Page 16 of The Tiger's Secret Baby (Savage Shifters Special Ops 4)

Gage called his insurance company and set an appointment for an agent to come out. He also made arrangements for a rental until he could buy a new vehicle.

Then, he made a phone call to the office. Alex and Andrew, the tech gurus, were going to be out right away, and the entire area was going to be outfitted with security cameras. Those would be monitored twenty four hours a day back at the office. Then, they would continue looking for dirt in places that, perhaps, traditional law enforcement wouldn’t approve of.

“What they did find out was that Duggers has been suspected in a lot of nasty crimes, including one murder where a home was burned down with an old man still inside. However, since no one could provide definitive proof that he was involved, nothing came of it.”

I rolled my eyes. “It’s going to be another Al Capone case. They could never find any proof of bootlegging, murders, or racketeering charges against him. So, the feds ended up sending him to prison for tax evasion. He was a guest at Alcatraz for four and a half years, until the syphilis started eating away his brain.”

Ember smirked and said, “You think we can find a way to infect Duggers with syphilis?”

Lucian choked on his laughter. “We might do some things that law enforcement doesn’t necessarily approve of, but infecting people with deadly diseases isn’t part of it. Plus, I don’t know anyone who has it right now.”

Ember shrugged. “It was a thought.”

She turned toward the house and said, “Come on kids. You’ve got breakfast dishes to pick up and then your lessons to get started on.”

One of the kids said, “Mom, can’t we stay…”

She quieted him with a look.

Gage watched her walk into the house and said, “I really wouldn’t want to make her mad. She has an evil brain.”

“Why do you think I fell in love with her in the first place?” I asked. I bit my tongue as soon as the words came out.

Everyone got super quiet when I said that. They weren’t sure how to respond.

Gage said, “Well, we’ve got a lot to do. We should probably help them finish the barn today. We want to be able to provide at least a little bit of protection for the animals, if possible.”

Lucian nodded. “The man has already proven that he is an evil psychopath, and will stop at nothing to get what he wants.”

A short while later, Andrew and Alex show up with the cameras. They put cameras in inconspicuous places, like in the trees, under the eaves the house, and even on top of the wood beam on the swing set, so that every angle of the living area was covered. If Duggers and his men showed up, we would be able to see them.

They were in the middle of installing them when a little one came rushing out of the house. “Mom wants you,” she said, breathlessly.

I ran into the house. She had the phone on speaker. Magnar was standing beside her, his face turning a deep red color.

“I heard that you had a little bit of trouble out your way last night. I hope none of your little angels weren’t hurt,” his dripping voice said.

“Stay off my property,” she told him. “And you had better not touch a single hair on any of my children, because I promise you this. I might not be a big bad monster like you. But if you upset a Mama Bear, she will rip your heart out and eat it before you draw your last breath.”

Her voice had dropped into a deep growl and I had absolutely no doubt that she meant every word that she said.

“All you have to do is sell your place to me, and I’ll make sure no one hurts anyone.”

That was when I stepped in. “She isn’t selling to you, and we’ll make sure no one gets hurt.”

“Identify yourself,” he said.

I hung up the phone.

Gage had come in to see what was going on.

“Do you think that we can get a trace on the phone so we know exactly where those harassing calls are coming from?”

Gage smiled. “I think that is doable.”

He went to the front door. “Alex? Andrew? Before you leave, I have another task for you.”

Ember looked amazed. “What are they? James Bond’s supplier of nifty doodads?”

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