Winter's Pack (The Cursed Book 2)

by Lou Grimes

  He released his hold. Louvette flashed her confused eyes at Arsen, but would save her questions for later when Floralen wasn’t around.

  Louvette put her hand over her mouth when she saw the plane tag with Wilder Blackwood’s name on it tied around the straps on the hiking bag.

  She opened the bag gingerly as if it might fall apart under her fingers. Louvette removed the canteen in there that was now empty, then a rope. There was also a flashlight, a rain suit, and a zipped-up bank bag.

  Digging around, she found nothing she had been searching for. Arsen, Ian, and now Floralen stared animatedly at her.

  “Check the bank bag,” Ian said, pointing to it. Louvette unzipped it.

  “No phone, just a paper,” Louvette replied.

  “When you got this bag a couple months ago, did you ever hear any ringing?” Arsen asked Floralen.

  “I always hear the earth humming,” Floralen said.

  “Okay, so she probably wouldn’t have noticed,” Ian deduced. Louvette punched him in the air, not needing him to further piss off their only chance.

  “Any ideas on where we go from here?” Arsen asked them. Ian simply stared off in thought.

  “I’m working on it,” Louvette murmured as she started to pace. Her pacing had her stumbling against the forgotten canteen.

  The instant her foot landed, the canteen flew into a rock, breaking the top off.

  A phone fell out of the canteen.

  “Why would Wilder Blackwood hide his phone in his canteen?” Ian pondered.

  “Because there was something on it he didn’t want the wrong people to see,” Arsen answered.

  “Thank you, Floralen,” Louvette said.

  “No need to thank, just don’t come around again, as much as I like your company. If you must come again, leave your pets at home,” Floralen replied.

  Arsen and Ian opened their mouths to object, but Louvette snatched up the bag before they could speak.

  “Bye, Floralen,” Louvette called, dragging the two of them out of the bunker.

  “What about the Fae?” Louvette asked, glancing back once they were outside. A trail of the remainder of the food she had left her led back towards the bunker.

  “She’s happy and isn’t harming anyone, so I just say let her be. If anyone was designed to survive in the forest, it was her. I’ll have someone check in on her periodically if you like. Bring her food and supplies,” Arsen said.

  “Thank you, Arsen,” she replied, giving him a tight hug.

  “Sorry to say, it’s already morning,” Arsen added as they headed back.

  “This would be an awesome place to go run,” Louvette agreed.

  “Maybe we can come back here on a pleasant trip that doesn’t involve tracking things,” Arsen continued.

  “I’d love to,” Louvette said.

  They returned to where Ian had parked the truck when he had to drop himself off at the north location.

  Once they got back into town, Arsen and Louvette dropped Ian at the hotel and then went to get food. When they finally got back, ordering a hot pepperoni pizza sounded like the best course of action, and some junk food would supplement their hike through the night.

  Carry-out was the safest option to prevent the Pacific Coast Pack or even Thomas from finding out they were in Eureka. The only people who had seen their faces would be limited to the concierge at the hotel, the Fae in the forest, who was the most unlikely to talk to anyone, and the waitress at the pizza joint.

  Ian opened the door before they knocked on it.

  “I’ve pulled almost all the files off of it,” Ian started. They slipped into the room and shut the door, locking it behind them.

  “Did you find what Thomas needed on it?” Arsen asked once the door closed.

  Louvette’s stomach growled. Throwing the top back, she picked an extra saucy one and bit into it. The savory salty pepperoni had created a thin layer of grease on top of the cheese. Her cheese stretched from her lips to the pizza. It was perfect.

  “No, I’ve been waiting for you two,” Ian said.

  “Where should we start?” Arsen asked. Louvette had an idea.

  “Does he have any text messages?” she wondered. She had no idea if her grandfather was the texting type. He might have even hated it.

  “Yes. There are a couple of spam texts that are dated after his death,” Ian answered after clicking away for a few minutes.

  “Any before that?” Arsen asked.

