Tiger Tracking: Shifter Seeker

By Heather McCorkle

The children of Fenrir aren't the only shifters rising.

 

Despite being a newly bitten werewolf, as the seeker of shifterkind, Sonya thought for a hot minute she'd come close to seeing it all. Until she came across Jin, a tiger shifter on the run from a gang of grizzly shifters. Taking him in will mean bringing a lot of heat onto her friends, but she can't turn away a supernatural in need of help. 

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Mixing canines and felines proves challenging when he meets her group of misfits--werewolves and coyote shifters--not to mention her boyfriend. And then there's the problem of her reaper best friend...

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But all those issues fall to the side as the Grizzly Gang descends on her found family in search of not just a rare tiger shifter, but this one in particular. Because it turns out, Jin has something they desperately want--something that might open a gate to the nine worlds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Heather McCorkle
• Release date: May 4, 2023
• ISBN: 9781939469236

Book preview

Tiger Tracking

A Shifter Seeker Novel

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Heather McCorkle

Tiger Tracking

A Shifter Seeker Novel

Copyright 2023 Heather McCorkle

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, taping, or by any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the publisher except in the case of quotations embodied in articles and reviews.

Hardback ISBN: 978-1-939469-25-0

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-939469-24-3

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-939469-23-6

Interior images from DepositPhotos, then altered, combined with other images, and otherwise redesigned by McCorkle Creations. Ebook and paperback front cover design by MiblArt. Hardback designed by McCorkle Creations.

Compass Press release date: 05/04/2023

To found families.

Author’s Note:

While the Shifter Seeker series can stand alone from the Children of Fenrir series, the events in it occur after that series. So I do recommend reading the Children of Fenrir series first to better orient yourself in the world.

Content Warnings:

The characters go through many trials, and the books are fast-paced, often with violence, some killing, and lots of emotional tension. Some characters were emotionally abused as children, some even physically abused. Abduction and human trafficking are topics in this novel. These things are not graphically portrayed in any way, but it is spoken of, and these elements are a part of some of their pasts, and something they continue to deal with the fallout from. Some characters were attacked and bitten in as werewolves. However, there is absolutely no rape, and no dubious sexual consent in these novels.

Recommended Reading Order:

The Nine Worlds Series:

The Children of Fenrir Series:

Clawed & Cornered (novella)

Bitten & Beholden

Tempered & Turned

Bared & Betrayed

The Shifter Seeker Series:

Holiday Hunting (novella)

Raven Rousting (novella)

Coyote Calling

Tiger Tracking (Spring 2023)

Bear Baiting (Winter 2023)

Emerald Witches Series:

Honoring a Witch’s Heart

Escorting a Witch (Summer 2023)

Desiring a Witch (Winter 2023)

Nine Worlds Related Non-Fiction

Rune Workbook & Pagan Holidays

(A Nine Worlds series companion book)

Channeler Series (Young Adult):

Fire With Fire (prequel novella)

Born of Fire (prequel short story)

The Secret of Spruce Knoll

Channeler’s Choice

Rise of a Rector

To Ride a Puca

Contents

1. 1

2. 2

3. 3

4. 4

5. 5

6. 6

7. 7

8. 8

9. 9

10. 10

11. 11

12. 12

13. 13

14. 14

15. 15

16. 16

17. 17

18. 18

19. 19

20. 20

21. 21

22. 22

23. 23

24. 24

25. 25

Glossary

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

About the Author

1

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The cries of my raven guide flying overhead drew me deeper into the shadow-filled forest. An hour ago we’d crossed over the Montana border into Canada—easy to do undetected when on foot and in wolf form. It wasn’t a mystical feeling related to my wolfy senses or anything that told me we’d crossed it. The hundred-foot wide clearcut running in both directions as far as the eye could see had been a dead giveaway. However, there was a mystical feeling in my gut, one that told me a troubled, newly bitten shifter close to losing their battle with madness wasn’t far away.

With my raven’s help, I’d been steadily closing the distance between myself and the troubled one all day. Since I felt them in my core, that meant less than a mile separated us. Outside of that range I couldn’t detect them, which was where my raven came in.

Any moment now I should be picking up their scent. Not that it would help me much. The very thought made me sneeze and shake my snout. Despite being a werewolf, scent tracking wasn’t my thing. But hearing, now that I was good at. Even with the wind blowing away from me, ruffling the black fur along my back, I heard the snap of twigs beneath shoes a hundred feet ahead. Through the thick pine trees and underbrush I couldn’t see anyone yet. Sunlight penetrating the branches gave the forest a soft, golden glow—a sign sunset lay no more than an hour away. I had to move this along.

