Dark Perception: The Corde Noire Series Read online

  “The factory building dates back to the late 1800s when it was used to power the electric trolleys in the city,” Nathan told her as he came up to her side.

  Melinda took in the high chain link fence surrounding the property. “How many acres is it?”

  Nathan removed a set of keys from the pocket of his blue jeans. “Seven, including an additional two the energy company used for parking their trucks.”

  Melinda turned to her left and looked out over the high levee blocking their view of the Mississippi River.

  “There’s a great view of the river from the top floor,” he said behind her. “I’ll show you.”

  “How did you find this place?”

  He slid his arm around her waist and ushered her toward the padlocked gate. “I’ve made a lot of connections through the years cleaning up blighted properties after the storm. One thing led to another, and I ended up befriending a few city leaders who had been trying to do something with this plant for years.”

  She scoured the remains of rusted outbuildings as they came to the gate. “Is that how you met Carl Bordonaro?”

  “Carl and I share a lot of the same connections. In my line of work, you get to meet all kinds of people. The one thing they have in common is they all want to make money.”

  Melinda waited as Nathan opened the padlock and removed the long chain securing the gate to a ten-foot high barbed-wire fence. He pushed on the wide gate and moved it back.

  He waved her inside. “Mind the debris. There’s old rusty piping and broken glass everywhere.” Once on the other side of the gate, Nathan added, “They used to get a lot of gangs and homeless people here before they put up the fence.”

  “Is it safe?” she questioned, scanning the grounds.

  “It’s safe during the daytime, but I wouldn’t dare come out here at night.”

  They moved down the main entrance roadway that passed a derelict guardhouse and the empty office building.

  “Can you tell me what was going on between you and Carl Bordonaro last night? It all sounded rather intimidating.”

  His arm went around her shoulders. “Carl was letting me know that other parties who were once interested in acquiring the property still want to financially benefit from the development.”

  “Is that why he told you to use that guy’s cement business when you start construction?”

  He nodded. “Sal Cuccina was the only other competition I had who could have possibly come up with the backing to fund the project. But city leaders didn’t want Sal’s side business with the local mafia to come under scrutiny by federal authorities. They have been all over every city development project since Katrina. So, Sal backed out, and someone in city government told me the project was mine as long as I came up with the funding. Sal was just sending me a message that he would scratch my back if I scratched his.”

  “Isn’t that illegal?”

  “Everything illegal is legal in New Orleans. I’ve had more backroom meetings in this town than I ever had in North Carolina.”

  “Is that why you were chosen to get the deal? Because of those backroom meetings?”

  “No, the deal was given to me because I’m the son of a US congressman and the feds won’t ask any questions if I’m involved. Being Representative Mark Cole’s son has its advantages.”

  “I thought you didn’t like to tell anyone about your father.”

  “I don’t, but the people I was dealing with already knew who I was before they met me. That’s the way this town works, Melinda. Who you are, and who you are related to, matters here.”

  As she gazed up at the dilapidated factory building, she felt something pull at her from a corner of the large lot. Melinda stopped and turned to a weed-filled area.

  “What is it?” Nathan asked, letting her go.

  She sensed something was there in the weeds; no, not in the weeds, but buried beneath them.

  “Have people been buried here?” She turned back to Nathan.

  “Could be. The place has been abandoned for over twenty years. God knows what crimes have been committed here.”

  She pointed to the corner mound of grass. “Someone is in those weeds.”

  “I thought you said you didn’t communicate with the dead.”

  “I didn’t communicate with him. He reached out to me.”

  “He?”

  Melinda glanced up to the artistic brickwork above the factory entrance. “Yes, he. He’s tall, white, slender, and not a bum. He’s well-dressed in a nice gray suit with a cream-colored tie, but he hasn’t been here long or just came here.” She shook her head. “It isn’t clear.”

  “Got a name?”

