Bayou Bodyguard
One remote bayou mansion was holding tight to its secretsBodyguard Brian Marcentel knew Justine Chatry had a job to do, but so did he. He'd been hired to keep her safe–from whatever lurked behind the walls of a long-neglected mansion. And yet, the beautiful researcher insisted on helping him investigate every suspicious noise and following him through the murky bayou as he tracked down trespassers. All of that paled in comparison, though, to his greatest challenge: trying to resist her when the fear took over and she looked to him for protection. Still, no matter how fiery their attraction, there was something about this frustrating, sexy woman that seemed so familiar. But trying to penetrate her secrets was like trying to keep her out of his arms. Or out of his bed.
Читать Bayou Bodyguard онлайн беплатно
She took a breath to regain control and pushed back just a bit so that she could look at him.
âI really appreciate your understanding. Iâm sorry I didnât trust you with this earlier.â
Brian reached one hand up to wipe a stray tear from her cheek. âYou didnât know you could trust me, especially given the past. I hope you know now that you can.â
Justine nodded.
Brianâs eyes were locked on hers. His arms still held her close, and even before he lowered his lips to hers, she knew he was going to kiss her. And she knew she wasnât going to pull away.
To my friend, Leigh Zaykoski, for helping me with my new business venture
and being a constant source of inspiration.
To my critique partners, Cari Manderscheid and Cindy Taylor, for always helping
me improve my work and meet my deadlines. To my friend Colleen Gleason, who talks me off the ledge when Iâm frustrated. To my friend Tracey Stanley, for your steadfast support and all your marketing efforts. To my friend Leslie Langtry, itâs all good from here on, baby! To my parents, Jimmie and Bobbie Morris, and Jimmie, Donna and Katianne Morris for all your support. To my agent, Kristin Nelson, for being a rock during the turmoil that was 2010. To my editor, Allison Lyons, for giving me the opportunity to write books for the Harlequin line Iâve always loved to read.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jana DeLeon grew up among the bayous and small towns of southwest Louisiana. Sheâs never actually found a dead body or seen a ghost, but sheâs still hoping. Jana started writing in 2001 and focuses on murderous plots set deep in the Louisiana bayous. By day, she writes very boring technical manuals for a software company in Dallas. Visit Jana at her website, www.janadeleon.com.
CAST OF CHARACTERS
Justine Chatry âThe historian jumped at the chance to find the lost emeralds at laMalediction, but her reasons for agreeing to the job werenât purely for business. She hadnât planned on a bodyguard looking over her shoulder as she workedâespecially one from her secret pastâbut was even more unsettled by the way he made her feel.
Brian Marcentel âThe former Marine took a leave of absence from the New Orleans Police Department to help out his friend by playing bodyguard. He was expecting trouble, but not from the woman he was hired to protect. His attraction to the beautiful historian wasnât something he planned or welcomed, and when he finally realizes why the Creole beauty looks familiar, it only makes things worse.
Sheriff Blanchard âThe good sheriff is suspected of hiding information about the strange occurrences at laMalediction, and is very unhappy to find more people in residence at the estate.
Tom Breaux âThe superstitious café owner claims that laMalediction is cursed, but lives in a cabin on the bayou with a path behind it that leads directly to laMalediction. Does he really believe the house is cursed, or does he tell ghost stories to keep others away?
Chris Pauley âThe young, brash mechanic has a loud mouth and an abrasive demeanor. Heâs been caught trespassing at laMalediction, but no one knows what he was doing on the property. What is very clear is that he wants Brian and Justine to leave Cypriere.
Deedee âThe café waitress seems easily spooked and refuses to talk about the haunted estate. Justine is certain sheâs hiding something, but breaking down the scared womanâs defenses is going to require finesse and time.
Contents
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Chapter Seventeen
Chapter Eighteen
Chapter Nineteen
Epilogue
Chapter One
It looked like something out of a Stephen King novel, Justine Chatry thought, as she stared at the house in front of her in the fading dim of daylight. Of course, mansion was a better word for the ten-thousand-square-foot, three-story monstrosity that rose up out of the bayou, its dark windows peeking out from moss-covered stone and seeming to stare back at her.
It was at least eighty degrees in Cypriere, Louisiana, but Justine felt a chill come over her, and she crossed her arms in front of her chest, trying to cast off the feeling of foreboding. laMalediction, the locals called itâmeaning âthe curse.â Both beautiful and horrifying, seductive and sinister, it seemed to call to her.
And that gave her the creeps.
She chided herself for being fanciful and reached back into her car to grab her small suitcase. Just because her mother chose to believe in haunts and curses didnât mean Justine followed suit. The house was a house. Granted, this house was an extremely large oneâwith a bloody historyâbut that didnât change the job she had to do. In fact, it made her job all the more interesting.
âYou made it.â A voice called from the entry to the house, and Justine looked up and waved at Olivia Markham, the woman whoâd hired her for the research job at laMalediction. Olivia smiled and crossed the courtyard to Justineâs car.