  “The last one before his death was to Thomas Hollows. It reads, ‘The NLP needs to set rat traps in their own territory. A percentage of the NLP is taking over the POP. DB possibly found out the truth,’” Ian said slowly, as if the answer might come out wrong. However, it didn’t.

  “What does that mean?” Louvette questioned.

  “That part of the Northline Pack betrayed the Pacific Ocean Pack,” Ian explained.

  “What’s worse is someone or a group of someones helped them betray the Northline Pack,” Arsen said.

  “If my dad knew about it, they must have off’ed him over it, like they killed my grandfather,” Louvette said.

  “I’m sorry. The last thing I wanted was this, but at least now you he didn’t abandon you,” Arsen replied.

  “Thomas is obviously a part of it somehow, or is at least helping them,” Louvette pointed out.

  “I bet you that is why Thomas was able to travel back and forth so much without it being a problem,” Arsen added.

  “What do we do now? I doubt asking Thomas is going to provide a positive answer,” Ian asked.

  “Who can we trust now?” Louvette questioned. Everyone was a suspect at this point, except her own mother who she couldn’t tell the truth to. It would only put her in more danger than before.

  “I think we should tell my father,” Arsen suggested.

  “I vote no. Not saying I don’t trust him, but what about all the people who are supposed to be close to him?” Louvette asked.

  “I vote no too because, chances are, he won’t believe you. No offense, but look at it from his point of view. For one thing, we have no proof other than a text and two potential casualties,” Ian said.

  “For a second thing, this hasn’t been the first time your father has brushed things off. In Declan’s journal, they went to check when your father wouldn’t. Plus, he believes that Declan just ran off,” Louvette pointed out.

  “I see your point. I won’t tell him for the time being, but if it starts becoming a war, then I will have to tell him,” Arsen agreed.

  “Now what, as far as the trip is concerned? We can’t go sightseeing or anything with the Pacific Ocean Pack crawling about,” Louvette wondered.

  “We don’t leave again until our flight. Ian, move it to tonight,” Arsen decided.

  “To move it so last minute, I’d have to do it illegally,” Ian said.

  “Then do it,” Arsen sighed.

  “I need you to ask me nicely,” Ian replied. Louvette couldn’t stop a laugh from bubbling out. Ian got as much delight out of torturing Arsen as she did.

  “No,” Arsen said, tight lipped.

  “Come on Arsen! Are you really going to let your pride endanger our lives?” Louvette questioned. Arsen sent her a smoldering glance that said she was not helping the situation.

  “Please, Ian. Do something illegal even though I told you not to,” Arsen relented.

  “Sure thing, anything for YOU!” Ian said, emphasizing the you part to get his point across. As much as she cared for Arsen, Louvette was on Ian’s side for this kind of situation.

  Louvette must have felt Ian was a kindred spirit because he was in the same situation. He was a little brother in her heart, one she might have had if someone hadn’t betrayed her father. The he-man was protecting her and his protection was smothering her out just like Ian.

  “Thanks for all the help,” Arsen mocked.

  “Anytime,” Louvette promised whole heartedly. “Jokes aside, how do we go about finding the traitors?” she po
ndered.

  “I’m not sure to be honest. We might set a trap. Let’s think about it for a bit,” Arsen suggested.

  They bounced ideas off of each other for a while until the ideas were similar to chips left out overnight, stale and useless.

  During this time, Ian managed to work his tech magic and their flight was moved to that night.

  Louvette started fidgeting. She was going stir crazy from sitting around. “I’m going downstairs to grab a snack. I need some sugar in my life,” she said, standing up and stretching.

  The walk to the concierge was more for her sanity than anything else.

  The shelves had some snacks that were savory, sweet, or a little bit of both, and she took longer to decide than needed.

  The same woman was there who had checked them in when they arrived. The woman’s eyes followed her as Louvette browsed the small selection of shelves. Louvette changed the cavity of her nose to a wolf’s.

