Leah watched Hodie heading for his car. He was heavily favoring his left leg. She was surprised to find herself immediately wanting to tend to him. Had he been limping all night? How had she not noticed when he had clearly had so much of her attention? "Hodie," Leah said, intending to ask him how he had hurt himself. Hodie spun angrily to face her. Leah felt a rush of heat course through her and had to look away.

Is it terrible to wish you could just have angry sex with someone? Jesus, Leah, you're getting turned on because he's pissed off? Fuck me. I'm spending too much time around Paul. Next thing you know, I'll be hoping he starts bossing me around. Leah sighed, glancing up at Hodie's pained expression as he limped back. His eyes met hers, and he sucked in a sharp breath as he stumbled and cursed.

Leah pointed at his foot and said, "Hodie, stop. What the hell did you do?" She was next to him in an instant, bending down to inspect his swollen foot.

Hodie demanded, "Don't do it." Leah stood straight and backed away.

He doesn't want me to touch him. Got it. "You should really go to urgent care or something," Leah said. "You shouldn't be on that foot."

Hodie said, "I don't have a choice. Rick's not the only one with a rent payment, ya know? It's just a few broken toes anyway."

Leah asked, "What the hell happened?"

Hodie scoffed at her, crossing his arms over his chest as he mocked her asking, "Why do you care?"

Leah laughed, throwing her hands up in frustration. I am not in the mood for fucking games. "Goodnight, Hodie," she said and walked back to her car.

He called after her, "Please don't do it." Leah turned back, confused. He begged, "Don't get up there." He continued limping toward her, and she huffed.

Leah grumbled, "You have to get off of that foot. Why don't you want me up there, Hodie?" Leah couldn't understand why the hell he cared. Unless… "Worried that Amara will have too much to say to me?"

Suspiciously, Hodie asked, "Amara? What's with you and comments about Amara tonight?"

Leah rolled her eyes at him. She said, "Seriously, Hodie, don't play fucking dumb. Amara asked me tonight why I hurt you the way I did. You're her best friend, and you spoke to her about it, right?"

Hodie pinched the top of his nose between his eyes as he sighed in aggravation. "Look, Leah, I've known Amara for a long time," Hodie said.

Leah asked, "Why did you hide it?"

Hodie said, "I didn't. Amara thinks of me as her best friend. I don't really feel like I have a best friend."

Leah asked, "So, why should I give a damn that someone implies you are something that you are not? When you are saying otherwise? Who do I give the benefit of the doubt to, Hodie?"

He wouldn't believe me. Why the hell should I believe him? He opened his mouth to speak and quickly snapped it shut as her implication hit home.
Leah said, "I don't give a damn who you are friends with, but if you discuss our business with co-workers, you need to tell both sides of the story. I don't need to walk in a room full of women who were just discussing our business and looking at me like I'm a piece of shit at work."

He cringed and looked away from her guiltily. "Okay, okay," Hodie said sheepishly, holding his hands up in peace. "I get it. I do, and I am not happy with Amara for doing that at all. I guess I shouldn't have confided in her, but I did tell her your side."

Leah asked, "So, why don't you want me up on that stage?"

Hodie admitted, "I just … I have a bad feeling about it, okay?"

Leah scoffed and said, "Um, yeah, Hodie? Did you have a bad feeling about jumping to fucking conclusions yesterday?"

Hodie yelled, "No, but I had a feeling you were hiding something. And, I was right, wasn't I?" Leah could see that his ears were slowly turning red again.

It's kind of cute, the way his ears get red when he's mad. Fuck, what the hell is wrong with me? Leah opened her car door and hit the unlock button for the passenger side.

Hodie threw his arms up and yelled, "You gonna just take off again?"

Leah snapped, "No. But, I figured that if we're going to fight, you might as well sit the fuck down for it." Leah climbed into her car and shut the door. He stood there staring as she turned on the battery and rolled down the windows. Leah leaned out the driver-side window and yelled, "Would you get in the fucking car?" She turned the ignition back off and tossed the keys onto the dash.
Just so he doesn't think I plan to kidnap his ass.

Hodie limped to the passenger side of her car and climbed in. He sighed when he sat down, obviously relieved to rest his foot.

