The question was a serious one. Shifters who went mad, and who were aware of their madness, sometimes took what they thought was the easiest way out for themselves and their families.

Deni's hopeless look worried Ellison. At the same time . . . Connor.

Ronan shifted back to his human form, a huge, muscle-bound, naked man. "Sorry, Ellison. You OK?"

Ellison climbed out of the ruined couch, shaking foam rubber out of his fur. Deni rose to her feet, finally noticing the overturned table and broken door. Her expression turned to dismay. "Ronan."

Ronan flushed. "Hey, I said I was sorry. I'll fix it. I promise. We need Ellison though. Right now."

"Why?" Deni fell into the nearest chair, folding her arms across her stomach. "What happened?"

Ellison shifted back to human form. "Connor's been taken," he said grimly.

Deni leapt to her feet again, her strength returning. "Oh, G.o.ddess. By that Bradley guy?"

"How did you find out?" Ellison asked Ronan. "He contact you?"

"Maria did. She called Sean when your phone went dead. Sean sent me over here to find out what was up with you."

"G.o.ddess," Deni said again, stricken. "Go, Ellison. Find him. I'll be fine."

"Come with us," Ronan said to her. "We might need you."

Deni hesitated, which made Ellison's heart churn again. A few short months ago, Deni would be the first out the door, ready to fight. It wasn't like his sister to hold back.

"What if I . . ."

"Go insane on the kidnappers' heads?" Ellison asked. "I'm not worried about it. Come on, Den. What if they had Jackson or Will?"

Deni's eyes went flat. "Let them try."

"Good girl."

"Hurry," Ronan said as he grabbed his clothes. "Dylan's waiting, and Liam. They're ready for war."

"Go with them," Ellison said to Deni. He caught his sister in a rough hug then released her. "I'm not coming. I need to find Maria."

Ronan looked worried. "Do I have to tell Dylan that?"

"I'll tell him," Deni said. "Ellison's right. Maria will be terrified, and Ellison can't leave his mate stranded. Dylan will have to suck it up."

Ronan ushered Deni, who was pulling on her sweats, out the door. "I dare you to say suck it up to Dylan."

"He understands about mates and cubs. They come first."

Ellison dressed as quickly as he could then headed for his motorcycle. Deni, back to herself again, herded Ronan across the street, and Ellison's blood warmed in spite of his worry.

Mates. Deni had recognized the mate bond when she saw it. Ellison knew, that after all this time and so much loneliness, the mate of his heart had found her way to him.

Maria's relief when Ellison dismounted his motorcycle in front of the convenience store made her knees weak. Maria dashed to him, and in an instant, his strong arms were around her, Ellison sweeping her up into his warmth. Maria buried her face in his neck and hung on.

"You all right?" Ellison asked.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine. Connor . . . It was awful. They just took him!"

"I know. We're on it."

"But why take him? He's a cub, but not in human terms, not like Olaf."

Ellison went silent, and Maria raised her head to find his gray eyes troubled. "I admit, I don't know. But we'll find him."

His expression was somber, but his arms were strong around her. So good to be able to lay her head on his shoulder, for him to understand her burdens, to share them, to fight with her.

"Hey!" A voice sounded across the convenience store's tiny parking lot. "Shifters aren't allowed here."

Maria turned around, hot words on her lips, but Ellison stopped her. "Never mind. Let's go hunt for Connor."

Maria clamped her mouth shut. She didn't like the convenience store clerk's sneering expression, but now was not the time to fight this battle. After they found Connor, she'd come back here and say rude things to him.

Ellison helped her onto the back of the motorcycle. As she had only yesterday, Maria wrapped her arms around him and let him carry her away.

She realized after Ellison had made a few turns away from the convenience store that they were not going back to Shiftertown. He rode them down to the warehouse area they'd visited yesterday morning, with its empty back lots that might as well be in the middle of nowhere.

Ellison stopped in the open s.p.a.ce in front of Pablo Marquez's warehouse. Guys working on two high-end cars gave Maria and Ellison warning looks as they left the bike and went inside.

Pablo Marquez sat at his desk in his office, tapping a laptop's keyboard. "I already talked to Dylan," he said before Ellison reached him. "I don't know where they took Connor, but I suggested some leads. You can go away now. I'm busy."

Ellison walked steadily to the desk and stopped in front of it, doing nothing but standing there. "You know where Clifford Bradley is," he said. "Don't you?"

Chapter Twelve.