  The change that had once brought tears to her eyes barely gave her a twitch now. Once she was finished, she gave a little sniff. That scent was all human, except for the faint trail of her companions now imprinted in her mind. She was getting better at distinguishing different wolves’ scents instead of just lumping all the Lupine together. It was an art, similar to the fine-tuned radio they had used to search for the phone.

  After finally selecting her candy, she checked out at the front desk using the little bit of cash she had brought.

  On her way back after a few bites of creamy peanut butter chocolate cups, the trip felt off, as if someone was following her.

  She should have listened to her gut when her foot hit the first step, echoing the same as if her wolf senses were on high alert. The sound vibrations bouncing off the wall seemed to have no end.

  Hands grabbed her arm. They pulled her into a mechanical room before she could break the hold.

  Thomas Hollows had found them.

  Chapter 10

  Glaring at the once family friend, Louvette was tormented. A wave of disgust overtook her body and soul in the same way a spectral ghost claiming someone to inhabit.

  The impulse to do more than hit him took over her, but she needed to find out who was pulling his puppets strings. She would hold off for the time being to get what answers she could from him.

  Hollows stood before her in a grey suit, appearing as dapper as the first time Louvette had laid eyes upon him. This man had blinded both her and her mother easily enough. The opportunity he offered them made them trust him almost on the spot. He was their grandfather’s lawyer and had been since he first passed the bar, according to Louvette’s mother who he had bragged to.

  Before he was something from another world because of the way Louvette had grown up, but now he was some lying, backstabbing lawyer who had a possible murder charge under his belt. No amount of fine clothing would transform a snake into anything other than what it was.

  “How did you find us?” Louvette asked, clenching her fists beside her. She was ready to hit him. He deserved worse, and if Louvette’s wolf had its own way, he’d receive worse.

  “The concierge reports to the Pacific Ocean Pack of visiting supernatural,” Thomas divulged.

  “Ah! I should listen to my instincts more. I noticed the one at the Clarion Hotel that couldn’t stop staring as soon as I arrived,” Louvette said, sarcastically.

  “I know how terrible this looks,” Thomas started out saying. He was the picture of innocence still.

  “Do you? Because it looks like you killed my father and my grandfather with the help of the Pacific Ocean Pack to keep whatever dirty secrets you’re hiding,” Louvette said in a hard tone, sad over the vast number of broken hearts this man had caused. The heart of her mother twice. The heart of her grandfather twice. Her own heart, around three times.

  “It’s not that black and white, Louvette,” he said as if that would make things better for either side of the fence.

  “Why did you do it?” she demanded, eyes narrowing. Louvette wished for his answer to be enough, but no answer would make up for what he had taken from her.

  “The deal was I would get Sarah,” he admitted.

  The comment about if her mother remembered him came back to her similar to a lightning strike directly to the heart. It both halted her heartbeat, and recharged it. Getting rid of the last Blackwoods to get Louvette here had been his plan all along because if she came, so would her mother.

  “What deal?” she asked, zeroing in on the odd word. A deal implied something agreed upon between two parties or more. He ignored her words and kept going.

  “Only she bolted before I could make her mine. I’ve loved your mother since the second she stepped foot in Whitefish. The day I planned to ask your mother out, your father had already done it,” Thomas confessed.

  “She lost the man she loved because of you. That is enough to make anyone run,” Louvette pointed out.

  No wonder her mother had spent a lifetime glancing over her shoulders. She just had no clue how close to home the danger was. The man her mother had come to know and was falling for was capable of anything save loyalty.

  “I never killed your father. I could not. He was my best friend,” Thomas said, appearing forlorn.

  “Explain the deal you made. Why did you make a deal with the Pacific Ocean Pack?” Louvette demanded again.

  The nerve of this man was inconceivable, as if he could barter and trade her own mother like she was some item at a black market. The thought made her sicker as it developed. There was a high probability he would sell his own mother for some magic beans that would make him grow a pair. It hadn’t worked for obvious reasons.

