Chapter Thirty-Two


Fur was everywhere. There was so much fur, and those goddamn flying bastards wouldn't leave her alone. Damn it, she needed a scratch, or maybe she could rub her body against the tree. She shook her head and emitted a couple of short breaths before lowering her nose to sniff the ground, lifting her nose breath in the fresh, night air.

The series of sharp barks from the rest of the wolves shook her out of her trance. She responded with her own barks before padding towards the rest of the pack and eventually following them deep into the woods. It wouldn't take long for them to focus on a target: a couple of adult bears roaming around the forest without any care in the world until it laid their eyes on the five wolves. They were putting up a good right, swiping at the pack with their massive paws, charging at them. There was a sudden, distinct smell of blood, not from the bears, but from Paul after one not. His wound was nothing drastic, nothing alarming enough for the pack to change gears, but it was enough to keep Paul at bay for a moment.

Throughout all of this, she was puzzled at what to do. She had seen this scene before, but only when she was standing on her two feet, half the size of her wolf now with significantly less firepower.

At the corner of her eye, she noticed a third bear, a smaller one but too big to be a cub. She considered charging after it. She could take it; after all, she was the fastest in the pack. It couldn't be that hard. But just as she was about to make her move, Jacob suddenly appeared in front of her, glowering down at her, growling at her into submission.

And she listened, and she stopped, didn't dare move a muscle. It was odd, troubling even, how much power that growl had over her. She remained in the background, watching as the rest of the pack expertly took down the bears. In the end, she was still able to eat, but the intoxicating taste of meat didn't quell her frustration.


"You alive?"

"Go to Hell," Leah mumbled, pressing her face against the pillow. She didn't want to move; she just wanted to stay here on this fluffy bed with her arms wrapped around the equally-fluffy mounds of pillows and sleep. Probably for a few more hours. Her head was killing her. Her throat was dry. She was aching all over. So, it would be nice for Jacob and his teasing voice to have some pity and leave her be.

Jacob chuckled as he pulled on a far-edge of the blank in an attempt to coax Leah out of his bed; it didn't work. "Good morning to you, too, my dear." He tapped the mattress a couple of times. "C'mon, we don't have much time."

Leah twisted her body, facing the extremely amused and fully dressed for work Jacob. She blinked a couple of times, disorientated. "For what?" she asked.

"It's Thursday."

Of course, it fucking was.

Groaning, Leah dropped herself back onto the bed. "I'm calling out," she declared. She was exhausted, and there should be no reason this bed was so inviting. It wasn't fair.

"So, Paul can yell at me?" Jacob snorted. "No, thank you."

Leah sat up on the bed with her back against the wooden headboard. "Aren't you the boss?"

"Not according to the Chicago Police Department, I am." Jacob pulled on the sheets again. "C'mon, Clearwater, I made you breakfast."

Leah's stomach growled in anticipation. Breakfast sounded nice, she thought, kicking off the sheets. She smacked her lips a couple of times; the taste of whatever animal was last night's second dinner still lingered. "Fine."

"You should call your mother," Jacob suggested. "She may have blown up my phone at four am, talking about how you've been kidnapped by the vampire mafia..." He blinked. "She doesn't... know?"

"She knows," Leah insisted. She had told her mother numerous times about the runs. She reached over for her phone on the bedstand and checked her calls. So, it seemed she hadn't called her mother. Yay. "So, she doesn't know," she mumbled. "I'll tell her."

"Please do before she starts demanding answers from the superintendent," Jacob joked, but then again, he wasn't. Leah could definitely see her mother causing a scene (which, to be honest, she couldn't blame her; a lot of things happened during the past year and a half). "C'mon," he added. "Time to get out of bed."

Leah eventually got out of Jacob's bed. Her muscles ached as she stretched her arms. Something that happened every time after the full moon; it was her body not getting used to being morphed into a giant wolf for a good four hours.

As she trudged to the bathroom with a change of clothes on her arm, Leah checked the time on her phone. 6:09 am. That meant she had only rested for three hours.

