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“Fistfight on the casket. Poisonous snakes in the backyard. My father’s ex-girlfriend head-butted by my mother.” Livy shrugged. “The usual, really.”

“Sounds it.”

Ronnie Lee, seeing her brothers, stood with her son in her arms. “Take Reggie, I need to go to the bathroom.”

At their sister’s request, Ricky Lee immediately changed direction and walked over to Livy by the sink, Reece dropped to one knee so he could tie a boot that didn’t need it, which left poor Rory unprepared. His sister shoved the baby in Rory’s arms and the stoic wolf suddenly appeared terrified. If the females of the Pack noticed, none of them said anything. Instead, they kept chatting among themselves.

Livy asked her cousin, “So what’s up?”

“Well, I’m going to be in Manhattan in the next couple of days for a job. Thought you’d like to sign on.”

Livy frowned at the statement. “Huh?”

“Your mother called me . . . said you needed work.”

Rubbing her forehead, Livy asked, “She said what?”

“Uh . . . oh.”

While her cousin was stammering on the other end, Livy watched Rory Lee carry his nephew through the open door and into the dining room. He began pacing back and forth, gently patting the child’s back.

“Shit,” her cousin muttered. “I knew I should have talked to Jake first. But your mother sounded so—”

“Casual?” Livy asked.

“Yeah. Exactly. So I guess she’s still not a big supporter of your photography career, huh?”

“Apparently not.”

Rory suddenly stumbled past the open doorway, Ronnie Lee’s baby now attached to his uncle’s throat by his little baby teeth, his little baby claws dug into his uncle’s shoulders.

“Hey,” Jocelyn asked, “are you okay?”

“Yeah. I’m fine,” Livy lied, watching in concern as poor Rory stumbled back the other way, desperately trying to pry his nephew off his neck.

“Maybe we could meet when I get into the city.”

“Sure.”

“Okay. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Yeah. Thanks, Joce.” Livy disconnected the call and glanced over at Ricky. “Are you going to help him?”

“I find it’s better not to get involved.”

Ronnie walked back into the kitchen just as her baby was finally yanked off Rory’s neck and sent flying right into her arms. She easily caught her child and then all the She-wolves turned on Rory, gawking at the poor wolf in horror.

“Good Lord, Rory Lee!” Ronnie snarled. “You don’t throw babies! Especially mine!”

“Look what he did to me!” Rory pointed at his unmarred neck.

“What am I looking at?” Sissy Mae asked. “’Cause I don’t see nothin’.”

“Just wait until the little bastard grows into his fangs,” Rory promised. “Then you’ll see!”

“I don’t know what’s been wrong with you lately,” Ronnie said, sitting back at the kitchen table. “It’s like you’ve lost your dang mind!”

“Where’s Toni?” Ricky asked Livy.

“Taking a call from the Russian team.”

Ricky sighed. “I’m sensing another trip to Siberia coming up.”

“Now?” Livy snorted a little. “It’s freezing over there.”

“It’s a winter nightmare, but they do take good care of us when we come over.” He moved a little closer. “Just so you know,” Ricky said low, motioning to his Packmates, “they’re probably going to crash here for the night.”

“All night?”

“Yeah. There’s a game on. We’ll watch it on our big flat screen, which we all love, and then, before you know it, they’re asleep on our living room floor. Toni doesn’t mind, but you—”

“Yeah. Tell Toni I’ll check in with her later.”

Chuckling, Ricky nodded. “Will do. Have a good night.”

Livy made it out of the apartment and down to the street before Reece caught up with her.

“Hey,” he said, catching her arm. “You’re not staying?”

“Can’t. Your friends get on my nerves.”

Reece laughed. “You’re not a subtle gal, are ya, Livy?”

“Nope.” Heading down the street, she waved back at him.

Once she hit the corner, Livy stood there for a second, wondering where she’d go now. Without her raising her hand, a taxi stopped in front of her. Livy opened the door and got in.

“Where to?” the cabbie asked.

Livy thought a moment, then smirked. “Westchester.”

Vic watched over Shen’s shoulder as the panda did what he did best and hacked into the delivery company’s computer system. They’d found a security guard willing to let them in, but they didn’t have a lot of time.

It didn’t take long to figure out that this company was, truly, a delivery business. They delivered cars and other heavy items for their rich clients to and from foreign countries. But they also moved illegal products like elephant tusks and stolen paintings and protected-animal meat and furs. Also for their rich clients.

But that still didn’t explain the circuitous route the package from Russia took to get to Miami. Once Shen was into the system, he discovered that the package had gone from Russia through Japan down to Australia to South Africa into Argentina up through Peru through Columbia and into Cuba before hitting Miami.

The question that Vic needed answered, though, was where had it gone from there.

“It was a pickup,” Shen finally said. “Someone came and picked up the box and took it. No name provided, though.”

“All right.” Vic patted Shen’s shoulder. “Let’s go.”

“Give me a minute.”

Vic waited while Shen erased evidence that he’d been tooling around the company’s system. Once done, they headed out, Vic handing the rest of the cash he’d promised to the security guard.

They walked away from the port toward where they’d left the rental SUV.

“So now what?” Shen asked.

“Every time we think we’re close, there’s another dead end with this guy.”

“There’s got to be something we can try.”

Vic stopped, hands in pockets, his gaze locked on the clear sky. “We can check the daughter’s place again,” he said, resigned.

“That could have been where the package was going.”

“Doubtful.”

“Maybe. Or maybe a father making a desperate attempt to know his daughter after missing out on the last thirty years. He wouldn’t be the first. And whoever picked up the package and brought it to her . . .”

“Might know where we can start looking.” Vic nodded. “It’s better than nothing.”

They walked on, reaching the vehicle quickly.

“And when we’re done with this,” Shen said as he opened the passenger’s side. “We need to shut that place down.” He gestured in the direction of the company they’d just left.

“Absolutely,” Vic said, immediately thinking about the animals that had suffered for the most ridiculous reasons.

Shen glanced at his watch as Vic opened his door and got into the SUV. “I think we can make the red-eye if traffic is good.”

“Great,” Vic said, starting the SUV. “I’m so ready to go home.”

CHAPTER 5

They’d taken the red-eye back to LaGuardia and now Vic was tired and cranky. Plus, he couldn’t seem to shake Shen. The panda had gotten in the cab with him and was now getting out as Vic paid the driver.

“Why aren’t you going to your hotel?” Vic asked as they headed toward his Westchester house.

“I wanted to make sure you got home safe and sound.”

Vic stopped outside the chain-link gate surrounding his home. “You want me to make you something to eat, don’t you?”

“I’m a guest,” Shen said, easing the gate open and stepping onto Vic’s property. “It’s the polite thing to do.”