  “The deal was for me to do nothing. Certain people inside the Northline pack intended to take control of the Pacific Ocean Pack. I found out, and knew Wilder would find out if he went there,” Thomas answered, appearing ashamed of his actions. He was at least pretending to be ashamed, though Louvette doubted his authenticity.

  “I bet you paid the Pacific Ocean Pack to kill him because you couldn’t. That’s what happens when you have no balls.” Louvette tested a theory, waiting for a reaction from him to figure out who was responsible. As she endeavored to poke holes in his story, Louvette imagined poking holes in him.

  “They didn’t kill him, either,” Thomas disclosed.

  “Then who did?” Louvette demanded, losing her patience.

  “He left on his own accord. Declan is the reason Wilder is dead because if he hadn’t run off, Wilder never would have been in the wrong place at the wrong time,” Thomas shouted, finally losing it. The amount of pain in his face was almost comical to Louvette. He seemed to be striving to achieve best actor of the year.

  “No, he didn’t,” Louvette said out of disbelief that Hollows would do something so low.

  “He did. He’s in Mexico. He walked out on everyone,” Thomas said bitterly. For a brief second, Louvette almost believed him from the conviction and the hurt laced in his voice. But this man was an expert liar. She couldn’t believe anything that came out of his mouth without proof.

  “That’s pretty convenient, isn’t it?” Louvette asked.

  “It’s where he is,” Thomas repeated.

  “Call him, then,” Louvette yelled, losing her temper.

  “I have no way of contacting him. I only know he’s there because a former local of Whitefish called and told me,” he explained. Louvette started giggling. It was an odd snigger because it was borderline crazy. She was mostly mocking.

  Following his prolonged silence, her snicker halted. She shook her head.

  “I guess I’ll have to find out the hard way, but I’m not going to Mexico without any proof,” she said to him before tearing into his mind as roughly as she could. The need to leave mental scars came over her as if she was some deranged evil doctor who was torturing her subject.

  There was no one for him to tell and she would experiment on making it a hard thing for him– similar to what she had done to Emily. Sooner or later,
she would find a method to keep people quiet.

  When Louvette’s mind came to his barrier, it wasn’t anything impressive. This was not Floralen’s mind, so beautifully safeguarded. The walls of his mind appeared to be made up of metal Louvette couldn’t name, but whatever it was seemed sturdy. She mentally tapped on it, testing its stability. She was not stunned when it gave way to her tapping as if it had never been there. The barrier was a façade all along.

  Louvette was beginning to see that people’s mental barriers resembled their true nature. Floralen was made of wild vines and was stronger than any mind she had come across as of now. Thomas had appeared strong on the outside, but was so unbelievably weak when he met any kind of pressure. Hollows was a coward, as was his mind.

  His mind was about the same as Emily’s had been, except hers wasn’t weak. Emily was hurting. Louvette forced his memory into play. A vibrant yellow splash of color took over everything. More colors followed until they swirled about in the same way as someone mixing paints. It captivated her.

  Thomas Hollows and one of his clients were having lunch. The man across the table seemed like a banker who had been caught embezzling at a company of thirty years. Thomas himself had a fuzzy memory of the man’s insignificant face, not unlike the news channel that had blurred out the faces of people who hadn’t signed a release form.

  An okay lawyer handled so many people on a daily basis, and from what Arsen had told her, Hollows was a terribly devious lawyer who hardly lost cases. He must have met thousands of people a year, so faces barely made an impression at this point in time.

  Their body language was the opposite as well. His client was leaning forward animatedly. He was hooked on every word. Thomas was relaxed. He was a man who had no worries of going to jail, unlike his lunch date. Time wasn’t precious for him.

  The two of them sat at a patio table that had a red and white striped umbrella directly between them. It was saving them from the blinding sun.

  It was at a charming bistro place, the kind that had metal chairs and tables outside for city people to get a little fresh air in their lives. People often went on dates or business appointments here for its unique atmosphere. More people drank here than anything though the menu boasted nostalgic sandwiches and fresh salads that were better than the ones most people made themselves.