“I saw cell phone lights in the garden. Two men.” Jack was on his phone calling someone. “Hey, Leyton, we have company out back digging up the garden. If I had a guess, I’d say it was Hellion and Ralph.”
“I’ll get hold of Travis and we’ll be on our way over there. You concentrate on keeping your family safe.”
Dottie was already dressed and headed for one of the bedrooms. Jack stalked toward Trish’s while he called Chase to let him know the trouble they could be in and that Bridget was on her way over to the sheriff’s department to speak with Carolyn.
“As soon as Bridget gets here, I’ll be on my way there,” Chase said.
“Thanks, Chase.” Jack called Dan to let him know what was going on as he helped carry a sleeping Trish to their master bedroom. He’d considered sending Dottie and the kids out of there in the car, but he didn’t want to alert Hellion and have him shooting up the vehicle with Jack’s family in it. Jack figured it was better to wait for the cavalry and pretend they had no clue that anyone was out in the backyard looking for the stash of money. Which made Jack wonder how they had received word about it when Bishop was dead.
“How many are there?” Dottie whispered as she led a sleepy Jeff into their bedroom, his pillows and blankets in her arms.
“Two men that I could see.”
“Hide under the bed, Jeff, like I taught you,” Dottie said. Once both kids were under the bed with their pillows and blankets, she retrieved her gun.
Jack quickly threw on some jeans, a T-shirt, and his boots. “Stay here with the kids. I’m going to take a look and see if there are more of them.”
“Don’t confront them until help arrives.”
“I wouldn’t think of it. Normally, I’d wait for backup. As long as they don’t make their way toward the house, I’m not going to alert them that we know they’re out there.” Then Jack gave Dottie a hug and kissed her. “Just stay here with the kids. No matter what.”
Dottie’s heart was racing as much as his was. He didn’t want to leave her alone with the kids, but he wanted to learn where everyone was, if there were any more of them.
He stalked down the hall toward the living room when he realized the cat door hadn’t been secured. Most cougars never locked them unless they were going to be gone for an extended stay somewhere else. They didn’t worry about other cougars invading their homes. But as soon as he thought about it, he saw a pair of golden eyes glowing near the kitchen, watching him. He knew it was Gigi right away. And he knew that her breaking into the house like this meant she wasn’t there for a social visit.
She snarled at him and lunged.
15
Shots rang out, the sound coming from behind Jack. The cougar fell to the floor a few feet away in front of him. Jack whipped around to see Dottie still holding the gun up, ready to shoot the cat again if it moved a muscle. Dottie was shaking and Jack hurried to give her a hug and kiss. “Go, Dottie. Back to the bedroom. Protect the kids. The others will be coming now.” He didn’t want her to believe it was her fault, just that it was the most likely course of action the men would take next. Particularly if Hellion thought or knew his sister had entered the house and could now be dead.
“I had to shoot her,” Dottie said, wiping away several tears rolling down her cheeks. “She would have killed you.”
“You did right.” Jack knew from the way Dottie spoke, she was trying to reassure herself that she really had done the right thing. That she hadn’t put them all at risk by killing Gigi. “I hesitated too long. She could have killed me if you hadn’t taken her down.” He held onto Dottie and felt her trembling in his arms. “Go, honey. Stay with the kids. Hellion’s bound to be shooting up the house next.”
She nodded and ran back down the hall to their bedroom.
Jack hurried to lock the cougar door in the kitchen. He saw the two men in the garden staring at the house as if waiting to verify they’d heard shooting. Then they ran toward the house.
Simultaneously, someone fired shots at the front door, which meant someone else was with them. “Hell.” If the three men breached the house, Jack wasn’t sure he could protect his family from all three of them. There could be even more.
Jack moved into the hallway, waiting for the man to break in the front door when someone shot at the back door.
In an instant, Jack was on his phone. “We’re under fire,” Jack warned Leyton. “At least three men—Hellion, Ralph for certain. Gigi’s dead.”
“We’re almost there. Don’t take any unnecessary risks.”