  “The dead aren’t hung up on names, Nathan. They see their lives in pictures and events, not in names and dates.”

  He gave her an odd side-glance. “Where did you learn that?”

  She skimmed a line of graffiti painted on the office building. “I’ve picked up things here and there from the few spirits I’ve dealt with.”

  Nathan ran his hand over his chin. “Have you ever told anyone about this?”

  Melinda avoided his eyes. “You’re the first. I never wanted to tell anyone in case they locked me up and threw away the key.”

  He set his hand under her chin, turning her eyes to him. “I want you to share everything with me, understand?” He touched the cord on her neck. “This means you must tell me all of your secrets.”

  “Even if you don’t want to hear about them?”

  “I want to know everything about you, Melinda. It’s my duty as your Dom to anticipate your needs and fulfill them. How can I do that if you don’t share everything about yourself with me?”

  “I’ll try, Nathan.”

  He took her hand, holding it tight. “Come on. I want to show you where I plan on putting the retail stores and penthouses.”

  Nathan led her to a rusted metal door at the side of the main factory entrance. He placed the key in the lock and was about to open the door when the strange tug from the corner of the lot distracted Melinda. She spied the weeded area. Something wasn’t right, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  “This place has so much potential,” Nathan declared with all the emotion of an exuberant child.

  Melinda pushed the unwanted feeling away. “Yes, I know you will do great things here.”

  He glanced back at her, his brown eyes glowing with enthusiasm. “Is that what you see?”

  Melinda didn’t want to quash his enthusiasm, but the truth was she didn’t feel anything about the old power plant. She didn’t see any shopping centers or expensive penthouses going up in her mind. It was completely dead. She didn’t have the heart to tell him that his dream would never come true.

  “Yes, Nathan, that’s what I see. It will be a great success.”

  “Do you see how we get the funding?”

  Oh, shit! Thinking fast, she bit her lower lip. “I can’t see that. I told you before, I have no control over the visions.”

  He returned his attention to the metal door. “As long as you see the end result, that’s all that matters.”

  Melinda sighed with relief, yet wondered how long it would be before he discovered her lie. For some reason, she sensed this project was not right for Nathan. There was something dangerous there that could end up destroying him.

  “Let me show you that view of the river,” he proposed, taking her hand.

  Nathan and Melinda ventured inside the dark factory entrance and away from the comforting sunlight. The first thing to hit her was the smell.

  “It stinks.” Melinda put her hand over her nose.

  Nathan’s cell phone rang out with a jazzy ringtone. “Yeah, I know,” he said, grabbing for his phone in the front pocket of his jeans. “Just don’t take in a lot of deep breaths.” He checked the caller ID on his cell phone. “Great,” he mumbled. “Denise Becnel.” He answered the call.

  “Hello, Denise. How are you today?” He motioned to Melinda to follow him outside. “Let me
step outside for a moment, Denise. I’m in the Market Street building. The reception is lousy.”

  He walked out the reinforced entrance and hit the speaker button on his phone.

  “What are you doing out there?” Denise’s raspy voice came out over the speaker.

  Nathan placed his finger to his lips and glanced back at Melinda.

  “I’m showing the place to a few potential investors,” he told Denise as he exhibited a crafty smile.

  Melinda elbowed him, grinning.

  “Don’t con an old lady, Nathan,” Denise cautioned. “I know you’ve got no other interested parties, except for that idiot, Bud Moore, and he’s gonna need to hock his tech company up to the eyeballs to get the kind of funding you require.”

  “But he can get it,” Nathan maintained. “That’s all I’m interested in, Denise.”

  “Well, we can’t have that Texan bringing in outside companies from his state to hurt our local business people.”

  Nathan frowned. “What would you suggest?”

  “Keep the retail section of the project open to local shops, making it a made-in-Louisiana hallmark.”

  Nathan’s face lit up. “We could do that, Denise, but I would need local investors for that idea to work.”

