Wild Dream (3 page)

A horrified expression crossed Christian’s face as he swallowed the last of his cake. “Why would they want to keep Kane in New Orleans?”

“To punish him,” Vincent said. He stopped and heaved out a breath.
 

Lincoln nodded. “Vin is right. He’ll see what he’s done when the dawn comes. It’s likely to destroy him.”

“What did Kane do to be punished so severely?” Beau asked.

“Solomon didn’t provide that information, and I didn’t ask. I figure Kane will tell us the entire tale when he gets here.”

“If he gets here,” Vincent said.
 

Lincoln glanced at his watch.
 
“Solomon called two hours ago. It takes three to get here by car from New Orleans, but Kane is on foot. He’ll come through the bayous and stay off main highways since he’s being followed.”

“We need to get ready then. Kane could arrive at any time,” Christian said.

Vin rested his hands on the back of a chair. “I’ve got a bad feeling that he won’t get here until tomorrow night. When he’s already shifted. Before we can get him into the cage.”

“That means we’ll need to be on patrol starting tonight,” Beau said. “We alert everyone we can. Those we can’t, we keep an eye on.”

Vincent and Beau filed out of the kitchen. Lincoln stood and pushed the chair under the table. He turned and found Christian blocking his way.
 

“We’re going to need you fully in this.”

Lincoln frowned and crossed his arms over his chest. “When have I ever
not
been fully involved?”

“Never. Then again, Ava Ledet didn’t walk into your life until today. The others may not see it, but I do, Linc.”

“See what exactly?” He thought he’d been doing a hell of a job keeping his desire hidden.

Christian raised a dark brow. “Your desire to protect her. That could get her – and you – killed.”

“Not going to happen.”

“Focus on her once Kane is in the cage. Until then, do us all a favor and forget her.”

If only it were that easy.

CHAPTER THREE

Ava was so lost in her memories of the night her father left and never returned that she didn’t realize they had reached their destination until Maria patted her on the shoulder.

“Come inside, sha,” she said and exited out of the back passenger door.

Ava got out of the truck and grabbed her bag. She closed the door and sighed before she turned and faced Olivia. “If I’d have known it was the Chiassons you were involved with, I wouldn’t have come.”

“Then it’s a good thing it never got brought up before today.” Olivia smiled softly. “You have every right to your anger, but I don’t believe you’re mad at Vincent or any of the other Chiassons.”

“I’m angry at what they did that lured my father away. I’m furious that he got involved with the hunting, and I’m sad that his half-brother was killed by something so awful. But you’re right. It’s my father I’m really irate at. He left us.”

“You don’t know that for sure,” Olivia pointed out. “You heard the guys. Your father was always talking about you and your mother. The hunting he did was to keep you safe. A man like that doesn’t walk out on his family.”

“Then where has he been the last fourteen years?” Ava was so tired of wondering that.
 

Olivia took Ava’s bag and wrapped an arm around her shoulders while leading her to the house. “Hopefully we’ll find out. It’s why you really came, isn’t it?”

Ava nodded and looked at the white house. They walked around to the side where she spotted a long dock that went all the way out to the bayou. Like most other houses in the area, it had a screened in porch that overlooked the water.

They climbed the steps, walked through the porch, and into the quaint house. Maria made use of every inch of space, but the house had a relaxed feel.

Ava felt right at home instantly. It also helped that Olivia and Maria took care of her. Olivia put her bag in a back room, and Maria motioned her to one of the plush chairs in what was obviously the living room.

The house, built almost a hundred years earlier, had an open living area to optimize air flow and keep the rooms cool. Ava had no sooner taken a seat than Maria put a mug in her hands.

“It’s coffee milk. It always made Olivia feel better,” she said with a wink.

Ava smiled and drank the coffee that was more milk than anything, but it did exactly what Maria wanted it to do – made her relax.

When Olivia joined them, Maria handed her a cup. All three sipped for a while before Olivia lowered her mug. “You said you and your mother remained for a year before y’all left.
 
What happened?”
 

Ava remembered that night as if it happened yesterday. “It was the day after Christmas. Mom got a job anywhere she could. At one point, she worked three jobs just to pay the bills and put food on the table. Every morning I woke thinking that I would see my father. I knew the week of Christmas that something was going to happen. Mom kept counting money she had put away and boxing things up.”

“She was getting ready to take you away,” Maria said.

“Yes.” Ava hadn’t realized that at the time though. “It wasn’t until the morning after Christmas that I saw the resignation on her face mixed with determination. She told me to get my stuff. She had stayed up all night packing everything away. In six hours, everything was in boxes, and we were on our way to Texas. I cried the whole way. The last bit of hope I had that my father might return disappeared somewhere on I-10 when we crossed into Texas.”

“Your mother must have had her reasons for leaving. She needed a fresh start is my guess,” Maria said.

Olivia lifted one shoulder. “I don’t know. To take Jack’s daughter away? What if he returned that night and had no idea where to find them?”

“That’s the same thing I told Mom,” Ava said. “Her response was that he had over a year to find his way home and he hadn’t, which meant he didn’t want us.”

Maria shook her silver head and got to her feet. “That’s a tough one. I’m going to Grace’s for a while and leave you young girls alone. Don’t get into too much trouble,” she said as she grabbed her purse and walked out of the house.

Ava looked at Olivia and shared a laugh.

Olivia set aside her mug and reached for her laptop. “I’ve been thinking. There has to be some kind of record of your father. These days, people can’t sneeze without it showing up somewhere.”