Forest duff crunched under shoes, heading in my direction. How nice of them to make this easier on me. Rustling in the branches of a nearby tree told me my raven had landed. I waited for the inevitable sounds of him crashing down. They didn’t come. He seemed to have nailed his landing well enough, which often wasn’t the case. Softly, he chattered in the odd, varied language of his kind, which consisted of lots of pops, gurgles, and crawks.

The troubled shifter continued walking toward me. Now I could see their silhouette moving through the trees, maybe six feet tall, muscular, definitely a guy. The shadows hid everything else. Wind whipped sideways, catching both of us in the precarious position of not being able to smell the other. Which meant I had no idea what kind of shifter he was.

Originally I’d thought being the seeker of the troubled meant I’d be helping werewolves. A coyote shifter showing up on my doorstep last month taught me otherwise. While this area was predominately werewolves, I had also helped coyotes and a fox shifter. So who knew? This could go anyway.

Since many newly bitten were skittish of a big black wolf, I shifted to human form. My nearly waist-length black hair helped hide my nakedness—a huge part of why I didn’t cut it. Meeting new people naked tended to make them feel a lot less threatened. Not that I made a habit of trying this out on everyone. I tried to stick to just troubled shifters.

Fading sunlight shone on messy black hair that, from the oily smell, hadn’t been washed in a while. I caught a glimpse of a handsome, young face of possibly Chinese origin hiding behind at least a week-old beard before striking golden eyes snagged mine and wouldn’t let go. If he didn’t look so dirty and bedraggled—convincing me he had been out in the woods for a while—I would have sworn he wore contacts. But no one in their right mind would leave cosmetic contacts in while roughing it. Then again, troubled often weren’t in their right mind. And the chaotic energy bouncing around this guy’s power like lightning in a storm meant he was definitely troubled.

Hi. My name’s Sonya, I said.

Tears glistened in his unique eyes. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, he said, the last word dissolving into a growl.

I held my hands up in a placating gesture. Hey, it’s gonna be okay. I’m here to help.

His gaze darted left and right and his muscles tensed. "But if you can’t, she puts me down. She’s never far behind, right?"

The ‘she’ he referred to was the reaper of shifterkind, the one who killed shifters who went mad because they couldn’t get a handle on their beast. She was also my best friend. With a bit of concentration, I exuded a soothing wave of power.

She isn’t here. It’s just me. The full moon is two weeks away. That gives us fourteen days to help you gain control, and I feel confident with your— The breeze abruptly changed direction and brought his scent to me, which was most definitely not a wolf. He smelled of dense moisture, heavy vegetation, sunshine, and feline. Feline.

I swallowed hard, using it to give me a moment to mentally recover. Cat, I finished with a smile to soften my reaction.

His black brows pulled closer together, meeting my gaze before quickly looking away. You’re really willing to take a whole two weeks helping me get control of my tiger?

Oh dear Gods in Valhalla, a weretiger. Of course, I said without missing a beat. But it won’t take that long. I can tell by your energy.

The wind went out of him in such a powerful rush that he collapsed to the ground. For a moment he knelt there with his head in his hands and I let him. He bowed, palms on the ground, forehead nearly touching it.

Thank you so much, he said in a surprisingly strong voice.

Of all the reactions I’d gotten over the months I’d been doing this, bowing was a new one.

Um, uh…no problem. It’s kinda what I do. When he finally sat back up on his knees, I asked, What’s your name?

Jin-Hai. But my friends call me Jin. Still he wouldn’t look at me, but I got the feeling that had more to do with me being naked than any sort of submission.

Well Jin, I’m Sonya Michaelson. It’s nice to meet you.

He stayed in a kneeling position as if it were comfortable to him. You’re not what I expected.

Yeah, I get that a lot. I dropped my chin and narrowed one eye at him. You’re not what I expected either. This isn’t exactly tiger territory.

Where is? he asked with a touch of melancholy.

Fair point. I don’t know, but I know it isn’t here. Not that you aren’t welcome, you are. It’s just, you’re the first of your kind I’ve met, I admitted.

He grunted. According to my uncle, that’s because we’re solitary and nearly extinct, due in part to the fact our territories are all but gone.

