Southern Beauty - By Julie Lucia Page 0,31

with a balloonist. He made a secret map for him, an original. It is a treasure many men will pay for and even die for, and many women too.”

The men in the room laughed. There were more than she first thought.

“I am sorry you must be mistaken. I have nothing, and if I did, I still would not give it to you,” she boldly declared.

“Oh, I do like feisty women,” Captain Myers laughed. “It’s a shame I have to let you go.”

“You will let me go?” she asked.

“As soon as I get what I want from you,” Myers explained.

“I have nothing, I tell you,” Johanna repeated.

“Yes, you said that. Maybe I should have my men search you?” he asked. “I know they would enjoy that immensely.”

The men in the room laughed and cheered in agreement.

“You wouldn’t?” asked Johanna now frightened.

“Maybe, I will keep you instead for my collection,” he stared her down. “I bet I could get a pretty penny for you.”

“You can’t keep me here,” warned Johanna who was now frightened. “I am in the care of the U.S. Army and they know where I am. If you take me, they will hunt you down like the dog that you are.”

“It seems you have forgotten who I am,” Myers laughed at her courage. “I have many friends and family that are hidden in the deepest, darkest shadows, Miss Lee.”

“I’m not surprised,” Johanna said under her breath. “What do you want from me?” she asked.

“I will give you until dawn to retrieve my items,” said Myers. “We will find you. Remember any inquiries from the local authorities and you will not live to see another sunrise.”

“By dawn, is that a joke? I don’t even know if I will ever see him again,” Johanna frustrated now being threatened once again. “And besides, that’s only a few hours away.”

“Then you better hurry,” said Myers grinning.

Suddenly to everyone’s surprise, a hidden door behind Johanna suddenly slammed open. Johanna, caught in the door’s path, was knocked to the ground. With no time to brace herself, she hit her head hard onto the basement floor.

Men she didn’t recognize rushed through the secret door, their guns in hand. Myers’ men who had been taken by surprise, found themselves surrounded now by a new set of men who had descended the basement steps from behind.

Before everything went black, Johanna saw a figure of a man standing in the doorway.

Johanna teetered in and out of consciousness. She tried desperately to keep her senses. She had now become aware of the extreme ache that pounded the back of her head. Even with her vision blurry, she tried to focus on the men who fought before her. Their confrontation seemed to escalate with angry words but they seemed too far away for her to comprehend what they were saying.

“Your business here has ended,” said a voice. “I suggest you leave the premises immediately. The authorities are on their way.”

“We don’t want any trouble,” said Myers raising his hands in defeat. “We will leave.”

“She must be quite a handful if you need all these men here,” mocked the man.

“Yes, she is quite captivating. Don’t you think?” asked Myers.

“Absolutely,” he answered.

Captain Myers nodded to his men to halt their brawl and leave. Before he followed, he leaned down near Johanna who still lay motionless on the cold basement floor.

“We will meet again, my lady. That you can count on,” he warned Johanna.

Johanna tried to respond, but no words would form on her lips. A dark shadow of a man stood tall over her, but before she could recognize him, darkness enveloped her.

“Bonjour, ma chérie,” he said looking down on Johanna. “It seems we meet again.”

Chapter 13

found her,” said Preston, putting his hand on David’s shoulder.

“You found her? Where is she?” asked David.

“Well, I know where she was,” Preston added.

“And where was she?” David asked feeling like they were finally getting closer.

“She was at the St. Charles Hotel down in the French Quarter, but it seems there was an incident,” said Preston.

“An incident, what do you mean by that?” asked David.

“She was introduced to some pirates,” Preston smiled. “I guess she was meeting Malcolm there and instead found herself in the hotel’s basement being harassed.”

“Did they hurt her?” David asked now sick to his stomach.

“Well, yes and no. It seems they were being paid to get information from her. They didn’t touch her if that is what you mean,” Preston said.

David’s fear subsided but was still concerned. “What happened then?” he asked.

“There was