Jack would do anything to keep these men from reaching his family. The front door banged open. No one came in. Jack’s heart was racing, his palms sweaty as he readied his weapon to fire at the first man that showed his face. He listened for any sounds, any conversation, anything that would clue him in as to their whereabouts. He knew they wouldn’t all congregate at one location, which would make for easier target practice for him. After Dottie killed Gigi, he knew Hellion would want all of them dead.
Several shots were fired at the back door and with the distraction, a man rushed in through the front door. Before the man could race for cover behind the high-backed couch, Jack shot him in the chest three times. The back door banged open and two men came in shooting.
Jack fired several rounds at Hellion first, the other man diving for cover behind the couch. Jack didn’t want to take the fight to the master bedroom, but he needed to get cover. Hellion was down. Jack didn’t know if he was dead or just wounded. Jack moved back toward the first bedroom, and slipped into Jeff’s room, waiting for anyone to move down the hall in his direction.
Chase’s siren was within hearing distance now and Leyton and Travis’s cars roared up the long gravel drive to the house. What Jack didn’t expect was for the man he thought he’d killed, to take off through the front door. Shots rang out in the front yard. Ralph dashed out the back door and Jack came out of the bedroom to link up with the others and take these men down for good. But when he went to check on Hellion as Travis and Leyton announced they were coming in, all Jack found was blood, no sign of Hellion. Damn it all to hell.
Leyton and Travis rushed inside the house.
“Ralph and Hellion ran out the back way. I wounded Hellion, thinking the bastard was dead. Either he passed out, or he pretended that he was dead. A blood trail on the wood floor leads all the way out the door.” With any luck, the bastard would bleed to death before his enhanced healing genetics could stop that from happening.
“Gigi?” Travis asked as he checked to see if the woman had a pulse. “The woman is dead.”
“Yeah. She lunged at me and Dottie shot her.”
“Maybe we should recruit Dottie,” Leyton said.
“No way in hell.”
Leyton smiled. “We’ll go after Hellion and Ralph. You stay here with your family. Chase is checking out the dead man in the front yard, and then Chase will remain here with all of you.” Leyton hurried out back and Travis followed after him.
Jack had a call from Bridget as he made his way to the bedroom to see to Dottie and the kids. “What did you learn?”
“I just talked to Carolyn. I learned that the man trafficking the cats is named Homer. That’s the only name she knows. He’d partnered up with a guy named Hellion. She only knew his first name also. I called Dan to let him know.”
“Okay. Chase and the others are here.” Jack told her what had happened.
“Are Dottie and the kids okay?”
At the closed master bedroom door, Jack said, “It’s just me, Dottie. Everyone else is here to help out.” He opened the door and saw Dottie aiming the gun at him. She quickly lowered it and rushed to him. “Yeah, she and the kids are good,” he said to Bridget over the phone. He pulled Dottie against his chest and hugged her. Both kids were still under the bed, quiet, maybe sleeping.
“Okay, I’ll let you go,” Bridget said.
“Talk later.”
“Hey, just me,” Chase said as he met up with them in
the bedroom. His light brown hair was windswept, his green eyes narrowed. He showed them the driver’s license for the dead man out front. “His name is Homer Adkins. How much do you want to bet he was related to Bishop Adkins and he also knew about the money that Jeffrey had hidden in the garden out back?”
“I’d say it was a good bet. From what Bridget says, he’s also the one responsible for trying to traffic the cats.”
“Jack, you’ve been hurt,” Dottie suddenly said.
Jack felt the blood on his cheek and the sting of the cut on his skin then. “It’s nothing to worry about. Makes me look like I was doing something. Like, ducking for cover.”
She smiled at him and he was glad to see her smile.
He held her tight and told her where everyone was and about wounding Hellion, but he’d gotten away. She was trembling and he wanted to put her to bed, but he knew they needed to leave here.
“I’ve never shot anyone before. But you didn’t shoot her. And I knew she was going to try and kill you if she had the chance.”