  “Max Dileo and Sam Allison are in with me on this thing. We can guarantee you thirty-five million to start. That should be enough to purchase the property from the city and begin the cleanup. We can leave it to our lawyers and accountants to haggle about the percentages.”

  Nathan raised his eyebrows. “I have to say I’m surprised to hear this after what happened last night with your son.”

  “It was my son who talked me into it. James has a lot of faith in that young woman you were with. He told me if Melinda trusted you, then I could too.” There was a moment of silence over the line. “I’ll have my lawyers contact you in the morning to set up the negotiations. Congratulations, Nathan. It looks like you’re going to have your Market Street development.”

  “Thank you, Denise,” he said with a sincere smile.

  “Don’t thank me. Thank that girl of yours. She got you this deal, Nathan. Let’s see if we can make it work.” Denise hung up.

  Nathan stood for a moment, staring down at the black cell phone in his hand. “I can’t believe this,” he shouted, rushing toward her. He picked her up and twirled her around. “My little lucky charm. Did you hear what she said?”

  Melinda had heard every word, but she didn’t feel elated. She was crushed by it. Despite everything that had happened with Jack, he still believed in her. Melinda had convinced herself that after their argument, she had put Jack behind her. Instantly, all the pain she had denied feeling erupted to the surface.

  “This is the best news,” Nathan exclaimed, lowering her to the ground.

  “It’s wonderful news.” Melinda tried to sound upbeat. He kissed her passionately on the lips. When he broke away, Melinda asked, “What was that for?”

  “For being here, for giving me the encouragement to pursue this crazy deal, for last night … any number of things.”

  Her cheeks turned a dark shade of red. “I’m the one who should be thanking you for last night … and this morning.”

  “I’m going to make you so happy, baby.”

  The ache created in her heart by Jack eased a little. She liked it when Nathan was happy. “You’ve already made me happy, Nathan.”

  He rested his forehead against hers. “I know a way to make you even happier. Are you ready to hit the stores and get your new wardrobe?”

  She pointed to the phone still in his left hand. “Don’t you have calls to make and meetings to set up?”

  “Not today.” He put his phone away in his back pocket. “Today is about you and me. We’re celebrating, remember?”

  Melinda glimpsed the large power plant behind her. “What about the view of the river?”

  He clasped her hand and urged her to the gate. “You’ll have plenty of time to see it later. When we have our penthouse suite on the top floor, you can look out over the river every day.”

  Melinda let go of his hand and stopped walking. “‘Our penthouse suite’?”

  He pulled up next to her, eyeing her puzzled face. “Melinda, you’re mine. Where I live, you will live.”

  She glanced down at her hands. Not since Josh had a man wanted to live with her. “That sounds serious, Nathan.”

  He came around in front of her. “One advantage of being with an older man, darling. We don’t waste time when we find the woman we want.” He took her hand and raised it to his lips. “And I want you … all of you.”

  What are you so afraid of? Say yes!

  Giving in to her inner voice, Melinda nodded her head. “Okay, Nathan. Wherever you live, I’ll live there, too. So, yes to ‘our penthouse suite.’”

  Leading her toward the gate, Nathan’s excitement was contagious. “Let’s get you some new clothes to go with your new life.”

  Not since first arriving in New Orleans had Melinda been so hopeful for the future. But as she thought of that future with Nathan at her side, one slightly freckled, dimple-cheeked, hazel-eyed face came to the forefront of her thoughts.

  She wondered what Jack would think of Nathan and his plans for her. In an instant, she saw Jack’s face before her. With his head tilted to the side, she could almost hear his voice saying, “This isn’t you, Maddie. This just isn’t you.”

  * * *

  The Elle Boutique was usually closed on Sundays, but Nathan made a phone call to the owner, and as soon as they entered the quaint, upscale dress shop, Melinda was whisked away to a fitting area with racks of dresses, pantsuits, and formal gowns all in her size.