Pablo made himself not blink. Shifters liked to stare a man down, to intimidate with a steady gaze. Pablo had learned in this last year that showing fear was the worst thing he could do-no matter that the small boy he used to be was quivering inside him in terror.

"Don't mess with Bradley," Pablo said. "Find the cub and then go home. I'm telling you this for your own good."

Ellison leaned his fists on Pablo's desk. "You're working for him, aren't you?"

"No." That was the honest truth. Bradley wasn't paying him.

The wolf Shifter inhaled sharply, testing Pablo's scent, hunting for lies. "But you know," Ellison said. "Tell me everything."

Pablo had always thought of Dylan as the scary one. He knew d.a.m.n well that at any time, for any reason-or for no reason at all-Dylan could simply kill him and walk away. He had no illusions that the human police would be very bothered about Pablo's death, and Dylan knew that too.

Ellison was different. He was the most laid-back of the trackers, with his cowboy hat and his slow West Texa.s.style drawl. He, Spike, and Sean did little more than stand as silent pillars behind Dylan when Dylan came to visit, although Ellison might toss in an understated joke or tip his hat on the way out.

Today Ellison had left his hat behind, and the Texas drawl was laced with steel.

Pablo contrasted Ellison in his jeans and b.u.t.ton-down shirt with Bradley and his ice-cold eyes and five-thousand-dollar suits. Bradley was dangerous because he was all business, no sentiment. The man had no family, no friends, no warmth in him whatsoever. The Shifters would lose against him, because they were all warmth, all emotion. Bradley was a robot.

"If I tell you, I'll get you killed," Pablo said.

The human woman, the cute little thing called Maria, stepped forward. From what Pablo had seen, she was a smart, compact firecracker. If he were fifteen years younger and not in love with his obnoxious, silken-haired hacker girlfriend, he might think about her for himself. But the way Ellison closed in on her protectively . . . Nope, she was spoken for.

"Mr. Marquez," she began. That was sweet, calling him Mr. "Think about this. If it was your brother, your son, or your best friend who was missing, what would you do? You'd stop at nothing to go after Mr. Bradley, wouldn't you? You are that kind of person."

"True," Pablo said. "I'd go find Bradley and get my head taken off for my trouble."

"You're not Shifter," Maria said. "Shifters can do amazing things."

"I don't doubt it." Pablo turned the force of his gaze on her, and met brown eyes full of fire. "You want to see him shot down, chiquita?" He gestured to Ellison. "With enough firepower to blow him to pieces right in front of you? Bradley and his boys are used to dealing with Shifters. I mean, s.h.i.t, he steals their cubs."

"Which is why you're going to help us," Maria said. "He took Connor-while I was watching. Do you know what that made me feel like?"

"Yeah. Actually, I do." As a teenager, Pablo had seen his best friend dragged off by a rival gang and executed, while he'd hidden in terror, unable to do anything to stop it. From that day to this, he'd vowed to have the power to never have to go through that again. He'd protect his family and friends to his last breath. "I do get it. But sweetheart, let Dylan and his crew handle finding Connor. You go back home and wait."

Ellison spoke again, the Texas accent not as p.r.o.nounced this time. "Bradley wouldn't have taken Connor to his own house. He'd have a place to stash him until delivery, and that's where you sent Dylan and Liam. Right? What I want is Bradley himself. The body of the hydra. Not its heads."

"Cut one off, two grow back, right?" It had been a long time since Pablo had read a book, but he remembered that story. "Let it go, man. Dylan will obliterate the thugs who did the kidnapping, you'll have the cub back safe and sound, and all your Shifter friends will live."

"And it will happen again," Ellison said. "And again."

"And cubs will have to imprison themselves in Shiftertown," Maria said. "We can't let that happen. I won't let that happen. I thought you were a tough guy, Mr. Marquez. Why haven't you eliminated your compet.i.tion?"

"Because Bradley's not compet.i.tion. And I don't have a death wish."

"You're a criminal," Maria said. "I'm sure you'd like it if you could remake those stolen cars outside without being bothered. If you help get rid of someone like Bradley, just think how much the cops around here will appreciate you."

"Just think how much every other gang boss won't appreciate me. They'll never trust me again. I'll be a dead man walking." Sweat beaded on Pablo's forehead. He didn't want to have to kill Ellison and Maria, because he liked them, but these two were getting crazy.

