A Wolf's Purpose

•Chapter 86• You've Gone Soft

"You know where they are?" Louis nodded his head almost to his own regret. Bill smirked wickedly. Of course, Louis knew where to find them. Now everything was falling into place. Maybe not the big dramatic scene he dreamed of but it was certainly something. "They are being heavily guarded," Louis tells his friend. But Bill seemed unimpressed by that. "Just saying." Bill patted his back. "I know. It'll be fine. In and out." He replied. Louis shook his head slightly. "It is a little more than that." He said, earning an eye roll from Bill. Obstacles were not there from his perspective. Only little rocks on the road. But you can get rid of those with one simple kick. "We'll manage." Bill was right. They would manage. But Louis still felt a sting in his chest when he thought about their plan and what they were about to do. "You don't feel bad, do you? Not even for the girl? Not even a little." Louis asked him. Their deal was cruel, not to them but to someone else. Bill turned to him and gave him a look. A look Louis knew too well. It was a bit smug even. "Getting emotional, are we?" Bill got closer to his friend, "This is how I want it to be. After this, everyone's happy, and it stops. That was the deal." There was no way of reasoning with Bill. Not over this. "I was only asking a question," Louis said.
"Well, don't. You're only making things harder for yourself." Louis disagreed with him on that. He wasn't making things harder. He seemed like he was the only one thinking straight.

"You used to be the ruthless one out of us. And then you got soft -" Bill started. "There's nothing wrong with dialing it down a notch. Murdering and torturing. It's not always the answer." Louis said, cutting his friend off. They almost got caught that last time and put everything at risk. Anyone would have made that decision. Well, everyone except Bill. "You got soft." Bill chuckled, almost laughing out loud. "Because you didn't." Louis didn't think it was funny. "You're the one who has a family." Bill looked at him. Louis' shoulders were tense. That couldn't be because of him. "Yeah, and you don't. Which makes me question some things." He said.
Louis sighed and tried to move on. But Bill got close behind him after he thought about it all. Louis started toning it down shortly after the trials in court with Selena, Leah, and their other friend. Louis drew near Leah more sometimes when they were in the cabin. Of course, she never wanted to come near him again after she was free. Or did she? Bill stood closely behind his friend, pressing his front against his back and leaning to his ear. Getting into Louis' personal space to annoy him was nothing new for Bill. "How did you know where to find Leah?" Bill asked him. Louis' heart rate picked up a little but he was careful not to make a sound or show it to him. "Elms?" He tried to make it sound like he didn't know anything about the woman. "Fox," Bill warned him. It almost sounded like a threat. "Really." Louis chuckled, "I don't know what you're trying to say." Bill clicked his tongue and poked his friend to get some kind of reaction out of him. But Louis barely moved. Even when his finger pressed into his side, Louis stood as still as possible, looking unimpressed.

"Sly fox." Louis started shaking his head. It was hard enough to hide Leah from Bill all those years ago when they were a thing. Now he figures things out? When he's on a murder spree again? When they're not together anymore? "Still doesn't ring a bell." Louis lied. Bill stepped aside to stand right in front of Louis now. "You got that name for a reason. Just tell me." Tell him what? How he had a secret relationship with that woman for years? How he still has a thing for her? Tell him that he would protect Leah from him if he had to. Louis was certain he would end up with a stab wound or two if he ever confessed those things. "I have no idea what you want to hear." He replied calmly. Bill scanned his face for any suspicion but found none. However, Louis has always been good at hiding things and being sneaky. He took a slight step back. His gaze remained on his friend, though. "I'm onto you."

Casper lifted his head with furrowed eyebrows. Ian's plan was a ridiculous one. "Without my sister? I don't think so." Jayden stated. His brothers nodded along with him and shared the same stern expressions. "You can go. Take Leah and Meg with you. But we're not going." Ian looked at Casper for help without much success. Casper didn't want to leave without Jade either. What if Bill got to her again? Imagine what he'd do to her. "We don't know what Louis promised him. We -" Ian tried to explain it to them but none of the boys wanted to listen to him or let him finish his sentences. "I want my sister with me."
"We do not have the time for that, Jayden. She is safe where she is right now, but you are not. This isn't a discussion." Ian did not want to raise his voice at them. They were being stubborn. All three of them. Megan wanted to leave. Maybe she'd get to see her parents again soon if she wasn't on the run with the triplets anymore. Leah wanted to be with her family. She was tangled in this mess all over again and she wanted out. "In case you've forgotten, I'm not in your little group, okay? You're not my uncle. You're not my dad. And we are not leaving without Jade." Casper stood up and got between Jayden and Ian. "Alright, alright." He said as calmly as possible. He was not used to standing in the middle of an argument. Not with these two. "I want her to be safe too, okay? But Ian's right, we don't know what Louis and Bill are up to. We might want to get to a safer location in case we were followed by one of Bill's little henchmen. You got that? We're not going to Mexico. Just a safer location."

Ian felt a bit bad that he could not explain it like that to the others. He was stressed, and tired, and they still had so much to do. He had no idea what Louis was up to. Who knows what Bill was going to do now if Louis was letting him loose? A deal. What deal? "He won't kill her. He needs her. Or did you forget that?" Jayden turned his head away. Bill needed Jade more than he'd like to admit. His sons were important to him. But his daughter? "Just listen to what he has to say. And let him speak." Casper turned to Ian. The man thanked him quietly.
Whilst Ian tried to reason with the triplets again, Casper grabbed his phone and dialed Andrew's phone number that Ian had given him. He wasn't sure if he would even answer. He walked into the hallway and shut the door behind him so no one could hear him and he couldn't hear the others. "Hello?" Andrew's voice sounded through the speaker. Casper swallowed the lump in his throat. "It's Casper." Silence. Did he hang up? "I know she's with you. Just want to know if she's okay or not." Still nothing. No response whatsoever. "Andrew? Hello?" Casper looked at the screen and saw that he was still on the call. "Cas?" He quickly pressed the device to his head again. He held it with both hands as if he were holding the most precious thing in the world. "Hey, boss." He smiled, "Miss me?" It was a bit cheesy. He knew that. But hearing her voice was the best thing he'd heard all week. "Yes. So much. Are you okay?" He could hear a tremble in her voice. Was she close to crying? He wanted to crawl through the phone and hold her. "I'm okay. More than okay, now." He imagined her smiling at him and it made his heart flutter a bit.