The only upside was the smell of food coming from the kitchen.


"So, it's not a five-course meal…" Jacob admitted, bashful, as he led Leah into the kitchen. "The steak is leftovers, but the eggs are freshly made. And there's some fruit."

Leah didn't care if it was only a bowl of cereal; she appreciated the gesture. "I don't have to make anything," she said, stopping to take in the delicious scent. "That's good enough for me."

Jacob looked pleased. "Coffee or tea?" he asked as Leah pulled out two plates from the cabinet and set them on the counter closest to the stove. He glanced at her. "You don't have to—"

"Shut up," Leah said, talking over Jacob. She already knew what he was going to say, and damn it, getting the dishes was the least she could do. "And tea. I'm trying to limit my coffee-intake to only two cups a day."

"And how's that working?"

"As of a few minutes ago? Quite well—Green, please, with no sugar."

"Yes, ma'am."

"How much time do we have?"

"We have to be at work by 8:30. I managed to convince Paul to give us a late start because you did look dead to the world, but we still gotta clock in our eight hours."

"And then, afterward, I'm carrying my behind back to bed," Leah declared, already looking forward to the end of her shift. "You know what, give me coffee. I can already feel this is going to be a long morning."

"What happened to your pledge?" Jacob asked with a laugh. "I'll get you a cup before we roll into the office."

"With two shots of espressos?"

"Whatever you want."

"How much longer do you have to do this again? Until the Fall?" Leah asked, referring to Jacob's peace offering. "And don't think I've forgotten the numerous steak dinners you still owe me. Late nights at work can't be used as an excuse."

"Didn't think they would. But not tonight because you need your sleep."

"Damn straight." Leah picked up the plates, holding them up so Jacob could pile them up with food; as expected, his portion was twice as much as hers. She didn't know how he did it. Leah smiled up at him. "Thank you for this."

"No problem—Did you call Sue?"

"Yes," Leah said, rolling her eyes as she headed towards the small dining room table right outside of the kitchen. "I now have to make her dinner tonight due to my lack of communication." Looking back, Leah narrowed her eyes as Jacob laughed. "Oh, shut up."

Jacob tried in vain to stifle his chuckles. "I didn't say anything," he insisted, placing two mugs on the table.

The food was simple yet delicious. The tea, though lacking in the caffeine-arena, hit the right spot. Just what Leah needed. This was nice, sitting down, not thinking about much before she and Jacob would have to go back onto the road, solving crimes.

Leah looked up at her partner, ready to break the comfortable silence, but then froze as suddenly memories began to flood her mind—Last night. The shift. The failed attempt to hunt. The slabs of bear meat she had wolfed down… She remembered everything.

Once the shock wore off, she absently ate another piece of steak. She also remembered how she froze in the middle of the damn hunt, only left to watch as the rest of the pack took down the bears.

It didn't make sense—she had always been a fast learner, but apparently, not as a wolf. Damn it, it had been months since receiving the bite, and she still didn't know what the fuck she was doing. This wasn't supposed to happen, she was convinced despite Jacob's reassuring words. The way the whole process was shown on TV, written in books... she should've gotten her act together months ago. And now, couldn't even hunt right. What the fuck was the point of her phasing last night and actually remembering?

"Hey, no bending utensils," Jacob said with amusement as he sat back down at the table. "I had to pay for that shit."

Leah dropped the fork and knife, not realizing she was taking out her frustration on that poor piece of metal. She tried to play it off. "Yeah, what? Like twenty dollars?"

"Twenty dollars is still money. Got it on sale for fifteen," Jacob said with pride, but then his expression was washed with concern, "What are you worried about?"

Leah didn't want to say she was worried, just concerned. Or maybe that was the same thing. She took a long sip of her tea. "What's the point of going on a hunt, when you can't even hunt?"

Jacob drew his eyebrows together, confused until he wasn't. "Oh, Last night…" he trailed off and then shrugged. "You froze, and the bears noticed," he said. "You were second-guessing yourself." He shook his head. "Wasn't worth it."

