- in
- route
- to
- Bluebonnet,
- Texas
- for
- a
- long
- overdue,
- check-in
- with
- his
- parents.
- He
- has
- a
- couple
- hour
- wait
- time
- and
- drops
- by
- to
- relax
- and
- beg
- a
- meal
- at
- his
- old,
- all-time
- hangout,
- Papa
- Chas'
- Blues
- Bar.
- Too
- soon,
- he
- feels
- a
- change
- in
- the
- atmosphere.
- He
- waits
- for
- it,
- isn't
- even
- shocked
- when
- Pierre
- LeBlanc,
- the
- top
- man
- on
- his
- ten-year-old
- 'kill'
- list
- parades
- right
- past
- him
- with
- his
- four
- shotgun-swinging
- thugs
- in
- tow.
- What
- did
- surprise
- him
- was
- the
- young,
- red-haired
- woman
- trailing
- in
- the
- thug's
- wake.
- She'd
- only
- been
- ten
- years
- old
- when
- he'd
- last
- seen
- her
- in
- their
- haphazard,
- alley
- run-in.
- Through
- the
- years
- he'd
- heard
- the
- whispered
- rumors,
- that
- LeBlanc
- had
- kept
- his
- little
- slave
- caged
- up
- with
- a
- wolf
- until
- she'd
- become
- wild
- as
- the
- beast
- she
- represented
- to
- her
- people.
- There
- was
- even
- a
- tale
- that
- she'd
- knifed
- a
- couple
- of
- LeBlanc's
- henchmen,
- herself.
- He's
- relieved
- that
- she
- has
- survived
- long
- enough
- to
- grow
- up..
- but
- she's
- not
- a
- skinny
- little
- kid,
- anymore.
- She's
- exotic,
- beautiful
- and
- quite
- possibly
- the
- most
- dangerous
- woman
- he'll
- ever
- see,
- since-
- it's
- obvious
- she
- still
- belongs
- to
- LeBlanc.
- Even
- as
- he
- watches,
- Jolee
- manages
- to
- escape
- into
- the
- crowd
- and
- out
- the
- side
- door.
- With
- his
- adrenalin
- flowing,
- he
- accepts
- a
- ride
- from
- Papa
- Chas
- to
- his
- awaiting
- jet.
- When
- he
- climbs
- on
- board,
- he
- discovers
- the
- door
- lock
- shows
- signs
- of
- tampering.
- Suspecting
- another
- illicit
- shipment
- of
- contraband
- has
- been
- stashed
- in
- his
- plane,
- he's
- no
- less
- than
- amazed
- to
- find
- he
- has
- a
- stow
- away,
- Jolee.
- Whether
- by
- Providence
- or
- by
- chance,
- she's
- now
- in
- his
- possession
- and
- he
- vows
- to
- keep
- her,
- even
- if
- he
- has
- to
- tame
- her, himself.
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