Chapter 20

They changed cars three times in fifteen minutes.

She had seen this sort of thing happen in the movies but had never expected to be doing it herself. They returned to the office to give her a chance to collect anything she might have needed to continue investigating on her own while he was gone, a time during which he had made a phone call that even her sensitive ears picked up as light muttering. After announcing that she had everything she needed and following him outside again, she had been surprised to find that the car waiting outside wasn't the same one they had been driving around in for the past week. Instead, it was a car designed for a mammal larger than Nick - maybe a lion or some other big cat – painted cherry red and modified with a seat lift and extended pedals to allow him to drive it with relative ease.

Three blocks later, in the shadow of an alley between a bakery and a bamboo-noodle restaurant, she learned that the car was designed for polar bears. She learned this because of the polar bear in a sharply tailored black suit waiting for them with another car, black this time. Before she could question, she was escorted out as the exchange took place without a word. The white bear climbed into the red car without a word and Nick ushered her into the new car, which was more bunny sized than fox-sized. With the seat pushed back all the way, and the steering wheel raised as much as possible, it was drivable though not at all comfortable for the slumped fox. But like the first one, they didn't stay in it for long. This time they pulled into a public three-story garage where, on the second floor, a skunk waited patiently next to an aged white family sedan that was certainly more fox friendly. After the swap was again made wordlessly, Nick waited for the striped mammal to drive out and followed two minutes later.

There was another 'exchange' that took place when he pulled into another alley, though the bit of trickery that took place there almost had her wondering which car they were supposed to be in. Using a dumpster to block visual on the driver's side door on the newer, sportier looking car, they exited the sedan like normal. Only when they reached the new car and were hidden from the road by said dumpster, the badger driver simply gave them a nod before driving off. She resisted the urge to peak around the green metal box, which smelled about as friendly as the badger had looked, as she looked up at the handsome red fox with a combination of nervousness and curious energy. After they waited a full five minutes, he quickly led her back to the car and they were off again.

Judy was loaded with questions, each one almost leaving her muzzle more than once, but it seemed foolish to ask the obvious. They were trying to lose anyone who might be trailing them and, with a single phone call, he had set up at least three throw away cars and mammals who would drive them. Her need to know who he was grew more intense, but she couldn't risk asking them now. The receipt was important, too important, to let her curiosity about the male beside her delay that or have him change his mind entirely. As much as he seemed to agree with the idea that he worked for her, she wasn't going to test it in the middle of a cloak and dagger operation that made the ones she had seen in the movies look easy to follow. So, she watched where they were going in silence, aware that they were taking no backroads or pointlessly evasive turns now to get where they were going. Not that she knew where they were going, a fact that irritated her almost as much as her own decision not to question him until she had the receipt in her paws.

It wasn't until they reached the markets of Haytown, with the large arches of the bridge growing larger, that she started to understand where they were going. The Witty Arson Bridge crossed into the Nocturnal Ranges, a place that a nocturnal mammal like a fox was sure to have plenty of friends. This almost had her speaking, before he pulled off the main road that would lead to the bridge exit, dashing her idea and making her scowl inwardly as she stared out the window at the passing buildings. A while back, what had been the obvious clutter and larger structures of downtown had become the flash and touristy glamour of Savanna Square and the surrounding buildings. That had faded as they drove until the larger buildings gave way to a more suburban feel. Smaller apartment buildings, townhouses, shopping plazas, one-level office buildings, and eventually warehouses as they drew closer to the waterline.

Even those buildings came to a rather abrupt end, which surprised her. The undeveloped section of the city looked perfect for further development, with open spaces connected to the road they still followed. Yet she saw no 'For Sale' signs, no construction; not even agriculture. It didn't take long, with the setting sun blocked by the ever-growing bridge to form an early artificial twilight in the area, for her to see the only structure that the road seemed to lead to.

In a city of massive buildings, it wasn't the size of the building that was impressive: it was the flare of it all. The glow that seemed to surround it even when there were no lights turned on. It had been a warehouse at one point, of that she was sure. The arching, almost shell-like design of the roof, the square glass windows that were still visible on the front, the large front doors that had been designed to accept shipments from mammals of all sizes, the low and easily accessible location from the road. She was sure that it had been a warehouse.

It wasn't a warehouse anymore. The roof had been divided into long downward facing segments of colorful pink, outlined with lights on either side that would bring out the pink in a nice, non-offensive way once lit. The front panels on either side of the door had been replaced with square segments that almost looked like add-on rooms. In fact, they were likely an extension. Before she decided on that, her attention turned to the fact that the building was on a dock over the water, across a short walkway bridge lined with lights, giving the whole thing a high-class appearance that she wasn't exactly sure it should have. In the end, her eyes were drawn to the sign that dominated the front of the building.

