“Back so soon?” Leif grinned after opening the door for us. “And you found Norm. See, some things work out.”

I quickly pushed my way inside with Nancy. “This isn’t a social visit.”

“What do you mean?” Leif slowly closed the door.

“I mean we need answers.” I took in his small but updated apartment. I didn’t sense anyone else inside, but you could never be too safe.

“We have questions.” Nancy used a much friendlier tone of voice than I did. I didn’t trust he wasn’t involved in all of this. He’d played some part. The trick was finding out whether his role was intentional or not. That made all the difference as to what our next step would be.

“Questions?” Leif looked between us.

I pushed open the door to the bedroom that was partially ajar.

“Do you mind, man?” Leif followed behind me.

“Making sure we are alone.”

“We are.” He pulled the door closed as soon as I exited his room.

“Let’s sit down, shall we?” Nancy called from Leif’s sparsely furnished living room.

I waited until Leif sat down in a chair he’d pulled in from the office nook before settling in beside Nancy on a small couch.

He cracked his knuckles. “This is going to be good. I can’t wait to hear what this is about.”

I sat forward. “Why did you put up that ad?”

“It was a joke.” His jovial expression fell. “Nancy and I have been over this before.”

Nancy shook her head. “Right. A real funny one.”

“What does it matter? You finally called Norm. All is right in the world. My work is done.” He rubbed his hands together in what I assumed was a gesture to assume he was washing his hands of the issue.

“No.” I narrowed my eyes. “You’ve created a mess. Your work is not done until you help fix it.”

“What kind of mess?” He showed the first signs of concern, but that also could have been worry over his own skin.

“Where did you post the ad? Anywhere else other than the usual dating sites?”

“No. Why?” He squirmed.

“I’m not the one answering questions. You are.”

“Nowhere else. Just Dateaday.”

“Why did you pick that site?”

“Because I’ve used it before, and it’s designed for things like this. For people looking for dates for a particular event.” His reply read like a student answering a teacher. He was nervous, which was exactly what he should have been feeling.

“And that was the only ad you posted? No others?” The guy was nervous, but that didn’t mean I was going to go easy on him. Not when Nancy’s safety was at stake.

“No. Just the one. Like I said it was a joke, but maybe she could have found someone that way. Did you even look at your options?” He turned to Nancy.

“You wouldn’t tell me where you posted!”

“Yeah but you still had the emails.” He put his hands behind his head. “Some of them probably sent pictures, right?”

“Well, it doesn’t matter.” She crossed her arms over her chest.

“Why are you over here? I already took the ad down. I thought it was all settled.”

“Why did you take it down?” I pressed.

“Because Nancy was upset.”

He obviously didn’t realize his mistake. He hadn’t meant to expose her to her enemies, but the damage was done.

“Come on, why are you making this such a big deal? The picture I used could have been anyone. They don’t have her real email…”

“Yet someone was able to track her down.” Motives aside, his little joke had put Nancy in danger.

“Someone?” He raised an eyebrow.

Nancy leaned in to me. "Should we get him from the trunk?"

“Um, who from the trunk?" Leif paled.

"The mountain lion who tried to kidnap her." I rather enjoyed the look of panic that crossed his face. "Thanks to you."

"Thanks to me? No way. I don't know any mountain lions."

"Your ill-thought out ad. It drew him to her."

"You think I put her address on the ad? I'd never do something so reckless or stupid."

"The ad itself is stupid." And mean. What kind of friend did that to someone?

"It was a joke. Sort of."

"Sort of?" Nancy frowned. “Still going to pretend that?”

"I also wanted to push her."

"Push her to what?" I was reminded of Nancy’s comment, that I wouldn’t want to know because it involved me. And his meddling. What had she meant? What did the ad have to do with me? And what had Leif meant by all being right in the world?

"Never mind. I'd rather know about the man in your trunk. It's your trunk, right Nancy?"

"The guy who's in my trunk because of you." She crossed her legs at the ankles.

"I know I didn't put him there."

"If it wasn't for Norm, I'd be the one tied up in someone's trunk or worse." She shuddered.

I put an arm around her without really thinking it through. She didn’t jerk away though. She leaned into me instead.

"Be real. This is really all from the ad? How? I did it through my own account so her info isn't on there at all. I swear."

"You didn't actually need to use her address." I rubbed her back gently.

"Meaning?" Leif moved to the edge of his seat.

"Meaning let's go talk to our friend in the trunk."

"Now? Outside my apartment? Sure that's wise?" His words flowed together in a rush as he eyed the light flooding in through his window. “There are lots of people around.”

"Not right outside." I wasn’t an idiot.

"Where?" He asked nervously.

"Just come."

"You stuffed a dude in the trunk of a car, and you want me to just come with you?” His eyes widened.

"A dude who wished harm on Nancy. Would you have rather I let him?"

"Of course not.” He shook his head. “But why not call the police? Let them do their job."

"And what? They take him in, and we discover nothing."

"What do you need to discover?" Leif stood.

"Who sent him." I could tell I’d rattled the guy, and I didn’t want to fully throw him for a loop. We needed all the help we could get.

"I thought my ad brought him in." He started to pace the cramped room.

“No, your ad exposed her."

“Oh, the story is changing?" He stopped pacing.

"The ad made it possible for him to find her. Therefore it's your fault."

"Of course." He rolled his eyes. “It’s all my fault.”

“Not all, just some.” Nancy stood up.

I followed suit. “Exactly. Still means you’re coming with us.”

“I don’t have a choice in this, do I?”

“No. You don’t.” There was no time to beat around the bush.

