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

Chapter Twenty-Six Olivia

CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX: OLIVIA

My heart breaks as I watch the news report. My friend is no longer missing. Now she’s gone. I cry as I remember the shifts we worked together and the patients we spent time with. I remember the crying sessions when the sweet little old ladies and the adorable older gentlemen we cared for passed during the night. After one too many deaths, she made a decision that would eventually result in her death. She switched hospitals and moved into obstetrics. She lasted one week before she disappeared. Now she’s dead.

“I’m so sorry, Olivia,” Cleo says, hugging me as I cry.

“I still hoped we’d find her.”

“We all did.”

“Was she one of the women who went missing?” Annette asks.

“Yes,” Delphine says.

“Give me a few minutes. We can eat and then head to the hospital,” I tell her.

“We don’t have to go today. I can go tomorrow,” Annette protests.

She thinks I’m putting her before myself, but she’s wrong. I’m being very selfish. I know someone at that hospital is working with the men who kidnapped and killed my friend. They don’t know it yet, but I will figure out who and make them pay.

“I want to go. I want to look each coworker in the eye and see which one isn’t crying.”

“Is that safe?” Cleo asks.

“You won’t be going alone,” Dixie says. “Levi and Jack, you take them. One stays in the SUV while the other goes with you. Don’t you fucking dare let yourself be alone with any of the fuckers. Got it?”

I nod, grateful that Dixie understands how much I need to do this.

“Lunch is ready,” Nora calls out as she comes out of the kitchen carrying a plate of grilled cheese sandwiches. “Can you get the soup?” she asks Levi, who dashes into the kitchen. He brings it out and places it on the table. We all take our seats and dig in. Well, almost all of us.

I only manage a few bites as I pick at my sandwich. My thoughts are on Talia. Pirate places his hand on mine to get my attention.

“After lunch, I’ll access the police records and see what I can find out.”

“Thank you,” I tell him.

Looking around the table, I can see the men and women shooting me looks of concern. Not wanting them to worry, I force myself to join the conversation.

“Yesterday, we looked at several places for Nora’s restaurant,” Cleo tells Annette. “We found one with a strong possibility, but we’ll look some more after lunch. Did you want to come with us?”

“That sounds like fun,” Annette says, causing me to frown.

“I thought you wanted to check in at the hospital and have me show you around."

“Well, yes, but after your friend…”

“No, we’ll still go. I’m okay. I am sad and furious, but I can do nothing for Talia now. I want to go to the hospital.”

“Okay, then,” Annette agrees.

“I can tell you what I found when you return,” Pirate says.

I nod at his suggestion before forcing myself to finish my cold sandwich and even colder soup.

“Ready?” Levi asks after he helps Jack clear off the table once everyone has finished eating.

“Let me grab my jacket,” Annette says, jogging up the stairs.

“You’re going to be warm enough?” Levi asks me.

I’m wearing jeans and a thick sweater. “I’ll be fine,” I assure him.

He wraps his arms around me and holds me close. “I’m sorry about your friend, but I’m happy they didn’t get their hands on you.”

“Me, too,” I agree. “I keep thinking about the men driving that van.”

“What about them?”

“I keep thinking I should recognize them. I feel like if I had, then maybe Talia would still be alive. But I’ve viewed the footage multiple times. Nothing stands out.”

“Maybe you should show the footage to Annette,” Levi suggests.

I lean back and look at him. “Why? She doesn’t know anyone at either hospital.”

“She doesn’t, but maybe if she sees the footage before she goes to the hospital, something might catch her eye.”

“Oh, that’s not a bad idea.”

When Annette comes back downstairs, I run the idea past her.

“Couldn’t hurt to take a look,” Annette agrees, following me when Levi and I lead her down to Pirate’s office. Knocking, we step in and explain what we want to try.

Pirate pulls up the video on the larger screen and lets it play. We both watched it several times. I can’t shake the feeling that I know them but still can’t place them. It's very frustrating.

“What is he doing?” Annette asks when we’re watching the actions of the two men outside my car when they first realized I was no longer inside.

I lean in and study the image, recalling what I witnessed that night.

“He’s punching his fist into his palm,” I tell her. “I forgot he did that several times. I guess he was angry.”

“Okay, I’ve seen enough. I think I’d recognize them if I saw them again. Maybe,” Annette says.

“Let’s head to the hospital. We’ll take a tour of the building. Maybe we’ll get lucky,” I say as I follow Levi outside.

Once at the hospital, I accompany Annette to Human Resources, where she checks in and collects her badge. While she meets with the head of obstetrics, I sit in the hallway and watch everyone who passes by. The men who tried to kidnap me were wearing surgical scrubs, but that didn’t mean they were doctors. I study the nurses, security, and the maintenance crew. I’m so focused on my search that I don’t realize Annette has joined me.

