Chapter Thirty-Eight

"Aren't you tired?"

Leah was not the one to pity anyone. Pity, in her opinion, was useless. It didn't solve problems or provide any solace; pity was just a string of empty words, to be honest. But looking at the woman, sitting next to her in the car, leaning her head against the passenger window, appearing downright mentally exhausted, despite her valiant efforts to look otherwise, Leah couldn't help it. Tia needed to slow down before the bullshit that was reality caught up to her.

Tia lifted her head. "Of?"

"The fast life?"

Tia flashed Leah a flirty smile, but there was something wrong with it. It was forced. "There are times when I wished I could go on vacation," she admitted. "But I have an obligation. What can I do?"

"You can stop picking up men for a bit."

"Eventually." Tia's smile faded as she looked down at the money in her hands. She dropped the 20s on her lap and sighed. "Money's good. There will always be lonely men…" she trailed off, then shrugged. "Like I said, I have a job to do. And you'll be surprised when those fools will give up after a little persuasion."

Leah glanced at the money and lifted an eyebrow. "Oh, I can imagine." She returned her attention to the road. "Tell me something I'd want to know, and I'll do the same for you."

Tia let out a short laugh as she stuffed the bills under her top, inside her bra, and moved around the passenger seat until she was comfortable. The streetlights passing by illuminated her made-up face. "Ain't that against the law, sharing secrets with a lowly person like myself?"

"You're far from lowly."

"At least someone thinks so…" Tia mumbled under her breath; her gaze was glued to the moving sights from the passenger window.

Leah glanced at the other woman again, wondering what she had meant by that. Something told the detective that Tia wasn't turning tricks. But she was making that money somehow… she was curious, yes, but a cautious part of her didn't want to know. Didn't want to know how deep Tia was. "Can we be honest with each other?"

Tia snorted. "No, not really. I have a job to do."

"So, do I."

"What's in it for me?"

"What do you want?"

"A name would be a good start."

Leah pulled the car into a parking lot outside of the supermarket. It was near closing time, and not many people were around. Perfect. "Sancho Alvarez."

Tia's eyes widened. She was unpleasantly surprised; everyone who had heard of the hitman's name during the past couple of weeks was. "Sancho Alvarez…" she stalled, clearing her throat, staring straight ahead. She cleared her throat again. "It's been a while since I've heard that name—Ain't he in Mexico?"

Maybe he was now. If he were smart, he'd be south of the border right now. CPD wasn't the only one interested in the man's whereabouts.

"We have reason to believe he was in this country early last year," Leah said. "Or last month."

"You'd think after all this time, he'd be on some No-Fly List…but he's always been a slimy bastard, so it wouldn't surprise me if he slipped through the cracks."

Leah sighed. "Yeah, and it wouldn't be the first time."

"That's for damn sure."

There was now something different about Tia's demeanor, Leah observed; she didn't have a concrete word to describe it, but it seemed that Tia now had her guard down, was speaking to Leah as a peer. Like a damn fellow cop. Or an agent. Or something—Or maybe this was all just some game.

Leah wanted to ask. Goodness, she didn't think there was a question she wanted to ask more at this time than that. But it was a touchy subject. A matter of life and death in some cases—Leah ended up keeping her thoughts on the manner to herself.

"Thank you for the gift, by the way," she said with sincerity.

"Not a problem. I would've been able to provide more, but then the battery ran out because technology. Nothing much came after that, anyway. Maria's seriously considering moving to DR before Labor Day. She wants to live a new life."

Easier said than done, unfortunately.

"I don't think she has a choice," Leah said. She didn't want to sound so pessimistic, but she had seen this movie before. Maria had a mark on her from both sides of the lawyer. One of the many downsides of being a widow of a murder victim. Especially one with gang ties.

"If she keeps her mouth shut, she won't suffer the same fate as Ricky…One can only hope, though. Those pendejos don't exactly follow a moral code."

"And who are these pendejos?"

"The ones you're trying to put away," Tia replied, though the answer wasn't exactly helpful. "She wouldn't give me a name. I'm sure that was part of the agreement… but I can't see them being linked to the crew. Who from there would want to keep her quiet?"

Leah didn't think the Fangs were involved either. According to Wilson, the gang viewed Maria as a symbol of the revenge to come. Maybe it was sincere. Maybe it was Collin's excuse to round up the troops.

If there was anyone who'd like to keep Ricky's widow quiet, it was the Volturi. But then again, they had no issue with silencing anyone permanently. Why would Maria still be alive, then? Were they afraid of the repercussions of putting down yet another human?

