Mountain Man's Bride

by Lauren Wood

  I finally called the number back and listened to it ring a couple of times. I was starting to think that she wasn’t going to answer, but then I heard the phone pick up right before it went to voicemail.

  “Hello?”

  “Steph, hey it’s me, what’s up?”

  “Fran?”

  “Yeah, are you okay? You sound kind of weird.” Her voice was low and she talked like she was out of it a little bit.

  “Just tired is all. It feels late. Long day at the diner, you know.”

  “Sorry I had to bail. Did you have to pick up my shift?”

  “Yeah, boss says you better be in tomorrow.”

  “I don’t think that is going to happen. Can you tell Ralph I am sorry, but I think I am going to have to quit?”

  “What? What do you mean?”

  “I am not in Louisiana anymore and the tips just aren’t worth the commute back.”

  “All of your things are still here Fran. You are coming back, right?”

  There was something strange about her voice and the tone of it. It was like she was trying to tell me something with it, but I just didn’t know what it was that she was talking about. I had a feeling that not everything was going okay there. There was something akin to hysteria that was muffled because it had to be. The little hairs on the back of my neck started to stand up and it wasn’t the soft breeze blowing that was doing it.

  “Yeah, of course.”

  “When?”

  “I don’t know, but I am just taking a little time off is all. You know how things go when you have a break-up. How are you doing? Is everything okay?”

  She didn’t answer me for a moment and I could hear a noise like she was covering up the receiver so that I couldn’t hear. Was she talking to someone or was I just hearing things? I wasn’t really sure which one it was.

  “So you don’t know when you are coming back Fran? You should come back soon.”

  “Why, what is going on?” Now I knew it was something and Steph was trying to tell me something. Was she telling me that I really shouldn’t come back and if that was the case, why? What was going on? The questions were burning in my mind and even as I asked a couple of them, I knew that I wasn’t going to get a real answer out of her.

  “Nothing, I just miss you is all. We were supposed to go out tomorrow night, remember?”

  We weren’t supposed to go out at all. It wasn’t something that we discussed. Steph was still trying to warn me and I got the message loud and clear. All was not well. That was the end of it.

  “Yes I do. I should be back by then, but I am not sure. Will you be mad if I can’t make it?”

  “It won’t be good Fran. I will have to go by myself and you know how they can get sometimes.”

  I closed my eyes. I could have bet right then that Cass was there with her or had been in contact with Steph sometime today. Was that why she hadn’t answered earlier?

  “I will try.”

  “Where are you Fran?”

  “Not too far.”

  “Where?”

  This was not a question that was coming from her. “You remember that beach that I told you about when I was working with Sal?”

  She was quiet for a time. “Yeah, I remember, what about it?”

  “Well I made a reservation for a couple of days on the coast over in Biloxi where we were last time. I don’t know, call it a nostalgia tour, but I have just been chilling out and trying to get Cass out of my mind.”

  The silence was deafening and I waited for her to answer. The receiver was covered up again and I was sure that it was Cass telling her what to say next.

  “You should let me come see you. Give me an address and I will drive over there tonight.”

  “I can’t do that Steph.”

  I took a deep breath. I was going to have to do something that I didn’t want to do. Of all the things that I wanted to do or needed to do, talking to this man wasn’t going to be one of them. I had a lot to say to him, but on the same token, so did he. The problem was that he was there with my best friend and he was not above hurting her to get to me.

  “Why not Fran? I want to see you and you can ride back with me in the Honda.”

  Her car was not a Honda and I wondered if Cass was starting to suspect something because the receiver was covered up again. I wished I knew what they were talking about.

  “Please Fran. I need to know where you are.”

  “Just put him on the phone Steph. If Cass has something to say to me or ask me, he can say it to me on the phone.”

  “He isn’t here.”

  “Yes he is. Just give him the phone Steph, please. I know what it is that he wants.”

  She hesitated and the receiver was covered up again. “Hello Fran.”

  “Hey Cass. I was hoping I wouldn’t have to hear your voice again, but I should have known that you wouldn’t let this go.”

  Chapter 9

  Lucas

  My lungs burned. They felt like they had been dipped in turpentine and the more I tried to catch my breath, the harder it was to do so. I should have gone to the hospital, but instead I called on good old Boris to make a call in the hotel I was in. I no longer had a house for house calls.

  “Lucas, you are not looking good my friend.”

  “It’s okay, just a little too much smoke. You brought the oxygen?”

  He patted the black bag that he had around his shoulder. The tall man was a sight for sore eyes and I already had a drink poured for him. He had his work cut out for him tonight. There wasn’t any gunshot wounds, his normal foray into doctoring, but there were three patients that had smoke inhalation and burns. I didn’t have but a couple on my arms, though David got a little more. His old lady had some as well, although she seemed to have gotten the worst of it. It was because she had tried to go out to her friend, Marge. Marge was the one that got shot as she tried to escape. Her death saved the rest of us though. That was something that I would always realize and be grateful for.

