Chapter 30 - Bear
By the time Moose, Stephan, and Flora arrived back home from the park, Link had already set up his computers, and everyone else had shown up. The girls were practically convinced it was Christmas with all their friends gathered—Lindsey, Hawk and his team, Hank, Swede, and Bear’s whole crew.
As soon as Bear and Flora got out of the car, Rhys bolted straight to his dad, his mind already racing from their breakfast conversation. “What’s going on? Is Mom in danger again?”
Moose caught Rhys just before he could barrel into his mom. “Easy there, Monster Truck. Let your dad get Mom inside first. Hey, can you and Samir set up a movie in the playroom for your sisters? I’ll make popcorn. Then you and your dad can have a chat, alright?”
Rhys looked between Moose and his dad, “Moose is right, Rhys, get your sisters settled and I can explain, ok?”
Stephan could sense the weight pressing down on Flora—not just the physical exhaustion from their picnic and outing, but something heavier.
Her eyes held a flicker of unease, a quiet fear that gnawed at her.
The thought that someone might be lurking nearby, watching her, made her shoulders slump even more, the invisible threat sapping her strength alongside the fatigue.
It was clear her worries were deepening the weariness, leaving her drained in a way that went beyond simple tiredness.
Stephan gave into his alpha male side and picked Flora up. “Let’s get you inside and set up on the couch. I’ll get you some water. Do you need your meds?”
Flora squealed, “Stephan! Really? I’m not helpless.”
Bear carefully settled Flora onto the couch, gently easing her down before planting a soft kiss on the tip of her nose. “I like carrying you,” he whispered, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Glancing around the room, he noticed the others scattered about—some hunched over tablets or computers, others deep in quiet conversation. The low hum of focused activity filled the space, a stark contrast to the calm he was trying to create for Flora.
Rhys appeared, slipping back into the room after setting up a movie for the girls. “I started Frozen for them,” he announced proudly, his youthful maturity shining through.
Bear rolled his eyes good-naturedly as he looked at the crowd. “Glad to see everyone made themselves at home!”
Hank chuckled, raising his mug. “We left plenty for you. I also ordered a ton of pizza to feed everyone tonight while I catch you up on what Swede found out today—since you and Flora were lazing around.”
Offering Hank a chin lift, Bear sat down on the floor beside the couch and motioned for Rhys to join him, “I honestly can’t answer your question about the danger for sure, but that’s why I had everyone come over, so we can look and see if there is a danger out there.
The lady Kenzi was talking about this morning, have you seen her? ”
Nodding, Rhys answered, “Yeah..I mean, she’s hard not to see, with purple hair with pink streaks in it.”
Bear noticed that Hank and Hawk both stopped their conversations to listen in, “What else about her did you notice?”
Rhys thought for a minute, “Well, I hear the dog yapping over there all the time, but I’ve only seen her a couple times.”
Squatting down beside Rhys, Hank asked, “Do you know what her car looks like?”
Rhys swallowed and looked up, a little nervous. “No... I haven’t seen a car. She just walks from the backyard over to our house and talks to Kenzi and Amelia.” He bit his lip. “I guess I shoulda told a grown-up sooner.”
Bear and Hank both quickly jumped in to reassure Rhys at the same time.
Bear said gently, “Hey, it’s okay, Rhys. You did the right thing by telling us now.”
Hank nodded, adding, “Yeah, no worries. You’re helping us a lot just by sharing what you know.”
Bear gave Rhys a quick hug, “Would you and Samir like to play some video games in your room until later when the pizza gets here?”
The boys took off upstairs in a flash, laughter trailing behind them. Bear caught Flora’s eye and gave a silent check-in, asking if she needed anything. When she gave a small shake, he turned and joined Hank and Swede, ready to hear what news they had uncovered.
Bear’s house on this level was an open floorplan, with the kitchen, dining room, and living room flowing seamlessly into one another.
The layout made it easy for everyone to spread out yet stay connected, no matter where they chose to sit.
