To Catch a Thief
#1 of The Streets of New York
My very first story, an attempt I made after work at 3 in the morning! Open to suggestions and critiques, know this isn't great writing, but I have a good story planned out if I see people are interested. Please comment and let me know how you like it, very interested to see the responses.
The city that never sleeps was unusually quiet, even for this hour. Rain drops fell steadily adding an ominous touch to the already black night. Vacant streets and dark alleyways were empty of even the usual drug dealers and...available women.
But the dark face behind the tinted windows of the sedan wasn't looking to bust drug dealers or hassle prostitutes, he had more important fish to fry.
For three nights an important gang member had been spotted in this area, one known to traffic everything from guns to stolen cars to the highest bidder. That kind of business-like approach towards crime made him very dangerous; after all, anyone with the right kind of money could get their hands on practically anything.
The orange glow of a cigarette lit up the detectives face, relaxed features disguising the look in his piercing green eyes.
Criminals like this did not sit well with the fox; 30 years ago there used to be a code, rules, respect. The mob was bad, but at least they regulated themselves to an extent. These kids today did whatever they had to to make a buck.
Shoot up an apartment with kids inside? No problem. Kidnap a guy with a wife and kids? Sure, as long as you pay up front. Â As the saying went money talks and bullshit walks. Well, the old way criminals operated was bullshit now. These days they did whatever it took to make money, with total disregard for the safety of the innocent.
With a sigh Tory looked at his watch and vainly continued to search the street where the tiger had last been seen. What did it matter anyway? The old days of respect among criminals was long gone, an era formed and lost before he had even entered the force. He better forget the way things were, Tory told himself, this is the way things work now and I'd better get used to it or guys like this will run circles around him.
 The rain slowed as he finished his cigarette and he flicked it out the window. He gave another sigh, knowing the tiger had left this area the second he'd been given the assignment.
Smart cats like this knew how to keep moving and stay out of jail. He put the car into drive and decided to call it a night, after all there were so many criminals in this town he was bound to find one to bring in eventually, this city was infested with every type of crime, remnants of the fabled mafia included.
 Driving down the rain soaked streets his mind drifted to other thoughts, as it usually did by the end of his shift.
Thoughts of his now ex-girlfriend Michelle came to the forefront of his mind. She was but one in the line of many ex's Tory hadn't ever seemed to connect with. While it was nice to have someone to come home to on these late nights, and he would certainly miss the sex, but there always seemed to be a barrier with women Tory could never find a way through. The fox had always tried so hard to get to new levels in relationships, but they always ended disappointedly.
He had given up on Michelle because she didn't understand his passion for police work. She always focused on the long hours and dismal pay; she never shared his enthusiasm for helping the community, working towards something greater than just himself.
Tory didn't kid himself, before Michelle there had been Kristine and before her Julia. Thinking more on it he realized sex was truly the only reason he kept those relationships going anyway. Although Michelle wasn't amazing in bed, it beat his paw. Her warm brown fur, her slender body held against his, that cute butt...
"Fuck," he said to himself as he felt his sheath harden. If he didn't quit thinking about this he'd never get to sleep when he got home.
Sleepless nights had become an all-too familiar pattern for Tory lately. Stress from being a younger and therefore harder working member of the police department as well as relationship issues had taken its toll on the fox, the eager mind and strong body from his first year had given way to a chain-smoking cynic, all but lost on where his life was headed.
His first year on the force he had the attitude that he was practically a super hero, busting up criminals and helping clean the streets. What bullshit, he said to himself as he thought about it. No one fox ever makes a difference, for every one guy he locked up two more came out to take his place.
Pushing these thoughts from his mind Tory pulled his unmarked squad car into a space outside his apartment building and went inside. He noted with a disappointed glance the elevator was still not working, so he wearily began climbing the four flights of stairs to his apartment.
As he walked up the stairs he made a note to himself to check for stolen trucks out near the harbor when he got into the precinct the next day. Sometimes gangs liked to steal delivery trucks and sell them to middle men who would handle and sell the stolen merchandise. With any luck someone would sell a delivery to the tiger he was after and give him a better trail to work with.
