23. Beau
BEAU
“ D amn,” Louis peered out toward Ambrose’s shack. “I might not have even noticed there was a structure there.”
“It’s hard enough to see in the day and nearly impossible at night. He did a damn fine job of keeping it camouflaged.” Only the fact that I’d been there many times and my knowledge of the roads—which was way better than Louis thought it was—had gotten me to Ambrose’s.
As I considered our next move, I saw a dark shadow against the dark house. The glint of a gun barrel was easier to detect.
“Duck.” I yelled, grabbing Louis’s shoulder and pulling him down.
A bullet hit the side of the car. That was it. I wasn’t going to have him ruin my vehicle. I sat up and opened my door. Louis tried to pull me back, but I didn’t let him.
“Don’t shoot! It’s Beau and Louis.”
Ambrose didn’t fire again, but he also didn’t lower his weapon. “What the fuck are you doing out here?”
“Emergency consultation. I tried to call.”
“I’ve been out checking traps. I didn’t take my phone.”
Or check it when he got back apparently, but why would he?
There were a very limited number of people who even knew how to contact him, and all of them would persist if they needed to.
Half the time he ignored calls or texts, even if he saw them come in.
I wish I knew what had happened to him in the army, but he wouldn’t breathe a word of it.
I wasn’t even sure his twin, Dax, knew the whole story.
A light came on, blinding me as it lit up the entire area near the front of the shack. “Step out where I can see you, hands up.”
Did he really think someone was impersonating us? I looked into the car at Louis. “Do what he says.” He hesitated. “Are you sure he’s stable?”
“No talking. Show yourself,” Ambrose yelled.
Louis stepped out of the car, and we moved into the circle of light. Ambrose huffed and lowered his gun. “What the hell is so important you had to come out here after dark? I might’ve shot you or let Gerard know a tasty dinner was waiting for him.”
Louis glanced at me. “Who’s Gerard?”
“A gator he’s befriended.”
He held up a hand. “Don’t tell me any more.”
“You’ve gotten way too soft,” Ambrose said.
Louis shook his head. “I’ve gotten way too happy being alive.”
“Somebody’s looking for us not to be,” I said. “That’s why we’re here.”
Ambrose frowned. “Come on in. Tell me something worthwhile, and I’ll make sure Gerard gets a nonhuman dinner.”
“He’s gotten even scarier,” Louis whispered.
“Not enough contact with people,” I said.
Ambrose huffed. “My ears work, you know.”
“You’re scaring Louis. I think you’re right. He’s gone soft.”
Louis punched my arm, and Ambrose laughed. “Are you still man enough for my moonshine?”
I interrupted before Louis could answer. “Maybe we ought to tell you our story first.”
“Can’t you drink and talk anymore? Damn city living.”
“What’s so bad about the city?” Louis asked.
I rolled my eyes. “Now you’ve done it.”
“People for one. And noise. I can’t take all that fucking noise. And expectations. I can’t…” He shook his head. “Never mind.”
Whatever had happened in the desert had made Ambrose think he couldn’t live up to what people would expect of him, or at least that was Dax’s theory about why Ambrose had isolated himself
“We think Dale Guidry is responsible for Rob’s death and the other shit that’s gone down at my shop.”
Ambrose turned to me. “There’s been more?”
“Some break-ins, vandalism, shit like that.”
Ambrose shook his head. “I saw the hole in Rob’s head before he sank. Dale was never a good enough shot for that.”
“Not even at point blank range?” Louis asked.
“If he’d gotten that close, Rob would’ve taken him, even if he was high, which I hear he usually was in his last months.”
Louis stared at him. “How do you?—”
I laid a hand on Louis’s arm. “Don’t ask questions. You know better.”
“Right. Well, it’s great you get information even out here.”
Ambrose grinned. “Just because I don’t want to talk to people doesn’t mean I don’t want to know what they’re up to. Best way to stay alive is good intel.” A haunted look appeared in his eyes before he tossed back the moonshine he’d poured himself.
“I don’t think Guidry’s working alone,” Louis said.
“That sounds right,” Ambrose agreed. “He doesn’t have the balls to start shit like this.”
I glanced at Louis. “Why don’t you tell Ambrose about your meeting with Guidry’s former friend.”
“What are you doing associating with assholes like that?”
“Getting intel.” Louis went over the conversation he’d had with his informant. Ambrose listened intently, nodding along.
“So there’s a backer, someone pulling the strings, but we don’t know who.”
“That’s right,” Louis said.
I jumped in then. “Whoever it is must have something against your family but also something personal against me.”
Ambrose thought for a minute. “It’s been too long since I talked to Dax. I need to get his take on this.”
“I was thinking I would talk to Corbin tomorrow,” I said.
“Corbin? He’s just a kid. What’s he going to do?”
I bristled. No matter how much I might have thought that myself or questioned Corbin’s seriousness or his ability, I wasn’t going to let anybody else do it.