"No, no," Maria said. "You'll be a hero. I bet your rivals aren't thrilled with Bradley either. I bet you all have to pay him, not the other way around."

She really was too smart. "You know, sweetheart, I like it here," Pablo said. "Austin's a cool town. Great music scene, awesome food. Something for everyone. I don't want to have to leave. Understand?"

"Maybe you won't have to." Maria smiled.

Now Ellison was looking at Maria as though he wanted to yank her out of here and hole her up somewhere safe. Poor guy would have his hands full with her.

"Tell us where he is, and then you can sit here and work on whatever it is you're doing. Otherwise, we'll come back with Ronan and Spike and all the others, plus every cop in town. Maybe some reporters too. That would be fun."

"Don't threaten me, sweetie," Pablo said in a mild voice. "You won't make it out the door."

Ellison didn't move, but Pablo saw the wolf gleam in his eyes. One of Ellison's fists tightened minutely on the desk. "Tell us where he is. No one needs to know where the information came from."

"Right. Shifters visit me, then Shifters go after Bradley. They'll know. Then Bradley steps over your broken bodies and comes after me."

Ellison's fist went even tighter. "You won't have to worry about that. But if you don't help now, you'll have to worry about me. And Ronan. And Spike. That's just for starters. I won't talk about Dylan and Sean, and you don't even want to know what Liam will do to you. The rest of us are Girl Scouts compared with Liam. He's the alpha of the alphas. He does what he has to do, no matter what."

d.a.m.n it. He'd known when his little brother had stupidly gotten Shifters p.i.s.sed off at them last year that Pablo would never get out from under them. He could toss them at Bradley and rid himself of his Shifter problem, but he knew it wouldn't be that easy.

"I don't know," he said. "My girlfriend's niece is a Girl Scout, and they can be pretty vicious when it's cookie time. I always end up buying about fifty boxes."

"I'm sure your men appreciate that," Ellison said, straight-faced. "You give up Bradley before I lose my cool, or you'll wish you were facing an army of little cookie-selling girls in green."

Maria watched Pablo, not Ellison. Pablo held out a moment longer, then one of the most powerful gang leaders in South Texas bent his head, sighed, and said, "I'll see what I can do."

Shiftertown was nearly empty when Ellison and Maria pulled into Ellison's driveway. Ellison helped Maria off the bike, then he walked her across the street to Dylan's house, to find the door locked.

Andrea answered Ellison's knock, looking tense. "I thought you'd be with Dylan and Sean," Andrea said as she let them in. Locking doors was unusual in Shiftertown, and Ellison hoped this wasn't the beginning of a trend.

"Took a detour," Ellison said. He looked around the quiet house. Kenny was sleeping in a ba.s.sinet, Liam's daughter, Katriona, playing by herself in a playpen. "Where did they go?"

"I don't know. Sean said he'd keep me posted when he could, but he hasn't checked in yet. Which means he can't. Kim went to talk to the police."

Ellison returned to the porch and looked up and down the empty street. "Leaving Shiftertown deserted when someone's kidnapping cubs isn't the best idea."

"They didn't. Ronan is still here. He's scared for Olaf and Cherie. Broderick is here too, because he won't leave his younger brothers and nephews. And Tiger. Liam wouldn't take him-too afraid he can't control him. Tiger is livid, which is why I've got the kids. I'm not leaving them or this house."

"Good. Maria . . ." Ellison slid his arms around her and leaned down for a brief kiss.

The brief kiss turned into something deep and hot. Ellison felt Andrea's gaze on them as he eased back, but he enclosed Maria in a tight hug.

"Stay here with Andrea until it's safe. And thank you for alerting us. They sure knew how to pick the right moment."

Maria's dark eyes glittered as her brows came down. "I wasn't about to sit and finish my exam when Connor was in danger. I can always take another test."

"I know." Ellison kissed her forehead. "That's why I love you."

He turned away, pretending to ignore Andrea's interested look, left the house, and started across the street.

Maria banged out the screen door and followed him. He should have known she wouldn't stay put.

"You don't think I'm letting you go after Mr. Bradley by yourself, do you?" she demanded as she caught up to him.

"Yes, I do," Ellison said, not turning around. "You're not Shifter; you can't fight."

"You also didn't wait for me to answer," Maria said as Ellison let himself in his front door with his key. Deni had locked up too.

"Answer what?" Ellison tossed his keys to the table and sniffed, scenting that no one was home. He needed to call Jackson and Will, make sure they were still safely at their jobs.