The brush of feathers pushing through pine boughs precluded my raven’s rather ungraceful arrival. He landed on the log beside Jin, stumbled a bit, then spread his wings and flapped until he was able to balance on his good leg. Eyes going wide, Jin pulled back a little. I didn’t blame him. At three feet from head to tail tips and with a wingspan of nearly six feet, he was huge, even for a raven. And his amber eyes looked otherworldly. But then, I suspected that was because he was touched by the Norse gods.

This is Gripp, I introduced.

Head cocking this way and that as he stared at Jin, Gripp crawked out a greeting.

A smile spread across Jin’s lips, banishing a bit of the haunted look in his eyes. Hi Gripp.

Feeling awkward while chatting idly buck-ass naked, I thrust my head at my bird. A little help, Gripp.

With a single flap of his huge wings, he sailed over to me and landed on a low branch in the tree just behind me. I went to him and retrieved the tiny bundle strapped to his slightly shriveled leg. A few strategic tugs and the packable black performance wear T-shirt unfolded like magic. It weighed almost nothing due to the material, despite hitting me at mid-thigh when I put it on. Admittedly, it was thin enough to almost see through, but it was better than being naked.

You from Canada? I asked. He didn’t sound Canadian, or at least, I didn’t think he did. I hadn’t had the chance to spend much time up here, so I couldn’t say for sure. But, he didn’t sound Chinese either, so I wasn’t about to assume he was from China just because he looked the part.

No. Northern California near the Sierra Nevadas. Or I was until my mom died three years ago and I moved to Nevada with my uncle.

Sorry about your mom, I said, meaning it.

His eyes misted over a bit as he looked off into the trees. Yeah, me too. Cancer sucks.

So you get your weretiger genes from your dad’s side, I observed. Shifters didn’t get most human ailments or diseases.

Yep.

Did your mom know?

He nodded.

So you grew up knowing?

The line of questioning served to draw him away from his grief and focus on me again. Yeah. My dad was a first-gen weretiger who shifted from the time he hit puberty. We thought it might happen to me, but it didn’t. Mom thought that might have been because dad disappeared when I was eight and the trauma of it might have shocked my genes into recession.

The forthcoming way he spoke, like he was an open book with nothing to hide, was refreshing. Most of the troubled I helped made me feel like a dentist pulling teeth.

"So how did the verða start?"

His eyes widened. I’m sorry, I don’t know that word.

The becoming, the change.

When I turned twenty-one a week ago, I was finally able to convince my uncle to bite me.

Your dad’s brother.

Blowing out a long breath, he looked down at the ground. Yeah. Sadness laced his tone.

You say your dad disappeared. Do you know what happened to him? While it would be pouring salt into what seemed to be one of many wounds this unfortunate guy had, I needed to know.

He shook his head. Mom always thought he might have been abducted or something. She said he never would have left us of his own free will.

Curiouser and curiouser. And your uncle?

Back going ramrod straight, he fixed me with a wild look. You may not want to help me after I tell you.

Though I might regret the words, I leaned closer as I told him, "Jin, there is nothing you could say that would make me turn my back on you. I will help you through the verða no matter what."

His cheek dimpled on one side as his lips pulled up into a look of doubt. I won’t hold it against you if you do. My uncle owed some very bad people a lot of money, and they killed him.

You’re sure?

Swallowing so hard his Adam’s apple bobbed, he nodded. I found him two days ago, torn apart by animals, the smell of them all over the house, their mark on the wall.

Yet another question I didn’t want to ask, but had to. Their mark?

The Grizzly Gang.

2

My hot as Hades—or maybe Muspelheimhr would be more appropriate in his case—professor boyfriend paced a blazing divot into the backyard of the cabin we sometimes shared when he could convince me to stay over. For nearly five straight minutes he’d been silent as I told him all I knew about Jin-Hai. Several times since I’d stop talking he paused, opening his mouth only to shut it again and resume pacing. The frantic movements and snapping of his power set me on a knife’s edge. It didn’t help that Gripp perched up on the second-story deck railing above us, chattering away in an excited tone. I couldn’t tell if he was reprimanding Ty, or supporting him.

But Ty seemed too lost in his own thoughts to notice. Once again, he stopped pacing. Blond locks that nearly reached his chin fell across the right side of his face as he turned to me. No, he said.

Head cocked to the side, Gripp went quiet.

"Yep, I’m afraid it’s all true. I had Detective Sandalius look him up, and his story tracks with what her varúlfur contact found at Jin’s uncle’s house back in Nevada—which I’m told they are doing a cleanup job on to keep it off the human authority’s radar. Scratching my chin, I looked away. Not sure how I feel about that."

