Page 48 of Lake's Legacy

“I don’t think you’re wrong keeping him out,” Toff admits. “Honestly, Coyote and Crow have been arguing more and more lately. I don’t know why, except that Coyote has been more secretive. Now I know why. The only thing they seem to agree upon these days is you.”

“Me?”

“Becoming chief. Both want you to claim your legacy. They spent hours discussing how to convince you.”

I shake my head. “What a waste of time. I have no intention of becoming chief.”

Toff chuckles. “Remember, you are chief.”

“Temporary,” I growl.

Toff and I spend the next half hour talking to Coyote, hoping he’ll hear us and wake up. Toff even tells him about my filling in as chief. We’re interrupted by the same doctor who operated on Coyote.

“You’re dad’s doing better. His blood pressure is normal, and the wound is healing well. He isn’t showing any signs of infection, which is good.”

“Why hasn’t he woken up yet?” Toff asks.

“He had a traumatic experience. His mind may be protecting him from facing the reality that someone tried to kill him.”

Someone he knows and likely trusted, I silently add.

The ride to New Orleans gives me time to think. Zip and I follow Toff, who is in Annette’s car. I’m excited to see Olivia again, even though we’ve only been apart for a few hours. In all my years, I’ve managed to maintain a calm presence on the outside while chaos swirls internally. However, Olivia calms the internal upheaval. I simply feel more in control when I’m with her.

At the clubhouse, we find Pirate sitting at the bar, drinking a beer. Zip ducks behind the bar and grabs three beers.

“Where is everyone?” I ask.

Pirate smirks. “Hex, Abra, and Dixie are out back. Cleo and Delphine went to look at potential restaurant sites with Nora.”

“Where’s Annette?” Toff asks.

“And Olivia?” I add, smacking Pirate on the back of the head. He knew who I was asking about. The fucker.

“Levi and Jack drove Annette and Olivia to the hospital,” Pirate supplies. “Don’t worry. They’ll make sure nothing happens to either of them. Did you see the news?”

“No, why?”

“They found the body of Olivia’s friend, Talia. I did some research and found that someone beat her death before tossing her into the river.”

“Shit. How’s Olivia holding up?”

“What do you think? She’s pissed off. Went to the hospital to find out who isn’t upset.”

I shake my head at his comment. Whoever killed the woman will know to hide their disregard. “Can you guys show Toff where Annette’s sleeping? I need to join Hex.”

Pirate nods before I leave the clubhouse and point myself toward The Farm. The Farm was once a fishing shack sitting at the bayou's edge. It had been in disrepair when Hex repurposed it into our kill shack. Trees and shrubs surround the building, shielding it from view. Even though the lagoon it sits on is well-hidden from the main waterway. Anyone floating through the bayou would pass right by the inlet without knowing it’s there. Hex tore down the wooden structure and replaced it with concrete blocks. The building is four times the size of the shack, so instead of just one room, The Farm boasts two cells, a bathroom with a shower, and a torture room.

Screams greet me when I open the door. Did I mention that The Farm is fully soundproof? Inside, I find a man hanging from a hook surrounded by Abra, Hex, and Dixie. He looks like a slab of meat in a butcher shop. The coppery smell of the blood dripping onto the floor adds to the ambiance. I assume the other two are either dead or back in the cells.

“You guys started without me?” I ask, just before Abra lands a punch to the guy’s kidney.

“Just softening him up. Don’t want you to have to waste time before getting your answers.” Abra grabs the guy’s hair and jerks his head so he’s looking at me. One eye is bloodshot and sporting a bruise that will last longer than he will. “See, that guy? He’s the chief of the tribe you’ve been hassling. Oh, and one of the women you kidnapped? Yeah, she belongs to him. If you’re smart, and I’ve got fifty bucks that says you aren’t, you’ll answer every question he has before he takes out his knife and scalps you.”

I smirk at Abra’s speech. I’ve never considered scalping as a way to get info out of someone, but the look of terror in the bastard’s eyes has me considering it. With the option in mind, I open the cupboard where Abra keeps his sharp instruments. Selecting an 8” knife with a bone handle, I move in front of him so he can see it. The blood drains from his face, making his bruises and cuts stand out more.

“Get that the fuck away from me,” he whines as he tries to shake off Abra’s hold.

“Let’s start with something easy. Why the fuck did you assholes kidnap the women?”

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