Corbin (The Theriot Family)

“I was thinking I would talk to Corbin tomorrow,” I said.

“Corbin? He’s just a kid. What’s he going to do?”

I bristled. No matter how much I might have thought that myself or questioned Corbin’s seriousness or his ability, I wasn’t going to let anybody else do it. “One, Remington’s out of town, and he’s not to be disturbed. Two, Corbin’s grown up a lot recently.” Very recently, like in the last few days. “Three, Corbin likes to keep himself in the know. People say things around him because they think he’s still a kid.”

“Still, wouldn’t Lance be the better choice?”

“Not this time.” Ambrose gave me an uncomfortably assessing look. “There’s more to this that you’re not saying, but it doesn’t matter. You check in and get back to me.”

“If I’m going to do that, you have to answer your phone.”

“I’ll get back to you when I get back to you. Things move slower out here.”

“They move fast in the city,” Louis said. “And these people aren’t going to take a slow pace when they come for you.”

“These people are going to die when they come for me. They have no idea what they’re messing with.”

In that moment Ambrose looked like the scary man I was sure he imagined himself to be, one too crazy to ever be part of polite society again.

“Thank you for warning me.”

“You know I have your back. Call if you need anything, and I’ll be out here as fast as I can.”

“If Guidry comes for me, I’ll probably hear him from two miles away.”

“And if they send someone more skilled?”

“Then Gerard will be really well fed.”

I didn’t doubt Ambrose’s ability, and now that he’d been warned, I figured he was right. No one who came for him had a chance. “I guess we’ll get going now that you’re prepared and caught up with what’s going on.”

He shocked me by saying, “Stay the night. I’ve got a couch and a sleeping bag or two around here.”

“I know you value your privacy, and—”

“It’s a fucking miracle you found this place in the dark. Trying to get out of the swamp safely too is just tempting fate. Sleep here and head home at first light.”

With that he gave us a nod and went into the cabin’s other room and shut the door. When I woke the next morning, light was just dawning in the sky. Louis was sound asleep, and I contemplated how to wake him without disturbing Ambrose. Then I realized the bedroom door was wide open, the bed was empty, and there was coffee in the pot. Ambrose was already out for the morning doing God knows what.

I shook Louis. “Come on. We should get out of here before Ambrose comes back.”

He blinked and rubbed his eyes. “Comes back? What the hell time is it?”

“Time for us to get up and get out of here so we can respect his privacy. He even left us some coffee. If you get moving fast enough, you might have time to drink some.” There were disposable cups we could take with us stacked by the coffee pot, but I didn’t tell Louis that.

Louis groaned. “Please tell me this place has indoor plumbing.”

I laughed. “The compost toilet isn’t bad.”

He stumbled into the little closet that served as a bathroom.

As I poured our coffee, I wondered why Ambrose would have these cups. I had the impression he never had guests. Maybe I was wrong or maybe he just found it easier to take these out with him, though I knew he’d never leave trash in the bayou or the woods. It was just another mystery I’d have to ponder. Or work up the nerve to ask about.

By the time we got back to town, it was already time to get the shop ready for the day. I sent Louis on his way with a thanks and a promise to contact him. He’d let me know if he learned anything else.

Once I was in my apartment, I showered and dressed as fast as I could. I was already late to pick up Corbin, and I knew I’d get heckled for that. I might slowly be teaching him some discipline, but he was always going to be a bit of a brat. I didn’t really want that to change.

I pulled up to Remy’s house expecting Corbin to be watching for me, but I didn’t see him, and the gate remained closed. Luckily, this early I was able to find a place to park on the street. Corbin’s car was parked in the small courtyard beyond the gate, but no lights were on in the house that I could see. I pressed the buzzer on the gate. When I got no response, I called Corbin. Was he punishing me for being late? I’d deal with that if he was.