I got myself situated so I wouldn’t fall out of the tree, then I pulled the flashlight out, and shone the light on the object.
Anger swelled again as I realized it was a camera positioned to face my house. Someone was spying on me.
I cracked open the camera, pulling out the battery. I shoved it in my pocket and then removed the camera from the tree, putting it in my other pocket along with the flashlight. I prayed the weight in my pockets didn’t cause my lounge pants to fall down.
I descended the tree and hopped off the fence, making my way back to my home. Once inside, I pulled the camera from my pocket to study it. Nothing about it gave away who might have put up the camera or when. Could Harper’s elusive prowler have done it? Had he done it for her or Bran?
It was nearly two in the morning, but I called the lead tech guy at Saint Security, waking him up.
“Sorry, Geo, but I’ve found a camera pointed at my home and I want to know who and why someone put it there.”
“Yeah, boss. Send it over.”
I didn’t correct him that I wasn’t his boss anymore. “I’ll have it to you asap.”
When I hung up with Geo, I called the 24-hour courier service in the area to arrange for an immediate pickup and delivery of the camera. While I waited for the courier, I packed up the camera and wrote a note about where I found it in the yard and how it had been positioned.
By the time the courier left with the package, I was dead on my feet. I crashed in bed, waking four hours later to a crying Mo.
The camera incident was at the back of my mind as I changed and fed Mo. After two cups of coffee, my mind was awake enough to think about the camera. As I walked and burped Mo, I tried to determine who’d want to be spying on me.
Sure, I’d made enemies over the years, but I was out of the business now. Who’d care about me living a quiet life raising my son?
I couldn’t sort out the who, but I had to wonder if someone took the time to put a camera in a tree, they might have put more cameras or bugs around the property or even in the house.
When Mo was burped out, I put him in the baby carrier and strapped him to my chest.
“You’re going to get your first lesson in finding hidden surveillance devices.” I pulled out my equipment for tracking bugs and with Mo strapped to me, I went over every inch of my house and property. I was relieved that the house was clean, but I found another camera on the back fence right around the spot that Harper claimed to have seen an intruder.
Back in the house, I put a sleeping Mo down, and went to my office to pack up the new camera and arrange for its delivery to Geo.
Who the fuck was watching me?
Lupe had called with concerns about the people around her finding out about Mo, but the cartel wasn’t so subtle. If they thought I had something they wanted, they’d bust in and demand answers. So, the only viable answer I could come up with was Harper or Bran or both.
Harper was either stupid or very clever in planting cameras to spy on me. Why come over and claim there was an intruder…hell, to accuse me of being the intruder, if she’d planted the cameras? It made it more likely I’d find them.
With that said, perhaps she knew my background and wanted a cover in case I found them. Perhaps she made a preemptive move by accusing me of prowling around so I wouldn’t consider her a suspect.
I wanted nothing to do with spy games, but I wasn’t going to put up with this shit. I had to get to the bottom of this even if it meant playing the inept father and asking for her help.
And if one thing led to another, like it had on my couch the other night, well, all was fair in love and war, right?
CHAPTERTWELVE
Harper
I moved away from the city for peace and quiet. But that didn't mean I wanted to live like a hermit. Tonight, I was going out on the town, something I hadn't done since I moved here. Anne was going to leave Bran at home with the baby and come with me for a night of fun, something we hadn't done in a long time.
I slipped into a shimmery teal blue dress and swept my hair up into a knot on my head. I put on enough makeup to look sultry, but not so much to make it look like I was a tramp or trying too hard. Checking myself in the mirror, I was pleased with the results.
"You're gonna knock them dead, Harper." I was energized in anticipation of a night of hanging out with my friend and maybe being picked up by a guy or two. I wouldn’t hook up with them, but I would let them buy me a drink. If they were interesting enough, I might give one my number.
I grabbed a small clutch, putting in my ID, some cash, a credit card, and phone, then adjusted the strap around my wrist. I headed out of the bedroom to get ready to leave when a knock on the door interrupted my last minute preparations.
I opened the door to see Noel with a diaper bag over his shoulder holding the carrier-car seat with an agitated baby Mo. His light blue gaze scanned my body, which responded as if his stare was a touch. Everything went warm and tingly, and I cursed my hormones for their betrayal.This is not the man we’re trying to attract tonight. This man is a liar.
"I know I said I wouldn't bother you, but Mo has been beside himself for hours now and I'm at my wits end. I'm wondering if something's wrong. But as you know, I'm out of my element here."