"Wasn't worth what?"

Jacob set down his utensils. "Leah."

"You didn't let me try."

"You would've gotten hurt."

Leah reached for her drink, dissatisfied. That wasn't an excuse. She was a grown woman, damn it. "I've seen you guys hunt before," she pointed out. Many times. She was positive she had gotten the gist of it. "I kinda knew what to do—"

"You froze, and the bears noticed," Jacob reiterated. "I don't know what happened… maybe it's different because you're starting to be aware—" He shrugged before returning to his meal. "I guess there was some sort of disconnect."

Leah picked up a fork. "So," she started, pushing around some of the eggs on her plate. She took a bite. "All the times I've accompanied the pack on hunts for nothing?"

Jacob shook his head. "No, don't say that," he said. "You'll get used to it. You'll get it. I'll become second-nature to you. I promise."

"Yeah," Leah mumbled, taking another bite. "Can't even take down a small bear…"

Jacob placed his utensils aside yet again, took Leah's hand and squeezed it. "Oh, don't put yourself down like that. Bears are a bitch to take down. We outnumbered them, and they still gave us hell." He gave her a soft smile, letting Leah's hand go. "You'll learn."

Leah tried to match her partner's smile; she wanted to believe him. After all, this was a man who knew a helluva more things about being a wolf that she ever would. "Yeah."

The pair fell into silence as they continued consuming their breakfast. Jacob would be the one to break it. "So…" He looked up at Leah, giving her a toothy smile. "You remember last night?"

Leah nodded. Goodness, with all of this doom and gloom, she had forgotten about that monumental moment. "Clear as day," she said. "Or night."

"Before you know it, you won't even need the full moon to phase," Jacob said. "What was it like?"

Despite the mishap, being a wolf had been… Leah couldn't explain it, refreshing, simple, wonderful, peaceful? Liberating? She didn't want to get all philosophical, but it was like she was in another world, experiencing new senses, a new perspective. She was no longer inside a human body; she was a wolf, walking on fours with a tail—she could still feel the weight of it in her tailbone.

She wanted to try it again. Remember it again. And this time, she would have her act together. She could run with wolves, always had even when standing on only two feet. She knew the barking and howling practices, how to use her tail as a communication… but next time, she was going to bring down the pack's second dinner. Bank on it.

"Snack. We got lucky last night because bears aren't exactly lacking in the meat department, but generally, we only have a late-night snack."

"Bear is different," Leah said. It reminded her of venison, only sweeter. Somewhat tougher than beef and pork with less fat; at least, in her portion, that was. "I like it better than deer."

Jacob's grin widened. "Duly noted."


"You look like you need a strong cup of joe. Or three," Embry said to Leah as he flopped onto Jacob's desk, only getting away with it because the other detective wasn't around to scold him. But Jacob did end up noticing and sent the younger cop a mean look from the other side of the squad area where he was engaging in a conversation with Martinez. With a nervous laugh, Embry waved at the man. He then turned his attention back to the woman in front of him. "Long night?" he asked.

Leah glanced up from her computer screen. "Shut it before I make Jacob put you back on name-check-only duty."

Embry's usual smile instantly dropped. "You didn't have to go there," he said with a shudder. He placed a hand over his heart and declared, quite dramatically, "I'm only a concerned pack member, and you're threatening poor me."

Leah gave him an unimpressed look.

"But seriously," Embry said, dropping the pretense. "You good?"

"Do I look that bad?" Leah wondered. She took out her phone, using the dark screen as a mirror. She didn't look that bad. Sure, she could have done something about her ponytail, but she looked professional. "I mean, I'm tired as hell, but either than that, I'm fine…"

The corner of Embry's mouth turned up into a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about last night," he said; he must have picked up on Leah's insecurity about her so-called "inability". Leah didn't know how to feel about that, but she was too tired to care. "It happened to all of us. You have to stop being in your head; it doesn't make life easier, trust me on this… So what, if you're not 100 percent in-tuned? You've survived this long; you must be doing something right."