“Sorry,” I tell her when I realize she’s been trying to gain my attention.

“That’s okay. Did you recognize anyone?”

“No,” I say. “Let me give you that tour.”

Before taking her to the ward where she’ll work, I show her the cafeteria and the doctor’s lounge. To lighten our moods, I take her past the nursery so she can see the babies. We watch them briefly before moving to the nurse’s station. We pass a small group of men and women led by Joyce. She shows them the nursery and explains how their babies will sleep there so they, as new mothers, can get some rest.

“What if I want the baby to be in the room with me?” asks a young black woman wearing a lavender scarf over her naturally curly hair. The scarf matches the lavender silk blouse tucked into light grey trousers and covered by a matching grey blazer.

“Of course, you can keep the baby with you,” Joyce assures her. “It’s encouraged, but we also want to ensure the mother is well-rested when ready to leave the hospital with her newborn.”

When Joyce turns back, she sees me. Her eyes widen slightly before she nods at me and glances at Annette.

We continue to the nurse’s station to find Sylvia talking with Dr. Merkel.

“Olivia!” Sylvia calls out when she sees me. “You aren’t scheduled to work today.”

“No, I’m not. I brought Dr. Annette Solon in for a quick tour. She’s starting her residency tomorrow. Dr. Solon, this is Dr. Merkel and Sylvia Bonner.”

“I heard you were starting tomorrow; it’s nice to meet you. I’ve heard good things about you,” Dr. Merkel says, shaking Annette’s hand. “I look forward to working with you.”

“Joyce is giving a tour for expectant mothers, but she should be wrapping that up soon. If you want to wait and meet her, too.”

“We can stay a few more minutes,” I assure Annette.

“Did you hear about Talia?” I ask them.

“What do you mean?”

“The police found her body.”

“Oh my god, she’s dead? Talia? How?”

“They haven’t released the details yet.”

“That’s awful,” Sylvia says.

“You’re being careful, right?”

Sylvia gives me an odd look. “Careful? What do you mean?”

“Didn’t Joyce tell you about what happened to me on the way home from my shift the other night?”

“No, what happened?”

I tell her about my near miss. Sylvia clasps her hand over her mouth, her eyes wide with fear.

“You think they work here?”

“I don’t know. The two men dressed like surgeons, but they could have just stolen the gear. Keep your car keys and your phone on you. If your car breaks down, abandon it and get somewhere public.”

“You know, the night Dr. Carver disappeared, I saw her car on the side of the road,” Dr. Merkel says. “I wonder if that’s how they got her? Maybe I should tell the police what I saw.”

“That’s a good idea,” I tell him. Once he walks away, I turn back to Sylvia, who looks pale.

Sylvia nods. “I can’t believe Joyce didn’t tell me what happened. There she is. I’m going to ask her.”

I turn around and freeze. Joyce is talking to a man at the end of the hallway. He has his back to us. Standing next to me, Annette gasps.

“Recognize that kutte?” I whisper. She nods slowly.

“We need to move,” I tell her before pushing her against the wall behind a lunch cart that blocks us from view.

“What is he doing here?” Annette hisses.

“I don’t know.”

“Is he the same guy who grabbed us? I thought Lake said the Demon Dawgs captured them all?”

“He did. This guy must be another member.”

We watch Joyce break off their intense conversation when Sylvia stalks up to her. The guy turns away from Sylvia and glances down the hall. Fisting his right hand, he punches his left before rubbing them together. I gasp when I recognize him from Francois’ restaurant. He was part of the trio who threatened him.

“I recognize him,” Annette whispers after he passes by without looking at us.

“You do? How?” I ask.

“From the video Pirate showed us. The way he pounds his fist into his hand. It’s the same way the driver reacted when he saw you weren’t in the car.”

I study the man and realize she’s right—the memory of that night when my car broke down. I recall seeing his reaction when he found I was no longer in my car. I share a glance with Annette before grabbing her hand and pulling her to the elevator. “We need to get downstairs and tell Levi. We have to follow him.”

Levi sees us enter the lobby and rushes over when he sees our expressions. “What happened? What’s wrong?”

We tell him what we saw.

Levi takes out his phone and calls Jack while he takes off his prospect kutte. We step outside to see the man walk quickly toward a white van parked nearby. He climbs into the passenger seat just before the driver reverses out of the parking spot.

Jack pulls up, and we all pile in.

“They’re in that white van,” Levi says.

Jack keeps cars between us and the van as we follow them. They don’t try to lose us, so I’m hoping that means they haven’t spotted the tail. When the van pulls to the side of the road behind a parked car, I wonder if they’ve caught on to us, but then I realize the situation is much worse. They leave the van wearing scrubs, surgical masks, and surgical caps. I glance toward the car to see a woman opening her car door.