Tia leaned in closer. "I heard that the stuff from the plane belonged to the mob," she said, dropping her voice, not that anyone else could hear her. "Yeah, you heard me, the mafia. They got this place outside the city." She rolled her eyes. "It's supposed to be this consulting firm, but it's a front. You know how I know? They only accept cash."

Napolitano's.

"Classic." Leah snorted, giving no indication that she had prior knowledge. "They're better off running a laundromat."

Tia retreated and nodded. "That's what I'm saying." She held up a finger as she fished her phone from her bra. She quickly played around with it before holding up the screen for Leah to see. She pointed at a picture of a young man standing in the middle of Napolitano's lobby.

"You see this guy?" she asked. "You know, the tough-looking security guard? I saw him hanging around Maria's place in Cicero a few weeks back. Didn't think much of it until I found out just who Ricky and his boys were trying to steal from."

"He looks like he can snap Maria in half," Leah remarked. The photo was posted on the consulting firm's website. The guard wasn't the focus of the picture; the two consults chatting with a customer were.

"He can snap all of us in half." Tia dropped the phone in the cupholder. "He's about six-five. Looks like the picture, except even scarier. I mean, people were giving him second-looks but kept on moving. No one wanted that kind of smoke."

"Maria knows about this?"

"I told her."

"And?"

"She tried to play it off."

Leah slowly nodded. "So, he's threatening her."

"That's what I'm thinking."

Leah gave a small smile. "Look at you, being a detective."

Tia snorted and waved off Leah's compliment. "It's not out of admiration, trust me," she insisted. "I wanna get to the bottom of this bullshit, just like you do. It's fucked up what happened. And Maria… she doesn't deserve all of this. Oh yeah, she practically married into the life, but still... If she wants to go to DR, just let her be…"

Leah studied the woman as she continued on about Maria and Ricky and their fates. She seemed passionate about it as if she was a member of the family. As if all of this was personal. For a second, Leah wondered if this was indeed an act, only an aspect of the job… or if Tia was genuinely spilling her heart out.

When Tia finally finished and took a couple of deep breaths to console herself, Leah spoke up before she could even process the words, "Did you love him?"

The question was out of the blue and perhaps, not professional. It was too personal and likely had no outcome on the investigation. That was what she was only here for, right? That was why she had picked the other woman up from the hotel as if she was some john, right? To put this case finally to bed.

Tia was taken aback, but she tried to play it off. If Leah hadn't paid keen attention, the other woman might have pulled it off. "Excuse me?"

"Ricky," Leah clarified. There was no going back now. "Did you love him?"

Tia cleared her throat and turned her attention to the sights beyond the passenger window. Nothing but a row of trees with Lake Michigan in the background. It was dark with only a few street lights on and the occasional runner.

"He was a means to an end, and I just happened to get lucky," she eventually replied, voice flat, void of emotion… or at least, that was the intention. The effort was appreciated, but Leah, of all people, knew what it was like to downplay her true feelings in front of others. And to herself.

It made life easier, she supposed. Convenient. Nothing had to change. No one had to have the hard conversation with an unknown, potentially heartbroken outcome. But it didn't mean all of the avoiding didn't suck. It was always there… lingering in the back of her mind. Taunting. Calling her a fucking coward.

When Leah didn't provide a comment, Tia sighed. "There was no love lost, but I didn't want him to die, you know? He was involved in some shit, yes, but he was one of the smarter ones, you know? The kind that can do legit at the right moment—And anyway, it wasn't like he was going to leave his wife."

Leah nodded and started the car.

There really wasn't much else to say.

"Enzo Pasquarelli, employed as a security guard by Napolitano's since 2010," Leah read off from a report the following morning as she walked towards Jacob and Paul. "Aged 23. Born in Naples, Italy. Came to the States with his folks legally when he was a toddler. Became a citizen in 2017. A few assault charges under his belt, but all dismissed."

Jacob skimmed the page when Leah held it up to his face. "This was all during his first year of being employed by Napolitano's." He shrugged. "Perhaps the bosses were trying to do their new employee a solid?"

"Forward this to Cicero," Paul ordered. "This is their jurisdiction since Napolitano's and Maria's second rental, where the supposed stalking took place, are located in their city."

Jacob put up a hand. "Cicero's having a bit of an issue with obtaining subpoenas and arrest warrants relating to that firm," he said and added when Paul gave him a look of confusion. "They're tired of getting sued."

