Free The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy by K. A. Lange Page A

good. As far as the other stuff goes, Nathan says I scored well.”
    Nathan looked back at me as he guided us through the back halls to a stairwell. “His scores are some of the highest I have ever seen. But since you have negotiated the sixty days I am sure he will have his pick of krewes. That is if anyone will have him after today’s fiasco. For fuck’s sake Viktor, haven't you ever heard of playing nice?”
    I shrugged. “I’ve heard of it, I just don’t really believe in it with some people.”
    Nathan shook his head. “I am supposed to tell you that until the will of Comus is known to us that you are no longer welcome. Your security clearance has been revoked and you are to be arrested on site if you try to enter the building.”
    Smiling broadly at Nathan I assured him. “Don’t worry so much. I am sure it will all turn out the way it’s supposed to.” Before giving Nathan a hard look as the humor left my face. “Not to worry Nathan I wouldn’t put you in the position of trying to arrest me.”
    Nathan visibly relaxed. “Thank you for that.”
    With very little fanfare we were led out of a nondescript door on the side of the building facing the French Market and unceremoniously dumped on the curb like yesterdays trash. I heard the door close with a loud thud just after Gregory passed through it.
    “So what the hell happened?” Gregory asked curiously.
    “Oh a child had a temper tantrum and threw us out on principle, which means we shouldn’t expect any help from the courts anytime soon.” I laughed shrugging my shoulders. “I should drop you off at the Federal Building before heading to the office. Once you conclude your business with Smith, why don’t you join me at Warden Industries?.”
    Gregory nodded. “We will talk about this later, but for now we do have work to do I suppose.”
    We got back to the car only to find it booted. I’m sure that this was one hell of a fuck you message from Leonard. Gregory and I walked a block over to the French Market where we each hailed a cab. I have to give Leonard credit, but his present was a particularly low blow. The rotten bastard booted my car! What an asshole!
     
     

Chapter 6
     
    The cab pulled up to 1225 Rampart, my place of business and the current headquarters of Warden Industries. I bought the building from a funeral home many years ago. It was a gleaming white multi-level wooden structure with eight Doric columns spanning the forty feet between the ground floor and the roof. Due to Leonard's gift of a boot to my car the private parking lot at the rear of the building would be of absolutely no use to me until this afternoon at the earliest. Between the time it would take to remove the boot and the tow truck’s arrival I was looking at several hours to do office work, which would thrill my second to no end. She was always requesting some sort of paperwork to be signed in triplicate, all of which I hated doing. Hell I always thought that your subordinates were there to do all the stuff I hated to do. She's informed me on several occasions that no matter what I believe, someone misinformed me somewhere along the line.
    Stepping out of the cab I stopped at the passenger window to give the driver his fare. Before I made my way up the steps of my office, I stretched for a moment while admiring the building. The basic layout was the same since its days as a funeral home. The double brass doors were in the center of the building which I took a moment to admire. Modern buildings rarely had the flare and style of historic ones and these highly ornate gleaming brass doors were a prime example. Pulling the door open I stepped inside the bustling office.
    The old dark and highly polished hardwood floors creaked slightly as I walked across the room. Just to the right of the door was a semicircular mahogany desk containing a stunning young woman in her mid twenties. Justine, my receptionist, could easily make a living as a prettier though shorter stand in