Chapter Twenty-One Lake
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: LAKE
In the parking lot, I find Hex, Pirate, and Zip. After a greeting that consists of bumping shoulders and slapping backs, I feel a sense of calm wash over me. Having them around me made me realize how vulnerable I’d felt, exposed, like a raw nerve. I can handle myself, but having my brothers beside me makes me feel invincible. With them, I know we can figure out what the fuck is going on, and together, we can fix it.
“How’s Olivia and your dad?” Hex asks.
“Dad’s in surgery. They just took Olivia to check her for a concussion. The bullet grazed Olivia’s scalp when those assholes shot at them. She’s not showing the signs, but I wanted them to check her out.”
“Well, you managed to wing one of them, so that’s a start. But you can pay them back later.” Hex slaps my back.
“You caught them?”
“Damn straight. We waited at the convenience store. I figured they’d drive right by, and we’d follow them. However, they stopped to fill up. One went inside to grab rubbing alcohol and bandages. We grabbed him in the bathroom while he was treating his wound. We ambushed the second guy when he came in to check on the first. Then we took out the third. It was almost too easy.”
“That convenience store has cameras,” I remind them.
Pirate chuckles. “I’d planned to block them, but the kid behind the counter turned them off when we entered. He recognized our kuttes from when you stopped by. I think he was hoping we came to do what we did.”
“Piled them up into the SUV, along with their bikes. Levi and Jack drove them back to the clubhouse. Dixie and Abra are working on them with strict orders not to push them too far. They know you want a piece of them.”
“Who the fuck are they?” I ask before remembering the pamphlet Toff found. Pulling it out, I hand it to Hex. “Found this where they held Olivia and Annette.”
“Keepers of the Third Reich? What kind of fucked up racist bullshit is this?” Hex says, handing the pamphlet to Pirate.
“Don’t know, but the address on that pamphlet is Nevada. Maybe Puma’s heard of them?”
“I’ll give him a call. See if he’s heard of these fuckers. But if their base is in Nevada, what the fuck are they doing here?”
“Are these the same assholes who are harassing Francois and the others?” Zip asks, frowning.
“Olivia said she didn’t recognize the men, but she did recognize the kuttes.”
“Could they be the ones who attacked your dad?” Hex asks.
“Don’t know.” I lead them inside the hospital and over to Toff and Annette. They’ve all met Toff before, so I introduce Annette to them.
“You saw the blood pooling around Coyote. How long would you say since he’d been lying there?” I ask Annette.
“Based on the clotting, he hadn’t been lying there for more than five minutes. I’m surprised you didn’t run into his attacker. Do you think the men who kidnapped us attacked Coyote?”
“Toff and Lake saw them heading for New Orleans,” Pirate chimes in.
“Besides, someone would have seen or heard the motorcycles at Dad’s place,” Toff says. “Our people are watching for them after what’s been happening. Someone would have called us if they had. The town searched for Annette and Olivia so that someone would have seen them.”
“Maybe we can ask during the meeting tomorrow,” I muse.
“What meeting?” Hex asks.
I tell him about my taking on the role of chief with Coyote out of commission and about the town meeting we’re holding in the morning to announce the appointment.
“You sure that’s what you want to do?” Hex asks, watching me.
“What I want to do? No, but it's what I need to do. For now.” I flick a glance at Toff.
Hex nods, understanding what I’m not saying. The real reason I’m stepping up is that Toff doesn’t. I don’t know who attacked Coyote. But if they attacked him because he’s the tribal chief, I sure as hell am not going to let Toff put himself in harm’s way.
“Any thoughts on why someone attacked Coyote?” Zip asks.
I shrug but then remember the USB drive. Digging it out of my pocket, I hold it up. “Coyote was holding this when I found him. He pressed it into my hand before passing out.”
“Dad,” Annette says, standing and going to hug the man walking with Olivia.
“Dr. Solon. How is my girl?” I ask, drawing Olivia to my side.