No, he said with more force. He gripped my shoulders. While the touch was gentle, the speed with which he did it was enough to make my eyes go wide. His energy scorched through my shirt, and not in a yummy way. No. What I mean is you should stay as far from this as you possibly can. I have heard of the Grizzly Gang, every shifter has. They are notorious.

Part of me had known that was what this was about. Like a fool, I had hoped I was wrong. Ty, he’s a troubled newly bitten. I won’t abandon him because his uncle was wrapped up with some dangerous people. Sandalius is keeping things on the downlow. She told her people it was an anonymous tip so no one knows he is alive, let alone here. Gripp’s crawk sounded like agreement. I nodded to him in thanks for his solidarity. When I saw the stubbornness in Ty’s glacial blue eyes, I went for the big guns. It’s my Gods-bestowed destiny to help the troubled.

Groaning, he stepped away and raked both hands through his hair this time. After a spin, he pointed at me. That is playing dirty.

Feathers ruffled above us, following by a warning squeak.

I shrugged. But it’s also true.

The fight went out of him along with a dramatic sigh. All right. May I at least question him? Is he stable enough for that?

Supervised. And if I say stop, stop. And you have to be gentle about it.

Two fingers up in the scout’s salute, he nodded. You have my word. It made me wonder about werewolves in the scouts. Or did they have scouts of their own? Little wolf scouts, pup scouts, or something. The thought nearly made me smile. Not having grown up one, I had no idea. Yet another thing I needed to ask him about.

How he acquiesced to my demands so quickly got my blood pressure up in the best way. Knowing he would actually obey me spread that blood down to my girly parts. Before that could get out of hand, I turned and beckoned for him to follow me.

Come on, I’ll take you to meet him. I looked up at my raven. To the Roost, Gripp.

Wings spreading, Gripp let out one more crawk before taking to the air. He’d beat us there since the drive was a half hour, but as the crow flies—or raven, in this case—it was only a few minutes.

Like a good boy, Ty didn’t challenge me by suggesting he drive when I led him to my Jeep Wrangler. It’s brand new black paint shone in the June afternoon sun. She was a classic I’d been restoring for some time, and thanks to my estranged great grandfather’s inheritance, I’d finally been able to get her professionally painted. Sure, it had taken away from the money for refurbishing the bar, but it had been worth it. I ran a hand over her hood on my way to the driver’s side.

We got in and belted up in silence. I turned the engine over and began to back out.

So you told Detective Sandalius, he said.

I had to. I couldn’t leave the possibility of a body that no doubt looked like a shifter attack. The last thing we need is more media attention. They are suspicious enough about our existence as it is.

Tugging his bottom lip between his teeth, he leaned against the doorframe as if he needed it to hold him up. True. But that means Anderson knows.

Most likely. She is his mate, so I doubt they have secrets between them.

He growled.

Raul Anderson was the one who bit me in—without asking me or explaining what it would mean. Sure, it had been because he was being blackmailed into thinking if he didn’t, his sister’s life was in danger. But Ty’s animosity toward Raul went deeper than that. They had bad history between them—all thanks to Raul’s vindictive sister.

So tell me about weretigers, I said to derail his train of thought.

Hopefully the drive to the bar where Jin was laying low would provide enough time for him to give me the basics.

I honestly do not know a lot. Unlike us, they tend to live in small groups, usually less than ten. But that could be because they are highly endangered. While some are believers of the old Gods and ways, others are from cultures that embrace entirely different beliefs. Many believe they are from one of the other nine worlds, though myths do not agree from which one, and that they originally settled in Russia and spread out from there.

The weight of his gaze made me glance his way after I pulled out onto the main road. And you’re worried their more solitary nature will make him less cooperative.

He inclined his head slightly. Less respectful of your authority, perhaps.

Laughter erupted from my lips, surprising even me.

What is so funny? Ty asked.

Authority, me, ha! My words trailed off into more laughter.

Why is that so funny? he asked in a serious tone despite the grin that tugged at one corner of his mouth.

I have no authority over anyone.

His tongue darted out to wet his lips like a pink magnet that drew my gaze and heated my center until I felt downright gooey. You have authority over me any time you want it.

For the remaining twenty minutes of the drive through the sun dappled woods, we flirted and kept things light. Usually, he was the one realizing what I needed and doing it for me on instinct, but this time it was my turn. The stress in his power had all but disappeared by the time I turned down the drive to the bar.

