Venandi, page 1
VENANDI
KC LUCK
CONTENTS
Foreword
Chapter 1
New Orleans, 1850
Chapter 2
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 3
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 4
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 5
New Orleans, 1850
Chapter 6
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 7
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 8
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 9
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 10
New Orleans, 1850
Chapter 11
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 12
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 13
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 14
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 15
New Orleans, 1850
Chapter 16
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 17
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 18
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 19
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 20
New York City, 1926
Chapter 21
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 22
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 23
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 24
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 25
New York City, 1926
Chapter 26
Los Angeles, Present Day
Chapter 27
Bangkok, Three Months Later
About the Author
Afterword
Also By Kc Luck
Copyright © 2020 KC Luck Media
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are
products of the author’s imagination and/or are used fictitiously. Any
resemblance to actual events, locales or persons—either living or dead—is
entirely coincidental.
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions
thereof in any form whatsoever.
20201220
FOREWORD
Thank you for your interest in Venandi. I sincerely hope you
enjoy the story. It was a pleasure to write. If you find time,
a review, or even better, a referral to another reader, is
always appreciated.
Please enjoy!
KC
1
NEW ORLEANS, 1850
“Have you ever seen so many people in one place?”
Willie asked as he stared around wide-eyed at the
throngs of people filling Canal Street. Saxon hadn’t and
frankly, she wasn’t sure she liked it. Willie and her other
brother, Sam, talked her into coming with them to New
Orleans for New Year’s Eve. Going had been the topic of
conversation for a month. When she hesitated, the two
playfully ganged up on her.
“It’s a new decade, Sax,” Sam explained, grabbing her
by the strap of her denim overalls and giving her a playful
shake. He was two years younger but a head taller than she
was at her five foot seven.
She slapped his hand away. “I’m well aware what year it
is,” she said, stern but with a smile. Ever since their mother
died ten years before, she had raised the two boys. Of
course, that didn’t mean she was off the hook from working
their small tobacco farm twelve hours every day, hence the
overalls rather than the customary dress. Saxon didn’t
mind. Wearing men’s clothing was her preference, and for
the most part, she let everyone assume she was a man. All
she had to do was hide her long, thick braid of brown hair
under her felt hat, and passing was easy. She liked other
things about being mistaken for a male, but those thoughts
confused her a little. Unlike most women her age, marrying
was not on her agenda. Men did not appeal to her. Women,
however…
“Think of the party everyone will be having,” Willie
added to the argument. “We never go anywhere, and I’m
itching to see what a real city is like.” For Saxon, the idea
was attractive. Although she was twenty-one, she’d never
visited the booming city to the south either but heard
stories regularly about how the place was the most exciting
location anywhere. Some bragged even fancier now than
Paris. Even though she resisted, a part of her was just as
excited as her brothers. Seeing something different than
plain old Prairieville at least once in her life seemed
reasonable.
It didn’t help that the three siblings had money in their
pockets. Their father didn’t often give them much when
they sold a crop, but it had been a very successful season.
In the end, Saxon relented, which was why the three stood
with a mass of people, all shuffling toward the riverfront, in
anticipation of a fireworks display. Apparently, this was only
the third year of the spectacle, and excitement pulsed
through the partygoers. The show would start any minute
and ring in the new year. Jostled from all sides, Saxon was
doubly glad she elected to stay dressed as a man. Willie
and Sam didn’t care, treating her more like a brother most
of the time anyway. She certainly worked as hard as they
did and never backed down from a rough and tumble with
them.
Although she wore a simple sack coat and cotton
breeches, other men wore everything from leather pants
and drop sleeve work shirts to formalwear finished off with
tall, shiny, black top hats. The ladies hanging on their arms
flounced along in hoop skirts, the fancier ones colorful and
embellished with ribbons and bows. Saxon often found her
eyes wandering to some of the bolder women’s drop
shoulder sleeves and low necklines. There was nothing like
that in Prairieville, and the stirring she felt low in her body
both surprised her and made her curious. The desire to
touch that fair skin with her fingertips continued to flash
through her mind, and when a surge in the crowd pushed
her closer to a beautiful, young, blonde woman, Saxon’s
heart quickened. There was no mistaking the feelings of
want building up inside her. As she considered letting
herself stumble even closer, there was a sudden presence
beside her. “She’s really quite beautiful, isn’t she?” a
woman’s voice whispered in her ear.
