Page 66 of Home Again

19

Gideon had arranged a room for the six men and Neil, who had arrived at the La Quinta Inn, and now they were all down for the night. It had been a long day and night, with nothing to show for it. They’d gone to the Blonde Bayou, the Leather Library, Bradley Fontenot’s house and visited his ex-wife and gotten nowhere. What’s more, his damned uncle hadn’t responded to any texts or phone calls.

Sebastian pulled out his phone.

“What are you doing?” Gideon asked as he looked up from his laptop.

“Calling dear old Grandpère.”

Sebastian didn’t have to wait long. “Where the fuck are you? Everybody had to leave, and you’ve left a piss-poor impression. Do you know what it’s going to take to cover your ass?”

“I need you to get Armand on the line and tell me where he is. I need to see him tonight.”

“We have a campaign to run. I’ve already spent a half-million dollars of my own personal money on this. These boys are the movers and shakers of Louisiana politics; you can’t do shit in this state without their say-so, and you’re fucking it up. Now you’re going to have to pucker up.”

“Get my fucking uncle on the phone and tell him to meet me at the Baton Rouge apartment in an hour.”

“Listen to me, you little cocksucker. Don’t you take that tone with me. I own your ass. You will do what I say, when I say it. Get your ass back home now, and be ready to work.”

“Old man,” Sebastian said quietly between gritted teeth. “I’m not some call girl you can beat and get rid of. You had better listen to me when I talk to you. If you want one ounce of my cooperation, you will have your stupid, drunken asshole of a son at the Lafayette Avenue apartments in one hour.”

“What are you talking about, some call girl?” Sebastian heard the slight thread of apprehension in his grandfather’s voice.

Good.

“Are you listening to me? Make the call. Get Armand there.”

He hung up.

Gideon snorted. “I take it we’re heading out?”

“Yep.”

“I really would have wished you’d put that on speaker. I could hear a little bit of how he was talking to you, but not all of it. He’s got a colorful way of talking.”

“Yeah, he’s a smooth talker all right. Must be why he gets so many votes.” Sebastian grimaced. “Ready to head out?”

Gideon nodded. He shut his computer and put it into his backpack. They headed out to the truck and were soon on their way. “Do you think your uncle will be at the apartment?”

“My uncle is scared shitless of my grandfather, and I was a horse’s ass for not calling Grandpère from the get-go,” Sebastian sighed. “We might have to wait for a bit. I’m not sure he’ll be there within an hour, but the asshole will definitely show up.”

“You sure do have a colorful family, Durand.”

“Yeah, I’m lucky.”

Sebastian figured he was due for some luck when they found a parking spot across the street from the apartment building. Still, they did have to wait about the same amount of time as last time before they could follow someone into the secure building. When they got up to the correct floor, Sebastian took out his lock-pick set.

“A gift from Landon?” Gideon asked.

“What do you think?” Sebastian asked as he let them inside.

He looked around the apartment. Nothing had been touched since the last time he’d been inside, the bottle of brandy was still at the same level. He walked to the master bedroom. All of the same clothes were where Armand had left them.

“He’s a slob,” Gideon said.

“Wish that was the worst thing I could say about my uncle.”

Sebastian followed Gideon back down the hall and watched him open up the refrigerator.