Seeing us from his perch on the peak of the huge two-story barn-turned-bar, Gripp took to the air.

Bypassing the parking lot, I pulled around the side and drove down the winding, new road we’d put in that went back into the property. Firs with their feathery boughs mixed with tall lodgepole pines to hedge the road in and cast cooling shadows across it. They also helped hide it from anyone out front of the bar. The placing of it had been very strategic in that sense. I wanted a subtle entrance to the rest of the property, separating it from the public portion. Gripp soared down and landed on the rollbar of the Jeep, stumbling a bit due to his deformed leg and slapping me in the head with a wing before finally gaining purchase. I cast a brow-raised look back at him. He tucked his wings in, appearing smug and quite proud of himself as if it had been a stellar landing. I grinned. How could I not?

Pursing his lips at my bird as if holding back a reprimand, Ty clearly didn’t feel the same. There are times I agree with Candice, he said.

That widened my eyes. Really? How so?

Perhaps Menace would have been a better name. If he hadn’t said it in a teasing tone, I might have smacked him in the arm. Lucky for him.

He’s getting better, stronger.

Ty’s forehead wrinkled the way it did when he was deep in thought. That is true. It seems the longer he is with you, the stronger he gets. Have you thought any more about going to see Kari about him? he asked.

Kari Magnusdöttir was the völva—a Norse witch—who had helped me go on a sort of twisted vision quest into the astral realm to discover a way to help me seek out the troubled newly bitten more efficiently. It turned out Gripp was that way. But he hadn’t come to me in the astral realm. He’d come to me later when I was back in the material plane and nowhere near Kari. There was plenty about my bird that was a mystery to not only me, but everyone in our supernatural community since I was the first seeker in three hundred years.

I have, actually. I’ve been meaning to call her and make a trip out to chat with her about him. But I’ve been waiting until this business with your missing aunt and you taking over her spot on the Shifter Council is figured out.

He made a growly, querulous noise but otherwise didn’t respond.

A month ago, his aunt, the female varúlfur—werewolf—Shifter Council member, disappeared. Turned out she had named him as her stand-in. Apparently, stand-ins took the council seat until the next council election period if something happened to the member who named them. Since her disappearance, Ty had spent too many hours on video conferences with the council, arguing about everything under the moon. They thought he was the worst possible choice for a stand-in because he was my boyfriend. In their opinion, he couldn’t possibly be unbiased. Damn hypocrites. Last month, I’d met the Caninus Council, which was similar. And if the Shifter Council were anything like them—and I’d bet my top fangs they were—then none of them were unbiased.

Do not wait to go see her. That could be a while.

They’re still giving you hell?

Of course. And I have had it with their code of silence about what she was working on prior to her disappearance.

Hot energy poured from him, scalding over me before the wind moving through the topless Jeep sucked it away. Though I knew it would hurt, I pushed through that energy to rest a hand on his leg. Breath eased from him. The burn of his power cooled.

Still no leads?

No leads, no word, nothing. It is as though she disappeared into thin air. He didn’t say any more and I didn’t press him. I understood all too well the stress of having a loved one disappear. The difference was, we’d found my mother, or rather, she’d found us.

I slowed the Jeep to a stop as the road ended in a circle in the middle of a small meadow. Grass speckled with blue and white wildflowers blanketed the area beyond the gravel, stretching all the way to the surrounding forest on all sides. The sweet scent of flowers hit me the moment we stopped moving. I sighed as I got out and soaked in the lovely spring day. Something about this space soothed me. I had plans for it, plans I hadn’t told Ty about yet. That conversation would require the right moment and a lot of finessing to make sure he didn’t freak out.

Staring at me with those gorgeous bedroom eyes, he made me think of something else I wanted to finesse. The loud crawk that came from just over our heads doused the moment as surely as a keg of ice water. As if that wasn’t enough, soft footsteps approached through the forest.

Don’t be too… I waved at Ty’s body. Alpha-y.

Those sexy eyes squinted at me. Alpha-y?

I leaned close to him and whispered, No pissing on boots.

"I do not piss on boots," he whispered back in a harsh tone as I hopped out of the Jeep.

The litany of crawks and pops Gripp gave Ty brought a smile to my lips. Clearly my raven agreed with me on the matter.

Rather than emerge from the trees, Jin stopped at the edge of them and waited. Black clothing, black hair, and lovely taupe skin helped him blend with ease. The way he stood balanced on the balls of his feet made it obvious he was ready to either fight or flee. On one hand, I appreciated how seriously he took my advice to stay hidden. On the other, his natural propensity for stealth made me wonder about his life. Maybe it was a tiger thing.

