Illeanna Read Free Page A

happened so quickly. She saw the guns, saw the men’s faces, and then saw both Julien and Louis pointing guns at the two men. One turned as if he were going to hurt Louis or Julien, and she shoved the man before he could shoot. The other guy grabbed on to Leeza then shoved out of the way toward the men, and Leeza went flying onto the metal dish-washing station. Other people screamed as they saw the guns. They fell to the floor or went running from the kitchen, but Illeanna froze in place, her concern solely on Julien and Louis.
    “Freeze, asshole!” Louis Boudoux yelled, and the men behind him that looked like secret service guys dressed in dark suits yelled, too, with guns drawn.
    The one guy headed out the door, but his partner went to pull Maria, an older woman who worked in the kitchen, up by her hair, and Illeanna slammed the pot she had in her hands at his hands. “What the fuck?” he yelled then twisted around and grabbed Illeanna around her neck. He reached for one of the cutting knives as the men began to attack.
    Everyone froze, including Illeanna.
    She was shocked at the fear that hit her insides. She wondered what the hell was happening that these men had guns in a kitchen for God’s sake. Were they after the senator? Why were Louis and Julien here, too? They didn’t work for the government. They were private investigators and bounty hunters.
    “Let her go!” Julien yelled, looking absolutely insane and ready to explode. Illeanna felt the man step back with her toward the back door.
    “There’s no place to run, man, the back door is covered with more cops,” another man with a gun wearing a dark, navy-blue suit stated. Louis and Julien gave him a look as if saying that was a stupid thing to say. She thought about it a moment and realized that this lunatic would feel trapped. Either way, he was going to be arrested, and adding murder to the list might not bother him.
    “Call them off or I swear I’ll kill her,” the man holding the knife against her neck stated. She felt the pinch of the metal against her neck below her ear and the smell of onions on the blade. Only moments ago Maria was cutting the vegetables to add to the dishes they were preparing. How did this go so wrong? What in the world was she in the middle of?
    “You’re not going to kill her, man, ya gonna let her go, and we gonna talk, you and I,” Louis stated in a rich Cajun accent that made Illeanna’s toes curl. The Boudoux men were rugged and sexy men. Specifically Louis, with his shoulder-length black hair making him appear wild and untamable. But with the wildness came trouble and trouble she didn’t need.
    Illeanna tried to move her throat away from the knife.
    “Quit moving, woman, or you dead,” the man stated and squeezed her tighter.
    Illeanna stood on her tiptoes, trying to remain where the man wanted her to.
    He was about a half a foot taller than her and built thin but muscular. Illeanna was about five feet seven inches tall, so this guy had to be about six feet. The Boudoux men were all over six feet tall and built to perfection. How could her mind keep focusing on the Boudoux men instead of her own life right now? She could die at any moment.
    The man was beginning to panic. She could feel his arm tighten around her midsection, but the blade was no longer flush against her skin. She could feel the bit of blood trickling down her neck, and immediately she felt herself begin to shake.
    “Please let me go. They got you, honey. There’s no place to run and only more damage to do to make you suffer more. Please,” she whispered, and he squeezed her tighter against him, making her gasp for air.
    Both Louis and Julien stepped forward raising their guns, their elbows out and their eyes squinted with their fingers on the trigger and demanding that he release her.
    “You let her go. She didn’t do nothing wrong. She’s not part of this,” Julien stated firmly. She looked at both of them, hoping that they could stop