"Plus, this may not be entirely under Cicero's jurisdiction," Leah argued. "Enzo's current address is in Greektown. As in Chicago, and therefore, also our problem."

Paul crossed his arms. "Has this Enzo stalked Maria at her place in Albany Park?"

"Not that we know of," Jacob said.

"Of course," Paul mumbled, dropping his arms. He then took a deep breath and clapped. "Okay, talk to the man. We can't really do much else since it doesn't seem like he's done anything in this city. Hey, you never know? Maybe he's just a security guard, trying to earn an honest living."

Enzo Pasquarelli was not someone trying to earn an honest living.

It was sad, really. The guy was in his low-twenties, and instead of hanging out with his friends or whatnot, he was spending a Tuesday night inside a holding cell. All because of a very ill-advised and completely unnecessary decision. A decision made by someone who was generally not innocent.

"Can someone please explain to me what's going on?" Paul demanded as he paced around his office, frustrated but not surprised by the turn of events. Just a few hours ago, he had sent the detectives on their way, hoping that this Enzo-guy was strait-laced. And now, he had a Napolitano employee in his custody, which might be a problem if the Volturi found out. "I told you to question the man. Talk to the man. Get some info out of him. Now, tell me, why the hell is he in my holding cell?"

"Booked him for assault," Leah simply said, earning a nod from her partner. It really didn't get any simpler than that. The attempt to question Enzo was entertaining, to say the least. "On a cop."

Paul stopped, turned around to face Leah. "He went after you?" he asked Leah, taking a step forward.

"No, me," Jacob answered instead. He pointed to the nonexistent mark under his eye. "A bunch to the face."

Paul's concern quickly drained as he rolled his eyes. Apparently, he was more sympathetic to Leah's woes than Jacob's. In Paul's defense, though, Jacob could be dramatic. "You look fine."

"Assault is assault," Leah argued.

"And I didn't say it hurt."

Paul snorted. "You let that kid get the best of you?"

Jacob ran a hand down his face. "It's been a long day."

That was true, and much to Leah's chagrin, it still wasn't over. It was only half-past one in the afternoon.

Not that Paul cared. He rolled his eyes again and informed his subordinates that their excuses weren't much of an excuse. He crossed his arms. "So…?"

Leah and Jared shared a look, both wondering what their captain was referring to. After shrugging, Jacob cleared his throat and asked, "So…?"

Paul shook his head and loosened his arms. "So, did you anything out of him?" he asked. "Did he talk?"

Leah glanced at her partner, who was shifting in his seat. He looked up at the captain. "Well, he did tell me to go fuck myself… and the rest of the department. So, I don't think he's in the mindset to cooperate."

"So, he didn't talk," Paul concluded. He cursed under his breath and then asked, "Where's his lawyer?"

"He'll make an appearance soon," Leah said. She and Jacob intended to speak to Enzo before his legal representative made an appearance. "Public Defender. Morris Jackson."

Paul cocked an eyebrow. "A public defender?" He was surprised, and understandably so. "Jackson's straight. Definitely not the Novak-type. Since when does the fucking Volturi leave their crones out to dry?"

That was a good point. The Volturi could be many things, but they loved to spend money on their henchmen's legal problems. Or the loyal ones, at least.

"Maybe Enzo's not one of their crones?" Leah suggested with a shrug. After all, Enzo was human, and the Volturi didn't have the best track record when it came to those who weren't vampires… but she had some doubt about the Volturi not caring.

So, did Paul. "Given that he's not a vampire, I would've agreed with you. But all of his prior charges were dismissed, weren't they? Who was his defense attorney on those cases?"

"We'll check it out," Jacob vowed.

Paul shook his head. "Not necessary," he insisted. Probably because the detectives had enough on their plate. He then scoffed, crossing his arms ago. "Morris Jackson, huh?"

That man did have a reputation of getting on the police department's and assistant state attorney's office's nerves.

Leah nodded. "It seems so."

About an hour later, Leah was waiting outside of the station's interrogation room for the public defender while Jacob stayed inside with Enzo. A very stubborn Enzo who was convinced that he was going to beat the charge. Maybe he would. Maybe he wouldn't.

"Leah Clearwater."

Leah sharply turned around and smirked.

Just the man she expected to see. Morris Jackson. One of the best public defenders around who deserved more. But for today, she was going to put aside her admiration. Now, they were on opposite sides of this game. "Morris Jackson," she greeted in return. "How's it going?"

