“To who? I mean who’d believe her? Not anyone who could really hurt us.”

“You have a point. Besides, she can’t talk even if she wants to.”

“And why’s that?”

Crushek grinned. “She’s a car thief. A really good one. Only takes high end. Has specific clients.”

“You know her.”

“I know a couple of dealers who’ve hired her for special requests. She’s also a driver. She’s been involved in a few heists, but being a car thief is her true love. She’s been doing it full-time since she was sixteen.”

“You know her,” Cella repeated. “But you won’t ever tell anyone who she is ... will you?”

The bear shrugged, smiled. “I can’t risk the information getting back to BPC. Plus, she protected one of our kind—for that she deserves our loyalty. Right?”

Okay, so the bear was judgmental, uptight, and so straitlaced it made her laugh, but he was smart, brave, and wicked fast. And loyal to a car thief he didn’t really know.

“You want this girl safe,” Cella suggested, “we need to bring Baissier down, and we need to do it now.”

“What makes you think we can do that? I’ve known that woman for a very long time, Malone. You can’t take her down just because your friend wants to protect some girl.”

“I know. I’m not saying it’ll be easy, but I think Whitlan’s the key.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Do you really think Baissier’s after some taxidermist? She was watching that taxidermist for a reason. Smith and I think that reason is Whitlan.”

“So? What if he is the reason?”

She shrugged. “Maybe Baissier’s working with him.”

He snorted. “Peg Baissier? Working with a full-human? On anything? What are you? High?”

“It’s a possibility.”

“It’s also a possibility that a lion male might be shy and retiring, but that’s not happening, either.”

“I’m telling you she’s up to something.”

“She’s always up to something. That doesn’t mean she’s doing something we can use against her.”

“You don’t know that.”

Crush studied Cella. “What if she is up to something?” he finally asked. “What does KZS care? Or is the real problem here Baissier’s power among the bears?”

Cella picked at dried blood on the sleeve of her sweatshirt. “Knowing that woman as well as you do, Crushek, can you really say you feel comfortable with her having that much control over an army of grizzlies and polars? Considering how much she hates every other species?”

He didn’t answer and Cella looked up, not surprised by the frown on his face.

Cella nodded. “Yeah. That’s pretty much how the rest of us feel, too.”

“I understand, butthinking for a second that she’d involve herself with a scumbag like Whitlan ...”

“According to you, he played the NYPD, the FBI, and the Mob. You really don’t believe he could do the same with her? Someone so arrogant she thinks she’s untouchable?”

“She is untouchable.”

“Not if we get something on her. Not if you get something on her. And you start with Whitlan. That is what cops do, isn’t it? Look into shit? Investigate?”

“I usually like to have this little thing they call evidence.”

“Look, Smith’s gut—”

“If I have to hear about that She-wolf’s internal organs one more time ...”

“Check it out. Please.” When he only scratched his head and blew out a breath, Cella asked, “What? What is it?”

“I have a history with Baissier and it’s not exactly a big secret. At least, not among the bears. They might think I’m just trying to ruin her life.”

“You’re not?”

“No.” And she loved how appalled he looked at the mere suggestion that he might do something for revenge. So earnest this guy. “I just want her to stay away from me and I’ll stay away from her.”

Cella smirked. “You just tossed her boys out the fuckin’ door of the Group offices. Do you really think she’s going to stay away from you now?”

“How she handles her own shit is up to her. I’m talking about me. I mean, can’t the Group handle looking into this?”

“The Group?” Cella laughed. “You know how the Group handles really high-level shit like this? They give it to Dee-Ann and she starts killing people with her bowie knife ... that her own father gave her when she was ten. Trust me when I say, you do not want Dee-Ann Smith getting anywhere near Whitlan or Baissier.”

The bear briefly closed his eyes. “What about KZS?”

“KZS is made up of cats. In general, we’re a lazy species. So we don’t do what you’d call actual”—she made air quotes with her fingers—“ ‘investigations.’ ”

“Then what do you do?”

“Someone says, ‘I’m thinking they’re a problem’ ... and then they send one of us in to eliminate the problem.”

Scowling, the bear demanded, “You do that for every situation? Even nonlethal ones?”

“Oh, God, no! Of course not. If you just irritate us, then we just come to your house and pee all over everything.” She shrugged. “Sometimes shit in your shoes.” When the bear only stared at her with his mouth open, Cella quickly added, “Not me, though. I’ve never done that. Not ever. Because it’s ... it’s ...” She thought a moment. “It’s ‘morally’ wrong.” She smiled, proud of herself for remembering the phrase.