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from a nearby town, so I didn’t know him the same way. Next time you see Daniel, tell him I’d be glad to talk with him. Maybe you can bring him out here sometime soon.”
    “That’s what I was hoping,” Sophia said with a grin.
    Lila eyed her for a long moment. “Tell me, what’s going on with you and him?”
    Sophia felt a ping in her center. Her mother was disconcertingly good at picking up on anything with her. She sighed internally. If she tried to hide it, her mother would know. She shrugged. “I don’t know. I just met him, but he’s, uh…” Her cheeks got hot when the memory of his lips against hers flashed through her mind.
    Her mother grinned. “Any man that can get you to notice him must be pretty damn amazing! I can barely remember the last time you even bothered with dating.”
    Sophia groaned and half-glared at her mother. “He’s just a nice guy. Don’t turn this into something when it’s not.”
    Her mother chuckled. “Fine. I’ll leave you be. In the meantime, let me know when you’re bringing him by.”
    Mercifully, the conversation moved on. Sophia left a while later and headed straight to Vivi’s house. When she pulled up, Vivi was on the porch again. Sophia walked up the stairs and plunked down in a chair. Vivi glanced over from where she was trimming basil.
    “Hey there. On your way home?”
    Sophia nodded. “Since I can’t get there without passing by your house, I figured I might as well stop,” she replied with a grin.
    Vivi had turned back to the basil, snipping its leaves and dropping them in a small bowl. Jax leapt onto Sophia’s lap, instantly purring when she stroked a hand down his back. After a few moments, Vivi set the scissors down and sat down in the chair beside Sophia. When she met Sophia’s eyes, her gaze was thoughtful.
    “What’s up?” Sophia asked.
    Vivi was quiet for a beat before she spoke. “I’m wondering if you’re up for a run into the mountains with me.”
    Anxiety coiled through Sophia. Ever since Heath had been arrested, she and Vivi had been doing some of their own investigating into the smuggling network. The open secret of the smuggling shifters had been rumbling under the surface of Painter for the last few years. The police had made some local arrests, but little headway had been made. When news broke that the network had stretched its tentacles all the way to Catamount, Maine, the birthplace of shifters, the shifters who were horrified about it had become more vocal. Rumor had it someone, a highly secretive someone, had started the whole mess in Painter. Catamount had succeeded in shutting off the source in its community, so Sophia and Vivi figured that’s what needed to happen in Painter. Heath’s situation kept her anger on a high simmer and pushed her to find a way to do something, anything, to put a stop to the network.
    She met Vivi’s gaze. “Of course. Anything new?”
    Vivi shrugged. “Maybe, maybe not. I was at Quinn’s last night and heard some of the guys talking about a meeting place in the woods to the south side of town. I figure we head out for a run and see what we find.”
    Quinn’s was a local restaurant and bar in Painter, the go-to place for practically everyone in town. Vivi worked there on occasion when they needed backup at the bar. Her primary job was managing the small landscaping business she owned, but as a single mother, any extra cash flow was a good thing.
    Sophia glanced at her watch. “I’ve got a few hours before I need to head to the coffee shop to help close up. If we’re going to scout around, we should go now.”

    ***
    Sophia stood alongside a stream roughly a half-mile into the woods. She and Vivi hiked here often, but they never shifted until they were far enough into the woods to be able to shift sight unseen. Birds chattered in the trees. After a last look around to ensure they were alone, Sophia shifted. Energy coursed through her in a wave, her skin prickled as fur rippled across its