Finn nodded in agreement. “They do often pick up packages there. But how would they be followed back here through the water? That’s a good distance and anyone following them would have been noticed.”
“How did those blood magick witches know where to lay that trap for Tess and Danai? What if . . .” her gaze wandered off into the distance as she thought. “What if they were tracked? A GPS tracker in a package would do it. They could note the location the packages stopped at and simply follow later at their convenience.”
“Wouldn’t the wards and protection spells on the estate block something like that?” I asked.
Tess shrugged. “We get cable and satellite. And phone signals. Why wouldn’t a GPS signal go through?”
The thought made my blood run cold. “Do you think someone stuck a tracker on the Jeep?”
Tess’s eyes widened. “We did stop for lunch that day. But the Jeep has a protection spell on it, so nobody could have done something like that. Could they?” She looked at us uncertainly.
Zara padded out of the house. If there was a tracker, that would explain much. If the witches had a human place the device . . . Or if they themselves did it only with the intent to track firm in their mind, without any thoughts of harm—there are ways around these things, though it is tricky to put them into practice. I shifted in my chair to allow her room to jump up on my lap, stroking her head when she settled. A glance back at the doorway showed Sebastian was no longer there, so he must be minding the kits.
The Jeep was still in the city being worked on. Sam picked up her phone, searched through the contacts for a moment, hit dial, and put the phone on speaker. After a few rings, a gruff voice with either a faint Scottish or Irish brogue answered.
“Merv’s. How can I be of service?” Merv ran the garage Clyde and Dutch had recommended. They’d had the Jeep towed there, where it had sat since that horrific day. Neither horse shifter had mentioned exactly what Merv was, just that he was ‘one of us.’
“This is Sam Stone. I’m calling to check on the progress of Madame Devraux’s Jeep.” She smirked as I rolled my eyes at her.
“Aye, Ms. Stone. I’m just waiting on a few more parts, and she’ll be good as new. They should be in early next week.”
“That’s great. Have you seen anything, well, unusual either on it or in it?”
There was silence on the other end of the line. Then, more cautiously, he asked, “What kind of unusual? Is there something I should be watching out for?”
Sam raised her brows at me, asking permission. Which still felt weird to me, since she used to be my boss. I nodded. “Would you mind checking it over for a tracking device while it’s there? We’re not sure if there’s anything there or not; we just want to rule it out as a possibility.” Merv knew enough about what had happened that she wasn’t giving him anything new or information that might endanger him.
“Aye, I can do that. What would you have me do if I were to find something?”
“Let me know right away, please. Don’t tamper with it or try to remove it.”
“I’ll look at it within the hour and call you straight away if I find anything.” He grunted. “I’d probably better call you regardless, just so you’ll not be wondering in either case.”
Leaning forward, I spoke up. “Thank you, Merv. We appreciate it.”
“Madame Devraux.” His voice sounded surprised. “It is my honor.”
Sam’s eyes danced with amusement. She knew this type of thing made me uncomfortable. I stuck my tongue out at her, but she didn’t miss a beat. “I’ll wait to hear from you. Thank you so much.” She disconnected the call.
“Heads up,” Tess said. “Here come the guys.”
The three of us watched as the men walked at a relaxed pace across the lawn toward the house. Clyde and Dutch were deep in conversation, towering over Rand’s five foot ten form beside them. His eyes found me, even from the fifty yard distance. Toby trotted happily by his side, but Jake was nowhere to be seen. Maybe he’d tired himself out and gone back to the grey. Without taking my eyes from Rand’s face, I said, “Finn, you said the pixies use the computer in the stables to place orders for the colony.”
“Yes. We have for years.”
“And you order things for the water fae, too?”
“Yes, sometimes. There are a few water shifters and fae that come up on land to place orders themselves—usually the ones that can be away from the water for more than twenty or thirty minutes. Many place orders through Jeremy Crow, as well, when they return from their ocean runs.”
“Could you get me a history of any orders that have been placed as far back as possible? Companies and points of contact are what we’ll need to look for, I think. What was ordered might be helpful, as well.”
Finn started to answer just as Rand, Clyde, and Dutch made it to the top of the steps. The three men stopped in their tracks after one look at our faces. Clyde and Dutch raised their faces, sniffing the air. Horses had a keen sense of smell, and I didn’t doubt a horse shifter’s was every bit as good as, if not better than, that of a regular horse. Rand took his cue from them and scowled, his gaze scanning the area, searching for threats. The Draftmans followed suit, looking every bit as dangerous as I knew they were.
Seeing nothing that could be construed as immediately threatening, Rand’s gaze came back to rest on me. “What happened?”
Giving him a small smile,
