Twenty-Five

Leah loved reality TV.

Sure, it could be trashy. Mindless. Usually, void of any intellectual value (though that could be debated), and it more or less destroyed MTV and VH1- but there was something about it that brought a smile to Leah's face when she got home from a long day at work.

Mostly because she was convinced that her brain waves slowed down significantly when watching re-runs of Jersey Shore.

Her new guilty pleasure was 90 Day Fiancé. She had discovered the show last year, thanks to Aisha who had insisted that it contained more drama than Housewives franchise. From the first episode, she was hooked.

And it was that show she was trying stream on her phone that was currently leaning against a pile of books. She was at work; she was supposed to be doing her reports, but Aisha had told her that last night's episode was crazy, and she wanted to watch crazy seven o'clock in the morning—

Leah's attempts were disrupted by the sound of profane-laced shouts coming from the station's entrance. Annoyed yet curious, she turned around to see a group of arrestees: four men, two women, all young adults, though one man could be middle-aged. A mixed bag of races, all looking like the stereotypical street thugs.

(An attribute Leah used sparingly. In her experience; it was the rich, white-collar folks that gave her the most headaches. Them and their goddamn lawyers).

"Humans?" she asked her partners.

Jacob and Embry shared a look and shrugged.

"Only one," Embry confirmed. "The rest are shape-shifters, except for the last one in line... I don't know what she is, but she's not human."

"Or a leech," Jacob grumbled.

"I thought Paul said you couldn't call them that anymore," Leah taunted.

The perps were being far from cooperative, declaring about how everyone in this damn office was going to regret breathing and about how no one had anything on anything— the usual shit.

The task force officers practically dragged the perps from the doorway while Detective Edgar Martinez was standing in the back of the line, directing the new arrivals into the interrogation room, sporting the most shit-eating grin Leah had ever seen. He must've caught a big one, Leah concluded, putting away her phone; her reality show had to be placed on the back burner for now.

"Got lucky?" Leah asked when Martinez reached her.

"You have no idea, Uley," Martinez declared, quite triumphantly. "Got a call from my guys about an hour ago. While on patrol in Garfield Park, they found those knuckleheads going around bragging about the slaughterhouse killings." He gave a nonchalant shrug. "So naturally, we had them arrested. All Fang members."

Embry saluted Martinez with his half-eaten bagel. "Good man."

Jacob's eyebrows drew together. "Seriously? I thought the Fangs only recruited certain people?"

"The others are associates, I believe," Martinez said.

"You're sure they all weren't messing with you?" Leah asked; it wouldn't have been the first time. She would never understand those fools who claimed to have done something heinously criminal, to crumble under interrogation when their cover was blown.

All for attention, she supposed.

"For their sake, they better not be," Martinez said, and then, after a wink, "Wanna see the action?"

"We're technically not on that case," Leah reminded the other detective.

"With all due respects, Uley, everyone in this godforsaken task force is that case. And the Dahlia's. The Denalis. That bastard, Demetri's and Mike's Lounge," Martinez maintained. "Think of this as a personal invitation to what will surely be a hot mess of an interview."

"Thanks, man," Jacob said.

Ten minutes later, the interrogation began. Martinez had managed to rope Jacob into the questioning. He needed someone who was a shape-shifter most of the perps could "connect to." Leah and Embry, however, thought that Jacob was there to ensure the recent arrestees that he wasn't fucking around—either way, both detective and cop watched the questioning from the other side of the one-way mirror.

"Why the fuck did you, and your boys kill them?" Jacob asked ever so elegantly, looking more disappointed at the Fangs' stupidity than angry. "And a vampire. You know you can't do that shit."

"It didn't happen like that," the young man insisted quite frantically. He called himself Javier, definitely one of the younger, more naive members of the crew.

"You just told the cops that it did," Martinez contended.

"No, man," Javier said, shaking his head, sitting up on his chair. He had a story to tell. "Listen, it wasn't even like that. We were supposed to get the shipment and bounce. Those leeches weren't supposed to be there..."

"The slaughterhouse belonged to Victoria," Jacob pointed out.

Everyone knew that.

"No, it didn't."

"No, it didn't?" Embry questioned, giving Leah a look of pure confusion.

Leah returned the gesture. "Riley said it was Victoria's. He patrolled there all the time. Jessica had been there with Jessica..." she shook her head. "This can't be."

