Page 32 of Lake's Legacy

“They’re headed this way.”

“Olivia needs to go to the hospital,” Lake states.

“What about updating the chief? Don’t you need to go there first?” I ask Lake. “I’m not showing any signs of a concussion, only a slight headache. Let’s go back to the chief’s house. I’d like to shower and change my clothes before we go to the hospital. I have a pretty good idea of how long we’ll be sitting in the waiting room, and I’d rather do it in clean clothes.”

Lake smirks at me. “Okay, we’ll update the chief first. Besides, I can clean and bandage the wound before we go.”

Baptiste pulls up next to Toff’s SUV. We pile out of his truck and climb into the roomier vehicle. Rather than sitting up front with Toff, Lake climbs in behind me.

When we pull up to Coyote’s house, I glance at the door and frown. “Does your dad always leave his door open?”

CHAPTER NINETEEN: LAKE

Olivia’s statement has all of us turning our attention to the house. As chief, my father’s door is always open, but figuratively, not literally. But there it was, wide open. My gut churns as I leap out of the SUV, stopping only long enough to shout at my brother. “Stay in the SUV, protect the women.”

Pulling out my gun, I step inside. Pausing to listen, I hear someone coming in through the back door. Turning in that direction, I expect to find Toff, but instead, it’s Crow.

“What’s going on? Why are you carrying a gun?”

“Dad’s door was open. Any reason why he might do that?”

Crow shrugs. “I don’t know. Maybe he didn’t shut it all the way, and it blew open?”

“Or maybe someone was in a rush to get the hell out,” I say, nodding toward a mess of papers lying outside Dad’s office. Pushing Crow to stay behind me, I stand at the door and scan the room. Papers cover every surface. It looks like a copier exploded. Stepping into the room, I take in the damage. The bookshelf that once held all the tribal records for generations is now empty. Their contents are tossed haphazardly around, along with the contents of several file cabinets. Every drawer in my father’s desk lies upended on the floor, their contents dumped. Someone wanted to create a mess, or they were looking for something.Not seeing my father, I turn to Crow. “We need to check his room and search the house. Toff has a gun so that you can arm yourself. I don’t think whoever did this is still here, but don’t take any chances.” Crow nods and jogs outside.

Before I can back out of the room, I hear a moan that draws me to the bathroom connected to his office. The door’s partially ajar, so I push it open, only to find it blocked. Sticking my head through, I spot my father on the ground. He’s on his back, blood pooling at his side and soaking his shirt—too much blood. Kneeling, I feel for his pulse. I let out my breath when I felt a faint pulse.

“Lake,” my father grunts. Lifting his hand, he grasps mine. I think he’s looking for comfort, but I feel him push something hard into my hand. A USB drive. “Don’t let him…” But he loses consciousness before he can finish.

“Don’t let who?” I mutter, shoving the USB drive into my pocket as I pull out my phone to call for an ambulance.

“Lake?” Crow calls from the door. I step back into the office.

“I found Dad. He’s hurt. I called for an ambulance. Get Annette and Olivia. They can treat him until it arrives. Go,” I bark the order when Crow approaches me instead of doing as I asked. Dad needs help.

Olivia and Annette rush in and look at me. I nod at the bathroom door and watch them disappear inside. Toff comes in and looks around the room.

“Stay with the girls. I’m going to check the rest of the house. The ambulance should be on its way. The hospital is re-routing the one we ordered for Celeste.”

“How is he?”

“Alive, and I hope to keep him that way,” I say before making the rounds around the house. I check every room except one. My old bedroom is locked up. Bypassing it, I verify that no one else is in the house. No other rooms show the same level ofdestruction as the office. So either the person who attacked my father found what he wanted, or he got spooked before he could extend his search. When the ambulance pulls up, I return to the office in time to see the EMTs rush in, pushing a gurney.

I stand in the hallway to stay out of their way. Toff joins me. “Where’s Crow?” I ask him.

He shrugs. “He took off after he told us what was going on. I don’t know where he went.”

Frowning, I don’t have time to think about Crow because the EMTs are wheeling out our father. I study the frail man on the gurney as he passes under the hallway light. He’s pale, his face slack. I’ve never seen my father sick, so his appearance jolts me. I must have made a noise because Toff clasps me on the shoulder, and Olivia wraps her arms around me. I squeeze her tight before remembering that she’s injured, too.

“Maybe you should go with them. Get your head looked at,” I suggest.

“I don’t want to get in the way. It’s better if they focus on your dad. I feel fine. We can go to the hospital, and I’ll check myself into the ER.”

“Want to run next door and wash up first?” Annette asks Olivia, who nods gratefully. They leave Toff and me in the hallway. We’re staring into the office, both of us lost in our thoughts.

“I’ve called the cops. They’re on their way,” Crow says, returning to the house. “I can talk to them if you two want to go to the hospital.”

“Where did you go?” I ask him.

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