Since moving to the Morgan clan, Tessa andAda had shown her how to access stores on the internet to purchaseclothes and supplies. Gunnar had set her up with a cell phone andtaught her how to use the browser to do the same thing. As far asthe dark web was concerned, she was as clueless as the day she’dfirst sat down behind a screen.
“Can any of you find this dark web?” sheblurted.
“I have no idea,” Ada said with a shrug.Anna Claire knew her friend had been as sheltered as she was whenit came to technology. Ransom was no different. The only person inthe house that might have any knowledge was Tessa.
“I might know a thing or two aboutit,” she hedged. “Drake would kill me, though, if I accessed itfrom the house.”
“Well, damn,” Anna Claire whispered. “Weneed to find out what’s going on.”
“Don’t you ladies be getting into anytrouble,” Ransom interrupted. “If you dare even breathe toward thedark web, the authorities will know it and they could possibly showup here.”
“He’s right,” Ada scowled. “The brotherswould go feral if that happened.”
Anna Claire walked over and picked up theseeds, sorting them for Tessa while she stepped away to make somefood for Aria, her cub. She glanced over at the female, then overtoward Ada, who was nursing her cub, Thane. Her sisters-in-law hada sparkle in their eyes, and she had a feeling Tessa knew a way toaccess the information without the males getting involved.
“Let’s get these seeds planted after thecubs are down for their naps,” Tessa announced, jutting her chinout at the back of Ransom’s head. “Maybe Ransom can help us pourout all the bags of soil.”
“I’d be honored to help,” he chimed in, butnever took his eyes off the television. He was watching a showabout old muscle cars and basically ignoring them.
“I have a way,” Tessa whispered as shepassed to take her daughter to their quarters. “I’ll be rightback.”
Tessa and Ada spent time putting their cubsdown for a nap. Ransom was so engrossed in the show he waswatching, Anna Claire was able to finish sorting out the seeds.Once she placed them in stacks to represent each row of theirgarden, Tessa returned with her hand deep in her pocket.
“Ransom,” she called out. “Could you be adear and get the bags of soil cut open for us?” Anna Claire heldback a chuckle at the sweetness of Tessa’s voice. She knew themales would do anything for the females of the clan, and they werebetting on Ransom leaving the house for a good ten minutes.
“Sure,” he groaned and stood from hisspot.
Tessa and Anna Claire made themselves lookbusy and not at all guilty of what they were about to do. Themoment he walked out the back door, Tessa pulled a cell phone fromher pocket. “Drake is paranoid. So, he has this burner phone and Ican access the internet on it.”
“Go, go!” Anna Claire peeked over Tessa’sshoulder as the female got down to work. Ransom was hauling four ofthe twelve bags they’d ordered from Tulley. “We don’t have muchtime.”
Tessa frantically typed away on the phone’sbrowser. She chewed on her lip for a few minutes and laughed whenshe dropped the phone on the table like it’d burned her. “Foundit!”
“How did you…oh, never mind,” Anna Clairesaid as she peeked at the screen.
The website she’d found looked relativelyharmless, but upon further inspection, Anna Claire noticed thewords “bear shifter” and “abomination” across several headlines.“What are these?”
“Message boards,” Tessa replied as Adajoined them. All three women were crowded together as they staredat the phone. “People post a message and other users can commentunder the post.”
“Click on that one.” Ada’s voice held a bitof awe as Tessa tapped the screen. “I want to know what they’resaying about us.”
A bubble of laughter fell from Anna Claire’slips as they read through the comments regarding the grizzlyshifters. “They think we are witches.”
“That’s funny,” Ada giggled.
“What’s so funny?” Gunnar asked fromsomewhere behind them.
The three women yelped and spun. Tessagrabbed the phone and tucked it in her back pocket. Gunnar’s eyesnarrowed on the three of them, and Anna Claire felt fear racethrough her veins.
“Oh, hi,” Ada said, trying to get Gunnar tolook away from Tessa.
“What were you three up to?” he asked,suspicious.
“Nothing,” they replied in unison.
“The fact that all three of you look guiltyas hell, and I can scent a lie a mile away, proves to me that youfemales are up to something,” he said, holding out his hand. “Handover whatever you just put in your pocket, Tessa.”
“Ah,” she hedged.
“Now,” he snarled in warning. “Your safetyis our first priority, and if you are hiding something that mightput you in danger, I, and my brothers, will want to be privy to theinformation.”
“Wow,” Ada breathed. “I feel scolded.”
“You’ll be spanked if you don’t hand itover,” Drake growled as he walked into the kitchen. Tessa cursedunder her breath, but a bright red blush painted the tops of hercheeks. Anna Claire looked away because she didn’t want to evenknow what that was all about.
“Ada,” Rex’s voice rumbled as he followedthe oldest Morgan brother.
“We wanted to look for the hunters on thedark web,” Tessa blurted as she produced the burner cell phone,handing it over to her mate. “I’m sorry, Drake. We wanted toresearch them and help out in some way.”
Oh, Tessa was good.
Drake took the phone and looked at thescreen. He glanced at his mate through his long, corkscrew hair.There was a bit of disappointment in his golden gaze. He nodded andslid the phone into his pocket. “This is dangerous.”
“I know,” she replied.
“The feds could come for you for evenaccessing the dark web, Tessa,” he reminded her.
“That’s why she used the burner phone,” AnnaClaire blurted, wanting to stand beside her friend andsister-in-law. All three of the females were at fault, and shewasn’t going to let Tessa take the fall for it. “We really werejust looking for clues and gathering information.”
“I’m not saying what you did was wrong,because the sheriff is supposed to be