Leah said, "Wanna shut the door, pal? I don't need the cops thinking there is a drug deal going on over here."

Hodie rolled his eyes and pulled the door closed as he asked, "In all the nights we sat here, how many cops did you see?"

Leah cackled, unable to help herself. She really did have a soft spot for his particular kind of snark. He was as blunt and mouthy as Leah when he got wound up. She leaned her seat back and stuck her left foot out the window as she lit a cigarette. Hodie reached into his jacket breast pocket and handed her the cigarettes and lighter she had left in his kitchen window.

Hodie said, "I forgot about those til you lit that one." Leah set them in her cup holder, remaining silent. Hodie stared at her, nodding to himself after a moment as he looked away. "I guess you are waiting for me to talk, huh?"

Leah took another drag of her cigarette and offered it to him. He took it from her and inhaled, holding it in as his eyes shifted to her left leg propped up in the window. Leah watched him, mesmerized as his eyes trailed from her ankle all the way up to her core. The heat of his stare kissed along her skin, light and warm. Despite her heartbreak and anger with him, Leah wanted him.

You are an absolute glutton for punishment, Leah Clearwater.

Hodie slowly raised his eyes back to her face, catching her staring back at him. He hung his head and said, "God, Leah... I have trust issues, okay? Serious trust issues. I am not a mean guy, but I am jealous. I'm careful. I'm suspicious. I … honestly can't stop thinking about touching you right now."
For just a moment, his words made her heart flutter with hope. Just as quickly, that hope shattered around her as his face fell.
He said, "Leah, I can't be with you if I can't trust you. If you don't start letting me in a little bit, I can't do that."

Leah gaped at him for a second before staring out the windshield. She had been trying to let him in. He had acknowledged her hesitancy to get close. How had he overlooked the door she managed to throw wide open the other night? Leah said, "What part of me staying the night with you Wednesday did you not recognize was a huge step for me? I have been trying to let you in, Hodie." Her voice was rising as her temper climbed with it. "You are not the only one with trust issues here."

Hodie leaned back in the seat and said, "Tell me. Tell me why you don't trust people."

She scowled and challenged, "You first. You were the one making accusations yesterday."

Glaring at Leah, Hodie said, "Like you didn't? Telling me, you are all the same." Like I'm just another douche bag stomping on your heart."

Leah yelled, "You are." She fought to hold back furious tears as she glared at him. "Or at least you were yesterday. You made assumptions and accusations without speaking to me first. You already knew how hard it was for me to trust you like that, enough so that you were ready to stop if I needed to. Then you were willing to toss me aside, not even eight hours later. The entire day, aside from waking up next to you, was just fucking awful. I came back looking forward to seeing you. I didn't give a damn about that phone or any of the fucking messages on it," Leah said.

Sarcastically, Hodie said, "So I gathered. "Considering you smashed it when you left. Do you have a bad habit of that? Breaking shit when you get mad?"

Leah said, "I have a lot of bad habits, Hodie. I told you, I can be a real bitch when I want to be." She glared up at him when he chuckled, and he rubbed his face, sighing. He reached into his back pants pocket and shook his phone at her. The screen was spiderwebbed with cracks.

He laughed and said, "Yeah. Me, too."

She asked, "You did that because of me?"

Hodie glanced up at her, smirking. He said, "I, uh, put your sim card in my phone to make sure it still worked before I bothered giving it back to you. Those messages came back up, and I threw it. Then I kicked my bedroom door." Leah glanced down at his sore foot, and Hodie laughed again.

Leah said, "Well, at least you didn't put your fist through a cheekbone."

Hodie barked out a loud laugh and shook his head. He said, "We are both a hot fucking mess. Leah, look. I'll be honest. Yesterday, those messages made me crazy. I didn't intend to read them, but I couldn't figure out how to turn the sound off. Seriously, your phone had zero side buttons. It's weird. Anyway, the screen comes on, and these message previews are rolling through. Some others, too. People were freaking out, asking where the hell you were. One said something about this Quil person being worried. Since you had snuck out, I started freaking out." Hodie looked her in the eye, shaking his head. "I opened the messages and saw his name. Boy, I clicked the wrong contact, huh?"