Jackson stopped a couple of feet from Leah. "I have yet another one your victims on my docket, but either that, I can't complain," he said. "Except for my salary—Got an interview next week."

Leah wanted to congratulate him further, but this was not the time or the place to do so. "About damn time," she said instead with a small smile. "How are the wife and kids?"

"Driving me up the wall but can't live without them," Jackson said with a mix of exasperation and fondness as he followed the detective. He had four little kids; Leah didn't know how he did it. Jackson's expression quickly shifted into a serious one. "Hey, nothing personal, alright?"

Leah nodded, not that Jackson had to even say anything. "Of course. We're both doing our jobs," she said, stopping short of the interview room. "We fully expect you to give us Hell."

Jackson smirked. "Likewise."

"The conversation stops now." Jackson dropped the suitcase on the table. "What are you doing questioning my client without my presence?" he demanded. He had his game face on. "Do you know the procedure, the law?" He glanced at Enzo and sat down next to him. "God knows this department doesn't need any more lawsuits."

Jacob dropped his pen onto the table, leaned back in the plastic chair, and rolled his eyes. "Enough with the theatrics, and let's started, shall we?"

Leah sat down in the seat next to her partner and had her note pad and pen ready.

Enzo, surprised by the newcomer, looked up at the scowling Jackson and scowled himself. "Who the hell are—"

"Your savior," Jackson sharply replied. "Now listen to me, you don't speak unless I tell you to." He put up a hand when the younger man opened his mouth. "One wrong word and you'll be spending the rest of your life in Cook County."

Jacob scoffed. "Doesn't sound like the attorney for an innocent man to me."

Jackson gave the detective a sharp look. "I know you people operate. Why is my client here?"

"Assault," Leah said. "Among other things."

Jackson cocked an eyebrow. "Among other things?"

Leah nodded. "All we wanted were some answers to questions relating to an ongoing investigation. Enzo, over here, wasn't even under arrest or anything," She paused and shook her head in disappointment. "He could've said no, and we would've been on our way, but then he punched my partner in the face… Can't let that slide."

Enzo grumbled and rolled his eyes.

He could've at least denied the allegation.

Jacob folded his hands and leaned forward. "Give us what we want," he said, stealing a glance of the still scowling younger man. "We can forget about the assault charge."

Jackson wasn't satisfied. "And replace that charge with what?"

"It depends," Leah said with a shrug. "We can also be looking at intimidation and stalking of a potential state and federal witness. And he better pray he didn't lay a finger on said-witness."

Enzo's eyes widened as he quickly sat up in his seat. He looked at his attorney, who was glaring at the detectives and gulped. "What the—"

"Mr. Pasquarelli."

Enzo shot up his seat. "He's fucking accusing me of—"

"Sit down," Jackson demanded the younger man and then turned his attention back to Leah and Jacob. "What was the question, Detectives? Knowing CPD's stellar reputation, I'm sure it was inappropriate."

"All we asked if he knew a woman," Leah said. "That was it, and then the fist started swinging."

"That's not—"

Jackson rose a hand, silencing the younger man. "Can I have the room with my client, or is that going to be a problem?"

Jacob slapped the table and, along with his partner, rose from his seat. "Take all the time you need."

"My client says he didn't do anything wrong," Jackson maintained several minutes later, and Leah and Jacob took their seats once again. The defense attorney was confident, but not as much as he usually was.

"Just my job," Enzo added.

The defense attorney shot Enzo a look of disapproval. He preferred his client to keep his mouth shut, which didn't bode well for Enzo. It just screamed guilty. "He had no intentions of intimidating anyone and would never stalk anyone for any reason."

Enzo nodded.

"Really." Leah folded her hands on the table and leaned forward. "So, what is your job, Enzo?"

"This interview is over."

Jacob threw up his hands. He knew of Jackson's grandstanding ways, but it was still a pain in the ass to deal with the attorney. "We didn't even—"

Jackson wasn't hearing it. "This interview is over."

"Okay," Leah settled. There was no point in extending this back and forth; that was Jenks's job. And anyway, Jackson specialized in convincing his clients to make a deal. For better or for worse. "This interview is over."

"Well, that was premature," Jacob grumbled as he skimmed through his rather short list of notes. Leah's weren't any longer. He shut the notepad and tossed it onto the tall file cabinet next to him. "I thought we were getting somewhere."

Leah shrugged.