Lindsey and Flora were nestled together on the couch in the living room, speaking softly over steaming mugs of coffee.
Around them, the men—Hawk, Red, Zulu, Ghost, Hank, Swede, Warden, Link, Moose, Blast, and Dog—along with Nova, were scattered throughout the space.
Some sat cross-legged on the floor, others settled into chairs or leaned against walls, grabbing whatever spot they could find to pop a squat.
The atmosphere was relaxed but focused, a quiet hum of conversation and shared purpose filling the open space.
Swede took the lead. “After I got your text this morning about the lady with the dog Kenzi mentioned, I started digging through property records and cross-referenced military housing databases. That house isn’t currently occupied—it’s actually listed for sale.
The owners are military, but they’re not stationed here. ”
Bear looked puzzled, “But Rhys said he’s heard the dog over there.”
Ghost and Zulu exchanged a quick glance—no words needed to confirm the plan. Ghost stood first, “We’re heading out to scout that house. See what’s really going on.”
Zulu was already moving toward the door, adding without hesitation, “Won’t take long.”
Hawk caught their movement and held up a hand, a knowing smile tugging at his lips. “Easy, boys. Civilians first, operators second. Let’s keep it tight.”
Warden glanced over at Bear, his expression tightening.
“You don’t have enough security here, if that b—” He caught himself mid-sentence, cheeks flushing as he shot a quick side-eye at Flora and Lindsey.
Clearing his throat, he shifted gears. “If that lady is Charlotte, then things just got serious here. We need to tighten up perimeter watches and set up some discreet patrols—no gaps, no surprises.”
“There’s enough trees here that we can have the entire neighborhood under surveillance, easy!” Nova chimed in, scanning the feeds.
Tapping his tablet, Link called out, “Pizza guy just drove up.”
Blast burst out laughing. “Dude! You put cameras up without Bear even knowing?”
Bear glanced around the room, his eyes landing on Link with a steady, unblinking stare that made Link shift uneasily. The room fell quiet for a moment as Link swallowed hard, suddenly aware he might have pushed his stealthy upgrade a bit too far without a heads-up.
Link opened his mouth to apologize, but Bear cut him off with a slow nod. “Good work.”
Just then, the front door swung open and Zulu and Ghost stepped inside, pizza boxes in hand, laughing.
Ghost grinned at Hank, “Don’t worry, we took care of the tip—after nearly making the delivery guy pee himself by sneaking up behind him at the door.
” The room erupted in chuckles as the tension eased.
The kids came downstairs, grabbed pizza slices, and immediately asked for soda—Flora cut that off fast. “No soda, but Lindsey made fresh lemonade.”
Conversation paused as everyone focused on feeding the kids. Once they were done, Lindsey and Flora rounded them up, shepherding the whole crew upstairs to wash up and get ready for bed—even Samir, who was grinning ear to ear at the idea of a sleepover.
Ghost scanned the room, making sure everyone was tuned in. “No one lives at that house but the dog. Poor thing’s stuck in there all alone.”
Nova shot up, eyes blazing. “What the hell?! I’m getting that dog out of there—that’s straight-up abuse.”
Zulu held up his hands, trying to cool things down. “Whoa, hold up, girly!” But the moment he said it, Nova’s icy glare froze him in place. “Girly?? Seriously?”
Before the tension could boil over, Hawk and Bear both cleared their throats. Hawk cut in first, voice calm but firm. “Let’s hear the whole story before you two start tearing each other apart.”
Ghost pressed on, “The dog’s got food and water, but no furniture inside. The place isn’t secured—no cameras, no alarms. We can get in and get him out.”
Zulu frowned, skeptical. “Or maybe the dog’s just a prop. Like, maybe she’s trying to lure one of the girls over there?”
Bear’s face paled at the thought, “Shit, she knew Flora would follow the kids…”
Hawk spoke quickly, cutting off Bear’s thoughts, “OK, so now we find her. She's got to be close by, waiting for one of the kids to lure away.”
