Colorblind (Moonlight) by Violette Dubrinsky Page B

his back, and looked nervously from Julia to Leon.
    Pointing the gun at Julia, who flinched away, he began, “She was tryin’ to run away. I done saw her and followed.”
    “She was attempting to run away in the nude, Mr. Pleasant?” Leon asked, looking from Pleasant to the pistol he had trained on Julia. “Holster your weapon.”
    “She could try run again,” Pleasant said, frowning as he stared at Julia.
    “Holster your gun,” Leon snapped, moving forward when Pleasant took a bit too long to do as commanded. By the time he reached the man, the pistol was back in its holster.
    “You’ve yet to answer my question, Mr. Pleasant. Why is she naked?”
    “After I caught ’er, she wanted to give herself to me in exchange for me not sayin’ nothin’,” Pleasant retorted.
    He was lying. If Leon hadn’t seen the truth with his own eyes, he could tell from the loud and frantic pounding of the man’s heart, the quick, shallow breaths he released, the pungent odor of sweat seeping from his pores. When Leon only lifted a brow, Pleasant continued.
    “I tol’ her it ain’t gonna work but she’s wantin’ to make me want her. And you probably ain’t been here long enough to know their kind, but these ones look so much like us it make us forget sometimes they nothin’ but pale niggers.”
    “So she ran away, you caught her, and she offered herself to you in exchange for your silence?”
    Pleasant swallowed and nodded. “Yeah. You wantin’ me to take ’er back to the plantation and teach ’er a lesson?”
    Leon stepped closer to the overseer, until he towered over the man. Pleasant grew more nervous. “I’m still confused, Mr. Pleasant. Why are you still on the plantation at this late hour of the night?”
    His heart rate spiked again. “Hollis and I usually take turns spendin’ nights, in case the niggers try runnin’.”
    “Of course you do,” Leon replied with a chilling little smile. Pleasant returned it, and looked over to Julia, who had silently pulled on her gown and now awaited judgment. “What you want me to do wit’ her?”
    “Nothing,” Leon said slowly, which only made Pleasant’s eyebrows lift as far as his hairline. “I will deal with her.”
    Pleasant was nodding and preparing to leave when Leon said clearly, “And Mr. Pleasant, I do not expect to find you chasing naked slaves again. Is that understood?”
    The man turned back to him, passed a look to Julia before nodding quickly. “I had a moment o’ weakness, sir. I’ll beat ’em black and blue before they try to give ’emselves to me.”
    Leon watched Pleasant disappear into the clearing and scowled. He would have to get rid of the man very soon. Pleasant angered him, but he aggravated his wolf entirely too much. His attempted rape of Julia, coupled with the fact that the man had interrupted his first time with Penny, had been enough cause to rip the bastard’s throat out. But he couldn’t. Not quite yet.
    Julia…. He moved to where the young woman stood, shoulders sagging and eyes downcast as she waited for her punishment. When he stopped before her, she flinched.
    “How long has this been happening?” Leon asked.
    “Me runnin’ away, Massa?” she replied in a soft, bland voice.
    “No.” He gritted his teeth. The poor woman had been conditioned to accept the blame for the sadistic pleasures of those who thought her inferior. “How long has Pleasant been using you?”
    She blinked up at him in shock before she lowered her eyes and shook her head. “I dunno what you’s talkin’ about, Massa—”
    “Julia,” Leon began firmly. “I have no intention of hurting you. I know that you were not running away and that you were brought here against your will.”
    Her gaze darted behind him as if expecting to see Pleasant and Leon said in a soft but firm voice, “He won’t hurt you again.”
    Gray eyes locked on his for long moments. Leon knew she was trying to decide if she should trust him.
    “How long,