"Unless the Fangs thought something otherwise," Embry said. "I guess that sort of made sense. Why would Victoria send them to her spot and not be there?"

That was the same question Jacob and Martinez asked Javier, but the young man insisted that the slaughterhouse wasn't Victoria's territory. He didn't know who it belonged to, remembered someone mentioning that it was just free space. The detectives ended up switching to another related-topic, one that held close to Leah's heart.

Jacob opened the folder and pulled out a photo of Bree, lying motionless on the slaughterhouse floor. "What happened to her?"

Javier's gaze was fixated at the photo. He was horrified like he was revisiting something from the past. He seemed to remember everything. He eventually looked away, took a deep breath, and said, "Look, I didn't make the command to do that. She was just there, fucking scared outta her mind. I told her to get the hell outta there, but he wouldn't let her go."

Jacob and Martinez exchanged looks, and then Jacob asked, "Who wouldn't let her?"

"The black guy."

"The black guy," Martinez said, deadpanned.

"Yeah, the one with the dreds. A leech," Javier further explained. "He wouldn't let anyone leave. He told her that she needed to stay for the cause—whatever the hell that meant."

Jacob put a hand up, shaking his head, "You're not making any sense," he told the young man.

"The guy," Javier stressed. "He was like their leader or master, or some shit. Ordering them to do this. Ordering them to do that. They fucking listened to him, and then all hell broke loose."

Jacob folded his hands on the desk and leaned forward. "Who's them?"

Javier gulped, slapped his forehead and shook his head. "The bloodhounds," he said. "The Children of the Moon."

"Well, shit," Embry said, eyes wide. "Well, shit."

"How the hell does a vampire get hold of actual wolves?" Leah asked Embry. "I mean, I thought they hated each other."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Embry admitted.

"The black guy," Leah said, clearing her throat. "Javier was obviously talking about Laurent. Laurent is Victoria's right-hand man. I suppose he wouldn't do anything without Victoria knowing..."

"It was a trap," Embry realized. "And they were just collateral. Every single one of them."

"Yeah, " Leah said, checking her phone for the time. 4:15. About three hours until she, Jacob and Embry met up their confidential informant, Benjamin al Fadhil. "Of course, it was."

"Edward Masen is still running the show," Benjamin announced to the team. He was parked next to the detective in their usual meeting spot, an abandoned parking lot-meeting place.

Ah, Carlisle. Right.

He had been out of commission since Memorial Day Weekend. Of course, Edward was his right-hand man until his actual boss recovered. What had thrown Leah off was that Carlisle was still not well enough to work— he was an OG vampire (as Jacob would say); two bullets in non-vital areas were not supposed to knock the wind out of him.

"Carlisle's still on bedrest?" Leah asked.

Benjamin nodded. "I don't know what the hell is up with him," he admitted, appearing genuinely confused. "No one does. It wasn't like he got shot in the heart." He sighed. "His doctor said he would recover, but there are some rumblings that he might not. Or at least, not return to his old form. Some have accepted the fact that Edward's going to be in charge for the long run."

Jacob made a noise.

"And how is he doing?" Embry asked.

"Hate to admit this, but he's actually competent."

"Of course, he is," Jacob mumbled.

"How do you know so much about the Cullens?" Leah asked the agent. "Aren't you supposed to be working for the Volturi?"

"I am," Benjamin replied, suddenly amused. "Let's just say, they trust me more than the average person."

"You're the Volturi's plant," Leah realized.

"Bingo."

Leah had so many questions for the agent. About everything. About Jessica and Demetri's relationship. Sulpicia's missing necklace. The Denalis. Lauren's reluctance to enter witness protection (there had to be something behind that decision; she wasn't loaded. She wasn't a prominent figure—she shouldn't have all of this confidence). Mike's disappearance. And Gianna… she had worked with the Volturi. He must have known her.

But Benjamin appeared to be in a rush to finish this conversation.

"Well, damn," Embry said, impressed.

"So, about Edward. He's not as emotional as Tanya or Carlisle," Benjamin carried on. "Very practical man, practical enough to devise a plan about how to deal with the deaths of Sasha and Vasili."

"Tanya wants the killers dead," Jacob pointed out.

"Well, Edward's trying to play arbitrator," Benjamin said. "After all, even he would admit that the deaths weren't personal. Sasha had violated a cardinal law; there's no going back to it."

