13. Nico
NICO
I'd already gone through the file I'd prepared for Tony for the third time. It was impressive, if I did say so myself. At least, I thought it was.
I was desperate.
The morning after the truck incident, I'd gone over to Logan and Isaac's cabin early enough to see them off.
I'd kept my promise to Isaac and stayed behind, figuring that would be enough.
He'd told me to stay behind for one day, and I'd assumed that, after he'd had some time to cool down and think things through, he'd change his mind.
The next morning, I showed up at their cabin again, ready to go with them as usual. Isaac took one look at me and firmly told me no, refusing to even meet my eyes. Logan gave me an apologetic look before following his brother to the truck.
I tried again the yesterday morning. This time I got there before dawn. They weren't even there. One of the neighbours told me they'd left about an hour earlier.
I knew Logan's schedule. He wasn't supposed to be on set until after lunch. That was the last straw.
If Isaac was going to keep me away from the set, then fine.
I wasn't going to argue with him about it anymore.
I threw myself into work instead, going through every video feed I had access to and then going back through them again, checking timestamps, comparing camera angles, and digging through anything that might have slipped past me the first time.
I searched fan forums and social media, followed whatever leads I could find, and contacted people on set who might have seen or remembered something useful.
I didn't risk going there myself. Not only had Isaac made it clear I wasn't welcome, he'd also told the security team to keep an eye out for me if I showed up.
Logan had warned me about that one. He'd also apologised.
Apparently, he'd tried talking to Isaac about me more than once, but every time he brought up the subject, Isaac either shut him down, changed the topic, or became so thoroughly unpleasant that Logan gave up.
Which was incredibly helpful.
I glanced down at the file on my laptop again. All those hours of digging and research had gone into it.
I was making one last adjustment when I heard the basement door open. A moment later, it closed again, followed by the distinctive sound of tired, shuffling footsteps.
I straightened in my chair as Tony appeared in the kitchen. He looked like he'd barely slept.
Without saying anything, he made himself a mug of instant coffee, adding a little too much powder. My gaze drifted to the sleek black espresso machine sitting on the other side of the counter.
We'd gotten it as part of a pack gift exchange more than two years ago. I'd never actually seen anyone use it. We really should have just given it away.
"Morning," Tony said with a tired nod as he stirred his coffee.
"Morning." I gestured toward the espresso machine. "We should really buy some beans for that, huh?"
Tony glanced at it, then at the mug in his hands before looking back at me. I smiled innocently, hoping the suggestion might earn me a few points, but judging by his expression, I wasn't getting any.
"So," I said after a moment, "there's something I wanted to run by you."
Tony sighed and glanced down at his coffee with an expression of mild disgust before taking a long drink. He set the mug down and wrapped both hands around it.
For one horrifying second, I wondered if he was holding it that tightly to stop himself from throwing my laptop across the kitchen. I really hoped not.
Taking a deep breath, I turned my laptop toward him. "I think I found him."
Tony's tired eyes lifted to mine. "Found who?"
"The stalker."
That got his attention.
I pulled up the file and started with what I'd done after the truck incident. I'd pushed for tighter security around the set, asked the guards to keep a closer eye on the barricades, and installed the new cameras around the parking lot and perimeter.
The new cameras had already given me more than the old ones ever could. I walked Tony through the footage from the truck, showing him what I'd been able to see this time and how much clearer everything was with the new equipment.
I also showed him what I'd found around the set since then, including several images of the same man appearing on different filming days. He was always somewhere near the production, always close enough to watch without drawing attention to himself.
I'd gone back through everything I'd already found, too, comparing the new information with the notes, gifts, online posts, and photographs I'd been tracking since Logan first arrived.
Tony glanced at me. "And you think this is the same person?"
"I think it might be."
Tony's expression grew skeptical.
"I know," I said. "A lot of I think."
"That's what I was going to say."
That was the truth. I couldn't prove the man was behind the gifts. I couldn't prove he'd tampered with the truck. I couldn't even prove with absolute certainty that he was the same person Isaac had saved.
The evidence was there. What I couldn't prove was how all of it connected.
"There was something else." I hesitated before bringing up one last section. "The Orc King theory."
Tony nodded slowly. "Right."
"You know how the stalker always called Logan the Elf King? Then we suddenly got the Orc King note, and Isaac started showing up in more of the photographs."
Tony was quiet for a moment before saying, "So you think this person isn't just interested in Logan anymore."
"That's what I'm worried about." I closed the file. "I think we should keep an eye on this guy."
Tony leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "So what do you want to do about this?"
I stared at him for a moment. "What?"
"What do you want to do?"
I opened my mouth, then closed it again, suddenly unsure of what to say.
I'd expected Tony to tell me what to do. He always did. I'd bring him a problem, he'd give me a few possible solutions, and I'd figure out which one I could make work. This time, though, he was looking at me as if the answer was supposed to come from me.
"You're the lead on this," he continued. "I'm assuming you have something in mind. Otherwise, you wouldn't have spent all this time putting together..." He waved a hand toward my laptop. "...this."
I'd been so focused on proving there was a connection, on getting Tony to take me seriously, that I hadn't stopped to consider what I actually wanted to do about it.
The answer came easily enough. I wanted Isaac safe.
I took a breath. "I think we should assign an enforcer to them."
Tony's eyebrows lifted slightly. "An enforcer?"
"Someone who can stay with them on set, escort them around, keep an eye on things." I hesitated before adding, "Someone who might actually be able to catch the guy if he tries something again.”
Tony gave me a small smile. It wasn't unkind. "I was wondering when you were going to ask for that."