Finally reaching his apartment he opened the weathered door and dragged himself inside. He was tired enough from two nights of stakeouts to let anything keep him awake tonight. Making his way into his bedroom Tory took his holster from around his shoulders and placed it in the drawer of his nightstand.
He dropped his dark jeans and leather jacket on the floor, revealing a slender figure that fatigue and cigarettes had not yet entirely erased. The auburn hair that covered most of his body was broken by a thick stripe of white from his chest down below his boxers. Finally climbing into bed Tory could think of nothing but the sweet respite of sleep. At least in his dreams things seemed to work out for the better.
Sunlight was not a welcome sight to Tory as he awoke. Glaring through the bright light at his battered alarm clock, he saw the green digital numbers already read 11:17. "Shit," the fox growled to himself. Just enough time to get ready before work started all over again.
Flicking on the television in his bedroom the fox went to the bathroom to shower before work. As the faucet sputtered and groaned to life his ears perked at the story on the news. "...military arms stolen yesterday from a facility in northern New Jersey." Attention quickly peaked; Tory went back to the bedroom to watch the remainder of the story.
"Black Isle Securities was robbed last night of approximately three truck loads of supplies from their high security facility in New Jersey last night. Thieves stole equipment from both research labs and a warehouse facility, in what city officials believe was an inside job."
The screen switched to a clip from an earlier press conference with a large brown bear at the podium. The police chief, Tory noted, had a concerned look on his face.
"Seeing as though the burglars tripped no alarms and alerted no security personnel, we are almost certain that whoever was responsible for this had inside help from an employee or extensive knowledge of the facility."
Switching back to the female news otter at the desk, she continued, "While Black Isle Securities offered no comment on last night's break-in, experts have estimated that between $1 and $2 million dollars worth of equipment was stolen from the research lab and warehouses." As the news segmented into the weather, Tory got a sinking feeling in the bottom of his stomach.
Black Isle Securities was a company founded to offer private protection and weapons in both the States and in world conflicts. The department had contracted Black Isle to outfit the SWAT team with the latest gear just last year, and he had heard that many of Black Isles employees were working overseas doing peacekeeping duties.
While the department was sure to keep an eye on the private militaries operating near them, no one could ever imagine such a large amount of weapons to be stolen so easily. And no comment from the company reps? This didn't make sense; losing that much money overnight and they don't even send a spokes animal out to whine to the public?
Something strange was going on and Tory had a hunch it just might be related to the recent activity of the tiger he was after. Knowing that the department would have any information he might need, Tory finished getting ready and headed in to work.
Arriving at the station was always an other-worldly experience. Right in the middle of the most populated boroughs of the city, there was never a lull in activity for anyone at the precinct. Arriving in the door he walked past the booking area to the back offices to find the Sergeant and try to dig up some more information on the break in.
Spotting the older fox talking to a very sexy looking black wolf at the other end of the room, Tory made his way over just as the Sarge was finishing his questions.
 "Alright Stef," he said in a gruff voice, "just let us know if you see anything out of the ordinary. You know our job is really to get information from you, not just drag you in here once a month for free coffee and conversation."
The wolf stared coolly at the black fox with sparkling amber eyes as she stood. "I can't create criminals for you," she said coldly.
"I have a feeling you make enough trouble by yourself to keep us plenty busy, just keep an ear open!" he shouted at the canid as she walked away.
"Completely worthless," the sergeant said to Tory as the wolf walked past him, "these informants get a free pass from us to do what they want in exchange for information, and what do we get in return? Nothing but 30 minutes of wasted energy and an attitude."
Tory couldn't hear what the fox was saying to him, he was busy staring at the wolf walking by. Her scent sent a tingle down the length of his body, it was unlike anything he'd ever smelled. Entranced by the wolf as she made her way to the door, Tory couldn't help but stare at her figure.
Tall and lean, she carried herself gracefully to the door, hips moving ever so slightly, fluffy tail raised to accentuate the curve of her hips and butt. As she neared the door, the wolf gave the smallest of looks back at him, and Tory swore he could see a mischievous smile on her face.
