The rhino pulled up in front of a small house on the outskirts of Sahara Square and turned to Nick. "Let's be clear about one thing. If you don't want in, you keep your mouth shut. I'm taking a chance on you, we don't usually bring someone in until we all talk it over."

The fox chuckled mirthlessly. "What do you want? A solemn promise like little kids make on the playground? 'Cross my heart and hope to die?'"

The rhino grunted. "Your word is good enough for me."

"Fine." Nick held up his paws. "I give you my word not to talk about you and your friends. Okay?"

Frank nodded. "Okay."

They got out of the car and went up the walk but before they reached the house, the door was opened by a jaguar. "What took you so long?" He saw Nick and his ears went back. "You didn't say you were bringing a guest."

"Take it easy, Al. He's okay." Frank went into the house and Nick followed him, ignoring a soft snarl from the jaguar. Inside, the rhino announced, "Fellows, this here is Nick Wilde." He pointed at a tall okapi. "Liam Forrest." The jaguar closed the door. "Alejandro Yaguara."

Liam looked keenly at the rhino. "I thought it was just us tonight."

Frank rolled his eyes. "We have so many recruits we can't use another one?"

"Standing right here," said Nick in a lazy voice belied by his alert expression.

The jaguar lashed his tail. "We didn't ask you to come."

Nick shrugged. "Then I'll go."

"Wait a minute." Liam took a step forward. "You have to understand, we need to be careful. If the ZPD found out about us…"

"The ZPD can…" Nick bit back the words that started to spill out, took a deep breath, and started again. "I quit the force, okay? I'm not looking to cause any trouble. Frank said maybe you could help do something about whoever attacked my friend Finn. He may never walk again." The fox's voice dropped. "Someone needs to feel his pain."

A slow smile spread across the okapi's face. "If that's how it is, Nick…" He looked at the jaguar. "What do you say, Al?"

"I say talk is cheap." Al scowled at the fox. "For all we know, you're working undercover."

Nick chuckled. "If that's the case, Bogo will spend weeks getting back at me for throwing my badge at him." He turned to the rhino. "Thanks for the invite, Frank, but I don't think this is going to work."

"What about Duke Weaselton?" asked the rhino.

The fox stopped near the door. "What about him?" The other animals just looked at him and after a moment he said calmly, "I don't know anything about Duke, but if I had to take a guess, I would say someone buried him under that new plaza in the rainforest district."

Liam raised his eyebrows. "Why would someone do that?"

Nick shrugged. "Maybe he was selling stuff that was stolen from Finn's garage."

The other animals were trading glances, then the okapi said very quietly, "How do you feel about Mr Big?"

"Mr Big?" The fox's ears perked up. "What's Mr Big got to do with this?"

Al smiled unpleasantly, his long tail twitching. "We've been planning to take him out."

Nick came back to the center of the room. "That would start a gang war."

Frank nodded. "That's the idea. Let them kill each other, it's less work for us."

"And the innocent civilians?" asked the fox carefully, staring at the rhino.

"Innocent civilians are always getting killed anyway." Frank shrugged. "Wasting Mr Big will save more lives than we lose."

Nick pondered a moment. "And you think if I do it, that will prove I'm on your side?"

"It's not something you could come back from," said Liam. The okapi looked very serious as he went on. "We all know that you and Mr Big go way back, but he's a criminal. He may also be a friend…"

"Not my friend," said Nick dryly. "Judy Hopps is his granddaughter's godmother. Me...I was just Judy's partner. Mr Big put up with me for her sake. You know he was going to kill me for scamming him?"

The jaguar looked interested for the first time. "What did you do?"

"Al, my friend, I sold him an expensive wool rug that was really made from the fur of a skunk's butt," said Nick expansively. "Mr Big was going to ice me, but he let me go because his daughter had a crush on me. I don't owe him a thing. He made sure of that." The fox looked around at the other animals. "What do you say we have some beer and discuss how to get that little rodent?"