“After everything she’s been through? Phenomenal,” Dr. Solon says, shaking my hand. “Good to see you, Lake. It’s been too long.”
I introduce him to Hex and the others before he sits next to Annette.
“Do you have an update on Coyote?” Toff asks him.
“The last I heard, he was still in surgery. They’ll let me know once he gets out. What happened?”
I go through everything again for Dr. Solon. Not only giving him the details about finding Coyote but also about what we’ve learned about the assholes who kidnapped Annette and Olivia and who have been threatening the tribe.
“Are you certain they didn’t attack Coyote?”
“Toff and I saw the men who kidnapped the women leaving Running Bear’s land. They headed for the main road leading out of town. They wouldn’t have had time to come back and attack Coyote. Why?”
“I spoke to Dr. Sinclair when he was in the hospital. He told me all that he remembered about the attack. He confirmed the men who attacked him spouted off racist insults so that meshes. However, I think there is more to it than simple racism,” Dr. Solon says.
“You spoke to him about the attack?” I ask.
“I treated him when they brought him in. He stayed here for a few days before they released him.”
“I thought they caught him by surprise?” Annette asks.
“They did, but he regained consciousness while they ransacked the place. He pretended to be unconscious so they wouldn’t do more damage. They roughed him up. He had a broken rib, a broken wrist, and a dislocated arm. They kicked the shit out of him. Bruised his kidney.”
“Shit,” Zip mutters while Hex takes out his phone. When he finishes texting, he gives me a nod. I smirked, knowing he just gave Abra and Dixie a laundry list of the damages they should inflict on our guests.
“So, what did he overhear?” I ask.
“They joked about getting paid for taking out a few injuns. How pleased the general was going to be when they achieved their mission along with a nice payday. And that getting rid of the injuns would make everything easier for them. No witnesses.”
I catch Hex’s eye. Even though we don’t speak, the communication is there. Our list of questions for the racist pricks grows longer. I’m debating returning to New Orleans and postponing the meeting with the elders until I know more about our enemies. However, I know part of why I want to delay the meeting is because I’m not looking forward to taking on the mantle worn by my father. I swore I’d never accept the responsibility of being the chief of our tribe. The role laid out by my father and my ancestors. A role that would fit as uneasily as life inside a cubicle wearing a suit and tie. I study Toff, whose attention shifts from Annette to her father and the door leading into the hospital. The leadership of our tribe belongs on his shoulders, but not yet. I hope my decision to take over temporarily doesn’t obliterate any chance of Coyote seeing Toff’s worth.
“Why did you ask if the men who kidnapped us were the ones who attacked Coyote?” Annette asks her father.
“Because the men who hurt Dr. Sinclair commented about scalping the chief. I know someone stabbed Coyote, but I wondered if they’d gone after him.”
I clench my fists. Scalping. Not something our tribe practiced, but something I will gladly use to torture those motherfuckers.
Pirate, oblivious to the conversation as he read through what was on the USB drive, leans back in his chair.
“Find something?” I ask him.
“Maybe. There is a bunch of information about the tribe on this drive. I’m just not sure what it all means.”
“Let me take a look,” Toff offers, sitting next to Pirate and sliding the laptop over. He reads for a few minutes before glancing at me, then Antoine.
“Coyote has put together his case to take to the BIA. Bureau of Indian Affairs,” he clarifies. “To achieve recognition, the tribe has to meet seven criteria. He has them all mapped out on this drive. He has the name of a lawyer based in New Orleans, and he is working with her on this. Rey Montague. We need to talk to her. In five days, Coyote has a calendar entry for a meeting with the Office of Federal Acknowledgement to present the completed petition.”
“I didn’t realize he was so close,” Solon mutters. “Your father’s been working on this for most of his life. He wants the recognition to be the legacy he leaves behind. Having it would protect the tribe and our land.”
“Which is critical, considering the other document I found on the drive,” Pirate continues. “A request to perform a geological survey on the land.”