"How's Esme?" Leah asked.

"Still playing the puppeteer," Benjamin said. "She's basically Carlisle's nurse for now." He shook his head and sighed. "Just something about his recovery doesn't sit right with me. Either his healing ability has declined significantly, or there's some serious tampering going on."

Leah checked out her partner's expression from the corner of her eye. He seemed to have the same mindset as Benjamin's. "Which one do you think it is?" Jacob asked.

"With that family, I honestly don't know," Benjamin admitted, turning on his car. "Anyway, I gotta go. Let's keep in touch. If everything works out, I may have some big news for you guys. Have any information about the slaughterhouse?"

"We should soon," Jacob promised, turning on his car as well. "We should soon."

"Riley."

"Detective."

"What do you have for me?" Leah asked Riley the following morning as she looked out into the distance; around her was nothing but nature: streams, trees, the sound of animals— and the narrow stone bridge they were standing on.

They weren't in Chicago; they were further out west. The detective hadn't wanted to take any chances by remaining within the city limits. She might not have all of the details, but there was an overwhelming feeling in the Windy City that it was the calm before the storm. Everyone was gearing up for something to explode, and the last thing she needed was to worry about her informant getting silenced. (She had reluctantly accepted the fact that Lauren's fate was sealed, but she still had a sliver of hope that the young woman would see the light before it was too late.)

"Laurent had set up a meeting between the Volturi and us," Riley said. "I don't have the precise details, but it's happening in August. Mid-August, I think."

Leah wrote Riley's words down in her trusted notepad. Mid-August, roughly a month from now. "Where?

Riley shrugged. "Laurent didn't say, but he did stress that we gotta be on the low. So, I guess nothing's happening downtown. Maybe the yards again. The boss has a lot of territory over there, and not many people chill over there so..." He shrugged again. "Yeah."

"You're going to be there?"

"Yeah," Riley said. "We're supposed to get some briefing about it next week."

"Thanks for the heads up," Leah said, and then, "I have a question for you: I remember you've mentioned something about your boss creating an army full of newborns. What was that for, exactly?"

"She wants to take down the Olympic coven," Riley said. "I mean, slaughter everyone and take over their territory and goods. She personally wants to take out Carlisle and Esme."

"What about Edward?" Leah asked. "Didn't he deliver the final blow?"

"Yeah, but he's just a soldier. Carlisle was the one who gave out the orders."

"And Esme?"

"She's his wife. Carlisle took James from Victoria, and now the Boss wants to take Esme away from Carlisle."

"Is that why Mike's happened?"

"The Cullen's and the Denali's pissed out a lot of people." Riley said, and then, "You got an update about Bree?"

"How does Victoria treat you, newborns?"

"She's a bitch to everyone not named Laurent—" Riley replied somewhat bitterly, and then, "So, about that update?"

"Bree was collateral," Leah said. It wasn't exactly protocoled to discuss an investigation with an informant, but Leah believed that none of this would jeopardize the case. She needed Riley to be wholly disillusioned with Victoria's gang, disillusioned enough to be willing to testify—Paul would understand.

"What the fuck did you say?"

Leah fought the temptation to smirk at the outburst. It wouldn't be right to be some smug about someone's pain, especially if that someone else wasn't a complete asshole. But this, a raging Riley? This was just what she needed. "We have reasons to believe that your boss, your maker, had arranged a trap for the Olympic, but it didn't really work out," she carefully explained, expression flat. "Your friend was just at the wrong place at the wrong time."

"It was a set-up?"

"We can't confirm—"

"The Cullens?" Riley asked. "The Denalis?"

"Weren't there."

"She told us it was the Cullen's," Riley snarled, clenching his fists. "That bitch. I'm gonna—"

"Hey, you're not gonna do shit," Leah told the man. "I know you're upset, but don't do anything stupid. We're going to bring everyone down. I promise you that. You've been a big help to us; let's not fuck that up, alright?" When Riley's gaze began to lose focus, she snapped her fingers inches from his face. "Alright?"

"I—"

"Alright?"

Riley got the point. "Alright."

"Good."

After the duo went their separate ways, Leah received a phone call from an unknown number. Generally, she wouldn't have picked it up, but decide to do it anyway. "Yes?"

"Hey, Leah, it's your favorite vamp."

Leah sighed.

It was Benjamin.