Leah couldn't believe she was receiving a pet talk from this man. "What, by following you guys around?" she returned with a snort. "I literally froze, Embry, while the rest of you fetched me food like you're my damn servants."

"I mean, some people are into that," Embry remarked in his usual amused voice, but then leaning forward, his eyes widened. "Wait—You remembered? Holy shit." He clapped. "That's great!"

Embry's outburst caused a few heads to turn, not exactly ideal, given the sensitive topic. Can you be even louder?" She chided, flashing a couple of coworkers a nervous smile. But then, her smile transformed into a wide, genuine one. "Thank you."


"They sure cleaned up this place," Leah remarked, walking through what was left of the Green Lawn Ditch Murders crime scene. From a distance, she could see the ditch, but a sheet no longer covered it. Thanks to the few days of rain, undoubtedly, what evidence left had been washed away. "Can't pick up anything."

It was disappointing and frustrating. Rain could do some serious damage, almost convincing Leah that visiting the patch of raggedy field was a complete waste of time. But she had to remind herself that a crime scene no matter how much it was tampered with, intentionally or not, still held clues.

"Unfortunately, the city got tired of all of the caution tape," Jacob said, shoving his hands into his pockets. "Did you know this whole area was supposed to be housing complex?"

Leah nodded; she remembered reading about it in a newspaper some years back. "Yeah, to replace the shopping center," she said. "That explains the numerous ditches. They leveled the place, started digging, and then stopped. Abandoned ever since."

When they reached the infamous ditch, the detectives knelt along the perimeter and peered into the mound: nothing but mud, weeds, and insects. And sadly, not the ones that fed on decomposed remains.

Leah was the first to stand up. "No one knows what happened here," she said. Not even the gas station in the distance without a faulty security camera. The drop off had happened at night, which was even more than it was now in the middle of the morning. "Our best luck lies with finding a witness who was also the perp."

"Unfortunately," Jacob mumbled. "And we don't have any names of suspects just that they may have worked for the Velasquez and, or the Volturi. Not much."

"I think we'll have better luck at the factory," Leah told Jacob. "This place was only a dumping ground—" She stopped upon noticing the distressed and astonished look on her partner's face. "What is it?"

Jacob removed his sunglasses and sharply turned around, "Well, I'll be fucking damn," he breathed out, almost dropping the glasses as he stared into the distance. He didn't regard the look of confusion sent his way when Leah also turned around, curious, and surprised at what they saw. Jacob swallowed a couple of times and repeated, almost in a daze, "Well, I'll be fucking damn."


Leah wondered if she was hallucinating or inside an extremely realistic dream. It had to have been because what were the chances of seeing him standing over the same ditch that she and her partner had only been around several minutes before with his three of his goons standing a few feet away. Fully armed.

This was Collin. She had seen him once in person, but that had been years ago. He had been younger, more fresh-faced, had to have been, what? Twenty? A babyface hardened by that life. But now, he looked like a hardened veteran. Goodness—The leader noticed eventually noticed the detectives, and so did his goons. Nonetheless, Jacob advanced.

Leah followed close behind, hand ghosting the gun on her waist because she wasn't going to leave her partner alone. However, and she would definitely mention this later on, she had reservations about what was about to happen. Perhaps confronting a gang leader wasn't the wisest idea. Perhaps calling in backup would have been procedure, but as of right now, Collin and his friends weren't subjects of the investigation. There wasn't much the detectives could do without causing an unnecessary scene.

Ultimately, Leah kept her faith in her partner. Jacob knew Collin; he knew how he operated, and Leah trusted Jacob enough not to challenge him. She hoped her inaction didn't bite her in the ass.

Collin seemed surprised to see Jacob, but his expression was quickly replaced with a disinterested one. His henchmen had their sharp eyes on both detectives; all shapeshifters, Leah observed. The gang leader moved until he stood several feet away from his cousin. He didn't regard Leah, which was perfectly fine with her.