  The owner, who introduced herself as Sandy, was a pale brunette with watery brown eyes, small features, and a continually runny nose.

  “Allergies,” she mumbled to Melinda as she reached for a box of tissue close to the fitting room door.

  “What are you allergic to?” Melinda questioned while inspecting a tea-length dress made of bright blue silk and corseted at the waist.

  “Everything,” Sandy reported. “The shots help, but I live on antihistamines. I’ve been like this since I was a kid. It’s the weather down here. Everyone I know has sinus problems.”

  “Then why don’t you move?”

  “And leave New Orleans?” Sandy tittered, sounding flabbergasted. “Never. I was born and raised here, and when my time is up, I’m gonna have a fancy jazz funeral with a second-line parade.” Sandy selected a green, beaded A-line dress from a nearby rack. “This is home. New Orleans will always be in my heart.”

  Melinda studied the very thin woman with the delicate hands. “Why is that? I know people love this city, but the residents here really love their city. I could never understand that.”

  Sandy sifted through a rack of dresses. “New Orleans isn’t really a city, it’s a family. Everyone from here feels it. No matter where you go in the world, when you run into someone from New Orleans it’s like running into some long-lost kin. You start talking about who you know, your family, your favorite restaurants, and suddenly you feel comforted. I’ve lived in a few big cities across the country—L.A., New York, Chicago—and none of them ever felt like here. That’s why I came back. I missed feeling like I was a part of a city, not just a resident of it.”

  Melinda questioned if that was what had been missing in her life. She had never quite belonged anywhere. But with Nathan, she finally felt as if she were becoming part of the world and not just observing it. Nathan had taken her from the shadows and into the light. The only thing she couldn’t figure out was why it felt so … wrong.

  “This is definitely you,” Sandy decreed, chasing away Melinda’s uncertainty. “You have the skin color and hair to pull this off.” She held up a shimmering, eggplant cocktail dress. It had spaghetti straps, gathered at the waist, and was covered with small, shiny beads.

  Melinda examined the intricate beadwork. “I’ve never seen anything like
this.”

  “It’s a one-of-a-kind piece. I designed it a few years ago.”

  “You designed it?” Melinda didn’t hide the surprised lilt in her voice.

  Sandy took the garment to a dressing room off to the side. “One of the benefits of owning a dress shop is you get to sell your own designs. I’ll never make it to the runways of New York or Paris, but at least I can see my fashions walking the streets of my hometown. Which I think is pretty damn cool.” She beckoned Melinda into the dressing room. “Let’s see what Nathan thinks of this. That man of yours has got great taste.”

  The comment stopped Melinda in her tracks. “You make it sound like Nathan comes here a lot.”

  “Sure does.” Sandy nodded. “I first met him a few years ago when we were introduced at a party. He wanted me to dress this exotic dancer he was seeing from the French Quarter.”

  Melinda’s eyes grew in size. “An exotic dancer?”

  Sandy patted Melinda reassuringly on the shoulder. “They’re men, honey. They go through the stripper phase, the bimbo phase, the blonde phase, and then they wise up and find themselves a good girl. When Nathan brought Julie here, I figured he had found his good girl, but I guess it didn’t work out.”

  A strange sense of dread washed over Melinda. “Julie?”

  “Julie McNeil. She was a decorator he hired to redo his penthouse. Even set her up in an apartment in his building. She was struggling to make ends meet, but with Nathan’s help she got a few more clients and made a name for herself.”

  “What happened to her?”

  “Went back to Philadelphia, I guess?” Sandy turned her attention to another rack of dresses. “That’s where she was from. The last time she came into the shop was a little over a year ago. She kind of hinted things weren’t going so well between her and Nathan. After that, I never saw her again. I asked Nathan about her a few months later when I saw him at a local fundraiser, but he was real tight-lipped about it.” She made a face and shoved a dress out of the way. “Nathan Cole is a very private man.”