“It takes five of you to come here to apologize to one little old lady?” He hoped Nonny’s music was up loud enough that she didn’t hear what he’d called her. She’d probably box his ears. He reached up and pulled on his earlobe, thankful he didn’t have cauliflower ear.

Larry shrugged. “We actually had some other work to do, and because it took us in this direction, I thought I’d take the opportunity to make my apology.”

“How is it you know my grandmother and where she lives?” Wyatt asked.

“Since we’ve been working at the place, your Ms. Fontenot has been out to that section of the swamp numerous times. It’s fairly remote and we get a hunter or two occasionally, but she’s been there regularly. Our company has to guard against industrial espionage, so we had to check her out.”

“You thought a little old lady plantin’ and harvestin’ was committin’ industrial espionage?” He grinned at them. “Seriously? Because she’s gonna love that.”

“All right,” Larry said, looking slightly annoyed and embarrassed, “we had no choice. When the boss says to investigate someone, you do it, no matter how ridiculous.”

Wyatt nodded. “I can understand that. After you shoved her, she thought maybe you were making dirty bombs in that place and the lot of you were treasonous terrorists.” He watched their faces closely.

The men looked at one another. Jim hid a smile. Blake raised his eyebrows, and the two in the back coughed behind their hands.

“She said that about us?” Larry asked.

“About you in particular, Larry. You do realize that Grand-mere is an icon here in the bayou. If you really investigated her you would have found out her famille dates back to the first settlers and that she creates the medicine here. Had she gone to the other families here and told them, they would have strung you up by your balls.”

Larry winced. “Would you mind if I just said my apologies and we let it go at that? I’m still sore from your little lesson. I don’t think I need another one.”

He moved a few steps closer with the dog. The dog didn’t cast around looking for any other scent, his total concentration was on Wyatt.

The others spread out behind Larry, an easy maneuver, as if they were just hanging out while Larry approached the porch. The dog came with Larry. Wyatt didn’t want his grandmother exposed to possible trouble, so the best scenario was to allow Larry into the house. The parlor was a distance from the bedrooms, but if the baby started to cry or Pepper made a sound, the dog might alert before he could control it.

I would prefer to bring Larry and dog into the house. It would go a long way to makin’ them believe we aren’ harborin’ any fugitives such as the Rougarou. Pepper, you’ll have to make certain Ginger doesn’ make a sound.

She won’t, Pepper assured. She’s a soldier.

He winced at that explanation. He didn’t want his daughters to be soldiers or experiments. He wanted them to be happy children, with no worries of evil men who used them as experiments.

Your grand-mere might inadvertently give them away, Malichai cautioned.

Ezekiel grunted, his amusement more felt than heard. Grand-mere won’t give anything away, Malichai, and shame on you for even thinking it. I never could teach you to see past the obvious. She’s a wily woman and nothing gets by her.

Wyatt was pleased Ezekiel had noticed. And she’d better not hear you even thought that she’d give them away, because if she does, you won’t be eating at the table for a long time to come.

Blackmail material. Oh, yeah. Ezekiel was elated.

“Just you. You and the dog,” Wyatt said. “You can come into the parlor and have a word with Nonny.”

Larry glanced back at the others. Jim couldn’t keep the triumphant look off his face. Yeah. They had been military, but they weren’t cloak and dagger.

I’m bringin’ him in. Stay quiet, Wyatt reiterated.

Ginger doesn’t cry, Pepper reassured. Not when danger is close. They were already in training, remember? The first thing they were ever taught was to maintain silence.

There was the merest hint of indignation, not in her voice, but in the way she felt. He knew neither of the others could tell and it made him feel closer to her.

I know, babe. I just needed to touch base and know she’s okay in this situation. But caution her about bitin’ just in case.

She has the right to defend herself if they come through the window and try to take her, Pepper objected.

She might have the right, but I don’ want her livin’ with the consequences, knowin’ she killed another person, he said firmly. We’re her parents. We’ll do the killin’ if it needs to be done, not her.

There was a short silence. He could feel the hurt in her. His words stung. He hadn’t meant them that way, but he didn’t want his children to have to ever look back and know they’d killed someone when they didn’t have to. In the laboratory, they’d had no choice, and he could explain that to them, but in their home, the adults did the protecting.

You’re right, Wyatt. I’m sorry. I should have thought of that.

She hadn’t because she’d never had a childhood, parents or a family. She thought first like a soldier, not a mother. She didn’t have experience to draw from. She had no parents of her own to give her a road map to follow. There would always be gaps in her parenting because of that, gaps he could fill in. She needed him whether or not she wanted to admit it.