He sighed and leaned back slightly. "This is where it gets complicated. There are a lot of people involved in the production, Nico. Humans, shifters, private security, the studio, local authorities. Situations like this fall into something of a gray area."
I frowned. "How?"
"Because we don't have enough to justify that kind of response yet."
I opened my mouth. "The truck..."
"Anything we can prove he did," Tony corrected.
I shut my mouth again.
"He hasn't threatened anyone directly. We don't have proof he tampered with the truck, and we don't have proof he's the one sending the gifts. Right now, he's a suspicious person who's been hanging around a private filming location."
"But he's been trying to get closer."
"Which is why security can remove him if he crosses the barricade. They can tell him he's not welcome and issue a trespass warning. If he starts making threats or actually harms someone, that's different. But until then, assigning an enforcer specifically to them would be difficult to justify."
My frown deepened. "So... no enforcer?"
Tony shook his head. "Not for this. Not yet."
He paused before adding, "Besides, what do you think Isaac would say if he heard you wanted an enforcer assigned to protect him?"
Tony was trying to make a joke. I knew that, but I couldn't find it in me to laugh. My mind was already racing, searching for another solution.
There had to be something else I could do, something that would make sure they were safe. Something that would make sure Isaac was safe.
My wolf prowled restlessly beneath my skin, almost frantic, as though it could somehow find a way out of the cage of my control.
Do something. Protect him.
It didn't care about gray areas or jurisdiction, nor did it care about what we could prove or whether we had enough evidence to convince anyone else. As far as it was concerned, someone wanted to hurt someone important to us, and that was all that mattered.
Tony’s hand wrapped gently around my wrist.
“Hey."
I looked down and realised my claws had slipped out. For a moment, I simply stared at them before forcing them back beneath my skin. It took more effort than it should have.
Tony sighed. "Look. You've been doing an excellent job so far. You're good at this, Nico. You're thorough, you notice things other people miss, and you actually care about the people you're working with." His expression softened slightly. "Sometimes too much."
The compliment caught me off guard. He continued, "You know this has always been your problem. You get attached, you go above and beyond, and when something goes wrong, you take it personally."
"I don't..."
Tony raised an eyebrow, and I stopped myself. We'd had this conversation before, and I already knew how it was going to end.
"And that's one of the reasons Cooper was hesitant to give you a solo mission."
That stung more than I wanted it to. "So you're saying I shouldn't do anything?"
"No." Tony's answer came immediately. "I'm saying you need to be careful about what you do next."
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on the table. "This is your first solo mission. People are watching, Nico. Cooper is watching. The other specialists are watching. If you handle this well, it'll show them that you can do this. I know you can."
His expression grew more serious. "But if you go too far now, people are going to focus on the wrong thing. They'll say you got too close to the case again, or that you're too emotionally involved."
I clenched my jaw. Tony wasn't telling me I was wrong. He was telling me not to give anyone a reason to doubt that I was ready for more responsibility, which somehow made it even more frustrating.
"Go to Cooper first," he said. "Tell him what you've found and give him the facts, including the parts you're not sure about."
I nodded reluctantly.
"And tell Isaac there's a possible threat. A heads-up, nothing more."
"But..."
"Isaac is capable of looking after himself."
I knew that. Of course I did. I'd watched him prove it every day since we'd met, but knowing he could take care of himself didn't make the thought of something happening to him any easier.
"And then what?" I asked.
Tony's expression softened. "Then you keep watching. You gather more information. Let the evidence tell you what to do next."
For one wild second, I wanted to throw something. The laptop would be satisfying. The chairs were tempting too. Instead, I forced myself to take a breath, pushed to my feet, and grabbed my laptop.
"Okay. I'll try to talk to Isaac." I headed for the stairs without waiting for a response and didn't look back.
Exhaustion hit me the moment I made it back to my room. I collapsed onto the bed without even bothering to change. Outside my window, the sky had already begun to take on a purplish hue.
I hadn't slept properly in more than thirty-six hours, and my body was starting to feel the effects. My eyes burned, my head throbbed, and every muscle seemed to ache.
I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but it didn't work. Every time I started to drift off, my mind dragged me back to the same things: the truck, Isaac pulling me out of the driver's seat, and the look on his face when he realised what could have happened.
Then there were Tony's words.
Don't go charging off after someone because your gut tells you you're right.
I rolled onto my back and stared at the ceiling, unable to shake the feeling that I had to do something. Eventually, I gave up on sleep altogether. When I checked my phone again, it was close to midnight.
I made my way downstairs to my workstation and pulled the small box I'd been thinking about all evening from the drawer beneath it.
After grabbing a jacket, I headed outside, only realising then that I'd forgotten to put on my shoes. It did’t matter.
The air was cool against my skin as I made my way toward Isaac and Logan's cabin. The lights were off, and the place was quiet. I slowed when I spotted the truck parked outside the garage.
I crouched and moved around the front of the truck, keeping to the shadows as I reached into my pocket.
The tracker was something we used for work, mainly for assest and vehicle tracking. I had no right to use it like this, let alone put it on someone else's vehicle without telling them.
Especially not Isaac's.
I was crossing a line, one Tony had just spent the better part of the day warning me not to. But knowing it was wrong didn't make me any less convinced that I needed to do it.
My wolf stirred beneath my skin, restless and insistent, pushing aside my hesitation.
Just until we know he's safe.
I reached beneath the truck to secure the tracker to the chassis where it wouldn't be immediately visible. Once I was sure it was firmly in place, I checked the connection on my phone.
A small signal appeared on the screen.
Active.