Lake’s Legacy (Demon Dawgs MC: New Orleans #3)

Chapter Ten Olivia

CHAPTER TEN: OLIVIA

We exit the patio and enter the restaurant. To our left is the hallway leading to the restrooms. In front of us is the hostess stand—Dr. Merkel and Joyce are waiting to be seated. I’d seen Joyce flirt shamelessly with the doctor, but I didn’t realize she caught him. As I watch, Joyce pokes Merkel in the chest. He grabs her wrist hard enough to make her grimace. I move toward them, and just as the hostess leads them away.

Frowning, I catch up with Cleo and Delphine as Delphine pushes open the door to the women’s restroom.

“Everything alright?” Cleo asks. “You look confused.”

I chuckle. “Just a little. Saw Joyce having lunch with a doctor who works in our ward.”

“Are nurses and doctors not allowed to date?” Delphine asks.

“No, they can date. Only they weren’t acting like they were on a date. They seemed to be arguing.”

“Sounds like a date to me,” Delphine chuckles. “I swear whenever I drag Dixie to a nice restaurant, all he does is grumble.”

“Hex is the same way,” Cleo says before disappearing into a stall. Delphine ducks into the one next to hers.

I stand near the sink and wait for them to finish. Cleo comes out first. When she moves to the sink, I duck into her empty cubicle.

“I want to stop and say goodbye to Francois before we leave,” Cleo says as I wash my hands.

“We’ll come with you.”

Cleo takes a right and continues down the hall until she stops in front of a door with Francois’ name on it. She lifts her hand to knock but freezes.

“What’s…?” I start, but she lifts her hand before shoving the door open.

I gasp at the scene before us. Two men hold Francois in his chair while a third punches him in the gut. The men look at us before Francois yells for us to run.

We don’t. Instead, Delphine leans back into the hall and yells, “Dixie!”

The men release Francois before moving toward us. However, the sound of heavy boots coming closer makes them retreat. They climb out the open window and run off. When the last man turns his back on us, I can just make out the image of a large bird on the back of their kuttes.

Hex rushes in first, followed by the rest of his men. Dixie wraps his arms around Delphine while Lake grabs me.

“What’s going on? What happened?” Hex demands.

“Those men were beating up Francois,” Cleo explains. “Why?” The last she directs at Francois, who winces.

“They belong to some club extorting protection money from the businesses around here.”

“For how long?” Hex asks.

“Six months. They’re total assholes. Did you see the burnt remains of the bakery on the corner?”

Cleo nods. “Lydia’s Sweets. I saw it. I thought she had an accident. Was it arson?”

Francois nods. “The cops said she burnt her bakery down for the insurance money. But I know she didn’t. I saw those three bastards coming out of the place just before it blew. I think they turned on the gas. But they weren’t alone; one had Lydia swung over his shoulder. I told the cops what I saw, but they didn’t believe me. They accused me of taking money from her in exchange for providing her an alibi. The next day, those bastards came here and told me I’d be paying my and Lydia’s share of the extortion money since I didn’t mind my own business.”

“They still have Lydia?” Hex asks.

Francois shrugs. “I don’t know. She could be dead. If they have her, maybe she’d be better off dead.”

“Who the fuck are they?” Abra demands.

“They were wearing kuttes,” I tell him. “I couldn’t make out the rockers, but the logo on the back had a bird on it.”

“They’re a motorcycle club?” Hex asks, looking at me before shifting his eyes to Abra.

“I’ll put some feelers out. I haven’t heard of another MC in this area. They could be pushing their way into our territory. They’ve been hassling you for six months? Did you see them before?”

“They introduced themselves seven months ago. Explained how things would work. At first, the amount they demanded wasn’t worth the hassle of saying no. However, they increased the amount each month. Four months ago, Lydia told me she was going to the police. She’d lose her bakery if she kept paying them.”

“That’s when they burnt her bakery and kidnapped her?” Abra asks.

Francois nods. “After she spoke to the cops.”

“Do you have them on video?” Pirate asks.

Francois perks up before pulling a laptop out of his bottom drawer. “The feed gets saved to our server, but I have access here.” He logs into the computer before turning it around for Pirate.

“So, they’re why you want us to invest? Were you planning on telling us what we’d be getting into if we took you up on your offer?” Hex asks, causing Francois to flinch as he nods.

“That was a mistake. I heard you discussing opening a restaurant, and I thought you could handle the threats. It was a gut reaction. I hadn’t thought it through. It’s why I told you to forget about it.”

“What did they want today? A payoff?” Hex asks.

“They saw you enter the restaurant. They wanted to know if I told you about them. I told them I didn’t, but they didn’t believe me. With you running them off, they’ll think I lied to them. They’ll be back.”

“Good. I want them to come back. We’ll have a little surprise for them. Are there only three of them?”

“I’ve only seen those three.”

“How many busboys you got working here?”

“Two.”

“Okay, give them a paid vacation. Dixie, get Jack and Levi down here. They can fill in for the busboys. You don’t have to pay them. They’re prospects. They can protect you and the restaurant as well as keep their eyes open for those assholes.”

Dixie steps away to make the call while Hex continues to tell Francois the plan.

“We’ll dig into who the fuck these guys are. Once we have more information, we’ll drive them out of New Orleans. In the meantime, just carry on with business, as usual. Tell them the Bratva has bought you out if they come back.”

Francois’ eyes widen. “The Bratva?”

“I have a connection.” That is all Hex gives him. “That should keep them away. Tell them you’ve heard a rumor that the Bratva is taking over this neighborhood.”

I see Hex’s mind working as he formulates a plan. Glancing at Lake, he gives me a nod. “Levi will be fine. Those assholes won’t know Levi and the other two are working for us. They’ll be too busy looking for the Bratva to see us coming.”

“But what about the Bratva? Won’t they be upset you’re using them as a smokescreen?”

Lake chuckles. “Hex’s dad was the leader of the Bratva here. Maybe he still is. I don’t know what Vladimir has done with him. Regardless, even if Vladimir is now in charge, they aren’t in the city. Hex is counting on Vladimir telling his people to stay out of our business while he’s out of town. We should be good for a few days. It will give us time to suss them out.”

I nod as Hex finishes his instructions for Francois. “Did you get what you needed?” Hex asks Pirate, who nods as he closes the laptop. “Good. Let’s ride.”

We go outside just as Levi drives up in the club’s SUV. Hex calls them over for their instructions.

The rest of us move toward the bikes. Lake hands me my helmet and then helps me fasten it. “I need to ask you a favor,” he says when he finishes. “My brother called and wants me to come visit the tribe. They need medical help since their clinic shut down. I was hoping you’d go with me. You’re off for the next four days, right?”

I nod. “Yeah, I can go. You want my help?”

“I could use it. I hope we can work out of the clinic instead of driving around to visit patients. However, Toff said someone ransacked the clinic. He thinks the supplies and the equipment are intact, but we’ll know more when we arrive.”

“What happened?”

“Don’t know. Toff said they’re having problems with a gang.”

“Do you think it’s tied to the men who attacked Francois?”

“I doubt it. The tribe lives two hours away.”