"Can we meet up? I have something important to tell you. Bring the other two along... Preferably late tomorrow night 'cause I have to be somewhere..." Benjamin requested. "Oh, don't worry. You're going to love this."

"I can't lie. I didn't think you guys were gonna come."

"Good evening to you, too, Benjamin," Leah said, walking further inside. Their meeting place was at an abandoned warehouse, not far from Midway Airport.

Jacob and Embry followed closely behind, both trying to stifle their yawns; they had all just finished pulling yet another double-shift.

"Have faith in us, man," Embry joked.

"This better be good," Jacob warned, pulling out a chair from the corner of the large room. He haphazardly attempted to brush the dust off the furniture before sitting on it. He grimaced at the sound of the chair creaking but remained seated. "I'm supposed to be in bed right now."

"Oh, stop being such a grumpy, old man," Embry taunted, searching around the room for another chair without any luck.

Leah rolled her eyes.

"I'm not grumpy or old," Jacob grumbled.

"Oh, don't worry, I didn't call you here to spew out some BS," Benjamin ensured. "I wouldn't waste your time like that. Especially after you've all helped me so much with Emmett. Thanks again, for that."

"No problem," Jacob said.

"Some place, you have," Leah commented dryly, cringing at the state of the building they were in. She sure hoped the aging wooden columns wouldn't fail for the next hour or so. She would hate for one to give away and cause the entire warehouse to collapse on them.

"Yeah, I know it's not the best place, but it's outside our favorite covens' main territory," Benjamin said. "They won't come here." He looked around the room, rubbing his hands. "So… before I begin, can I ask for a favor? It's nothing too crazy, I swear."

Leah spoke up before Jacob could give the agent a piece of his mind; he had that look on his face. "What is it? And remember, it needs to be legal."

"Of course. Believe me, I'm not trying to get any of you in trouble," Benjamin promised. "So, uh, I kinda need a place to crash for a while. I know I technically have one, but due to, uh... my actions, it would be nice to be somewhere where there's a huge police presence, just in case our favorite covens decide to send a hitman after me."

"Hitman?" Jacob raised both eyebrows. "Why can't the ATF do this?"

"My job isn't done," Benjamin said. "I can't have them extract me now."

Leah just blinked.

Embry crossed his arms. "What the hell did you do?"

"Yeah, what did you do?" Leah asked, as well. Either Benjamin had done something brilliant or idiotic. Or both. There was a good chance that it could be both.

"I may have orchestrated a confrontation between various rival criminal organizations. I may have also provided them very important information. And given that, sadly, we're not dealing with some amateur arms dealer, they're going to find out that I played them both, and… they're not going to be very happy. So, to ensure that my head literally doesn't get ripped off, I was wondering if you can, I don't know… hide me a holding cell for some time? I want the covens to think I got caught for something and arrested."

"Explain," Jacob demanded.

"I had received some intel stating that the Volturi and Victoria's coven plan to have a meeting in a secluded location to discuss their business partnership. The Cullen's, the Denali's and those from Maria's coven plan to make a surprise appearance at said meeting… as you can imagine, they're not too happy about what happened at Mike's."

Leah's eyes widened. Shit, Riley had been right about the meeting.

"You're saying some shit's gonna go down?" Jacob asked.

Benjamin smirked.

"So, who's going to be there?" Leah asked.

"The covens, a SWAT team and some of my people…"

"Your people…" Leah trailed off when she realized what was going on. No wonder the man was so damn giddy. And no wonder no one had been arrested as of yet. "You're planning a raid."

"Hell yeah, I am," Benjamin said, grinning. "We've been trying to nab those assholes for the longest. When a better time to pull out the cuffs than when you catch red-handed? We won't have to worry about requesting a subpoena or an arrest warrant. Those people are going to be fighting with each other—vampire versus vampire—and you can be damn sure that some ultra-violets are going to be used. Which, of course, it absolutely perfect because that's what we're after."

"How many people are going to be there?" Jacob asked.

"Everyone. My people, the Bureau, someone had mentioned something about the DEA. And of course, CPD. My superiors had already discussed it with your bosses, but the CPD is laying low. This is more of a federal-law enforcement thing. Something about the Deal," Benjamin explained. "The location is most likely going to be in somewhere in the stockyards…"

"No offense, but this sounds like another St. Patrick's," Jacob argued. "And everyone knows how that turned out."