Saxon jerked back, turning to look into the face of a
woman so beautiful, it took her breath away. Green eyes
accented a face of fair skin with full, red lips turned up in
the hint of a smile and seem to match the burgundy-red,
velvet dress she wore. Black hair cascaded in ringlets past
her bare shoulders, barely captured under the smart
matching bonnet on her head.
“What?” was all Saxon could manage to say, and the
woman chuckled.
“Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me,” she answered
in a voice pitched low and throaty. The sensualness of the
sound rolled over Saxon, and again she was captivated. The
stranger let her eyes drift up and down Saxon’s body, and
the smile widened a little. “All your secrets, darling.”
A blush crept up Saxon’s cheeks as she realized the
woman knew exactly what she was and how she was
feeling. “I don’t—” she started, but then as swiftly as she
arrived, the stranger slipped away into the crowd. Blinking,
unsure if the woman was an apparition of her
overstimulated imagination, Saxon looked around, noticing
neither of her brothers were with her. Somehow, they had
become separated, and anxiety clenched her stomach. The
boys were a bit reckless by nature, and who knew what
they would get mixed up in tonight. She needed to find
them and pushed back through the crowd calling their
names. As the fireworks began, progress was almost
impossible as the tide of people nearing the riverfront
carried her faster in their excitement. Only by elbowing her
way did she break free of the mass to be spit out into a side
alley.
The backsides of a row of three-story buildings boxed
her in on both sides, making the space dark and hard to
see. Her nose told her there were piles of trash lining the
walls of the narrow space, and she stepped carefully as she
moved in deeper. “Willie?” she called, knowing it was
no answer. In fact, it seemed she was completely alone.
Frustrated, she turned to go back into the crowd when the
sound of a footfall in the blackness at the end of the alley
made her pause.
“What have we here?” a man’s voice sounded from the
dark. It was smooth but somehow disturbing at the same
time. Saxon felt a trickle of fear run down her spine. “Lost,
my young friend?” Every instinct in her wanted her to flee,
but something about the voice kept her rooted in place. As
she watched, a shadowy figure emerged into the faint bit of
moonlight. He was tall, and dressed in elegant clothes,
including a top hat. Somehow, that relaxed her more. He
could not be some thug planning to roll her for the money
in her pocket—just someone trying to be helpful.
“I’m looking for my brothers,” she replied. “Two big
farm boys.” She waved in the direction of the crowd
passing by, oblivious to the pair in the dark alley. “Out
there somewhere, and I need to find them before they get
into trouble.”
The stranger walked closer, and even though she could
see the lower half of his face, the brim of the top hat hid his
eyes. “Trouble,” he said, repeating her last word. “Yes,
there’s plenty of that to be had here.” Saxon swallowed
hard and wanted to back away but somehow couldn’t. It
was as if the man hypnotized her. “You’ve found a bit of it
yourself, I’d say.” With that, he smiled, and in the dark, his
white teeth gleamed. Saxon’s eyes widened as she thought
for a moment she saw fangs. Her mind had to be playing
tricks on her, because she was sure his eyes glowed red in
the shadow. A part of her knew that was impossible and she
should run, but another part wanted to wait. Wanted to see
what the stranger was going to do next.
“That’s enough, Andrew,” someone said behind her,
breaking the spell. Saxon recognized the voice. The sound
was the beautiful woman in the burgundy-red hat who
spoke to her in the crowd earlier. “She’s with me.” Saxon
felt a cool hand slide along her arm, up to her shoulder to
take hold. The grip was surprisingly strong, but the
sensation of the woman’s touch sent a shiver of excitement
through her.
The man gave a little bow. “My apologies, Susan. I was
not aware,” he said and then backed away. “Enjoy your
evening.”
Only after he disappeared did Susan’s grip lighten. She
gently turned Saxon to face her, and like the last time, the
woman’s beauty captivated Saxon. Her eyes roamed over
Saxon’s face, and a mixture of emotions seemed to play in
them. Saxon was sure there was a hint of sadness, or
maybe regret, but more than anything, there was desire. A
throb ran through her at the idea this sensual woman could
want her so much.
