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“Scammers? That’s something you should know a lot about, right, Mike? Even if we were scammers, which we are not, we’re not killers,” said Ruby. Mike laughed, bending over the table.
“Watch your mouth, old woman.” Mike felt someone at his back and turned to see the massive blonde man with silver at his sideburns. He had piercing eyes that seemed to suck out his soul.
“That is my woman you speak to with such disrespect. I would be cautious if I were you, young man,” said Sven.
“She shouldn’t be telling lies,” said Mike, taking a step back.
“I ain’t lyin’,” said Ruby. “You’re a dangerous man, and you damn sure don’t mean to do good with this poor woman. Hide your money, honey. Don’t let him near it.”
“Let’s go, babe. I’ll drive you back home.”
Patti stared at him, then back at her friends. She didn’t know the woman at all, but what she’d said resonated with her. Mike had been married twice, inheriting all the money that his wives possessed.
“You go ahead. I think I’ll stay with the girls.”
He looked as though he wanted to kill her. Literally, his fists were clenched, and his teeth were grinding together. Sven took a half step toward him, and Noah and U-Jin stood from their tables. Today was not the day to be alone.
“Okay. Okay, babe. You have fun with the girls. You and I will talk when you get back.”
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Ruby tried to continue warning Patti, but she seemed so smitten with Mike nothing was going to change her mind. But there was a glimmer of suspicion in her eyes, and that’s where they hoped to make more impact.
Unfortunately, the rain began, and the crowds cleared out.
“There’s a big storm comin’,” said Matthew, walking toward the table. “Let’s get everything packed up and home. We can come back down here tomorrow.”
By the time they got back to Belle Fleur, the men were racing around with sandbags, hoping to stop the potential flooding on the northeast corner of the property. The wind and rain pelted their faces as they raced into the cafeteria, shaking the water from their clothing.
“Everything okay?” asked Matthew, staring at his boys.
“All good, Pops,” said Antoine. “We got the sandbags set, and the barrier is working so far. We should be okay.”
“That’s good to hear. That storm came outta nowhere.” Ruby and Irene just smiled at one another, happy to have a hot bowl of soup in front of them.
“How did it go?” asked Nine.
“About how we expected. We were able to speak to Gladys,” said Noah. “She said that Mike was the one she feared the most and asked us to warn Patti.”
“Did she take the warning?” asked Gaspar.
“No,” said Julia. “She’s completely smitten by Mike, and you can see it in her face. He wanted her to leave with him, which she refused to do. I took that as a good sign. But I don’t think it was about the warning. I think it was about her just wanting independence. However, I don’t think Mike saw it that way. He’s not a man that appreciates defiance.”
“Well, it confirms what we thought,” said Ian. “They’re killing off these women and men to get what they want. We just have to figure out how to stop them.”
“Gladys said that there was a meeting at the activity center with dozens of men. No women at all. She also said that the women and men who are acting as nurses aren’t nurses. She said they didn’t even know the names of some of the drugs.”
“Time for me to go to work,” said Miller.
“What the hell are you talking about?” frowned his brother.
“I’m the only one who carried a badge. I still have that badge. I’m gonna apply for work at Maison Soleil.”
“Pierre, we’ve tried that. They won’t accept applications from anyone,” said Gaspar.
“I’m different. I’m one of them,” he said, standing. “I’ll wait until the storm has passed and go to the facility on the premise of looking for a place to live.”
“It could work,” said Ian. “I know it’s dangerous, but he knows what he’s doing.”