"It's going to be different," Benjamin promised. "I can assure you that we will have everything under control. They're working closely with the other departments. Making sure no innocent civilians get dragged into this mess is one of our most important objectives."

"Your track record hasn't been the greatest," Leah criticized. "Or ours…"

"We're trying," Benjamin insisted. "So, about me hiding in a holding cell…"

Jacob and Embry exchanged looks, obviously not being able to come up with a place they could stash the double agent—well, Leah supposed, triple agent—at. Leah ran a hand down her face and sighed. "Why don't we keep him at Paul's?" she offered, remembering that the captain was pulling an overnight shift.

Jacob snorted at the suggestion. "You can't be serious…"

"Paul?" Embry asked, gulping. "Really?"

Benjamin observed both Jacob and Embry's reaction and couldn't help but feel a bit apprehensive about the plan. "Uh… who's Paul?"

"Captain Paul Lahote. You probably haven't heard about him. Most of his work is underground; he leads a specialized gang unit," Leah explained. She knew the covens wouldn't dare attack Paul's station, not unless they wanted all hell to break loose. "He won't mind holding if you in a cell, just as long as we give him a good enough reason to."

"This isn't going to work," Jacob told his partner. "He's gonna say no."

"Well, do you have a better suggestion?" Leah challenged.

Jacob immediately held up his hands and backed off.

Embry looked between the partners and sighed. He might not have liked the plan any more than Jacob did, but he wasn't going start an argument with Leah. Embry threw his hands up in defeat. "Oh, what the hell," he said. "Let's go to Paul's."

"So, whose wonderful idea was it to come here, interrupt my late-night snack that was more or less my lunch, and demand that I put someone in a cell, who isn't even under arrest at one fucking thirty in the morning?"

"It was Leah's."

Leah rolled at her eyes at Jacob who just tossed her under the bus, though it was understandable, she guessed. Paul wouldn't lash out on her.

"It was actually mine," Benjamin jumped in. "Leah is just the only one who has faith in me."

Paul crossed his arms. "And who the hell are you?"

"My C.I," Leah said before Benjamin could say a word. "The one I told you about."

"Oh, the one you didn't tell me about?"

"I told you to trust me on this."

"Trust her on this," Jacob told the captain. He looked around at the surroundings. They were only a handful of people still here. "I think we should discuss this in private."

"So, why is he here again?" Paul asked; his attention was directed at the detectives, just done. Leah couldn't blame him; he was on the overnight shift; it was supposed to be the laidback shift. Usually, all he had to do was send some people out on patrol and pray that the city's gangsters left him the hell alone.

"I think it goes without saying, but this conversation didn't happen for reasons I'm about to explain: Our C.I. is working on the low for the ATF, and in order not to get killed by the covens for planning an upcoming raid, he needs to lay low for a bit," Leah carefully explained. "Preferably here. You know the vampires aren't going to attack here. You know they're not going to attack you."

"And thank you for doing this favor—"

"I have not agreed to do anything," Paul grumbled. He studied Benjamin. "You're not human, are you?"

"Humans are overrated," Benjamin joked but quickly adjusted when he caught sight of Paul's heated glare. "I'm a vampire."

"And an ATF agent," Paul added, flat; vampires weren't his favorite people, and Leah was positive that Benjamin had picked that fact up.

Benjamin shrugged. "I don't see how that's mutually exclusive, but yes, I am, and I will forever be grateful if you help me not get killed by my fellow brethren."

"What is your real name?"

Benjamin smirked. "Undercover, remember?"

Paul grumbled. "Leah, put him under witness protection, then." He looked at Jacob when Leah shook her head. "Jacob, come on, here?"

Jacob just shrugged. He obviously wasn't going to get involved, and neither was Embry. "It wasn't my idea."

"Witness protection wouldn't be wise," Leah said. "Since the chances of the covens exchanging blows are extremely high, it would be best to maintain contact with Benjamin without going through the ATF—you know if he's in witness protection, we would have to go through a ton of BS and paperwork just to talk to him."

Paul groaned. "Speaking of this raid… do we have to make an appearance?" he asked.

"Apparently, it's outside our jurisdiction," Leah explained. "So, are you letting him stay here or not?"

Paul wanted to say no; he wanted to so badly. He finally relented. "How many days?"

"Two weeks."

