Page 58 of Dragon Daddy Protector

“No, but it’s a good start.” I turned to face him. “You did well, Jax. There’s no way we could have done this without you.”

“Do you want to send these off to your contact at the FBI?” he asked.

“Not yet. I want to make sure we have the upper hand when we finally make our move. We can’t risk a government agency stepping in before then.” I ran a hand through my hair. “The priority is stopping Tomas from creating more of the serum.”

Jax chuckled. “Well, he’s going to be dead broke when he wakes up in the morning unless he has any cash on hand. Even then, it won’t be enough to keep paying the bastards who work for him.”

“It looks like phase two of the plan is in full swing, then.”

Mariah and I stayed up a bit longer, but it looked like draining Hawthorne’s bank accounts would take hours, so we went back to bed. The next morning while Mariah was in the shower, I called Lucas to update him on our progress.

He answered immediately. “Evan.” His voice was tense, his words clipped. “Everything okay?”

“Maybe I need to be asking you that question.”

Lucas sighed. “Yeah, we need to talk. But first, tell me how things are going there.”

“Jax managed to hack into Tomas’s bank accounts and drain them dry.” I also told him about the evidence of tax fraud we’d found, and how this was exactly what we were hoping for to gain leverage over him.

He let out a low whistle. “Damn. Sounds like Jax is an asset we can’t afford to lose.”

“Yep. He’s one of ours now. Loyal to the clan in every way, ready to fight for us with everything he’s got. Now, tell me what’s happened since we left.”

“Someone was caught sneaking around the gates, but Kyle’s upgraded the security system, and we were able to catch them.”

A growl rumbled in my chest as my fingers clenched. “Who was it?”

“One of Hawthorne’s men. Couldn’t get a name out of him, but he did admit he’d been sent to scout the area.”

Fury pulsed through my veins that the enemy was prowling so close to home. So close to my clan, my family. “Did you get anything else out of him?”

“Nothing that we didn’t already know. He was here to find Mariah. Honestly, the man seemed terrified of reporting she wasn’t here.”

My dragon snarled within, itching to break free and protect its mate. A sentiment I understood well, but now wasn’t the time.

“I’m not surprised.” This was what we’d increased security for in the first place, and with the wild goose chase across the country that Jax sent Tomas’s men on, they’d be looking for proof of where she really was. I only hoped they didn’t think of coming to New York. “With the damage Jax has done to his finances, I’m sure he’ll crawl out of whatever hole he’s been hiding in sooner than later.”

“Are you prepared for that?”

“I don’t have a choice,” I told my brother. “We have to be ready.”

“How?” Lucas pressed. “What are you going to do if he shows up in New York?” I knew what he was getting at. Jax and Mariah were both targets, and we were putting them both at risk by keeping all of us together.

“You’re suggesting we leave Jax here?”

“It splits up the security risk.” It was hard to argue with that logic.

We talked a bit more about clan business, and by the time Mariah came back in the room from her shower, I’d made an executive decision.

“Hey, we need to talk. You, me, and Jax. I think we need to make a change of plans.”

Mariah frowned. “Change?”

“Get dressed, and let’s meet in the kitchen.”

“Okay,” she said, worry lines pinching her face as she pulled some clothes out of her suitcase.

A few minutes later, the three of us were gathered around the table.

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