Page 97 of Craving Their Mate

Rider whistled. “That makes sense. If Statler had a computer, I’m sure someone confiscated it though, like someone from Statler’s law firm.”

Jay nodded. “For sure. While his law firm did a lot of legitimate business, some of it was not.”

“If my father came here to destroy any evidence and didn’t find it, where would he go next?” she asked.

Jay scrubbed a hand down his face. “I guess I’d try Paul’s main house, though he could have found what he was searching for.”

“Considering the mess, it's possible he didn't. Is Statler's main house vacant, do you think?” Rider asked.

“I don't know. It could be for sale, or he could have willed it to Delancey. Even if the house was put up for sale after Statler’s death, it might not have sold yet.”

If there was any chance of catching Delancey, they needed to move quickly. He spun to face Paris and Grayson. “Paris, I need you to go with Grayson, Trax, and Dante back to the general’s house.”

“What will you be doing?”

“Jay and I will check out Statler’s place near Tampa.” He turned to Jay. “Do you know where it is?”

“I’ve been there, but we should take Nate and Harmon. If Delancey is there, he might be by himself, or he could have a guard or two with him.”

“He was with a driver when they brought me here,” Paris said. “I didn’t see anyone else, but I heard him talking to some others once we arrived.”

“He was smart to have reinforcements in case the general anticipated he'd come here first,” Jay said. "His driver could be one of the men we immobilized."

“What are you going to do with his guards?” Grayson asked.

“I called the general; he said he’d send some men to deal with them, but that will take time,” Jay said.

Shit. Since they only had two cars, either Grayson, Paris, Dante, and Trax could wait, or Rider, Jay, Harmon, and Nate could. Because Rider didn’t trust more recruits wouldn’t show up, he didn't want Paris anywhere near here. “Grayson, you take Paris back to Tampa. Jay and I will wait here until the house is cleared. Then we’ll go after Delancey.”

“Good luck,” his friend said.

Rider turned to Trax. "Can we borrow your drone?"

"Sure. I'll put it in Jay's car."

Once they were gone, Rider was able to concentrate. “I’m going to get Nate and Harmon and tell them the plan.” Outside, he waved to them. When they came in, he explained the situation.

It was close to an hour before the generals’ men arrived. “We’ll take it from here,” one of the men said.

Since Jay knew one of them, Rider was confident the two guards who were still alive would not be seeing daylight for a long time.

The drive back to Tampa only took about two hours since Statler’s main home was north of the city.

Jay parked on the street. “His house is two blocks up the road.”

They had discussed how they would handle the take down. The plan was to first fly the drone over the house to see whether Delancey was inside or not. It was possible he’d already been there, checked out the place, and then left. After all, he’d had over an hour head start.

When they did the surveillance, the camera showed the house was empty. “Damn.” He turned to the men. “Suggestions?”

“How about we go in and see if the place has been ransacked like the house up north was?” Jay suggested.

“Works for me. Anyone good at picking locks? If Delancey plans to wait until morning to check things out, we don’t want him to know we’ve been here,” Rider said.

Harmon smiled. “That’s my specialty.”

That was good luck. “Let’s go.”

They decided to go through the back entrance since most likely Delancey would enter through the front. It only took Harmon a few seconds to break in. Because they had excellent eyesight, they didn’t need to turn on the lights and chance attracting attention.