Page 27 of Shadows Redeemed
Marissa shrugged. “I’m saying that maybe it’s time to listen to your heart instead of just your head. You’ve always been good at balancing the two before. Who says you can’t do it now?”
Before Sage could respond, a familiar voice cut through the café. “There you are! I should have known.”
Both women turned to see Dane striding toward their table. His presence was commanding, drawing curious glances from other patrons, especially the women.
Marissa turned to him, a smile lighting up her face. “What are you doing here?”
He bent down to kiss Marissa’s cheek before turning to Sage. “Sorry to interrupt your lunch, but we’ve got a lead. I need you tocome with Elvis and me to NOPD. We’re meeting with a couple of detectives working the case.”
She cocked a brow. “Did they find Jacob?”
“No, but Gage is still looking, along with Blaze.”
Her investigative instincts immediately kicked in, pushing her personal dilemmas to the back burner. “And what kind of lead?”
“Apparently, these two men have been neck deep in this since the first time Jacob got in trouble.” He reached out, stealing one of Marissa’s beignets. “Not sure why they’re on this again, so I thought we’d go ask. Seems… odd to me.”
Sage nodded, grabbing her purse and sliding out of her chair. She turned to Marissa, gratitude filling her chest. “Thanks for… well, for everything. I’ll call you later.”
Marissa smiled, understanding flickering in her gaze. “Go get ‘em, Sherlock.” She winked at Sage, a small giggle slipping out of her. “And remember what we talked about.”
With a quick goodbye, Sage followed Dane out of the café and into his waiting car, where Elvis waited, toying with the radio dial. “This place has some strange music,” he said as he shook his head.
Sage cocked a brow as she slid into the backseat. “Now here I thought you’d have King Creole on repeat.”
“That’s what I’m saying. I can’t find it.” He sighed as he shook his head, spinning the dial one more time.
As they pulled into traffic, Dane glanced at her in the rearview mirror. “So, give us an update on your morning. Find anything out?”
Sage’s mind flashed to her visits with Bryce and Luc Broussard. “I swung by the investigator who taught me the ropes. He helped me get my feet wet in the investigative world when I was... Well, when I started. He’s going to put some feelers out.”
Dane bobbed his head. “Connected?”
She scoffed. “Bryce knows an odd array of people. If anyone can find out the scuttlebutt going around and who started it, it’s him.”
“Good. We could use some local help on this, and I’m fairly certain the police won’t be so cooperative.”
Elvis glanced over his shoulder at her. “Not with one of theirs in the morgue.”
“Exactly,” Dane said. “Now, what about the rest of your morning? You were heading back to the Bayou Bar, right?”
Sage’s mind drifted to the dimly lit establishment, the air thick with cigarette smoke and secrets. “Luc Broussard was… less than forthcoming. But that was to be expected. He did seem quite a bit on edge, so I’m assuming if there are drugs missing, the people who gave them to him aren’t pleased about it. They’re probably putting pressure on him to come up with the cash, which, as far as we know, is missing as well.”
Dane’s grip tightened on the steering wheel, and she could see his brow pinch with thought. “Think it’s worth paying him another visit? Maybe with a bit more… pressure?”
Sage considered the suggestion for a moment. Luc seemed a slippery character, and what she knew of the Broussards from when she lived there was that they were a stubborn but sneaky group. “To be honest, I’m not sure. It might bring the rest of the family out of the woodwork.”
Dane gave a curt nod. “Noted. We’ll keep that in our back pocket for now. Let’s see what these NOPD detectives have to say first.”
As they neared the police station, her thoughts drifted back to Parker. The look on his face—like she had just betrayed him—when she told him Jacob wanted him off the case and out of the way, that it was simply too dangerous for a simple teacher and that she agreed with him, still tore at her heart. She wonderedwhat he was doing now, if he felt as conflicted as she did about their growing connection. The memory of his touch, his passionate kisses, sent a shiver of pleasure down her spine, and she found herself squirming in her seat as she thought about him.
“You okay back there?” Dane’s voice cut through her thoughts. “You seem a bit distracted.”
She straightened in her seat, pushing aside her personal turmoil. “I’m fine. Just… processing everything. This case seems more complex than we initially thought.”
Dane’s expression softened slightly. “I can imagine how tough it’s been, especially with the personal connections involved. But trust your instincts. They’re good, and you know how to investigate the murky waters of New Orleans better than anyone else on the team. This is your world.”
His words, meant to be encouraging, only added to the weight on her shoulders. She was walking a dangerous line between her professional obligations and her personal feelings. How long could she maintain that balance before her world exploded?