"Jacob."

"Collin," Jacob returned. He cleared his throat and then asked, "How are you?"

"I'm here," Collin said, scanning the other man head to toe, not knowing what to do with him, with this situation. "As you can see."

Leah looked between the cousins. She remained quiet, wondering if she was witnessing a simple investigation-related questioning and or family therapist-required confrontation. There was bad blood between the cousins, but not enough to resort to physical violence.

Jacob curtly nodded. "I see that," he said, shoving his hands into his pocket. He jerked his head in the direction of the ditch. "Interesting, isn't it?"

Collin sighed before waving at his guards, silently imploring them to back off. The goons did, eventually entering the SUV parked not far away; they might be of earshot, but they kept their attention on the detectives.

With his arms crossed, Collin stood one step closer to the dumping ground. He stared down at it, expression mixed with bewilderment and anger. "What happened?"

Jacob glanced at Leah, who shrugged; she was staying out of this, Jacob knew that. He nodded at her and returned his focus on his cousin. "We don't know," he admitted.

"You're lying."

Jacob shook his head. "I'm not," he insisted. "If we knew, there would be arrests." He gave his cousin a pointed look. "Did you hear about any?"

Collin gave his cousin a sharp look. "Don't get smart with me, Jacob?"

"Or else, what?"

Collin narrowed his eyes. "You're lucky—"

Jacob loudly snorted. "Don't give me that, Collin," he said, rolling his eyes. This must not be his first time being on the receiving end of the gang leader's threat. But Leah hoped Jacob's confidence wasn't solely based on the fact that he was related to Collin. Sometimes, especially when business was involved, blood didn't matter.

"About what happened, I'm wondering you know something about this," Jacob said, and before Collin could protest, he added, "We know about Eric, Robert, Ricky… and Garrett."

Collin raised an eyebrow, and then let out a humorless chuckle. "Of course, you do," he said. "Why do you care about what happened anyway? This has nothing to do with you."

"You're wrong about that," Jacob said, crossing his arms. "We're interested in what happened just as much as you do."

Collin wasn't convinced. "You, helping the Fangs?" He let out another strained laugh, shaking his head. "Since when?"

"A crime is a crime, no matter the victim," Jacob said. "I'm a homicide detective. Investigating murders is what I do."

Collin rolled his eyes at the comment. It probably wasn't the first time he had such words from his cousin. He was about to reply with a snarky remark, but instead, finally turned his attention to the woman standing next to Jacob. They locked eyes. Leah never cowered; Collin seemed to appreciate that. "I don't think we've met, Miss," he said. "You have nothing to say?"

Jacob glared at his cousin as if daring the man to make the wrong move. Collin noticed it, it was hard not to, but maintained his composure.

"Detective Clearwater," Leah said. She jerked her in Jacob's direction. "His partner, and to answer your question: it seems that you have some issues to settle," she added cool enough for both cousins to snort at the truth behind her words. "Didn't want to get involved."

Collin nodded. "Ah." He nodded again and turned to Jacob. "Ah, so this is the one Sean was talking about." He snorted. "I thought it would've been the wife. How is she, by the way?"

Leah glanced at Jacob. Right, Sean. That guy who called them both on this bond-mess.

Jacob rolled his eyes. "Like you give a shit," he spat.

Leah raised an eyebrow.

Collins shrugged. "I didn't mind her," he said. "Thought I didn't appreciate her less than stellar response to learning about us." He looked at Leah. "Interesting."

"Leave her out of this," Jacob demanded.

"Then why is she here?"

Leah raised an eyebrow.

How dare—

"Why are you here?" Jacob asked sharply, taking a step forward in the direction of the gang leader, but remained far enough not to create a problem. Leah glanced at the SUV; the guards had noticed the action. Jacob knew they had noticed. "How many goddamn times I told you not to step foot in this city?"