 "Tory you here for a reason, or you just wanna make eyes at the informants?" the Sergeants words snapped him back to reality and he turned to look at the black fox seated in front of him.
The fox smiled back at him, "Sorry Sarge, but when you bring informants in that look like that I gotta stare."
"Yeah, yeah at least I can get the eye candy to talk to me there rookie, how'd your campout go last night? That tiger show again?" Sarge was always quick to remind Tory of his place, a year on the force and he still got crap for being young.
Brushing the comment aside his smile faded, "No, he's too smart to stay put for more than a couple nights, I need some better info on where to find him if I have any hope of brining him in."
The black fox gave a hearty laugh, "You are the source for better info Tory, that's why you had a stakeout, you gotta get your nose to the ground and find some leads yourself."
 "That's why I'm here Sarge, I heard about the break in at Black Isle last night, and I have a hunch it's related to the tiger I'm looking for. After all, the guy does deal weapons, what better score for him then to rob a military supplier?"
 Tory saw the fox's demeanor change the second he mentioned the break in; his eyes narrowed and he leaned forward in his chair, staring right through Tory.
"Listen real carefully Tory, everyone is way too hush-hush about that whole deal already. No company reps wanna talk about it, hell they wouldn't have even called us about it if there wasn't so much money involved."
He crossed his paws and leaned back in his chair, "Don't worry about that whole deal, we got guys that can handle it. If the company wants to cut their losses and forget about it then so be it. We have plenty of guys to track down those trucks and make sure nothing on them reaches the streets. We'll make those guns so hot nobody will wanna touch ‘em, no matter how pretty they are."
Tory wasn't as sure as his boss was about the guns, he had a very bad feeling about the wolf he was after, one he just couldn't shake.
"Sarge this guy is smart, he's got buyers all over the city and so far he's been untraceable, for all we know he orchestrated this whole break in for his own benefit."
Tory knew he was being unreasonable but he couldn't shake his hunch. In his small time on the force experience had taught him that his gut was usually right, and more often than not, far-fetched ideas turned out to be all too real.
The black fox cracked a smile at Tory, "This tiger is only as smart as you make him out to be, and as for being untraceable, I haven't met a criminal yet that didn't slip. He'll let his greed overcome him and he'll sell to the wrong guy and then you'll have him."
Tory was still flustered about the whole ordeal, but he couldn't argue with his ranking officer.
 "Yeah I guess your right Sarge, thanks," he muttered, far from convincing himself that was true.
As he stood up and walked away the fox called to him, "Remember, keep your nose to the ground and an ear open Tory, opportunity will come knocking right at your door!"
Yeah the fox snorted, that tiger will just walk right to my apartment with the handcuffs already on. That'll be the day.
Later that night Tory was no closer to finding the tiger than he was the previous two days. His patrols of the docks and the street corner from the previous night had turned up nothing and he decided to call it an early night.
Wherever the tiger had ran off to, it was nowhere around here. He decided to pick up dinner before he went home, and the drive to the little Mexican restaurant gave him more time to contemplate leads on his suspect.
His mind wandered to the fox from earlier in the precinct. He hadn't seen her around before, he was sure he would remember a face like that. Wonder what she knew that was important enough to talk directly to the Sergeant and not just a regular desk jockey?
 While the leads from the department weren't bad, he decided trying to dig up some informants would be worth the trouble.
He paid for his take-out and started for home, the usual traffic ever present even during the late hours.
As he reached the parking lot of his apartment he saw the light on his bedroom was on, a fact that sent cold waves of dread through him. He never left the light on when he left, and he was sure that someone was upstairs waiting for him.
Leaving his dinner on the passenger seat Tory made his way quickly inside, climbing the stairs two at a time until he got to the fourth floor.
Drawing his gun, Tory strode silently to his apartment door, glancing at the rusted brass ‘4-B' that hung off the wall. The last thing he wanted to do was burst in to someone else's apartment in the middle of the night with a gun.
As he gripped the handle he steadied himself and took the safety off his pistol.