  I promised her and myself that I was going to find out who had done this and I was going to get my revenge.

  “We will have you back to normal soon Lucas. I can’t have you dying on me. You and your gang are starting to become one of my better customers.”

  I wished that he wasn’t right. It had been a rough and violent year this year and I was hoping that it would end on a peaceful note. Considering that I had to go to war with another person or persons, I was starting to feel like this damn year was never going to end. It sure didn’t feel like it at the moment.

  “Well I wish I could say that I was happy about that Boris. I am thankful that you keep patching us back together though. You have been a good man for the gang.”

  “Who did this to you? Another gang?”

  I shrugged because I really didn’t know the answer to that question. I wanted to say that I knew, but I didn’t. I still hadn’t heard from the guys with the information that I was looking for. I had been trying to get info on Caspien, but now he was the last thing on my mind. No man like him would have dared to do this to me, nor do I think he would have had the power and fortitude to do so. It wasn’t like the men ran up into my house and took me out while I slept. This method that they used was far different. It was not something that was done around here, not in the circles I ran with.

  “I don’t know Boris. They started the house on fire with cocktails through the windows on three sides so that we had to go through the front. One of the girls that were there went through the door first and as soon as she was outside they shot her in the head. They were waiting for us. If the cops hadn’t gotten there when they did, I don’t know if we would have gotten out of there alive.”

  Boris shook his head and told me that it was a shame. “I have heard of this before, but it has been a while. There was this guy that came in from south Texas. He brought several men with him as his crew and when he first got to New Orleans he did that very thing to several drug dealers around. He said that he didn’t want
to compete with no one else’s turf, so he just took it. It was always the same way. Burn them while they slept and then shoot them as they flee. It is a really good method to make sure that the victims were dead. You are a very lucky man Lucas.”

  I didn’t want to hear that. “What was the name?”

  “Oh, I think they call it a West Virginia Wake-up.”

  “No, not that, the guy. What was the guy’s name?” Why did I get a feeling that I already knew the answer to that question?

  “Oh hell Lucas, it has been many years since he came into town. I thought for sure that you would know him, every flake of snow that comes into the city, comes from him. His name was kind of strange. What was it? Oh it was something like Cass.”

  “Caspien?”

  “Yeah that’s it. You didn’t piss off the guy, did you?”

  I had a feeling that I had pissed off the guy, but I wasn’t sure what I had done. Fran had warned me of being seen with her, but I had blown it off. I had told her that it wasn’t like that, that he was just a man. But she had basically called me a buttercup and left. She hadn’t thought I could keep her safe from the guy. I just hadn’t known who I was dealing with. I was quickly starting to get a clue about that though. I was starting to see that I was in over my head. Could it be that I was getting it from Cass the whole time and never even knew I was doing business with him? It just didn’t seem possible. It really didn’t, but the sinking feeling in my chest told me that it was more than possible, it was probable.

  “I don’t know Boris. All I know is that someone tried to kill us tonight and it wasn’t the type of way I am used to. This man, this guy you are talking about. Did he used to live next to me?”

  Boris said that he didn’t know. “He never brought me to his house like you do. It was always in a strange little cabin in the bayou. The first couple of times, I didn’t know if I was going to be able to leave, but it all worked out.”

  I nodded my head, but I still wanted to know more. Boris was busy giving David some oxygen, while I pumped him for questions. Sometimes Boris was worth more to me than anyone else. Now he had the information that I needed.

  “So what do you think I should do?”

  “Do? I wouldn’t let him know you are still breathing Lucas. I have known you for a long time and I have always respected you, so please heed my warning. Caspien is on a whole other level. Now that he is running from the police, the man has even less to lose. I wonder what you did to piss him off. He rarely gets into with anyone anymore. I had to be something major or maybe it is all a misunderstanding.”

  “I think I got to close to his lady, well his ex.”

  “Not Fran I hope.”

  Her name made my ears perk up. “Yeah, it’s Fran.”

  Boris shook his head. “No wonder he is after you. She is just as bad as he is.”

  “I wanted to help her.”

  Boris laughed a little, chuckling as he dressed the burns. “Fran doesn’t need any help. She was the only one that could tame him. Fran is quite a woman and he will fight to the death for her.”

  I was starting to get the picture and it wasn’t helping the gnawing feeling in my stomach. I hadn’t known that she was right. But she was wrong about one thing. I wasn’t a nice guy either and there was no way that I was going to be able to let this slide. I just couldn’t. It wasn’t even about reputation or respect, it was about Fran. I don’t know why, but I could see how a man would want to fight to the death for a woman. She was worth it. I never thought I would feel this way, but damn if I didn’t.

  Fran was in danger if Cass was looking for her. I know that Boris thought she didn’t need the help, but to me she was delicate and needed to be protected. I wanted to protect her so badly and it was an urge that I wasn’t able to silence.

  “Why didn’t I know about him?” That was the real question.