Ava swallowed, suddenly overcome with emotion. “I’ve done a little searching on my own, but that was in Dallas. I even hired a Private Investigator for a little while.”

“What did he find?”

“Nothing. That’s why I came. I knew if there was even a chance for me to find my father, it was better with me in Louisiana.”

“Then we’ll find him,” Olivia said with a reassuring smile.

~ ~ ~

After two hours of searching online and Olivia making some calls, Ava had to get out of the house. And she knew exactly where she wanted to go.

“Can I borrow the keys to your truck?”

Olivia didn’t hesitate to toss them to her. “Sure. Want me to come with you?”

“Not this time. I need to be alone for a little bit.”

Olivia stood and walked with Ava to the door. “I’m not trying to be nosey, but can you tell me where you’re going? I ask because I know what my man and his family hunts, and night is coming soon.”

“I’m going to the house where I grew up.”

“In Lafayette?”

“On the outskirts. I won’t be gone long.”

Olivia gave her a hug. “Keep your cell near. And call when you’re on your way back.”

“Will do,” Ava promised and walked out of the house.

She drew in a deep breath once she was in the truck. Seeing her old house was something she had to do – no matter how painful it was.

~ ~ ~

Lincoln hid in a clump of cypress trees and surveyed the expanse of bayou around him. He was thankful it didn’t get dark until well after eight. That gave them more time to search for Kane in the light.
 

All of their friends had been notified to remain inside for the night, and a few had even offered to help keep a lookout for Kane.

It had been years since he or his brothers had seen their family in New Orleans. That branch tended to keep to themselves, not that he blamed them. He would do the same if a Voodoo priestess had cursed their entire family to be werewolves.

Lincoln looked at the setting sun. They had another twenty minutes of good light at best before twilight hit and that eerie time between light and dark descended. Most people didn’t realize that was the most dangerous time to be out.

He nudged a snapping turtle out of the way as he moved to a different location. The fading sun glinted off the eyes of a large gator resting on the banks, his gaze trained on Lincoln.

“Don’t even try it,” he warned the gator. “I’m after something else entirely this night, but if you push me, I’ll take you home for dinner.”

The problem was, none of the Chiassons could kill Kane. He was family, and on his way to them for help. It wasn’t Kane’s fault that he was being tracked by a relentless group determined to see him go on a killing spree.

Lincoln was of half a mind to track the fuckers, bind them together, and let Kane have at them. It’s what they deserved for detaining him just so he could kill some innocent person.

His mind immediately went to Ava. He knew she was safe with Olivia. Then there was Vincent, who had set up watch near Olivia as well. Ava was more than protected. Still, Lincoln couldn’t stop the knot of doubt from forming in his gut. He wanted to see her with his own eyes, to know with unwavering certainty that she was all right.

But that wasn’t going to happen. He had to trust Olivia and Vincent.

Lincoln paused, the water rippling slightly around him as he spotted something moving in the brush ahead on the shoreline. He slowly withdrew both of his Bowie knives and waited.

With him on the outskirts of Crowley, he had a good chance of being the one to encounter Kane or the group after his cousin. The full moon didn’t technically begin until the next night, but anyone who hunted werewolves knew that they had the day before and the day after a full moon when they would shift.

The lower the sun sank, the higher the moon rose. It was going to be tricky to get Kane in the cage before nightfall. And Lincoln couldn’t rely on his brothers for help. Everyone was dispersed in a wide range for maximum opportunity in finding Kane.

But that also left them exposed. Which was going to be a complete bitch when night hit.

The bush rustled again. Lincoln tightened his grip on his knives and waited. A moment later, a raccoon ambled out and rose up on its hind legs as it chatted at him angrily. A second later it ran off.

Lincoln let out a breath and just happened to look down in time to see the water move around his legs. He spun around in time to see the gator disappear beneath the water not five feet from him.

“Fuck me,” he murmured.

A second gator slid into the water off to his left.

“Fuck me sideways,” he hissed.

Lincoln wasted no time in getting out of the bayou. Once on land, both alligators swam away. Damn, but he hated full moons. The animals went crazy.

He looked at the sky and grimaced when he caught sight of the sunset. Everything was drenched in gold, including the water. It was a magnificent sight. It was also an omen of bad things to come.

All Lincoln could hope for, was that Kane was the only thing they would have to hunt during this full moon. If not, things were going to get hairy.

It was the quiet of the bayou, and the way sound bounced over the water, that allowed him to hear the shouts of agitation and fear. Lincoln sheathed his knives in the holsters strapped to his legs and took off running in the direction of the yells.

Lincoln dodged low hanging branches and the deepest parts of the bayous. He jumped fences, raced over private property, and took every shortcut he knew. When he scaled the last wooden fence and jumped over the side, he looked up to find Christian standing over Paul Boudreaux who was on the ground, unmoving.

“Glad you got here,” Christian told him, his crossbow aimed and his eyes never leaving a large shadow in front of him.

Lincoln slowly straightened and pulled out his weapons. “Is it Kane?”

“I don’t know. I arrived to find Paul right there, and spotted something large moving off. Hard to tell in this damn twilight just what it is.” Christian sighed. “I think it’s Kane.”

“Let’s hope it is. I don’t want to be hunting something else as well.”

Lincoln took a quick survey of the area. It was dense with tall pines and giant live oaks. Perfect hiding area for anything. It could come at them from above, or from any of the numerous shadows.