Readying himself he pushed against the door in one fluid motion and stepped inside, ready to face whatever was inside. Straight ahead he caught his first glimpse of the intruder.
"You..." was all he could muster as he lowered his gun. Still in a state of shock Tory closed the door quickly behind him, determined to find out the purpose of this late-night visit.
The wolf that had been talking to the Sergeant earlier now lounged on his couch, her jet black fur a stark comparison against the battered tan fabric. She wore the same tight skirt she had on earlier with an equally revealing blouse, and Tory could have sworn she looked better in it now than when he saw her earlier.
"Surprised to see me?" she said with a smile.
Questions raced through Tory's mind as he holstered his gun. Maybe opportunity did knock on his door after all, or at least come in and sit on his couch.
"Why are you here?" was all he could think to say, the tingle returning to his body at the sight of the wolf.
"No hello or how are you doing? I expected as much," she said to him, polished white teeth shining out from her black fur.
"You're the informant from down at the station aren't you, Stef is it?" he asked stupidly, already knowing the answer.
"Well, well, smart and cute," she replied, "I'd have thought with the way you stared at me as I left you'd have an easier time remembering me."
The initial thrill of seeing the wolf again was wearing off, and Tory was beginning to get annoyed that she was avoiding his questions.
"How did you know where I lived? What do you want?" he demanded.
"Calm down there stud, if I'd have wanted to do anything to you I could have gotten to you before you even opened the door," she replied calmly.
"I hear you're after a certain tiger, and in a city as big as this I'm sure you need all the help you can get finding him," she told him.
"So you tracked me down in the middle of the night and broke into my apartment just so you could talk to me?" Tory answered back angrily.
"Among other things yes, talk to you about the tiger you're after," she responded, the same mischievous grin from earlier at the precinct coming back to her face.
Tory didn't like the sound of the ‘other things,' but he felt confident he could handle the wolf. And the prospect of finding information about the tiger he was after was too good to pass up. The wolf wasn't too bad on the eyes either, and if she was interested...
"I've got some food waiting in the car and plenty to drink in the fridge, how about you tell me what you know over dinner?" he asked, maybe a little too eagerly.
"Sounds like a date," she said, blinking slowly, her tail curling slowly around her leg.
"Alright," he said with a quick smile, "lemme run down to the car and get the food, I'll be right back."
As he made his way down the stairwell he decided he might need some help handling this, after all, informants didn't usually break down the door to talk to him. None as pretty as this wolf anyway.
He decided to call Mike, a fellow detective with much more experience than he had. Mike was a street-wise Doberman that was happy to help Tory on more than one occasion. He was Tory's closest friend on the force and usually knew the right way to approach delicate situations.
He knew Mike would be up this late working on one case or another, and wasn't surprised when he answered after only two rings.
"Hey rookie what's up?" he asked enthusiastically, "Catch that tiger yet?"
"Not exactly, more like somebody caught me," he answered back with a laugh.
"What's goin' on?" Interest was evident in Mikes voice, Tory didn't usually seek his advice unless it was something important.
"Well," he began "earlier today Sarge was questioning this wolf, an informant, and now she shows up at my apartment saying she's got inside info on the tiger I'm looking for."
"Nice job rookie! Had one fall right into your lap, huh?" Mike asked him.
"Yeah the only problem is I never told her where I lived, and she ends up in my apartment in the middle of the night waiting for me when I got home," Tory replied concernedly.
"Wait, what's this girl look like? Tall, skinny, jet black fur, cute ass and a sexy smile?" Mike asked him.
Shocked he had described the wolf so perfectly, it took Tory a second to regain his thoughts.
"Yeah, how'd you know what she looks like?" Tory inquired.
"She stopped me on the way out and asked for your address, said she wanted to thank you for something. A girl that pretty, I couldn't say no, so I gave her your address," he told him.
"What if she'd wanted to get at me for something, for a prior arrest or a bust!?" Tory shouted angrily, amazed Mike would be so careless.