Paul cursed under his breath. "The Hell?" He looked past the detectives and pointed at Benjamin, who still hadn't dropped his smug grin. "If your people start accusing me of unlawfully confining you, I'm not gonna be a happy man, understand?"

"You don't have to worry about a thing," Benjamin insisted, giving the captain two thumbs up. Paul wasn't amused. "Not a thing. And two weeks is the worst-case scenario. As long as everything doesn't go to shit, I'll be out of your hair in a few days."

Paul rolled his eyes. "Someone should stay with him, just in case those damn vampires show up," he suggested. "I'm not gonna put one of my men on him; they'll probably shit themselves, and I won't hear the end of it from the superintendent. I'm trying to avoid interacting with him."

Paul had ultimately decided to create shifts for Leah, Jacob, and Embry, all to make sure Benjamin didn't get killed. It wasn't the flashiest job, especially for seasoned detectives, but Leah couldn't say she minded. It gave her a chance to slow down.

"This is why I can't get incarcerated. I'll lose my mind sitting in a cell for years."

"This was your idea," Leah reminded the agent during the second-night of the babysitting. It was three in the morning, and Paul's precinct was practically empty save for a handful of cops, Paul, Leah, and Benjamin. Paul was "strategically" snoring inside his office. Jacob and Embry were still doing their late-night rounds, and Leah was keeping the self-proclaimed "triple-agent" company.

She stared down at the cup of triple-shot espresso resting on the floor next to her feet; that was her last resort. She didn't want to ingest yet another cup of pure liquefied caffeine; she already had five cups today.

"You look exhausted."

Leah yawned. "Understatement."

Benjamin shook his head. "Back when I was human, I would need to have at least four hours, and even that was pushing it. But now…"

Leah remembered that vampires didn't need sleep. "We, humans, need their sleep, being alive and all..." She winced as she trailed off, feeling a bit bad for saying something so insensitive. But Benjamin didn't take her comment to heart.

"Why don't you just take a nap?"

Leah eyed him suspiciously. "Nice try."

"No, seriously, take a power nap. I can hold the fort for a while, and Paul looks like he can definitely take of himself even with his snores."

"If you can do that, then they did we lock you in a holding cell in the first place?"

"There's a huge difference between fighting off vampires within an armed precinct and fighting them outside without protection. Huge. Massive."

"Point." Leah shook her head. "I appreciate the offer, but I'm good."

Her loud and long yawn convinced no one.

"Whatever you say..." Benjamin said, staring down at the caffeinated drink given to Leah for an energy boost. "You know, espresso is designed to keep you awake."

Leah gave him a tired, irritated look. "I know that."

"And you're not having any... why?"

"Because I've already had five cups—" Leah sucked her teeth and rolled her eyes. "I don't need to answer any of your questions."

"You're just saying that because you know I'm right."

"You don't look too hot either," Leah bit back.

"Are you implying that I looked hot before?" Benjamin joked, wiggling his eyebrows. He let out a hearty chuckle when Leah glared at him. "I'm just messing with you." He stretched his arms. "Yeah, I'm a bit weary myself. And hungry… damn, I can drain a cow right now."

Leah grimaced at the thought, but she supposed it was better than Benjamin draining blood from a human. She opened her mouth in hopes of providing a sly remark, but then she realized that she had a bag of blood in her knapsack. She'd come across it at the warehouse as she was leaving—Benjamin must have dropped it; he had complained about the lack of blood during the entire ride to Paul's.

"Oh, sorry. I completely forgot to give this to you," Leah told the agent, pulling out a bag of blood from her purse. Benjamin's mouth went slack at the sight of it. "Here. So, you don't go crazy."

"You, Detective Leah Uley, are a life-saver," Benjamin breathed, unable to drop the grin off his face as he stared at his dinner with wonder. He ripped open the pouch with his teeth and quickly downed the contents.

Leah grimaced as the vampire licked the last drop of blood from the bag. "Why the blood?" she asked, and then corrected, "Why the preference for human blood?"

"It's our lifeline," Benjamin said, licking the blood around his lips. "The only thing that keeps us alive. And human blood... I can't explain it. There's a huge difference taste-wise between human and animal blood."

"What does it taste like?" Leah asked, finally treating herself to some caffeine.

"Heaven," Benjamin replied blissfully, and then under his break, "Took me a while to get my mind around the fact that I needed to drink blood to survive."