Leah remained silent. She wanted to hear what else he had to say. His looking through her phone didn't bother her in the least. It was the accusation behind it that hurt. She also wanted him to keep talking because his voice was pure heaven. She ached to touch him despite her anger, and the combination was maddening.

Hodie said, "I still think I had every right to jump to the conclusions that I did. I have met no one that you know. We haven't gone anywhere together. We sit here, in this parking lot like a couple of teenagers sneaking the fuck around. You have talked to me about this upcoming wedding numerous times, but you haven't said a word about needing a date for it. I know you work at the garage and help your sister with the kids, but you have these mysterious other jobs. Every time I ask, you change the subject somehow. When you said you worked two of your jobs with Quil, it seemed a little too coincidental for me. I already suspected you were hiding shit. You are protecting something more than just your own heart, Leah. I can feel it." Hodie lightly tapped his chest and shook his head again as if it was unfathomable to believe otherwise.

He wasn't wrong, was he? Leah was hiding things from him. She had told him about people in her life but avoided some of the most important pieces of those people. She had told him about Sam but withheld nearly everything about Quil. Of course, the messages from Quil had been a shock. Leah huffed, feeling foolish. They both could have handled things better than either had so far. As she continued to stare back at Hodie, Leah felt so much sorrow and regret. She also felt an almost overwhelming lust that made it hard to fully concentrate on anything but Hodie and the urge she felt to comfort him.

Leah said, "Look, I will admit some of this is my fault. I should have told you about Quil. The truth is, we were never actually a couple. My ex, Sam? Yes, he is married to my cousin now, but he is also friends with Quil. We are all together at work every day. It would have started this whole huge fight."

Hodie said, "Sam moved on. Why does he give a damn who you date?"

Leah said, "He chose Emily over me, but he still gets … possessive, somehow. He doesn't want me to be with anyone he is close with. It doesn't matter if I am close to them, too. Only a few people know the truth about Quil and me. I feel terrible for all of it. Honestly, the whole thing is probably going to blow up in my face at some point this weekend, anyway." Leah slumped back in her seat defeatedly.

Hodie asked, "Why?" He reached out and grabbed Leah's hand. She shot him a warning look, though she did not attempt to let go. She needed to touch him, too.

Looking away from him, Leah said, "I'll tell you, but it might just piss you off." He sighed heavily again, waiting for her to continue. "Last night after… everything. I was a mess. I went to my stepsister to talk to her. Well, I was in the kitchen with Bella. Jake, Embry, and Quil came walking in. Quil and I got into it in front of the others. He kept trying to get me to talk to him privately. I told him his bullshit had cost me a potential relationship. He got pissed and left. I went home and showered, but I couldn't sleep. Had a couple of shots with my stepdad, and then I went for a walk. Then I came across Quil."

He warned, "Leah." Hodie was staring at her nervously, afraid of what she would say next. Leah forced a smile at him.

She said, "He was fucking my cousin's sixteen-year-old daughter in my neighbor's garage."

Hodie gaped at her in shock before mouthing, "Wow."

Leah said, "I kind of ratted him out. I imagine he's sporting a black eye or two today, and I almost wish I'd seen it."

Hodie chuckled bitterly. "Honestly, Leah, that doesn't exactly sound like things are over with you two."

Leah said, "They are, Hodie. I won't lie and say there isn't a lot of anger there. There are feelings, too, yes. Quil and I have been friends our entire lives. Up until he started getting all weird again a couple of weeks ago, I was more or less resigned to the idea of us being over. Then, I met you."

Confused, Hodie asked, "So it's not over?"

Leah asked, "With him or with you?" Leah swallowed nervously and said, "Hodie, I still want you." Hodie looked up into her eyes and squeezed her hand. He huffed and shook his head. Still uncanny, how much he reminds me of Emmett, Leah thought.

Hodie said, "I wasn't lying when I told you I was falling for you two days ago, Leah. But, I can't do this if I have to worry some other dude is going to take you out from under my nose."

Leah said, "I already told you, I am not like that. I had to watch as the man I planned to marry left me for my best friend, Hodie. I know what that shit feels like."

Hodie said, "That is almost precisely the issue I had. It's part of why I've been single for so long. We have some crazy shit in common, really."

Leah asked, "What do you mean? I know your Mom passed around the same time as my Dad."