Collin slapped his chest a couple of times and stretched out his arms. "Arrest me, then."

Somehow, doing so would make things more complicated, and Jacob seemed to think that, too, "It's not worth the hassle," he said, and then added. "At least, not now."

Collin dropped his arms to his side. "At least, not now…" he repeated, trailing off as he crossed his arms. "What now?"

It wasn't clear if the question was meant to receive an answer, but either way, Jacob ended up answering, "You guys should've kept your asses in St. Louis."

Collin snorted. "Don't act like you give a damn."

"Of course, I give a damn," Jacob insisted. "If I hadn't, backup would've been here in minutes, hauling all of your asses into central booking. But I'm not doing that, am I?"

They could have, perhaps they should have. CPD had been looking into the gang for years, but right now, there wasn't a warrant for Collin's or his bodyguards' arrest, and they were technically St. Louis' problem—But timing was crucial. So were priorities, and at this time, the Fangs weren't on the Volutir's level when it came to wreaking havoc.

Collin took a step forward, glaring down at the ditch, "I want them dead," he said through gritted teeth as his hands tightened into fists. "I want them all dead. Every single goddamn member of the Volturi. Dead."

"Join the line with countless others," Jacob said. "What makes you sure about they were involved?"

Collin rolled his eyes. "Oh, come on, Jacob," he said, eyeing the man. He crossed his arms. "I know you've heard about what happened at Midway."

"Rumors, only, but thank you for the confirmation. We, at the police department, appreciate confirmation," Jacob said, enjoying the annoyed look on his cousin's face. Then the amusement dissipated. "Collin, you're many things, but dumb ain't one of them—Why the hell would you listen to Eric?"

Collin untangled his arms and then crossed them again. He seemed to wonder about his decision himself. "It'd have been good money."

Leah raised an eyebrow. Would have been? Did that mean Collin didn't have the money? Interesting.

"A fucking plane heist, though?" Jacob pressed on, shaking his head. "What made you think you could get away with this now, with all of that airport security?"

That was an excellent question. It wasn't the fifties, not even the seventies… but then again, the Volturi somehow managed to smuggle all of that contraband without getting caught, so maybe security wasn't as strict as claimed.

"Who else is missing?" Jacob then asked, and when Collin gave him a puzzled look, he further clarified, "Eight people found dead. We have four ID'd. What about the others?"

"Like I'm telling you," Collin snapped as if personally offended that Jacob would ask him such a question. "Let us handle our business ourselves. We don't need CPD or the feds' help."

Jacob let out a sarcastic chuckle. "So, how do you plan on attacking the Volturi who are in another fucking country then?"

"That's not your concern."

"We beg to differ, Collin," Jacob contested. "You guys aren't the only ones after the Volturi."

"You're detectives, right?" Collin spat on the ground. "Then, detect shit."

Jacob didn't give up. "You can't take on the Volturi yourselves."

"Who are you telling me what the Fangs can or cannot do?"

Leah sighed. Here we go, she thought. Pride was something else.

"You have a band of what? Ten official members now? Maybe a handful of associates? They have hundreds with a shit ton of more money."

Leah jumped into the conversation. "Did you know the money belonged to the Volturi?"

"The money?"

"From the heist," Jacob clarified.

Collin frowned. "If we did, do you think we would've stolen it?"

Leah lifted an eyebrow. Was Collin implying that he would never mess with Volturi's goods? It made sense; it would've been too risky, but then why go along with Eric's plan? Unless Collin assumed the goods belonged to someone else.

"We don't know," Jacob said. "You tell us."

"As I said, I'm not telling you shit."

Jacob chuckled lightly, sarcastically. "You keep saying that yet you're talking," he pointed out.

Collin's eyes flashed with anger and frustration. "This conversation is over."

Jacob agreed, trying to keep the peace. He seemed satisfied, though, by the outcome, probably because Collin was letting them leave without any blowbacks. Not that Jacob seemed even concerned about that worst-possible outcome—Good for him, Leah thought. At least, one of them was that fearless.