"Calm down Tory, a wolf with a smile that pretty wouldn't hurt a fly, I had a good feeling about her," he continued "plus I figured you could use a pretty girl's attention after what happened with Michelle."
"Thanks," Tory muttered, "I guess."
"Don't worry so much rook, entertain her, get what info you can from her and leave it at that. If she's interested in you than that's all the more reason to keep her around. Informants with an emotional investment in someone will give better information, and she'll tell you things more easily," he told Tory as he neared his apartment door.
"Just relax and play the game with her, you're a smart kid, you'll do fine," he said.
"I hope your right Mike," Tory replied, not entirely convinced, "thanks for the help."
"Just remember what I told you," the dog told him as he hung up.
As Tory opened his apartment door he sure hoped Mike was right about this girl, if he wasn't...well, Tory didn't wanna think about the potential danger he could be in.
"Smells good, Mexican food?" she asked him as he entered the door.
"Yeah I know a little place uptown that does great homemade stuff," he told her as he set the food on the table.
She had moved to a seat at the small kitchen table, and watched him as he brought down two sets of plates and glasses.
"Want anything to drink?" he asked her.
"Beer if you have it," she answered.
As Tory moved to the fridge to get the drinks he moved closer to the wolf, taking in her scent for the first time since she walked past him at the station.
She smelled light and well...Tory couldn't quite put his paw on it. Her smell seemed to entrance him; he couldn't quite measure it against any other wolf he'd smelled. She didn't smell like any other animal he had ever smelled for that matter.
Her scent had qualities from both ends of the spectrum; it was both light and airy but heavy and pungent at the same time. It took Tory a while before he realized he had paused next to the fridge and was staring at the wolf, transfixed.
"Uh, sorry," he muttered, "lost my train of thought for a second."
She giggled back at him, mumbling something under her breath that sounded like, "Couldn't imagine why."
Her laugh sent shivers up his spine, and Tory realized that maybe Mike was right, maybe he should entertain her. After all what was the worst that could happen?
As he sat across from her at his tiny kitchen table she looked right at him, her ice blue eyes sparkling under the dim light.
"So uh, about this tiger, what do you know about him?" he finally asked her.
She gave him another playful grin and answered, "Before I tell you about him, I want to hear about you. What does a cute fox like you want with a criminal like this tiger? Detective..." she trailed off and Tory realized he hadn't even told this enchanted creature his name yet.
"Tory," he said firmly, "just call me Tory." If she wanted to play this game with him he was all too happy to oblige. He got a sneaking suspicion that before the night was over information wasn't the only thing he'd get from this wolf.
"Well Tory, why do you need to find this tiger so bad? He must be pretty special to stand out among all the other low lives in this city," she asked him.
"This particular tiger stands out because of the way he operates, and if you know anything about him I'm sure you know why," he replied becoming more uncertain of the help this wolf would be to his case.
"Of course I know about him," she said almost indignantly, "why else do you think I came here to see you?"
"I couldn't imagine why," Tory said confidently, hoping to up the ante with this wolf.
She smiled at him again as she finished the last bite of her quesadilla, tail waving seductively behind her. Tory was positive his last remark had worked, not that he needed the extra effort from the looks of this wolf, she was plenty interested already.
Finishing his own meal Tory took both plates to the sink, rinsing them and turning back to see the fox had moved back to the couch.
"Why don't we discuss your tiger then?" she said, patting the cushion next to her.
Looking over at the wolf leaning back on the couch, Tory couldn't contain himself for much longer, the bulge in his pants already making him uncomfortable. If this wolf really was interested he hoped she would get to business and stop playing around with him.
"You have any idea where he's at?" he questioned as he sat down next to her.
"Maybe I do, but before I tell you what you want to know, how about you give me what I want?" she said seductively, her tail wrapping around his leg.
"What did you have in mind?" he asked, begging her with his eyes to keep the game going.
She replied without hesitation, "Well if the bulge in those jeans is any indication, I'm sure I can think of a few things."
Her eyes widened ever so slightly as she gazed at him, and he slowly nodded at her.
"Anything you want," Tory said as he leaned into her.