The questioning ultimately ceased at Jackson's request. The lawyer and the detectives remained in the interview room as Enzo was led away by a couple of cops; he would be spending time in the holding cell until his court hearing the next day.

Jackson approached them, as sunny as ever. He had his arms crossed, but his usual tough-defense-lawyer-scowl was dropped. "I'm a defense lawyer, Detectives," he said. "It's my job to protect and do what's right for my client." He glanced at the closed door and sighed. "He's just a kid."

Which always made criminal proceedings so sad. Young kids, young adults with the lives ahead of them caught up in this bullshit.

"Twenty-three is young," Leah said, "But under the law, he's not a kid. He's an adult. A full-grown one."

"We are all dumb at that age," Jackson argued. "Working for Napolitano's won't give him any favors, I know that, but I highly doubt he was a part of some grand criminal conspiracy. At least, knowingly— Hey, don't give me that look. I'm not BSing because I'm that kids' counsel. I'm telling you this as someone who, despite everything, respects the both of you."

Leah cleared her throat and nodded. "Duly noted."

"Enzo's a security guard," Jacob said. "He must know something about the happenings in that firm."

Jackson didn't deny it. "Unless he has anything that can connect to this city, everything Napolitano's-related is Cicero's problem," he said. "Which I'm sure you know what's going on there."

"Not much," Jacob admitted.

Leah leaned forward. "Why are you telling us, really?"

Jackson dropped his arms. "I've been on this job for ten long years," he said, the fatigue was evident in his voice. "I'm sick and tired of the pawns being sent to Cook County while their bosses run free, laughing in all of our faces." He huffed, then looked directly at the detectives. "You're not really after Enzo; he's just an aspiring foot solider. You don't honestly give a shit about him. What you want is the king."

He wasn't lying.

"Three kings and a queen," Leah clarified. There wasn't much she could say about the attorney's comment. He was right. The targets, the big catch, were Aro, Caius, Marcus, and Sulpicia. Everyone else was just a consolation prize."

Jackson nodded, but before he could provide a comeback, Jacob beat him to the punch. "Are you implying that there's a deal on the horizon?" he carefully asked.

"Like I said, I do what's best for my client." Jackson then placed both hands flat on the table and rose from his. Looking down at the detectives, he fixed his tie and gathered his briefcase. His gaze eventually rested solely on Jacob. "A punch to the face?" he commented with subtle amusement. "Couldn't have been that hard. Can't even see a bruise."

Leah was going to argue that a hit didn't have to leave a mark to constitute assault, but Jacob played along with the attorney. He leaned back in his seat. "It's the melanin," he snarked.

Jackson snorted. "Don't play that shit with me, Detective. I've been in a few fistfights back in the day. Your face looks perfectly fine." He glanced at Leah, then back at Jacob. "I'm sure we'll meet again."

Jacob smirked. "I'm sure we will."

"Jake," Leah whispered into her phone as if fearing a louder voice would wake up her mother and brother. It was a foolish thought, to be honest. Both were fast asleep in their own rooms, beyond Leah's locked bedroom door.

There was a low chuckle on the other line. "Jake? Not Black? Not Jacob? Should I be concerned?"

"No one has ever called you Jake?"

"Sadly, the shortened version of my name has always been JB or Jakey. Not a fan of either, by the way.

"Are you telling me that you don't like Jakey-Poo?" Leah joked, biting down a laugh. That was Embry's and Jared's favorite nickname. Much to Jacob's horror and the rest of the pack's amusement.

As expected, Jacob groaned. "What am I? Two?" Leah could picture him shaking his head. "What's up?"

"I gotta tell you something."

Sure, it was eleven in the evening. But there was just something that Leah couldn't get off her mind. She needed to tell someone, namely the person who needed to hear it the most. Perhaps. It was work-related, and neither she nor Jacob were at work.

"Shoot."

"I think I know why Enzo wasn't given a private defense attorney," Leah said. "No ties to the Volturi."

"But he works for Napolitano's…."

"No, you fool, I'm talking about a paper trail. Public defenders are assigned randomly. Well, everyone not named Vincent Novak. Defense attorneys don't work that way. Whether they like it or not, unless they want the IRS to make a surprise appearance, the commission has to be announced. And traced."

"They provided him with a legal for those four BS assault charges, but not for the most serious one—You're a fucking genius, do you know that?"

Leah grinned. "So, I've been told."

Leah picked up Enzo's file off her desk, opened it, and began to review the contents. For the umpteenth time. Jackson hadn't managed to squeeze out a deal from his client, but she had faith that it would happen eventually. A minute or so passed before she began to lose focus.

