It was almost a week after Mr Big's death when Frank Vifaru pulled up outside Finnick's garage. There was a "Closed" sign on the door, but he rapped briskly.
After a moment Nick opened the door, smiling brightly. "How's it going?"
"Not bad." The rhino went inside, looking around approvingly. "This place looks ready for business."
"Just about." Nick led the way to the apartment upstairs and took two beers out of the refrigerator. "I'm not nearly the mechanic Finn is, but I'll open up in a day or two and keep things running until he's ready to take over."
The rhino opened his beer and took a long drink. "You hear anything about Mr Big?"
"The official statement from the family is that he got called out of town suddenly and his consigliere is running things until he gets back, but the word on the street is that he's dead." The fox settled in a rocking chair and sipped his beer. "What about at the ZPD? They must know what happened."
"They do, but without a body or any witnesses, there's nothing they can do about it other than opening a file." The rhino drained his beer. "You busy? We were all going to get together tonight."
Nick grinned. "You mean I finally get to meet the rest of the guys?"
Frank chuckled. "You killed Mr Big. It's the rest of the guys who want to meet you."
"Give me a minute to change and I'm all yours." The fox went into the bedroom and put on a fresh shirt, then came out adjusting his tie. Frank was on his cell phone and he hung up as Nick came into the room. "What's up?"
The rhino put his phone away. "Liam and Al want us to meet them before we hook up with everyone else. You ready?"
"Just have to lock up." Nick took a set of keys off a table by the door and the two started out, talking about nonconsequential things as the rhino drove through the city to an abandoned building on the outskirts of Savanna Central.
"You sure this is the place?" asked the fox.
"I'm sure," said Frank grimly, taking out a gun and pointing it straight at his companion's face. "Get out."
"Wait a minute!" Nick spread his paws. "Whatever you're thinking, you got it wrong."
The rhino prodded him with the gun. "You'll have a chance to explain. Move."
"Okay, but watch that thing." The fox opened his door and got out, waiting quietly until Frank joined him and took him in the building and down to the basement, where the first sight that greeted him was Judy Hopps, gagged and cuffed to a pipe.
Nick stopped so short that Frank walked into him, the bigger animal knocking him off balance. He managed to stay on his feet, watching as Al and Liam came forward. "Nice of you to join us, Nick."
"Not much choice with Frank waving a gun at me." The fox gestured at Judy. "What's she doing here?"
"Caught her snooping in my files." Al gazed at the bunny with an unpleasant expression. "I would have killed her, but then I thought it was better to get you too."
"Me?" Nick raised his eyebrows. "You still don't trust me after I killed Mr Big?"
Judy had been struggling against her bonds but at Nick's words, she suddenly went still, her eyes enormous. Seeing her reaction, Liam said slowly, "You expect us to believe you're not working with your partner?"
"Former partner," the fox corrected swiftly. "I quit the force, remember? And if I was working with her, I never would have let any of you near her." He looked consideringly at the bunny. "Just how long were you planning to hold her?"
Al sprung his claws. "Not long at all." At the look on the fox's face, the jaguar grinned. "Relax, Nick. I'm not going to touch her. We had a better idea."
He nodded to a table in the shadows behind Judy and Nick went over and saw a couple of sticks of dynamite wired to a timer set for fifteen minutes. "That's your bright idea? Blowing us up?"
"Any reason why we shouldn't?" asked Frank.
"I can think of a couple," drawled Nick. "I've already taken out a target for you. That should be worth something. And I'm not a cop anymore, so I'm under the radar. I can be very useful."
The rhino, okapi, and jaguar were trading glances, then Al said coldly, "She still has to die."
Nick's ears drooped. "I know." He knelt next to Judy. "I'm sorry, Carrots. I really am. I told you to stay out of my life, why couldn't you just listen for once?" He looked up at the others. "You should set the timer for forty-five minutes."
"Why?" asked Frank, looking keenly at the fox.
"Gives you time to get your recruits over to the Tip Top diner. We can all be there in plain sight when the bomb goes off."
Liam went over and reset the timer. "Good thinking, Nick." He looked questioningly at Frank and Al and they both nodded. "You ready to go?"
"Just a minute." Nick loosened Judy's gag and pulled her close, kissing her lingeringly on the mouth. "I always wanted to do that."
She stared at him in anguish, speechless, as he went over to the table and pressed the button on the timer, then followed the other animals out and closed the door.