Wild Times.

It wasn't some massive neon sign that could be seen for miles around. It was a massive wooden sign made up of individual letters painted yellow with red borders. Even when the lights that outlined every letter were turned off, you could easily read it once close enough. But more than that, they also seemed to fit the exterior of the building more than neon would have. It gave the entire building a classic, welcoming feeling without being too obvious about itself. And at the same time, it was made to be noticed by those who were looking for it. The huge star that dotted the 'i' in Wild made that clear enough.

Of course, she knew exactly what this place was.

"You're kidding me, right?" she asked in the most cliché way she could as he pulled up to the curb in front of the main entrance. But it was simply too crazy to imagine that he would be bringing her to this… this… "This brothel is the 'safe place' you're going to leave me?"

"You need the receipt," he said calmly, showing no outward sign behind his sunglasses that her outrage had any effect on him at all. "You ordered me to take you somewhere safe. This is the only place I think you will be."

Without another word, he popped open his door and stepped out without bothering to turn off the car. Flabbergasted, she scrambled to do the same, hopping down as he rounded the car, fuming and fully prepared to give him the verbal lashing of his life when the front door swung open. The throb of heavy base, background noise until that moment, vibrated through her long ears as the flicker of lights from within the building outlined and left the figure that stepped out mostly hidden in shadow for a moment.

"Well, well," came the deep, unamused, masculine voice over the music. A voice that in no way seemed to suit the fox that spoke with it. "After a full week of seeing him on TV confusing the hell out of an entire city, he finally shows up at my door with all the trouble that's following him."

The massive front door did nothing to prepare her for the fox that stepped into the fading light until she could see him clearly. He was, at best, tiny. She was almost certain that he was half her height if the ears were excluded from the equation. The dark sports jacket he wore was open in the front, revealing a white t-shirt over a slim torso and what she could have sworn was a golden, gem-encrusted pacifier hanging from a length of chain around his neck. This didn't seem to change the fact that somehow this tiny mammal, whose ears were as large as his entire body, came across as intimidating while his shaded gaze lingered on Nick for a long moment. Then that gaze shifted towards her, as he reached up with one paw to lift the sunglasses from amber eyes, sweeping his gaze over her until a small smile played over his narrow muzzle.

"And would you look," he said, in a tone that caused her to shift closer to Nick even as he moved closer to the door and the fox that was eyeing her like a piece of meat. "He brought me a bunny."

The bubble of indignant fury that rose towards the small fox came on very quickly, as much for the fact that he looked at her in such a way openly as for the suggestion that she was being delivered. About to step around Nick to give them both a piece of her mind, seasoned with cutting words about where they could stick this idea of her staying here of all places, she stopped when she felt as much as heard a low-toned rumble in the air. Lavender eyes darted up to Nick as the source, which he very clearly was, as the low and almost soundless growl rolled through him. It didn't grow louder or more aggressive, nor did his stance change to a threatening one so much as he simply stood there, a cold chill nearly radiating from him as he stared at the smaller fox from behind his sunglasses.

She stared up at him with her nose twitching, her mouth had suddenly gone dry, as her heartbeat quickened to patter against her chest. Even when they had been in mortal danger, Nick had always remained so cool and controlled in his actions. It was so damned fascinating to see any real signs of aggression from him, to feel it in the air so tensely for a few seconds that she had to remind herself to breathe. There was no illusion in her mind that her reaction was fear. The rational part of her mind told her that she should have been frightened by a display of outright aggression, but she wasn't. She remembered the interview with Weaselton in the ZPD, how she had felt a flash of heat when he had warned the weasel not to speak to her the way he had. It was almost like that, but more intense; more intimate. The understanding of that had her turning her eyes away from him as she swallowed audibly, a little shiver rolling through her as she forced her gaze to the smaller fox.

Who was grinning up at the larger predator, and then at her as he flipped the sunglasses off entirely and hung them from the front of his shirt.

"So that's how it is," he said, his throaty voice low as he glanced between the two of them for a long moment when the growling died down. If she hadn't known better, she would have said that the expression on his face was positively delighted, which seemed to be confirmed by the shine in his eyes when he focused his gaze on her. "Don't worry, Law Buns. I know who you are. Even if bunnies weren't illegal in Zootopia, wouldn't want Lover-Todd there to burn down my business for even looking at you. Damn shame, though."

Not even sure if that had been a compliment on her attractiveness or an insult that she might make a good prostitute - if there was even a difference between the two in his mind – she found herself unable to reach that mad again. Her nose still twitching slightly, her heart still beating a little too fast, she cast a glance to the fox beside her. When he nodded and placed one paw between her shoulders to lead her forward, an unexpected tremble quaked through her entire body so quickly and intensely that it caused her ears to drop and the fur on the back of her neck to stand on end. This, too, she recognized as anything but a fearful reaction to the touch of the male beside her. Forced to keep her mind focused on where they were, and what they were walking into, she could only hope desperately that Nick was too focused on being…

Lover-fox.

