Page 92 of Absinthe Dreams
It was me, LaCroix, and Axe.
We were out in the country, the sounds of the swamp typical and unwavering out there. Insect song and frog song marrying and harmonizing into the symphony I so loved falling asleep to with my woman in my arms, even if I had only gotten to do it the once, so far.
We were outside the house Velina had come to, the night of the Bayou Brethren’s big shindig – when she’d been undercover asLouie. We were checking things out. There was a bike parked out front, and we had no idea whose house it was, but we knew it was one of the Bayou Bitches.
There was a slight rustle in the tall grass to my left, and I looked to LaCroix, who, emotionless, gave us our orders. There were three doors – front, off the small porch, where Velina had supposedly taken a big one for the team, a side door in front of us that looked like it led into a small mudroom off the kitchen, and then finally the back.
LaCroix was divvying up responsibility, telling me to take the side door and Axe to take the rear.
I knew Saint and Bennie were out there somewhere, but Hex? Hex was sitting this one out. He had to. If shit went sideways and we were taken out? Or worse, caught by the pigs? One of us needed to stay out of the shit to keepAncient Spiritsalive and thriving and to look after the girls.
One of us needed to be out here to rebuild until the rest of us got out or acquitted, or whatever needed to happen, you know?
We still had good intel coming from our asset in Singer, the Bayou Brethren club girl, we’d gotten out of the city and to safety out in Florida with The Kraken.
We were grateful our bond with the Kraken boys was still strong enough that we could rely on them, and that was partially Ruth’s own fault.
He’d sent us out to deal whenever they’d called for aid to keep friendly with them, and it’d worked in our favor. The Kraken boys not only had shown us there was a way, abetterway, they’d stayed connected with the faces and those of us who had shown up when they’d needed us. Remained loyal to the men over the institution, which is honestly, as it should be.
According to Singer, this place belonged to the chapter president, Rebel.
It was lookin’ like he was home alone, which deep down, a part of me hoped his woman, Midnight, wasn’t in there with him.
The decision had beenno witnesses.Get in, get what information we could on the rest of the club, take anyone out that was inside, and fuck right back off into the night.
I argued with LaCroix to take the side door, and let me take the front, silently, with insistent hand gestures, but he shook his head, dark eyes darkening even further with the devil inside.
I snorted from behind the purple rag that was tied around my face and nodded.
He gave the hands to move out.
Saint melted out of the brush on the other side of the house and joined up with LaCroix, taking point, which meant he’d be the one kicking doors and shit in, and LaCroix would be first in to follow the breach.
I was on my own at the side door, Axe taking point at the rear with Bennie at the ready to followhisbreach.
I was waiting to see if my door was going to burst open and I would take down anyone who tried to come through it.
I was under orders to wound before kill if I could, so I kept my back to the wall and my gun pointed low for center mass rather than a head shot. It was a crapshoot that I wouldn’t get anything too vital, but I wasn’t risking a leg shot and having them turn on me with their own gun to take me out.
Genesis needed mehome.
A mourning dove called out in the night, but it was LaCroix. We hadn’t heard any mourning doves in waiting, but we certainly had heard an owl.
I guess during his time locked up, he’d had enough free time on his hands to perfect various bird calls. It’d been a good party trick when he’d gotten out, but had also proved useful in circumstances like these when we needed a signal.
Doorframes cracked, and doors slammed open. I winced when I heard feminine screaming over the masculine shouts of my brothers and whoever else may be inside.
A shot rang out, and I braced for a runner. Sure enough, the side door burst open and a woman flew out the door, tripping and landing on all fours, about to scramble to her feet in her cut midriff top and bikini-style panties.
I shot her in the back, going high, and caught her in the right shoulder, blood spraying dark into the grass, her voice hitching as she slammed back down face-first into the ground, unmoving.
I shook my head. I didn’t like it, but we’d all agreed,no witnesses.According to Velina, Midnight knew just about everything that Rebel did.
I hauled her up, unconscious, and carried her back to the house, setting her down beside the steps and leaning her up against the corrugated metal skirting around the underside of the house.
It was set higher to keep it out of floodwaters, like most places in South Louisiana, even though the place wasold– probably sixties, maybe even earlier than that — certainly not upgraded in any of that time.
“Chainsaw, you good?” I heard Bennie call from just inside the side door.