When their lips met it was everything Tory had hoped it would be. A shock ran up his spine and he finally understood what he was missing with his previous lovers, this instantaneous feeling of connection.
They held the kiss for what seemed like forever, Tory's tongue wrestling hers, muzzles locked. Her hand made its way to his collar, quickly unbuttoning his shirt as they continued to kiss.
He wrapped his hands around her slender form, one hand on her hip, the other massaging the length of her long leg.
She moaned and grabbed for the button on his jeans, quickly unfastening them and putting her hand on his already rock-hard sheath.
Continuing their kiss Tory thought he might come just from the passion of the moment, kissing had never felt as hot as it did with this little wolf.
Pulling his pants off as best he could without breaking their kiss, Tory moaned as her paw started to stroke the length of his emerging pink shaft, rivulets of pleasure shooting through his body.
She put a paw on his chest to push him back against the couch, and Tory made no move to object. He closed his eyes and leaned back, intent to enjoy whatever the little wolf had in mind.
He hadn't intended to feel her warm tongue on the tip of his cock however, and the sensation made him buck his hips up.
"Eager aren't we?" she said with a smile, her mouth moving back towards the tip of his shaft.
Tory groaned as he felt her muzzle wrap around his length, little stars of pleasure dancing before his closed eyes.
Tory rubbed the back of her head as she suckled him, encouraging her to continue, he didn't want the feeling to stop. His tongue hung out the side of his muzzle and he started panting, the feeling was just too much.
She used the nails on her free hand to scratch the inside of his leg, adding to his pleasure. The wolf worked his shaft expertly, and Tory knew he couldn't take much more of this.
As her hand moved up his leg to cup his balls, he felt the impending orgasm coming.
"I'm about to.." he panted, "gonna..." he had a hard time forming sentences in his current position.
"Gimme all you got stud," she said back, and resumed her enthusiastic suckling.
She wrapped her tongue around the tip, moving from the top to the bottom, and Tory knew he couldn't handle anymore.
He gave one last thrust upwards as he came, feeling the release as he leaned back again, exhausted from the whole ordeal.
Stef continued the passionate suckling of his member, licking him clean when he finally finished.
"That was..." he panted, "just amazing."
"Hmm," she giggled, "you weren't half bad either."
She leaned up against the fox, arms wrapped around his body, fingers trailing up his stomach and chest. Both fox and wolf just lay there, not wanting to ruin the bliss of the moment. Closing his eyes Tory just lay there, enjoying the embrace.
Tory awoke to rays of sunshine coming through the dusty blinds. He peered over at the clock on the microwave and saw it was only a little after 10, plenty of time to relax before work.
"Morning Stef..." he said quietly, and shifted on the couch. It took his brain a moment to register that the black fox from last night was no longer next to him.
"Shit," he said, not knowing what to do. He pulled on his pants and began to search the apartment, hoping she had gone into his bed or to use the shower.
Finding no trace of the black fox, his mind immediately turned to panic. What if the sex was just a ploy, a way to use him to get to his badge or gun?
Searching around the apartment to see if anything way missing, he couldn't spot anything out of place. His wallet was still in his back pocket, and it didn't smell like she had gone through it. His gun and badge were still safely in his nightstand drawer, even the leftovers from last night, now cold and stale were still on the table.
It was on the table that Tory noticed a slip of yellow notebook paper, folded up so he couldn't miss it, with neat, black handwriting on the front.
Tory he read on the front, a little heart drawn next to his name.
Thanks for the fun time last night, sorry I couldn't help with your tiger, but I have a feeling we'll meet again for more ‘questions.' See ya round stud.
-Stef
Tory's heart jumped as he read the note, silently hoping that the wolf wasn't lying to him. He folded the note up and put it in his pocket, and headed to the bathroom to get ready for work, devoid of the usual misery that began his day.
Tory felt odd as he got ready and realized he was feelings something he hadn't felt in a long time, happiness. Well, that and something else, but he wasn't quite ready to accept the second feeling yet, not so soon.
He busied himself preparing for work, hoping that he would see the jet black form of the wolf before long.
To Be Continued...
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