“I would have, if you hadn’t beaten me to it.” Though he had hesitated because he still couldn’t believe Gigi had wanted him dead.
Then they heard men coming in through the back door.
“Just us!” Leyton called out as Chase headed that way to intercept whoever it was.
Leyton joined them in the bedroom because Jack wasn’t leaving Dottie or the kids alone for now. “They’re long gone. They had a getaway car parked off a dirt road off the main one. I found a blood trail all the way there. Whether Hellion lost enough blood to make it life-threatening or not, I’m really not sure. If I had to make an educated guess, I’d say no. He wouldn’t have made it that far. I believe he’ll take some time to recover. A few days at least.”
“We need to move you out of here,” Chase said. “With both of your doors broken down, it’s not safe. I highly doubt they’ll return tonight, but we can’t risk it. Your choice as to where you want to go. Anyone would be willing to put you up for the night. We’ll get everything cleaned up before you and the kids come home.”
That was the great thing about being in the cougar community. If this had happened to Jack and Dottie in Missouri, they could have gone to Aunt Emily’s place or his parents’. Beyond that, they wouldn’t have had any other options except for a hotel.
“Maybe, so we don’t put anyone’s mates or kids at further risk, we should stay with Dan or Stryker,” Dottie said.
“Why don’t you stay with us?” Travis asked. “Bridget and I can offer more fire power at the field office.”
“All right.” As far as Jack was concerned that would be the safest place for them to go tonight. Leyton and Kate’s home was just a couple of backyards away, so if Leyton needed to reach the field office in a heartbeat to help them out, he could. The field office was also the home to Bridget and Travis and a place for other agents to stay when they dropped into the area, and their meeting place for making plans.
Travis immediately called Bridget and told her they’d meet her at the field office when Chase relieved her.
“I told Dan the men might be headed back that way, thinking Hellion and Ralph could attempt to stay in the house where they’re holding the cats captive, since the one man who was killed was in on the scheme,” Chase said.
“That means Dan, Hal, and Stryker would have to deal with them next. Of course, if Hellion is badly wounded, he’ll be easy to take down.” Jack assumed with Dan and the others being aware of the threat, they’d do all right. “Dan and the others should reach the house in another half hour.”
“I’ve already called the paramedics to take care of the bodies. Travis, why don’t you follow Jack and Dottie and the kids into town and get them settled for the rest of the night. After the paramedics take care of the bodies while Chase and I provide cover for them, just in case, Chase and I’ll return to town. Chase can relieve Bridget at the sheriff’s department, and she can return home so the two of you can alternate guard watch,” Leyton said.
“Three.” Jack was part of the CSF agent team and they were protecting his family, so he had every intention of being on the guard rotation.
“Okay, three.”
“I’ll pack some of our things, Dottie,” Jack told her.
“I’ll get some clothes for the kids. At least with the guys doing the renovations on the place, they can take care of the doors once we have a couple delivered,” she said.
“Yeah, who would have ever thought we’d be replacing this much.”
“Good thing we have a little extra cash to pay for it.” She hurried off down the hall to the kids’ rooms.
Jack packed a bag for both of them, then he crouched down and peered under the bed. “Ready to go to Aunt Bridget and Uncle Travis’s house?”
Jeff crawled out from under the bed. Then he reached out his arms to be carried. “Your momma’s just packing a bag for each of you.”
Chase reached under the other side of the bed, pulled a sound asleep Trish out, and cradled her in his arms.
Travis grabbed the bags and they all went out to Jack’s car. At least the men hadn’t shot it up.
They had just put the bags in the car, buckled the kids in their seats when the paramedics drove up, and Chase had a call from Dan. “Hey, you’re going to want to hear this. Dan said just as they reached the gravel drive to the house in the country, it blew up.”
“Omigod. What about the cats?” Dottie asked, sounding horrified, as sick as Jack was feeling about it.
“What about the guys?” Jack added.
“The guys are safe. The blast took out Dan’s windshield and everyone’s suffered some cuts from that. They’re fine other than that. They’re checking for the cats now, praying the traffickers had them in a separate enclosure out back.”