Despite my concern over how he and Ty would react to one another, I kept a smile on my face and my power calm and positive. No sense in adding to the stress. We approached slowly, Ty staying a step behind me. Jin’s nostrils flared as he took in Ty’s scent. Otherwise he gave no outward signs of comfort or discomfort. The tumultuous roll of his power told a different story though. He had some serious self-discipline to look relaxed when he clearly felt so conflicted. We stopped a few feet away and the guys stared at one another. Tension radiated off Ty. I could hear him breathing through his nose, taking in Jin’s weretiger scent. I felt for him. It was…disconcerting at first.

This is Jin-Hai Lín. Jin, this is Ty Viðarsson, I said, tone light and admittedly a bit fake sounding.

Jin inclined his head to Ty in a show of respect. It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Viðarsson.

You as well. Please, call me Ty. Mr. Viðarsson has over a hundred years on me, Ty said in a surprisingly light tone.

With a smile and a nod, Jin said, Cool. You can call me Jin.

My condolences on the loss of your uncle.

Storm clouds passed over Jin’s face, contorting it for a moment. Thanks.

Apologies, but we have to ask you some difficult questions about that, Ty said.

Whatever this we crap was, I had no idea. We hadn’t discussed any sort of questioning.

Ignoring the scathing look I shot him, he beckoned to the forest. May we join you to stay out of the sight of any who might be watching?

Jin nodded, turned, and led the way into the trees. I get it. My uncle was mixed up with some rough people. You want to make sure they aren’t after me. I wish I could tell you they weren’t, but I honestly don’t know, he called back over his shoulder to us.

Your uncle… Ty let his voice trail off, making it a question.

Dechen Lín.

Dechen owed the Grizzly Gang money, Ty said.

Yes. He liked to play Mahjong. He was actually really good at it, which is the weird part. He turned around and walked backwards, shaking his head. I’ve never seen him lose, and not because he cheats. He’s just that good. So I can’t imagine how he lost not just once, but enough times to owe them a lot of money.

How he didn’t trip over a fern or bush, I had no idea. The path was far from clear. In fact, there really was no path. We were just traipsing through the underbrush with pine and fir boughs stretching overhead and sometimes reaching low enough to clothesline a person. Which would have been what happened to me if I’d tried something as bold as walking backwards through the forest. But not Jin. The guy had stealth and grace down to an art.

That is strange. I hate to ask this, but you said when you found your uncle, you knew it was the gang because of the symbol they left on the wall, correct? Ty asked.

Face falling into a look of pain, Jin turned around and stopped walking. Yeah. I didn’t see any of them. No one was at the house. Just…his body.

Tucked beneath the huge limbs of a fir tree, Jin’s camouflaged tent—courtesy of Ayra—blended in so well I wouldn’t have seen it if I hadn’t known it was there. We stopped near the tree that sheltered it. Somewhere above us, I heard Gripp do his signature crash landing in the evergreen boughs. I cringed for him, hoping he didn’t topple. No further rustling sounds came. I let out a breath.

After several long seconds, Jin went on. They ransacked the place, even tore apart the couch cushions.

Ty and I exchanged a look that Jin didn’t catch since his gaze was fixed on his shoes. Of all the places I’d heard of people hiding large amounts of money, couch cushions definitely weren’t among them. Anything was possible, but it wasn’t likely. The way Ty’s brows pinched together made it obvious he agreed.

Are you sure your uncle was good at Mahjong? I asked.

Definitely, he said without hesitation. We played together all the time. I’m good, but he’s—was—exceptional.

Hmm, Ty muttered as he scratched the blond scruff on his chin.

Jin’s gaze snapped to him. That sounds like you’ve had a thought.

Instead of answer, Ty looked at me. I could have kissed him for that small show of deference. In fact, I would later—among other things.

Maybe, I said. Light filled his golden eyes. Before he could say anything, I went on. But we aren’t investigators. I’ll share this information with our contact in law enforcement and see what she says.

I’ll meet with them if you think it will help, he offered.

No, Ty and I said in unison. I went on. You need to stay hidden, and we can’t let anyone know your location, not even Detective Sandalius. It’s better that way in case those guys are looking for you.

But they robbed the house, they got what they wanted. Now is our chance to go after them while they aren’t expecting it, he said. The desperate tone of his voice worried me.

"I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but we have to let the authorities handle it for now. You have to focus on getting through the verða