She didn't dare look back as she and Jacob headed back to their car. There was nothing else look for at this crime scene, at least for now. It was fine. She didn't have to be around for Collin's henchmen to come out of the car once again. She was fine with walking away and entering the seemingly-safe confines of her car—

Jacob huffed, stopped in his tracks, and turned around to face Leah. He took a couple of steps towards her and placed both hands on her shoulders, peering down at her, bewildered. "Leah, breathe." He turned his head to the side and softly asked, "What are you worried about?"

Leah dropped her gaze. She wasn't much of a worrywart, not the one to fear something and express such, but there was something about those men. Weapons aside, they could phase in any second. They had experience in this shit. And what did she have? A standard-issued gun and a wolf that only made an appearance when it (she) felt like it.

She did also have Jacob, but he was one other person. They would still be outnumbered until backup rolled in, which, given the remote location, would take about ten minutes to arrive, and that was being generous.

Leah deeply exhaled at Jacob's command, but it did not do anything to quell her nerves. She resisted the urge to look behind her. "Did you not see the henchmen? The guns?" She didn't understand how Jacob could be so calm, "One word and could've ordered my execution. Unlike you, I'm not his blood."

"This isn't the first time you've faced someone like him," Jacob pointed out, looking at his partner as if he was trying his darndest tot understand her, but couldn't. He shook her head and continue his trek to the car. "He wouldn't have," he softly added.

Leah let out a quiet, humorless laugh. "Why wouldn't he?" she asked.

Jacob stopped for a moment and looked back, narrowing his eyes at the men standing in the distance. They were watching the detectives, as well. "Because he wouldn't have."


"Collin doesn't know as much as he lets on," Leah remarked as she buckled her seat belt. Several minutes had passed since she and Jacob left Collin at the crime scene unscathed and still as a free man.

Jacob did the same and started the car. His attention was solely on the sights outside of his window. Collin and his crew were still outside, huddling together before going their separate ways. Eventually, they were all return to the SUV. "I know," he said, adjusting the gear, but it was clear that he wouldn't move until the truck drove off. "That's a good thing. He can't make a move on that little information."

Leah leaned forward to get a good look at what Jacob was seeing. The truck was slowly making a right turn, in the direction of the main road leading out of the abandoned land. "That's why he's waiting," she said, sitting up in her seat. "Does he have someone in the inside? Someone who can slip him some case-related updates?"

"Yeah, in St. Louis."

"How do we get names?" Leah asked, once again, glancing out of the opposite window. The SUV sped off, leaving a cloud of dust in its wake. "Wilson doesn't seem to know. Everyone on Martinez's payroll is playing dumb. The only thing I can think of bringing people in for questioning, but unless we're throwing the book at them, no one's going to talk—"

"Not all is lost," Jacob insisted, finally driving away from the crime scene.

"Did you not hear what Collin said?" Leah asked, shaking her head. She turned around to check through the rear window. No one was following them. Good. "He's not working with us."

"He's not?" Jacob questioned with a raised eyebrow as if he knew something Leah did not. "He's not talking because he has an image to upkeep, one that explicitly bans him from talking to us, under any circumstances. If he's pushed into a corner, then what can he do?"
"Get out the corner?" Leah tried. She cleared her throat and added, "Do you honestly have faith that's going to happen?"

Jacob shrugged before making a right turn onto the main road. "Yeah, why not?"


"I'm getting sick and tired with all of this silence—I think it's time to bring some people out the woodworks. Get the media involved. All four confirmed victims, get their faces out there. Let everyone know they're dead. Someone's bound to make some noise."

Leah exchanged wary looks with Jacob and Martinez. "Are you sure you want to go down that road, Captain?" she asked. "Everyone's been hum about the murders for a reason."

"No one but us knows the circumstances," Paul maintained, maneuvering around his desk until he was behind his chair. He pulled it out and sat down. "No one but us knows none of them was human. This won't be the first time non-humans will be in the news; the general public just doesn't know that."

