Page 30 of The Dragon's Dream Mate (Savage Shifters Special Ops 3)

He swallowed hard. “I tried,” he said, with what sounded like a sob in his throat.

“Dave, can you put this new diaper on the baby, please? Simone, would you make up a bottle?”

They both immediately started tackling their duties, and I pulled Ms. Lynn and the agents off to the side.

“Kami mentioned that her mother sold her and her brother, Bobby, to the traffickers. Please be very delicate when you are talking to her about the situation.”

I hesitated for a minute, then said, “If there is no other suitable guardian for them, I would love to foster them until one can be found. I am a licensed foster parent in my state.”.

“This is highly irregular,” Ms. Lynn said.

“This is a highly irregular situation,” I replied. “These kids have gone through a very rough time. They are already close to Simone and trust her so that the transition would be easier for them.”

“What if a suitable guardian can’t be located for the children at all?” Ms. Lynn asked me, her eyes focused on me intently, as though she were trying to see into my soul.

“Then, I guess I would apply to adopt them.”

She made a noise that I could not interpret.

There was a knock at the door. It was the courtesy clerk who had returned from the grocery.

“Kids, your food has arrived,” I announced.

Five kids started drooling. Kirk, the clerk, had really done a great job. In addition to what I’d asked for, he brought some grapes and strawberries, as well as ketchup, mayo, and mustard. He also bought them cupcakes. Kirk had even thought about napkins, plastic utensils, and paper plates.

“I hope it’s okay,” he asked. “I thought about all the stuff I liked as a kid.”

“You did great. How much money is left?”

He pulled out almost fifty dollars.

“Keep it as a tip for a job well done,” I told him.

He was beaming. I think I just made his night. Two NYPD detectives passed him on his way out.

After a showing of badges and a brief explanation, we just stared in awe as Simone, Corine, and Kami took charge. They had each kid sitting on the floor and were making each of them a sandwich. They handed out the drinks and napkins. Dave reached over and broke Bobby’s sandwich up into little bitty pieces for him.

These were some great kids, and I couldn’t be prouder of them than if they were mine.

While they were eating, the adults pulled me aside and debriefed me. I told them how I had discovered Simone’s communications with Bad Boi and that I had been tracking this group for a while. I told them how I had gone into the house, pretending to sell candy, and then the rest of the story.

“I imagine your fellow agents are talking to the team I hired to find Simone right about now,” I told them.

They nodded.

“Aunt Rainey?” Corine asked.

I smiled at how she had adopted Simone’s name for me. “Yes, baby girl?”

“Can we stay here together tonight while you guys try to find our parents? We all talked about it, and we would feel safer if we were together.”

I looked at Ms. Lynn.

“Although it isn’t protocol, I don’t see the harm in you sleeping here together,” she said. “It’s pretty late to try to find places anyway,” she smiled.

I immediately picked up the room phone and asked if we could have three cots sent up to my room, along with blankets and pillows.

A still beaming Kirk was up in less than ten minutes with the cots and a crib.

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