Hodie said, "There is that." He sighed heavily before continuing, "My best friend and fiance ran off together right around the same time. Then, about a year ago, I started dating a different friend. One day, she just disappeared. Into thin air, apparently. I guess you can say that I have abandonment issues, too."

Leah asked, "Did you love her?"

Hodie asked, "Did you love Quil?" Leah looked away, nodding.

She asked, "When, Hodie? When did she disappear?" Leah squeezed his hand sympathetically. Probably taken by fucking leeches.

Hodie said, "Easter of last year. She was in Seattle to visit her parents. I didn't want her to go. I had a bad feeling about it. People were disappearing left and right over there at the time. I begged her not to go. We fought. When I didn't hear from her again, I thought she had just dumped me. Her parents showed up at my apartment searching for her, saying she was missing. I became frantic. When the cops found out we fought before she left, my ass got dragged in for questioning. Six different times, I was dragged in for questioning. I was honest with the cops. I told them all about the argument, the bad feeling I had. I thought she dumped me and would eventually want all her stuff, so I had packed that up already, but I let the cops search my apartment anyway. I didn't have much of her stuff there because she lived in her dorm. There were some bullshit rumors about me in particular that luckily didn't make any wind in the papers or online. She was never found, Leah. She's just … gone."

Leah said, "I'm so sorry." What else could she say? How could someone ever get closure from that? Leah knew all too well what that worry felt like.

Hodie said, "I think she's dead, Leah. I think I felt it. Before I found out she had disappeared, it was like this black hole came over me. When the cops showed up, I thought they were going to tell me she was dead, not missing." There was an edge to his voice and darkness that Leah hadn't heard from him before. He said, "All those killings around that same time frame? It can't be a coincidence."

It is not a coincidence. I probably helped burn her body after the newborn battle.
Most of the army had been people kidnapped from Seattle and forcefully turned. It was another crushing blow to her self-consciousness.
How the hell can I ever tell Hodie everything? "Hodie," Leah said in an attempt to pull them both back from the dark conversation. "A friend of mine knows who you are. I said your name after my fight with Quil. Embry immediately asked if you were a surfer. Said he read an interview you did for some magazine."

Hodie gave her a dazzling smile and asked, "Yeah?" The sight of it seemed to brighten the energy around them. He said, "Those were my glory days. I've been out for a while."

Leah said, "That's what Embry said. Seemed to be genuinely concerned about how you are doing. Embry and Quil are best friends, but he is my friend, too. His girlfriend Angela is a riot. I would actually really love for you to meet them. Jake and Bella, too. Especially Bella. She is … important."

Hodie asked, "Do you actually want me to meet these people? This isn't something you are suggesting to shut me up for a while, is it?"

I do want him to at least meet Bella, don't I? The pack would meet him eventually if we worked out as a couple anyway, right? Wait, are we back together? Were we ever technically together? Why the fuck does my life have to be so complicated?
Leah nodded and said, "I think I do. I wanted us to get a little further along before I did that. To make sure there was actually a chance before a bunch of wo- wussy-ass giants decide to give you a hard time." Leah rolled her eyes at her near slip. Hodie chuckled, she hoped, assuming she was rolling her eyes about her friends. "Hodie, I don't want you to worry that I'm trying to keep you some kind of secret. If you need to meet some of my circle to do that, I guess it seems pretty fair. I honestly don't give a damn if you read every message I fucking get. I'm not the type to have anything to hide." Hodie gave her another dazzling smile. Again, Leah's breath hitched as the butterflies exploded in her chest. She wanted, needed him to want her back in a way she could not define. Leah suddenly found herself floundering, realizing how far she had actually fallen for him already. She was ready to fight for him despite his rash abandonment the day before. Hell, she was fighting for him while she defended herself.

Leah whispered, "Hodie, I think I'm in big trouble over here." Hodie began stroking his thumb along the back of Leah's hand.

Hodie gave her a shy smile and said, "Yeah. Me, too."

