Bauer POV
I turn the car around and head back to the Bayou Blue. I hope this is not a mistake. In reality, if Walker and Raymond are gone it will give us a place to land until we figure out where to go from here. Jasmine can rest a few days while she gets her senses back.
Jasmine raises her head and looks out the window. I can see the wheels turning in her head. What must she be thinking as I head back in the direction we just came from. I know she is probably thinking I am crazy as hell for turning this car around. I do not think Insanna would lead us astray and besides somebody has to be there for Chanel. I hope Chanel is okay.
“What is going on?” Jasmine asks.
I hold tightly to the steering wheel as I try to find the words to calmly explain to her that we are returning to the hotel. I do not need her jumping out of the car while I am driving like a maniac.
“Jasmine, I need to tell you a few things. I do not need you to react, okay,” I say to her.
She nods her head. She looks at me intensely waiting for the words to spill out of my mouth.
“First, and this is very important so you do not overreact. Walker and Raymond are dead. That means you are very safe,” I say to her.
She takes a deep breath. I can tell that she is relieved. “What else?” she asks.
“Inanna will be releasing Chanel so we need to be there for her. Ok,” I say.
“You are right. I cannot leave my friend behind,” she says.
“We are going back to the hotel. There are a lot of women there that need help. I think we should help them. Some of them have been trapped there for years,” I say.
“We can use the hotel to house them for now,” she says.
“That is exactly what Insanna is thinking. We can house them at the hotel until we figure it out,” I say to her.
Jasmine sits up straight in her seat. She looks a lot better. The effects of the flower should wear off soon. Lucky for her she was able to leave before she was fed multiple flowers. I have no idea how the others will be. Years of ingesting it to control them can not be good for their mental health. I should have spoken up but I was afraid of my brothers. What could I have really done anyway? Nothing. There was not a thing I could have done to prevent any of this. All I can do is try to help pick up the pieces left behind by my brothers.
Those stupid bastards. Did they not think that at some point someone would come along and stop this? They picked the wrong girl to fuck with finally. I still do not understand exactly why Insanna chooses this moment to strike. Her vengeance is legendary but why now. Why did she not come sooner? And why Chanel’s body? I dare not ask. If she wants us to know she will tell us.
I pull into the Bayou Blue. The no vacancy sign is flashing. Well, that was smart. We don’t need some man with black in his heart to troll in and end up a meal for Inanna.
I park the car. I take out the keys and glance over at Jasmine. I know she is nervous about going back inside. We can do this. I will be at her side. She grabs the handle and begins to get out of the car. I look up and see the black smoke moving away from the hotel. The dark ones have been here.
I come around the car to help her in. She stands tall. She is an independent soul. I know she wants to do this on her own. I carried her out. She wants to walk back in with her head high. I do not blame her.
We walk slowly across the parking lot. I let her take all the time she needs. No need to hurry the hotel is not going anywhere. We have plenty of time now to sort everything out. I know she is worried about her future. It is a lot for that little head of hers.
We finally get to the door. I open it for her. She looks back at the clouds. “I hope it never rains again,” she says.
“I thought you loved the rain,” I say.
“Not anymore,” she says.
She walks through the door into the lobby of the hotel. The women have been working diligently to get everything squared away. One young lady is in the office working.
Jasmine makes her way past everyone into the office to see how she can help. As she walks in I tag along behind her. Inanna is lying on a couch in the back office. Her back is to us.
“Is she okay?” Jasmine whispers.
I push past her to check on Inanna. “It is normal to rest after a great battle. Plus she has to release Chanel she may be searching for another body,” I say.
“She has not moved in a while,” the young girl in the office says.
I put my hand on her shoulder carefully. I do not need her to get startled and turn around and bite me. I do not want that. “Inanna, are you okay?” I ask her.
She rolls over slowly. Holy shit this cannot be happening. As she rolls over the three of us cannot miss what the problem is. The three of us stand in shock looking at Inanna. How will this affect Chanel? Hell, how will this affect all of us? How the hell is this even possible? Inanna looks at us looking at her.
“Why are all of you looking at me like that?” She asks.
She hasn’t realized yet what has happened. Inanna begins to sit up and had difficulty. I would too if I was carrying that around. Inanna looks down and then looks at us and begins to scream.