* * *

Twenty minutes later we pulled into the loading dock of the abandoned warehouse my contact had suggested. It was surrounded on all sides by empty lots. In other words, it was perfect. I waited idling until the doors were opened, and we drove inside. Abandoned neighborhood or not, I wouldn’t risk Nancy getting into any trouble for being involved in this. As Leif had alluded to earlier, it was broad daylight.

I put the truck in park, turned it off, and turned to Nancy in the passenger seat. “This might get intense.”

“I can handle intense.”

“I can’t.” Leif leaned forward in his seat. “You aren't going to torture the guy, right?"

“No, but need I remind you this guy was going to kidnap Nancy.”

"Doesn't mean I believe in torture." Leif huffed.

"And you think I do?" Nancy whirled around in her seat. "Come on. Stop pretending you don't know me."

He nodded. “Sorry. This is all a bit crazy for me.”

“Well, I’ve been through worse.” She sighed. “And this is important. This might be my one chance to find my mom. You know how long I’ve been looking for answers.”

“And it might not be. It might all be a scam.” Leif unbuckled and eyed the back of the truck.

“Maybe, but we have to see this through.”

“I know.” Any sign of resistance left him. He was going to help. “Let’s do this.”

“Finally, a good attitude.” I unbuckled and got out.

Before long my associates had the mountain lion tied up to a chair again and ready for the next round of questioning.

Nancy quietly pulled me to the side. “You were serious, right? No torture?”

“We won’t need torture.” We’d get all the answers we’d need. The question was how long it was going to take.

“Do you recognize him?” I directed Leif to look at the mountain lion.

“Never seen him before in my life.”

“I’ve seen you.” The stranger’s lips twisted into a smile.

“Where?” Leif’s eyes bulged.

“Your apartment. Followed you out on one of your runs.” The mountain lion licked his chapped lips as if thinking about his next meal. Most shifters I’d met didn’t eat people. Who the hell was this guy?

“What the hell?” Leif yelled. His reaction was completely appropriate.

“Tracked you down through that lovely ad you posted.” The mountain lion’s eyes twinkled. He was enjoying himself. It’s why it was easy to resist the urge to tell Leif ‘I told you so.’ He was already upset. Rubbing in his role in this help wasn’t going to help anyone.

“What do you want with her?” Leif’s face remained a bright red. “She has never hurt anyone.”

“This has nothing to do with what’s she done; it is entirely about what she will be able to do.”

“What I’m able to do?” Nancy grimaced. “Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Tell me where my mom is.”

“I will take you to your mother. Just tell your boyfriends to back off.” The mountain lion smiled.

Her hand balled into a fist at her side. “I am not going anywhere with you.”

“I thought you wanted to see your mother?”

“What did you do to her?” Tears spilled down Nancy’s face. “Tell me!” She screamed.

I had to do something. I tried to put a hand on her arm, attempted to comfort her, but she shrugged me off.

“Do something, Norm! Make him talk.”

I was stuck. There was nothing I could do to make a trained messenger like this one spill the beans. At least not anything I could do without some serious repercussions. Shifters had rules, and no torture when life wasn’t on the line was one of them. “We’ll get more information from him.”

“You think keeping me hostage is going to help?” The mountain lion smirked. “I already told you the king will send someone much worse. I was only given forty-eight hours to get her.”

“Forty-eight hours?” Nancy’s brow wrinkled. “That’s the ball…”

“And your birthday…” Leif looked at her.

“Your birthday is in two days?” How had I missed that? I’d been around her during the holidays last year, yet she’d never mentioned it.

Nancy shrugged. “Yes.”

“I still don’t see why you want to take Nancy.” Leif furrowed his brow. “It makes no sense. Yes, she’s cute and all, but this is a lot of work to get a girl.”

“This has nothing to do with her appearance, even though cute isn’t the word I’d use.” His eyes ran up and down her body, and I about lost it.

“Then what is it? Why are you here?” Nancy had calmed down some.

“I already told you everything. I am here to bring her to the king as per the agreement made fifty years ago.”

She groaned. “I wasn’t alive fifty years ago.”

“Your grandfather made it. Your mother changed the terms, not once but twice. The king is done waiting.”

“Who is this king?” That was the information I needed, even if I already had a hunch.

“Yeah, I don’t know of any kings that matter... at least not anywhere near here.” Leif raised his chin.

The mountain lion chuckled. “You really know nothing.”

“I have a master’s degree. I know plenty.”

He laughed again. “Degrees don’t mean anything in our world.”

“You mean your world?” Nancy narrowed her eyes.

“Our world. Well, not his.” He looked at Leif.

“Oh yeah? I’m the only one not part of this super exiting world? Wrong. Nancy isn’t part of it.”

“Yes, she is.” The mountain lion sneered.

Leif pointed a thumb at Nancy. “She can’t shift into anything. Trust me.”

He laughed. “There are more creatures than shifters out there.”

Leif grumbled, “Oh, here we go.”

“What? Did you really think shifters were the extent of the paranormal world?”

“More like hoped.”

“Just tell us what we need to know.” Time was of the essence. It was always of the essence.

“This is not my information to tell.”

“Oh. shove it,” Nancy snapped. “We aren’t getting anywhere.”

He gave an amused smile. “Either you come with me, or the king sends someone much worse to get you.”

“Oh, so I’d want to go see a guy who’d send someone scary after me?”

“He won’t hurt you if you go willingly.” He licked his lips again, this time while watching Nancy.

“But if I don’t...” She took a step closer to me.

“He will do what he needs to do.”

“That’s enough.” I signaled to my associate. “Take him away.”

“Can we leave?” Nancy spoke softly. “I don’t want to be anywhere near that man.”

“You want him brought back to your pack?” My associate asked.

“Yes. I want eyes on him at all times.”

“Whatever you say.” He nodded. “Anything for Ryder’s little brother.”

I hated the little part, but it wasn’t worth mentioning. “Thanks.”