… protective to notice exactly how crazily attractive she found the sudden and territorial reaction towards the other male.

She turned, forced, her attention from those thoughts to their surroundings as they walked into the only legal brothel still in Zootopia. For the large part, the interior was dimly lit except for the shafts of light that played along the walls and over the floors in a pattern that seemed to match the beat of the music. The place was built to cater to all sizes, obviously. At a glance, she could see that the tables surrounding the bar were divided into sections in a ring pattern around the main bar. The larger tables, obviously intended for huge animals, were on an upper level that circled the wide-open interior, making them the furthest out. On the main level, these tables decreased in size the closer they came to the bar. She realized that each table seemed to be its own self-contained entities; each had chairs, a love seat, a television on a paneled wall facing the love seat, and what she was pretty sure was a stripper pole on top of every table. Even as she felt some indignation return, she became aware that everything looked to be made of light, velvet, silk, and reflective surfaces. If she hadn't known where she was and what was done here, she might have found the entire setup impressive and beautiful. Almost classy, even.

Her gaze returned to the fox in front of them as he pulled a small remote out of his jacket pocket and pressed a button. The heavy music and the lights that danced to it were both gone in an instant, leaving her feeling a little deaf as her body still seemed to hum with the bass.

"Yo, girls!" the fox boomed, his voice easily carrying through the expanse of the now silent building, "We have guests!"

"We're still grooming," came a deeply feminine voice from an open door on the far side of the establishment, causing Judy to crane her neck to see if she could catch an idea of the voice as her ears quivered curiously. "Tell them that they're early!"

"Did I say customers, ya hussy?" he demanded, causing Judy to frown as she turned a cool glare towards the small fox. "Now get your fine asses out here and say hello to the city's newest darlings!"

"Oh, so we're hussies now?" came the voice again, though this time it was closer. Judy could have sworn there was humor rather than anger or insult in the tone. A second later, a large, slender and beautiful lioness stepped out of the room, causing Judy's jaw to unhinge slightly at the sight of the dark golden fur clothed in a long crimson robe that had the shine of silk. "Or were you talking directly to… Nick!"

The sudden burst of feminine chatter and squeals of excitement from the other side of the door was soon followed by a flood of the females they belonged too. Judy was taken aback, watching with a twitching nose as the stampede of females of various species – most of them half naked, wearing only lingerie and undergarments – rushed across the room in seeming excitement to see Nick. From a small and slender weasel, to a flame-furred vixen wearing a pure white teddy over a pleasantly narrow body, to a tigress who seemed just as excited as the rest to see the much smaller male, and a sheep who had wool as fluffy and white as she had ever seen around her neck and a fantastic, sheered body below it in a bra and panties that left very little to the imagination.

There were more, many more, but she lost track when they started to crowd around them in a wave of perfume and more than a few feminine voices. It was so completely out of her element. All of it was making her head spin slightly, a mixture of confusion and fear, which had her drawing closer to Nick as the group of females murmured about them.

"Nick, where have you been?"

"We've missed you, you handsome devil fox."

"We saw you on the news! Is this your client?"

"I didn't realize she was so cute!"

"Are you going to stay tonight? I can clear my schedule!"

"Me, too!"

"Quiet! I asked first."

"Maybe he can handle you both."

"He could handle all of us, I bet."

The confusion was quick to burn away as anger rose as quickly as the heated blush inside of her ears. Lavender eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze to the first of the females who had offered to spend the night with him, feeling her stomach tighten when she faced the beautiful - if overly perfumed – vixen. All uneasiness at the sudden arrival of the attractive females was gone as her gaze turned into a glare as she pressed into Nick's side. As she had hoped, he took this as a need for comfort. At least, she thought he did when his paw returned to her back and drew her closer to his side. The sudden and intense silence that followed was as deafening as it had been when the music had been turned off as the females looked at the two of them with open curiosity, surprise, and even a hint of annoyance from the vixen.

Satisfaction was followed by a jolt when she felt something brush her butt. Thinking one of the females might have gotten bold, she turned quickly only to see that Nick had wrapped his tail around her as casually as he had his arm. Her blush deepened as a surprised thrill raced through her, interrupted by Finnick's voice from the bar.

"Cute, right?" he said, sitting with the only female who hadn't rushed over to investigate the pair. Sitting with wasn't exactly right. The sharp-featured lioness was stretched out on her side on top of the bar, curled up and looking every bit as regal as her appearance seemed to suggest she should. Sitting in front of her and leaning back against the curve of her belly, was the tiny fox who looked very much like the king of the world surrounded in the crimson and gold of the female as she stroked his large ears. "They're twitterpated."