"I can't imagine," Leah said. "One moment, you can eat like a normal human, and then the next, only blood..."

"It is what it is," Benjamin said, shrugging and then, somewhat reluctantly, "So, I couldn't help but overhear some people discussing you and this other detective, Sam Uley. You're related? It sounded ugly—I'm not trying to pry or anything, but—"

Leah stared at him, dumbfounded. She didn't think she was that obvious, and he didn't even know the man. She thought she had gotten significantly better at acting nonchalant in the other detective's presence. Yet she barely knew the man, and he had managed to pick it up. She thought about lying and maybe even using a little threat, but instead, she quietly replied, perhaps against her better judgment.

"Husband," she said. "It didn't work out..."

Benjamin nearly choked on his meal. "Damn, sorry for even asking. People tell me that I… you know, get into people's business, and I know it's not my business—"

Goodness, that man could ramble.

"It's no big deal."

"I guess it's for the best," he said, attempting to be sympathetic. "I know it sucks, but look on the bright side: ex didn't kill you."

Leah frowned; if the man was trying to make her feel better, he was doing a horrible job. "Pardon?"

"My ex-girlfriend is the reason why I'm like this," Benjamin explained, gesturing to the left-over blood in the plastic bag.

Leah blinked. "Are you serious?"

"As a heart attack."

"Did you want the bite?" Leah asked, suddenly very interested in Benjamin's story. "Did you know she was a vampire?"

"Hell no, to both questions," Benjamin said. "I like to keep things exciting, but not that exciting."

"But I thought there are, you know... obvious signs?"

Benjamin shook his head. "Not all vampires look ghastly or bare their fangs every five seconds. Or sparkle under the sun. You honestly couldn't tell with her."

"Or you," Leah added.

"Or me," Benjamin said, glancing back at his bare forearms. His tan skin might have lost some of its luster throughout the years, but it wasn't enough to even look like he was bleaching his skin. "Yeah, so, um... so ... yeah..."

"How did you turn?" Leah wondered. She knew the transformation had to be relatively recent. The ATF would have never hired Benjamin with their intensive background check if he was much older. "If you don't mind me asking."

"Hey, I pried into your life first. Yeah. So she bit me. The bite ended up poisoning me, and to save my life, she made me drink her blood." Benjamin pointed to the bottom of his neck; there was a faint scar: two bites that mysteriously hadn't healed even after the turn. "Didn't see it coming."

"She didn't ask...?"

"We were too preoccupied for questions. At least, I was," Benjamin said, dropping his head, embarrassed.

"Preoccupied?"

"Yeah, we were... busy."

Leah nearly choked on her espresso. "She turned you during sex?"

"She gave a new meaning to petit mort," Benjamin said, snorting. And then after Leah laughed a moment and apologized for being insensitive, he insisted that, "I'm not offended. I know it sounds like a plot from a terribly clichéd vampire romance novel."

Leah was pretty sure something had written something about it. Probably in the works of writing a series and turning it to a string of movies. She hoped Benjamin would pay attention to the plot just in case he thought about suing for his story being stolen—she quietly snickered at the thought. Upon realizing that she was doing so in front of an audience, she brought a hand to her mouth and mumbled an apology, "But I have to ask," her curiosity wouldn't allow her not to, "Why did she do it?"

"She had aspired to create her coven," Benjamin said before letting out a humorless laugh.

"Where is she now?"

"Dead. Really dead," Benjamin quietly replied. "I killed her."

Leah's eyes widened at the confession. It wasn't something she had expected, especially from someone like the agent beside her. Yes, he was undercover and certainly wasn't slouch. But that? And the fact that he had admitted it to someone he barely knew.

"She did try to kill me again. She wasn't too happy about me ending things. Said I was overreacting. That I should be grateful for receiving such a gift," Benjamin quickly further explained himself, voice unrecognizable. "I couldn't—I'm not proud of what I did. I mean, it was justifiable. The judge thought so, too and with her being, you know… Fuck."

"It was out of self-defense," Leah reasoned.

"Well, yeah..." Benjamin trailed off, staring down at his lap, and then in a strangled voice, he declared that, "She was still the love of my life. We were supposed to stay together. Get married. Have some babies. Grow old." He paused and cursed under his breath. "She was supposed to be the one."

So, was he, Leah thought, aimlessly staring ahead. "I know exactly what you mean."

Neither person said much after that.