She glanced up at her partner, who was looking through his own copy of the file and slightly smiled. "So, does this past Saturday mean that the questions, the random set-ups, and recommendations will stop?" she asked as she removed a picture of a much younger Enzo and his family; they all looked happen. "From your sisters," she added for clarification.

Jacob looked up and scoffed. "Ha! You know who you're talking about, right?" He closed the folder. "I didn't ask Jasmine to be my wife, so I'm back to square one."

Leah put aside the file as well. Suddenly, she was much more interested in this topic that Enzo Pasquarelli. It was fine (meaning that Paul wouldn't yell at her); they had time to review his file later. Criminal proceedings didn't necessarily take long in this city. "Hey, you remember her name," she remarked, forcing a chuckle. She hoped her partner hadn't caught on. "That's progress. Does that mean…?"

Jacob scrunched up his face. "Apparently, we're now emergency plus-one's."

Leah slowly nodded as she reached for her first morning cup of coffee. She took a long sip. "Second date?" she asked out of curiosity. Mostly. A part of her, that lingering annoyance in the mind of her mind, wanted nothing more but for him to say no. It wasn't worth dwelling on the thought any further.

Or that sound that strangely sounded like a growl.

Her growl.

Her wolf's growl.

And it wasn't a happy one.

She might possibly be hearing things.

It was before eight in the morning, and her coffee could be stronger.

"Huh?"

Leah took another sip. "Is there going to be a second date?"

Jacob blinked, then shook his head. "Nah," he said, waving dismissively. "Rebound."

"Oh," Leah simply replied. He didn't seem that upset; she supposed that was a good thing. It felt like Vegas all over again, except she sensed something like guilt, like regret in his voice. Not that he had any reason to. "You tend to attract those kinds, huh?" she added as a joke.

Jacob's expression turned sheepish. "What can I say?" he played along. But not entirely, Leah noted. He shrugged. "I'm rebound-worthy."

She could've simply been relieved but the flippancy in his statement, but she couldn't help but stick to the self-depreciation underneath it all. "No, you're worth more than that," she said without any doubt in her voice. "Much more."

Jacob's smile turned genuine. "Thank you." He then picked up his personal phone, pressed on the screen a few times before holding it up. "Look. Courtesy of Sister Number Two. I was stupid enough to let her use his phone for a call."

Leah laughed out loud. Jacob didn't mind it. He seemed more amused and bemused than annoyed. "She set up a Tinder account for you?"

"Yes," Jacob groaned, shaking his head at the profile page displayed on his phone. "Five minutes. That's how long I was gone. I was at my aunt's, went to the bathroom, said hello to a cousin, who was visiting at the time, and then when I became back to this shit."

"Damn, she's going hard." Leah wasn't going to lie; she appreciated Rebecca's persistence. She knew Jacob's sisters' meddling was out of love. They reminded her of Sue and her valiant efforts. "Can't you just tell her no? That you're not interested?"

Jacob put away his phone. "I could do that, but then that'll only prompt her to bring in the calvary, and I will never be drunk enough to deal with them all the same time." He shuddered. "My aunts and cousins. I love them to death, but no."

Leah nodded. His family sounded just like hers. "Oh." She gave him a sympathetic smile. "You know this would normally be the optimal time to offer to be your fake girlfriend, but something tells me that may make things worse."

"A lot worse."

"Duly noted."

"It wasn't for the whole-lot-worse part, I'd ask you in a drop of a hat."

Leah had no doubt in her mind that he would. "How sweet," she said with a low chuckle. "Have you ever considered just doing it the right way? Without everyone and their mom being involved?"

"Then, that would imply that I'm lonely."

Leah lifted an eyebrow. "Well, are you?"

Jacob shook his head. The amusement returned. "No. Don't you remember, Clearwater? I have five and a half kids that demand my constant attention."

Leah rolled her eyes and tossed a paperclip clip at the man. "I don't mean the pack, you fool—So, you're good?"

Jacob hesitated to answer. He suddenly tensed, but then oddly tried to play it off with a dismissive wave. "I'm good," he insisted, but he wasn't fooling Leah.

She cleared her throat and hid her frown behind her mug. Jacob was doing that again. Closing up. He was shutting himself from her. Not that she could read the man's mind. Sort of. It was complicated.

Leah wondered if he even knew he was doing this.

Knowing Jacob, most likely not.