Page 31 of Lake's Legacy

“Are you alright?” Lake hoarsely whispers as I lose myself in the safety of his arms.

“I am now.”

“Which one of you is bleeding?” Lake asks.

“Me. But I think it’s stopped.”

“Let me see,” Lake says. He shines the flashlight on my wound. “Still oozing a little blood. I need to examine it, but somewhere else. How did it happen?”

“Those bastards shot at us when they saw us escaping. The bullet grazed me. I don’t think they meant to hit either of us. They were probably just trying to scare us.”

Lake’s jaw clenches as he fists and unfists his hands.

“They might be looking for us,” Annette says. “We should get out of here before they come or the boars return.”

“The fuckers who grabbed you took off. But, yeah, we should get out of here,” Toff agrees.

Lake takes my hand while Toff takes Annette’s.

Toff takes the lead, and soon, we’re out of the swamp and standing next to a road. A short distance away sits a truck with a man standing beside it.

“You found them? Good,” he says, moving to open the door to the backseat.

“Baptiste?” Lake greets him. “How did you know where to find us?”

“Joseph said you were going to Running Bear’s cabin. I went there, but couldn’t find you. I saw your SUV and the tracks leading into the bayou. So, I figured you were coming through this way. Glad to see I was right. Hop in, and I’ll take you to your car.”

Lake squishes his bulky frame into the back with Annette and me. Toff stands outside with the phone pressed to his ear. Whenhe ends the call, he climbs into the passenger seat and turns to face Lake.

“I told Joseph we found them and to call off the search. He’s sending a couple of guys over to watch Running Bear’s place to see if they return.”

“How is Celeste? Did she have her baby?” Annette asks.

“She did. Lake helped her deliver her son. It was fucking awesome to watch him work.” Toff grins at his brother. But I feel Lake tense up next to me.

I lean against Lake and stroke my thumb against his hand. “You did the right thing. Helping Celeste before coming after us.”

Lake kisses the top of my head. “I know, but it doesn’t change how wrong it felt.”

“We need to update the chief,” Toff interrupts us.

“Update him about what?” Baptiste asks.

“The men who kidnapped Olivia and Annette. They’re part of a neo-Nazi club,” Lake explains.

“I saw the back of their kuttes,” I chime in. “They had the words ‘Third Reich’ over the emblem of an eagle holding two flags.”

“Like this?” Lake asks, pulling something out of his kutte and handing it to me. I recognize the emblem immediately.

“Yes. But this says their base is in Nevada. Why are they here?”

“I don’t know. Also, I don’t know why they’re harassing our tribe and a bunch of business owners in New Orleans. I’m hoping Abra and Pirate can gather more information about them.”

“Abra and Pirate?” Baptiste asks.

“My brothers in the Demon Dawgs. I sent them the information I found, and they’re out looking for the bastards who took Annette and Olivia.”

“They’re coming here?” Baptiste asks.

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