"What about the other unknown victims?" Jacob asked. He was just as apprehensive about Paul's plan as Leah.

"Mention them, too."

"The news of several people killed execution-style is going to make some noise," Martinez told Paul. "Like Leah said, are you sure you want to go down that road?"

"Certain people aren't going to like the publicity," Leah added, earning a nod of agreement from everyone sans Paul.

"Good," the captain said, delivering a firm hand to the desk. "Now, they'll see what happens when they don't want to cooperate. The only reason why we're going to the media is because getting information from those certain people is worse than pulling teeth."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "So, this is more to light a fire under their behinds?"

"We're killing multiple birds with one stone," Paul said. "But yes, it's essentially to light a fire under their behinds."


As fully expected, the media had a field day. Long gone was the wall-to-wall coverage about the Chicago Dahlia. That had been a year ago, and except for true crime enthusiasts and conspiracy theorists, that particular murder no longer gained much public interest— it had been that way for the past few months.

But now, the media had something to be obsessed over, besides the usual gang violence and general crime that had plagued the city for years—another multiple-homicide. Some thought it was the work of serial killers; most suspected it was a mob hit. After all, this was City; its citizens knew about the mob. But the point was, the Green Lawn Ditch murders was front-page news. Good for the press and the police. Bad for the Fangs, as explained during a tense meeting with the owner of a particular second-hand bookstore, three days after the news first hit the waves.

"Your people didn't have to put those murders on blast like that," Wilson told the detectives one night. He was visibly annoyed enough not to offer the detectives a drink. He looked tired, probably from the numerous phone conferences he had with his so-called former employer and coworkers. "A certain MC isn't too happy about the increased attention."

Yeah, Leah figured the Fangs weren't too thrilled, but honestly, they had no one to blame but themselves. Which was precisely what Jacob said in his response. "All we wanted was some names," he added, completely disregarding the older man's sharp look. "That was all."

Wilson snorted. "I gave you a name."

"Not you," Jacob stressed. "Them."

"What are they saying?" Leah asked Wilson.

"That Collin's been pushed into a corner."

"Then, our plan worked," Jacob said, showing no remorse for making his cousin's life more difficult. He almost seemed proud. "We're not asking for much, old man. Just the names of missing Fangs members. I don't even care about the Volturi's stolen goods. I'm glad they still haven't retrieved them. The less arsenal they have, the better."

"Just out curiosity," Leah then asked Wilson, "Where are the stolen goods?"

Wilson made a disbelieving noise. "I thought you didn't care."

"As I said, just out of curiosity," Leah replied, stealing Jacob a glance. Of course, they cared about the goods. The stolen goods were the center of this mess. "Something tells me Collin doesn't have them."

"Because he doesn't," Wilson said, adding a snort. "No one knows where the money and the bullets are. Ricky was allegedly trusted with the goods until it was a good time to come into the light—it was a safety precaution. Now, he's dead." He shook his head. "Not even his wife knows."

Jacob raised an eyebrow. "You've talked to her?"

Wilson shook his head. "Not me."

"So, the Volturi may have the goods," Leah then concluded but wasn't entirely sure about the claim. They didn't see anything at Ricky's, but that didn't mean anything. But she wanted to hear what Wilson had to say on the matter. "They could've forced the information out of him because finishing the job."

"What do you think, old man?"

"I think the Volturi's looking for the goods just as hard as Collin," Wilson admitted with a frown.

"Names, Mr. Wilson?"

Wilson sighed. "I have to get permission from Collin to ask around."

Leah cocked her head. "I thought you don't work for anyone anymore?"

"No one truly leaves the game," Wilson replied, forlorn. There was a trace of regret in his voice. He might live a relatively-peaceful life, but he was still bound by obligation. "I don't mind giving you information, but I'd like to stay out of the crosshairs."

"Understood. But do you think with the media frenzy, your former employee will be convinced to somewhat work with us? We only want names."

"I'll let you know as soon as I find out."