Page 10 of Sweaty Nights & Gator Bites

Kota, ever the practical one, asked, "Can we trace these transactions on the other end so we can be sure it’s going to Voss?”

Ashton nodded. “That's what I'm working on now, but it's going to take a bit of time. Whoever the recipient is, they're good at covering their tracks.”

“Use your magic to move the computer program in the right direction,” Adèle, our familiar, advised as she joined us outside. It was still odd for me to hear her feline voice in my head. Apparently, it took me longer to adjust.

“This is a good time to practice,” Dre agreed. Lia joined her, and the pair cast a spell. It took me a second to realize they were trying to add tracking magic to Ashton’s efforts. Adèle had been encouraging us to play around with pushing our magic into technology to help things along.

“These spells should help accelerate the process,” Adèle explained while Lia and Dre worked their magic.

“How does that work again?” I asked.

Adèle jumped up and rubbed her body against my arm. “You begin with your intent. You want your magic to fuse with the computer program Ashton is using. Send that desire to the machine and programs. You should feel a click when you have the magicand technology fused. Imagine it like peeling an onion and doing it layer by layer until you get to the core. That’s might be an easier way to get the magic to meld.”

We fell into a focused silence while Ashton worked, and Russel drank the bottle his mother handed me. The only sounds were the soft clicking of keys, the baby’s suckling noises, and the occasional hum of cicadas. Adèle was fascinated by the baby and stayed close, sniffing his head several times.

After what felt like hours, Ashton had a breakthrough. “Got it,” he crowed triumphantly. “It seems as if the owner of the account lives deep in the bayou. However, there were several layers.” He paused and cocked his head to the side, and looked at Phi. “I think there's a hidden network of individuals out there. There were several people layered on the payee's side which didn’t make sense unless he is trying to avoid being taxed on the money. He wasn’t using an off-shore account so he would be subject to taxation.”

Dre narrowed her eyes. “I wonder if they’re working with the gator shifters. Maybe they're trying to buy the land.”

Lia tilted her head from shoulder to shoulder. “I hope for their sake you’re right. We might be able to determine that if we knew what kind of network he was talking about.”

Phi pulled up a map on her tablet and highlighted the points of interest. “It looks like the payments came right before the attacks. You can see the dates and locations. Is there a payment over the last few days?”

Ashton looked over the transactions and shook his head. “There are none over the last ten days.”

Noah made a noise behind me and said, “Dammit. I was hoping we could point the finger at Bouvier for sure.”

“You should know better than that,” Kota chided him. “This network is well-hidden, but we've got a lead. We should be able to go out and question them.”

Dre tapped the map thoughtfully. “We will follow this lead, but we have to be cautious. If this is the gator shifters, they might not be very friendly.”

Dea nodded in agreement. “This is more complicated than we thought.”

Kota snorted and patted Dea’s shoulder. “Good thing we’re professionals. Honestly, dealing with a murder feels better than cursed wells and magical hurricanes. The answers should be easier to find.”

“Now you’ve really cursed us,” Phi teased. “We will go in the morning.”

Lucas shook his head. “I’d suggest going tonight. Gator shifters are nocturnal creatures. You’re more likely to come across them tonight. Eat some dinner, and then we can go out so you six can do your thing,” he advised.

There was a round of agreement as we dug into the leftovers from the weekend. My son and his family went upstairs to one of the bedrooms so they could be near in case they needed help with Russel. Ashton was worried Russel’s brain wasn’t better and he wanted three nurses around just in case.

I pulled Cami aside as we were leaving. “If Ashton comes down about the baby call nine-one-one before you call us. There’s no time to waste with babies. It won’t hurt to get help from them first.”

Cami chewed on her lower lip as her gaze went to the second floor of the plantation. “I’ll do a stasis spell as well if it seems dire. You won’t be long, right?”

A groan slipped out of me as my head dropped back. “I hadn’t planned on it. Let’s hope the fates agree. Thanks for looking after them. I know it’s scary, but you’re more than capable.” With that, I joined the others at Lia’s car. Being last to the vehicle, I had to climb in the third-row seat with Dea.

Lucas pulled out, and I scowled at my mate who was inthe front passenger seat. “You couldn’t sit back here with me?”

“I need to be out first in case we run into problems when we arrive,” Noah chuckled and then winked at me.

I grumbled under my breath and made plans with my sisters during the drive. The murky waters of the swamp were terrifying at night. The air was thick with humidity and every breath was a reminder of the oppressive heat surrounding us. The buzzing of insects and the occasional croak of a bullfrog punctuated the night. We wove through the dense foliage, our boots squelching in the mud.

“Are we even close to anything?” I asked and swatted away a mosquito. Those little buggers loved my blood. I couldn’t get lucky like Dea and Lia and not attract them.

“Patience, Dani,” Phi replied as she scanned the ground. “These places are hidden out here.”

“I'm sure we will come across something soon,” Noah assured me.

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