Voices overlapped as plans took shape around the room. Nova was already gearing up to rescue the dog, teaming up with Blast and Moose for backup. Nearby, Warden outlined new security watches, emphasizing shifts to keep Bear’s family safe through the night.
At the far end, Swede and Link hunched over their laptops, fingers flying as they hacked into doorbell and traffic cameras across the neighborhood, hunting for any footage of the mysterious woman—or a car she might be using.
Meanwhile, Hank leaned in close to Bear, quietly discussing how to set a trap—something subtle but effective—to catch whoever was lurking nearby. The room buzzed with focused energy, each piece falling into place as they prepared for whatever came next.
Within twenty minutes, Nova, Moose, and Blast returned, a very happy puppy wagging its tail between them. Bear glanced upstairs, relieved the kids were hopefully asleep by now—if they found the puppy down here, there’d be no chance of anyone getting any rest tonight.
Security schedules were nailed down, each shift carefully planned to keep watch over the house and Bear’s family.
Hank and Bear exchanged a look—finally, they had the outline of a plan. The big BBQ on Saturday would be the perfect opportunity to lure Charlotte out into the open.
Out of an abundance of caution, Hank and Swede methodically searched the three rooms they’d been in for any hidden cameras or listening devices.
Bear watched the active-duty members exchange shocked glances—surprised that someone outside the military had access to such sophisticated gear.
Once the sweep was complete, Bear gathered everyone closer, including Lindsey and Flora, lowering his voice so they could all hear without worrying about their voices carrying upstairs to the kids.
Bear grinned over at his team, “One of the perks of the Brotherhood Protectors is access to all kinds of equipment, without all the red tape.”
Bear cleared his throat and started, “Hank and I have talked it over. We think Charlotte might’ve been out in the woods today, watching Flora and me. If that’s true, then she knows about the BBQ on Saturday. That’s probably when she’ll make her move.”
Hank nodded, his tone steady. “We keep watch on this place until then, just in case. But my gut says she’ll show up Saturday, grinning like she owns the place.”
Before Bear could say more, three or four voices jumped in together, “So what’s the plan?”
Hank chuckled, shaking his head. “We’re throwing one heck of a BBQ! Wish my Sadie was here—she’d love a good hootenanny.”
Swede laughed, “Hell, you own the plane, Hank, fly her here!”
Bear glanced at his watch. “It’s getting late. Let’s meet back here—let’s see, tomorrow’s Friday—say 5 p.m. to plan our setup. Hank mentioned he’ll have supplies flown in, and Sadie too, if she’s available. I know my guys have to be up early tomorrow.”
Ghost nodded, pointing at himself and Red. “We got perimeter watch tonight, Bear. You and yours get some rest. Zulu and Hawk take over at first light.”
The next day, Hank’s plane arrived with Kujo and his K9, Six, plus equipment—cameras, drones, comm devices—and his wife Sadie and daughter Emma.
Cameras were mounted strategically around the property and inside the house, covering key areas. Flora and the kids were under watch 24/7.
At 5 p.m., everyone gathered with sandwiches and snacks Flora, Lindsey, and Sadie had prepared.
Bear listened as Swede and Link explained the surveillance setup.
“We mounted cameras in the trees at key vantage points,” Swede said, tapping his tablet. “Angles calibrated for maximum coverage. Most are pan-tilt-zoom for flexible viewing. High-def feeds stream to the central hub.”
“Inside the house also, kitchen, living room, no blind spots,” Link added. “We’ve got eyes on Flora and the kids wherever they go.”
Bear’s gaze hardened. During the BBQ, four people would monitor the feeds—Link, Swede, Blast—with their tablets, and Kujo, stationed in the garage/workshop building in the backyard.
Hank, Hawk, Kujo, Nova, Swede, and Link would wear comm devices, ready for anything.
Now all that was left was for Charlotte to show up at the BBQ the next day—if their hunch proved correct.