“One, Remington’s out of town, and he’s not to be disturbed.
Two, Corbin’s grown up a lot recently.” Very recently, like in the last few days.
“Three, Corbin likes to keep himself in the know. People say things around him because they think he’s still a kid. ”
“Still, wouldn’t Lance be the better choice?”
“Not this time.” Ambrose gave me an uncomfortably assessing look. “There’s more to this that you’re not saying, but it doesn’t matter. You check in and get back to me.”
“If I’m going to do that, you have to answer your phone.”
“I’ll get back to you when I get back to you. Things move slower out here.”
“They move fast in the city,” Louis said. “And these people aren’t going to take a slow pace when they come for you.”
“These people are going to die when they come for me. They have no idea what they’re messing with.”
In that moment Ambrose looked like the scary man I was sure he imagined himself to be, one too crazy to ever be part of polite society again.
“Thank you for warning me.”
“You know I have your back. Call if you need anything, and I’ll be out here as fast as I can.”
“If Guidry comes for me, I’ll probably hear him from two miles away.”
“And if they send someone more skilled?”
“Then Gerard will be really well fed.”
I didn’t doubt Ambrose’s ability, and now that he’d been warned, I figured he was right. No one who came for him had a chance. “I guess we’ll get going now that you’re prepared and caught up with what’s going on.”
He shocked me by saying, “Stay the night. I’ve got a couch and a sleeping bag or two around here.”
“I know you value your privacy, and?—”
“It’s a fucking miracle you found this place in the dark. Trying to get out of the swamp safely too is just tempting fate. Sleep here and head home at first light.”
With that he gave us a nod and went into the cabin’s other room and shut the door.
When I woke the next morning, light was just dawning in the sky.
Louis was sound asleep, and I contemplated how to wake him without disturbing Ambrose.
Then I realized the bedroom door was wide open, the bed was empty, and there was coffee in the pot.
Ambrose was already out for the morning doing God knows what.
I shook Louis. “Come on. We should get out of here before Ambrose comes back.”
He blinked and rubbed his eyes. “Comes back? What the hell time is it?”
“Time for us to get up and get out of here so we can respect his privacy. He even left us some coffee. If you get moving fast enough, you might have time to drink some.” There were disposable cups we could take with us stacked by the coffee pot, but I didn’t tell Louis that.
Louis groaned. “Please tell me this place has indoor plumbing.”
I laughed. “The compost toilet isn’t bad.”
He stumbled into the little closet that served as a bathroom.
As I poured our coffee, I wondered why Ambrose would have these cups.
I had the impression he never had guests.
Maybe I was wrong or maybe he just found it easier to take these out with him, though I knew he’d never leave trash in the bayou or the woods.
It was just another mystery I’d have to ponder. Or work up the nerve to ask about.
By the time we got back to town, it was already time to get the shop ready for the day. I sent Louis on his way with a thanks and a promise to contact him. He’d let me know if he learned anything else.
Once I was in my apartment, I showered and dressed as fast as I could. I was already late to pick up Corbin, and I knew I’d get heckled for that. I might slowly be teaching him some discipline, but he was always going to be a bit of a brat. I didn’t really want that to change.
I pulled up to Remy’s house expecting Corbin to be watching for me, but I didn’t see him, and the gate remained closed.
Luckily, this early I was able to find a place to park on the street.
Corbin’s car was parked in the small courtyard beyond the gate, but no lights were on in the house that I could see.
I pressed the buzzer on the gate. When I got no response, I called Corbin.
Was he punishing me for being late? I’d deal with that if he was.
After three attempts to get his attention with the buzzer, he still hadn’t responded. If he was in there sleeping when I’d busted my ass to get over there…
I texted him, waited another moment, and called again. At that point, I was torn between anger and worry. There was no sign he was home other than his car, but if he’d decided to go to work on his own, he would’ve driven himself, wouldn’t he?
Maybe he’d called one of the Theriots’ security guards to drive him so I could bring him home.
I called the shop and Sam answered. “Is Corbin already there?”
“No. I was about to call you and ask where you were.”
“I got delayed. It was a long night. I’ll tell you more about it when I get in.”
“All right. I’ll get everything started.”
I glanced back at Remington’s house, which still seemed lifeless. “So no sign of Corbin?”
“No. Should there be?”
“I don’t know. I was supposed to pick him up, but he’s not here. I thought maybe he headed into work without me.”
“I let you know if he shows.”
“Thanks.” Now I was truly worried. I called Corbin again. Still no answer.
The right thing to do was just head into work. He’d show or he wouldn’t. I’d deal with the consequences, or I’d end our agreement altogether. If he was going to be this fucking stubborn, then I wasn’t sure things could work between us.
But what if he wasn’t ignoring me? What if something had happened to him? What if Guidry or whoever he was working for had gotten to him? I decided to make one more call.