  “Men like Cass don’t want to be known. Their strength is in the anonymity of it all. That’s why he never was too flashy. It was only when someone did something and he had to retaliate or if someone had what he wanted. Then you would know who he was and his name would be whispered. But after something like those burn and shoots that he does, there is no way that anyone is going to really say anything to him. Cass is untouchable, just because no one wants to be on the man’s bad side. No one stays breathing on that side for long.”

  The more I heard about Caspien, the less I wanted to meet him. But it was a requirement and I was all about taking care of my business. He was the man that had killed a girl in my house, burned it down and would have killed me in the process. All because I touched Fran’s shoulder? The man was obviously unhinged and the best thing that I could do would be to stay as far away from him as I possibly can. That is what I should have done, but I have never really been that guy.

  “Have you met him before?”

  Boris said that he had, but only a couple of times. “He is very secretive. You would know since you lived next to him for all of that time. How much do you know him?”

  I smiled at his words. The man had a point. I had lived next to him for quite some time and I really didn’t know much more than his name. He had seemed like an okay guy and I just left him to do his thing, while I did mine. Would that have been different if I would have known what kind of a man he really was?

  “Not much. We never did more than wave from a distance.”

  “You two are a lot alike, not afraid to do what is necessary.”

  Yes, that much I could agree with. There were some things that needed to be done and I wasn’t going to rest until they were done. The fact that it had to do with Caspien meant nothing to me. I wasn’t worried about what he was going to do to me, he thought I was dead. I was worried about what he was going to do to Fran. She was delicate, no matter what Boris said. I knew that she was going to need my help and that I was going to give it to her. There was no way that I could just let it go. I had to make sure that Fran wasn’t around that man ever again. He was dangerous and I didn’t want to think about what could happen to her.

  “There are some differences Boris. I would never hurt a woman, I don’t care if I thought it was necessary or not. There is always another way.”

  Boris shook his head and said something about Americans and being soft with their women. I was going to ignore his comment because I was going to irritate myself if I didn’t. I liked Boris and I wanted to continue liking Boris. He was an invaluable part of the operation and I had a distinct feeling that I was going to need him soon enough. With what was going on, hell with what was always going on, I had a feeling that I was going to be calling him in the next day or two. I was already on the mend and after learning what I could from Boris, I was ready to send out a crew to find out where I could find Cass. It appeared that the two of us were ready to have a sit down.

  “I can agree that you have some differences and this will be a setback, but be careful Lucas. Caspien is a different kind of man and you can’t let emotions get in the way. He won’t. That much I can guarantee you. I don’t even know if the man has any.”

  I thanked Boris for his services and walked him to the door. He told me that he didn’t mean any disrespect and I knew that he meant it, but he had to understand that I knew what I was doing. While I may not do things as big as Cass, I hadn’t been caught either. He had been busted several times and though he had found a patsy to take the fall for him, it wasn’t always going to work that way.

  He gave me a lot to think about, but one thing I knew for sure was that I was going to have to take care of Cass. It was for my own peace of mind, as well as the knowledge that he wouldn’t be able to get his hands on Fran. At the end of the day, I was still so worried about a woman that wouldn’t give me the time of day. Not only was it hard on my ego, it would be impossible to know that she went back to him and what Caspien was going to do with her when he took over. I wasn’t sure, but I was sure that it wasn’t going to be a good thing. People like Cass were used to getting their way and if they
didn’t, he didn’t know how to function.

  Chapter 10

  Fran

  “I have been missing you Fran. Where have you been? It makes me sad that you didn’t see how I was doing. I got shot you know. You would have known that if you would have stuck around. Where did you go?”

  He was mad, that much was clear but I didn’t understand why. He hadn’t brought up the fact that I was the one that had called the cops to the house. It was my fault that he had been shot. I knew that he was going to say that. I was just waiting.

  “I got away Cass. Where did you think I was going to go when you started putting your hands on me again? I told you that I wasn’t going to put up with it anymore.”

  “So you didn’t even care if I was hurt?”

  “I knew that you were too mean to die. I thought you were still in the hospital.”

  “Why don’t I believe you?”

  “Because you never believed me Cass that was half of the problem. All of this started because you thought I had done something with your meth and one of your dealers. I told you that I don’t put my hands on that stuff, but you wouldn’t listen. That is why I had to leave.”

  “And the cops?”

  “Survival.”

  He paused for a moment and though we were still talking in a relatively soft tone, I knew that it was only a matter of time before the temper came out. He was always just one or two words away from going into hulk mode and I was waiting for it. I didn’t want him to get so mad with Stephanie there, but I couldn’t help my smart mouth. I never had been able to do anything about it. Most of the time I thought of it as word vomit.

  “What do you want Cass?”

  “I want you to come back home. You should know what I want.”

  “Home?”

  “Well I can’t go there right now. The cops are heavy by my place. I haven’t gotten a lawyer down there to talk to someone yet, but that will be taken care of soon enough.”