The hand on her shoulder moved to touch her cheek,
and what once felt cold seemed to burn Saxon’s skin. Susan
leaned in closer until their mouths were an inch apart. “Do
you want to come home with me?” Susan whispered. Saxon
did. She would find her brothers on the road home in the
morning. After all, they were grown men and together
could fend for themselves.
“Yes,” she said, her voice breathless, and let Susan take
her hand to lead her through the alley away from the
masses. After a few twists and turns through the nearly
empty streets of the French Quarter, they came to an
opulent, three-story Creole townhouse tucked into a row of
others with a similar design. All had round, white columns
accenting tall, narrow porches. Open galleries wrapped in
black wrought iron spread the width of the second and
third floors. Black shutters framed each window, and in the
center of it all was a white front door. Susan paused at its
threshold, her hand on the door handle.
Her eyes met Saxon’s and held. The greenness of her
gaze seemed to deepen as she watched, and Saxon
trembled with anticipation. “Are you sure you want to come
in?” the woman asked, her voice like silk. Saxon licked her
lips. She was never surer of anything as every part of her
throbbed at the idea of being alone with this stranger.
“I am sure,” she gasped, and Susan opened the door to
let them inside.
2
LOS ANGELES, PRESENT DAY
Saxon Montague took a deep breath and focused on Los
Angeles’ downtown skyline as the evening sank into
twilight. It was a perfect November night with a touch of a
cool breeze in the air. She enjoyed the feel of it across her
cheeks, glad she’d put on her lightweight, black blazer to
go with her designer jeans. She sat poolside listening to her
manager explain yet again the specifics of Saxon’s contract.
The woman’s name was Courtney Mason. She was new to
the job but showed good instincts and came recommended
by a longtime acquaintance who was already in the movie
business. To be fair, Saxon was new to the industry too.
Having directed only two movies to date, her peers called
her a novice. Considering both films turned out to be
blockbuster thrillers, which also garnered some critical
acclaim, everyone was suddenly paying attention. Everyone
wanted a piece of her too.
“Saxon, are you listening?” Courtney asked, leaning
forward in her gray business suit. Although Saxon knew
she was on her side in the argument, a hint of exasperation
was evident in her voice. “This is serious.”
Not too sure she agreed about the importance of any of
it, Saxon sighed and returned her focus to the conversation
at hand. Her eyes fell on the movie executive who sat to her
manager’s left. Even though he had dressed casually in a
yellow, short sleeve shirt and jeans, he was a powerful
player. She knew the production company wasn’t screwing
around if they enlisted his help in making sure Saxon
cooperated. In fact, they were sitting on the man’s giant,
outdoor patio drinking his expensive scotch. When he
extended an invitation to meet personally, Saxon thought
Courtney would hyperventilate at the news. Thankfully, she
was acting calm and professional tonight.
With a sigh, Saxon set her crystal tumbler on the clear
glass patio table between them. “I am listening,” she said.
“And I respect the seriousness of the conversation.
However…” She paused, trying to come up with the right
words to express how much she hated the idea of the next
project. “No disrespect, but I am not the right choice for
the movie you want me to direct.”
“Why?” the movie executive asked. “You’ve made your
name with the dark stuff. Hell, the tabloids can’t get
enough of how you’ve managed to bring back the old school
feel of film noir.” He shook his bald head, and Saxon
believed he really was confused. She got that. A big-budget
thriller with an edge of horror would be a film she would
seem perfect for under normal circumstances.
Saxon caught the man’s eye and held his stare. “I’m
telling you, it’s just not a good fit,” she murmured. At first,
the movie producer’s eyes widened, but then he returned
her look. She respected that. Most people would glance
away in an instant, sensing something disturbing they
would never be able to explain, but the executive producer
did not. In a second, she knew he was a predator too, not in
the sense of preying on eager young actors, but he loved
the thrill of the kill-or-be-killed business of movies. He lived
to win. That was why he would never let this go.
Feeling the tension in the air, Courtney cleared her
throat. “Maybe we should talk about this in the morning.
It’s been a long day,” she said, capping her Monte Blanc