Everyone, including the paramedics, waited to hear what was happening. It seemed like it took forever as the seconds ticked by. Chase had his phone on speaker now, and they could hear the men shouting.
“Over here!” Dan said, his heavy breathing and pounding heartbeat reaching them. “We found them! Thank God! They’re in a run on the back half-acre of the lot. They’re fine. They’re safe.”
“I’ll get the bolt cutters,” Hal shouted.
Dan said, “I’m Sheriff Dan Steinecker and we’re here to free you. Hal Haverton, my part-time deputy sheriff who also works for a government agency that takes down animal traffickers, is getting the bolt cutters. This is Stryker Hill, my full-time deputy. The men who took you into captivity could be on their way back here. They had a shootout with some of the agents with the Cougar Special Forces Division, and my other part-time deputy.”
Hal sounded winded as he returned and worked on the padlock. As soon as it clunked on the ground, they heard snarling and Dan shouted, “We’re shifters, cougars, and on your side, damn it! Carolyn told us where to go to recue you.”
Jack hadn’t considered that part. The family probably assumed that Dan and the rest of the men could be lying about who they were because they knew just where to find the cats.
“Hey,” Stryker said. “Put Carolyn on the phone, will you, Bridget? Thanks.” He paused. “Hey, Carolyn, we’ve freed your family, and we’re bringing them in. They want to know you’re all right.” He must have leaned down and moved the phone closer to the cats. “I have your daughter on my phone and she’ll talk to you.”
“Daddy, Mom, I’m okay.”
Jack worried she might tell them Stryker had locked her up in jail. Instead, she began to cry. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah, they’re fine. All of them. We’re bringing them in. Be there in a bit,” Stryker said.
“What was the cause of the explosion?” Chase asked.
“It appeared the men had armaments here too. Maybe they planned the explosion, but I suspect not. I think it was just an accident waiting to happen,” Dan said.
“They might be heading back there, thinking the house is still there,” Jack said, sure wanting to take
these guys down.
“As soon as they see the fire, or burned-out building, they won’t be hanging around,” Travis said.
“We’re waiting on the fire trucks to get here, but we’ll keep an eye out for the guys, just in case. We’ll take them out if we can,” Dan said.
“All right. Let’s head out to your place and get some sleep then, Travis.” Jack helped Dottie into the passenger seat. She looked done in, with dark circles around her eyes.
When they arrived at the field office, Bridget’s car was already there. They carried the sleeping kids inside and found Carolyn sleeping on the couch in the living room. Bridget kissed Travis, who was carrying Trish into the house.
“Does Chase or Dan know she’s here?” Dottie asked Bridget, whose long dark hair was in curls around her shoulders, not pulled back like she often wore it.
“Nope. I left a note on the jailhouse door. But she’s safe with us.” Bridget gave Dottie a hug. “Travis said you should be one of us.”
Dottie smiled at her.
“Go to bed. You don’t need all of this stress. Travis and I will take turns on guard duty.”
“What about Carolyn’s family?” Dottie asked.
“They’ll come here,” Travis said from upstairs where he was putting Trish to bed in a spare bedroom.
“Work me into the guard schedule,” Jack said.
“Okay, will do,” Bridget agreed.
“Thanks, Bridget, and thanks for freeing Carolyn,” Dottie said as Jack headed up the stairs with Jeff.
Bridget smiled. “Good thing I did because when Stryker called, she was lying on the couch trying to sleep and wasn’t in a jail cell.”
Jack liked how much of a free spirit Bridget was and as one of her fellow CSFD agents, he looked forward to working with her. But tonight, they needed to get some sleep. Then, they needed to take care of Hellion and Ralph once and for all.
Late the next morning, Jack realized that after Carolyn’s family had arrived later that night, no one had come to get him to serve on guard duty. He was glad he was able to stay with Dottie so he hadn’t disturbed her sleep if he’d had to get up. And he supposed he was serving on guard duty anyway, by staying with her.