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After we left the Toys R Us we headed to the food court where Jack decided that we should all have something from a local New York Fries, and I got to choose a chili cheese poutine while both Jack had something similar and Vivian had a butter chicken poutine with extra chili-flakes.

"Good grief momma... what you tryin' ta do? Melt your tongue?" I commented since I'd never really had a taste for hot and spicy food.

Jack chuckled before he turned to me and softly said, "Your Momma's always had a taste for food that's a bit spicy, even for my taste buds."

I shivered and then paused swivelling my ears till I caught the sound of a familiar voice.

"Mel, we have to do something, they have 'Manda and they say that if we don't do something she will wish she was dead." I meeped softly since I knew that voice well, she was #3... in my old crew when we were on the job we only ever used numbers, though I knew the other three members of the core group. I had been #2 and my special tasks had been all to do with my particular talents. #3 was the youngest member of our team, but regardless of that she was one of the most valuable. Helen O'Shea was probably one of the best pick-locks and safe crackers that I'd ever met in the past ten years but she did have a bad habit of looking before she leapt, though that was probably due to her age and type. She was a fiery young cougar morph of only 18 and she had a tendency to wear her heart on her sleeve.

I was able to concentrate to pick up the other end of the conversation, though it wasn't as clear and coming across the small speaker of a cellphone.

"Forget it Hel, we are a broken team now." Came the rather dispirited voice of Melinda Hamilton, the leader of our team and the one who helped me set the whole damned thing up three years ago, though I'd first met Mel, a short time after I'd run away from home when I was fourteen. I'd learned more from her in ten years than I cared to recall.

"Mel don't you understand they are going to..." Came Helen's desperate sounding voice.

"Hel don't you get it? Even with Dar what you're asking would be damned difficult, I mean he's good, but I'm not sure he's really that good!" Came the snarled reply from the team's lioness. "Unless you want to turn around and assault the Nailheads to get her back we're stuck until Dar gets back from the trouble that he's in." I felt my ears fold slightly and I lost whatever Helen said in response to that but I found myself looking down at my lap and almost crying.

When Jack saw how my mood had changed he gently hugged me, "What's wrong kitten?" He asked and I could hear the concern in his voice.

I looked up at him and wondered if I should tell him what I'd heard was going on. I mean one of the main things that we'd always promised was that we'd never reveal to anybody that wasn't a member of the crew, the names of the other members of the crew. I tried to pick up the conversation again but I guess that either Helen had left the food court, or she'd finished her conversation. After a moment more of considering it I looked up at him, "Not here Jack, this isn't the place for this." I told him in a tone that I hoped conveyed that I was serious, and that something was going on.

Vivian was about to speak up when Jack shook his head, "Viv we have to trust him when he says this isn't the right place for this conversation."

"What do you mean Jack?" She asked, while keeping her gaze on me.

"Viv what I mean is that our cub overheard something that neither of us could hear, and whatever it was is deeply worrying." Jack said before using a wet wipe from the backpack that he'd slung around the back of his chair, to clean my muzzle. "Now let's go, when we reach the truck I think Daren will be more than ready to inform us what he knows."

I nodded and we rather quickly made our way back to the truck where I was strapped into my car seat before Jack turned in the driver's seat and looked at me, "Now what is this all about kitten?"

I took a deep breath before I let it out and began, "Jack you are aware that I was part of a crew that well... uh..."

"Were involved in some level of criminal behaviour." He said to complete what I'd started before he nodded. "We never really sure what you were involved with, because the investigators never could figure out how to get into that tablet that you had when you were arrested."

"Yeah, that. And, you recommended that I not open it up for them because I'd definitely not have gotten this second chance if they'd seen what information it contained."

"Okay, kitten, what does it contain?" He asked while kneading his brows with his left had, a stress reaction that I knew well.

"Jack the information on it isn't really of great import, though the programs that I had would have resulted in a very long prison sentence." I told him with a sigh.

He nodded and I could tell that Vivian was more than a little shocked. "So, what does this have to do with what you heard in the food court?" He asked.

I closed my eyes for a moment, I really needed to tell somebody but I also didn't want to violate the agreement that I'd had with the other three members of the Shadows of Night. Finally, I looked into his eyes and softly said. "Jack this isn't easy because I swore, to never reveal some of this information to anybody who wasn't a member of our crew."

"I understand that kitten, but sometimes there are circumstances which negate an oath."

I nodded, "But, as far as I know no other member of our group who've been captured has ever sung." I stated softly, "Not one, but I am afraid for their safety and so I am going to do something nobody else has done." I took a deep breath, "In the food court I overheard Helen O'Shea, my crew's locksmith and safe cracker talking on her phone with Melinda Hamilton."

"Who is Melinda Hamilton?" Jack asked softly, I could see in his eyes that he was paying close attention to what I was saying.

"Melinda Hamilton is the founder and leader of our group, and while I was free I was the second member. Each of us has a special area of expertise and mine was, probably as you guessed, entirely to do with electronic surveillance, remote intelligence gathering, counter security, and lastly physical overwatch."

"What did you hear though?" Jack persisted,

"From what I can gather, Helen's little sister Amanda has been kidnapped by the Nailheads." I knew I didn't really need to say much about them, they were already well known in their part of the city as being one of the more aggressive and dangerous criminal gangs that was active in that part of the city.

Jack for his part nodded his head, "I think I understand kitten, now we need to figure out what we're going to do about this."

Vivian spoke up from where she was sitting, "I for one believe that we should inform the police and let them deal with it."

I found myself making a small growl before I spoke up, "Momma as much as you'd like me not to have any kind of involvement in this I am afraid I already am."

"No, you aren't kitten, not any more." She replied looked back at me.

I shook my head, "Vivian as much as you'd love to deny it I can confirm that I am indeed part of this because those people, Melinda, Amanda, and Simon mean a lot to me and I would be a bad friend if I knew that I could help but didn't."

I could see her features moving as she tried to think of a reason why I shouldn't be involved but Jack spoke up before she could say anything. "Dear I think we should go home, then Daren and I are going to pay a visit to the local precinct. As much as you hate to think of it we have work to do, and time is a luxury that we don't have a lot of."

"Jack he's only just gotten away from that life and now," She began, trying to come up with something to avoid me getting involved.

"Jack's right Momma, somebody's life is in danger, I don't want to see Helen resorting to the same things that I did to keep those kinds of memories at bay. Her life has been bad enough as it is without her baby sister ending up..." I choked a bit as I tried to keep the image at bay in my own mind of how I'd found my own sister's body.

I saw Vivian sigh, almost seeming to deflate somewhat before she nodded, "If you think you can do some good, I shouldn't try and stop you."

"Thank you, Momma." I said softly before reaching up with my hand to gently lay it on her cheek. "I shouldn't be in any danger... I never have been before." I told her as Jack started the truck and began heading for home.