"I'm not so sure. This is Nick we're talking about," the mature lioness said in a silk-wrapped gravel tone, almost looking bored as her tail twitched over the bar. She then slapped her paw onto the bar-top twice loudly. "All right, enough gawking. Give them room and go get yourselves ready! You all have clients to tend to later tonight."

Judy watched in silence as the group of females collectively gave little sounds of disappointment as they rose from their tight ring around Nick and started back towards the back room again. She found that very little of this was exactly what she had expected. The building was exceptionally clean and well designed; not one of the females looked downtrodden or unkempt; the theme wasn't overly gaudy or deeply focused on sex. When Finnick had shown up on her list of contacts for possible protection, she had envisioned a grimy pit, mostly shadowed and filled with females that were only looking for a way out. The various females didn't look or sound like anything less than a group of does gossiping about bucks back in Bunnyburrow as they crossed the room, some pausing to give a last glance or a wave to Nick before vanishing through the door.

The constant feeling of perplexity and disquiet was starting to annoy her, however, so she shoved them aside and straightened herself as she tugged out of Nick's reach reluctantly. Clearing her throat, she glanced at Finnick before she grabbed Nick's arm to draw him down to her level.

"You're seriously leaving me here," she whispered, as she reached up and yanked the sunglasses from his muzzle so she could look into his eyes. The tough fox routine was just adding to her annoyance, even if it was the truth of him in pretty much every way. "Is this place even legal?"

"Perfectly legal," Finnick said, causing her to jump slightly as she turned to face him. "And these ears aren't just to make me look good, Law Buns, any more than those buns are just to make you look hot in that suit."

"Then stop focusing on them," she snapped, frowning as she crossed her arms over her chest facing him and the lioness who had remained behind only to serve as his chair. At least, that was how it looked to Judy. "And my name is Judith Hopps. You can call me Miss Hopps."

"She does have a spine," the lioness said in a near purr, an approving smirk showing twin rows of sharp, predatory teeth. "And a nice butt."

"Can everyone stop looking at my ass for one minute?" she demanded, turning to glare at Nick for putting her in this position. And in a place where the females seemed to absolutely adore him, which was enough to make her temper start to rise again. "This is the only safe place you know?"

"He is the only one I would trust to leave you with," he confirmed, causing her to wonder what kind of male could gain the trust of a fox whom no one in the entire city seemed to know, "And this is one of the last places anyone in the city would think you might end up."

"How long will this take?"

"I don't know," he replied simply, placing one paw on her shoulder when she turned to face him. He had remained on her level and held her eyes now as he continued, "But you know I'm not going to take any longer than is needed. I will be back as soon as I have what you need."

"I'll bet you already have what she needs," Finnick snorted lightly, causing her ears to burn as Nick cast him an annoyed glance.

Too embarrassed by the statement to be angry, she released a slow sigh as she testily brushed his paw from her shoulder. "Then go get it. And… Be careful."

"I'm always careful," he replied, giving her a small grin before drawing himself to his feet facing the bar. "I expect this place to be in flames and filled with blood and bodies before you let anything happen to her."

"Oh, I already got that part of it," the smaller male replied with his first truly serious expression, toying with the chain around his neck idly as he watched the other Todd. "But I want an explanation when you get back. Or should I just grill the bunny?"

"Her name is Judy," Nick said shortly, reaching up to adjust his tie and straighten his jacket. It was a habit, she realized; something he did when he was preparing himself or trying to calm down. While it came off as smooth because of the ease of the motion, it was as much a nervous tick as her foot thumping had been before she broke that habit. "And you can grill her all you want. Just expect to be grilled in return and verbally dominated if you try."

"Oh, I would love to see that," the lioness crooned in ample delight at the idea, causing the smaller male to roll his eyes up at her as she gently scratched between his ears.

"Yeah, I just bet you would," she heard him say, though she didn't take her eyes off Nick as he turned to head for the door. Her unease grew the further away he got from her, until she forced herself to calm down. She was perfectly capable of existing without him, even if this was one of the last places on earth she would want to exist at all. When he reached the door, she saw him pause for a moment before he called over his shoulder.

"And keep the males away from her, Fin," he said, his voice cool and easy. Calm as it might have been, even she could see the spark in his eye when he finished, "or I'll be the one filling this place with blood and bodies."

With that, he turned and left, though his parting words did make her feel better in a strange, simply visceral way. That faded when she turned and found that the fennec fox didn't look at all intimidated. In fact, he and the lioness were both grinning at her widely.

"Oh, sweet Law Buns," he said, rubbing his paws together like an evil genius about to take over the world, "do I have questions for you."