Again, Leah shivered. She desperately wanted to kiss him. Hodie leaned into his left side, turning his body toward her. He was staring at her face again, tracing his eyes along her high cheekbones. When he looked down at her mouth, Leah could swear she felt the slightest brush of his lips against hers.
Leah, I think the months of single self-stimulation have officially given you much too vivid of an imagination. Leah was fighting against the urge to whimper as he looked up her long, bare leg. The shorts Leah had chosen had barely made it over her hips. They made her butt look rounder, her legs even longer. She had chosen them for this very reason. Leah had wanted Hodie to see her tonight and to desire her. She wasn't sure if it had helped any while they were working, but it certainly was at the moment.

If he still wants to be with me, that is. Leah was pretty damn sure that he did but was too afraid to ask.

Hodie asked, "So, where are we? What are we?"

She chuckled and said, "I was just wondering the same thing." Hodie began lightly stroking his fingers along her forearm.

Hodie asked, "Can we try to start over?"

Leah turned to put her other foot out of the window and boldly laid her head in his lap. She reached up to cup his face as he hovered over her and said, "I don't want to start over, Hodie. I want to know you, and I want you to know me. We fought. It sucked. He chuckled, his eyes shining as he stared down into hers. She asked him, "It will make us stronger later, won't it?" She anxiously waited for his reply. Hodie made her feel vulnerable. Talking about her feelings had been incredibly difficult with Quil, though they had been passionate enough during sex. With Sam, it had been nearly impossible once he started to change. Hodie seemed to want to know all her thoughts, how she felt, and what made her happiest. Yesterday, however, Leah had felt disposable. Hodie had done that, too, regardless of the validity of his suspicions. It was all the more reason for her to want to be cautious, she thought. Look how quickly he had managed to snag a piece of her heart. He had done it without even trying.

Leah said, "We need to establish something if we are going to keep seeing each other, Hodie. If we argue in the future, tell me if you need time to yourself. I'll respect your space. Just please don't slam the door in my face like I don't mean anything to you. Not unless I actually don't anymore. Being completely shut out and feeling tossed aside? It's the surest way to hurt me. Don't ghost me."

Hodie said, "I'm sorry I did that yesterday. I honestly thought we were done. Cheating is the surest way to hurt me, Leah. I should have given you the chance to explain. I knew in the back of my head that it didn't make sense. You don't have a lock on your phone. Cheaters are never that fucking careless. I just let my fears take over. That last one, though ..." Hodie huffed, shaking his head. "Hope he was worth it? That fucking cut me, Leah."

Leah grumbled, "I should have just beat Quil's ass myself last night. He sent that last one after I got to work. After he realized that I stayed the night with someone. He couldn't start a fight with me at work because Sam was standing like twenty feet away."

Hodie said, "I think I'm starting to understand why you have held back. I'm also starting to wonder why you stay friends with people who have so much disrespect for you. Sounds like an awful lot of work just for you to have a little peace." Leah smiled up at him, reaching to caress his face again.

Leah admitted, "Time with you has been my peace lately, Hodie. The other night, when I was alone with you? It was the most peace I have had in a long, long time." No pun intended.

Hodie lowered his mouth to brush her lips with his. He said, "Well, then, I hope there will be many more nights of peace to come. But the next time you stay over, we are turning off your phone."

Leah laughed and pulled his mouth back to hers. They remained that way for a little while, lost in each other. The sound of laughter from the opposite side of the parking lot alerted Leah. Concerned and slightly dazed, she pulled away from Hodie and sat up. There were two men slowly walking across the lot. Leah quickly pulled her feet into the car as their scent hit her and snatched her keys from the dash. As she shoved the key into the ignition, she yelled, "Hodie, lock the door." Hodie was frozen, glancing between the approaching figures and Leah. She yelled, "Lock the damn door!" Hodie flipped the button and clutched anxiously at his seat.

Leah asked, "Do you know who they are?" Hodie glared over at her before turning his attention back toward the leeches.

Hodie said, "No, but I know what they are. We have to go, Leah."This fucking car is no match."

Leah gaped at him in surprise. She began to tremble as the vampires strolled toward them. What the fuck should I do? I can't take them both by myself at once.

Hodie was the one pushing her into action as he yelled, "Leah!"

Leah started her car and put it into Drive. She intended to floor it past his truck and avoid them. The figures darted in front of her car, forcing Leah to slam on the breaks. As they separated to approach each door, she floored it. The car lurched to a stop as the rear end was raised in the air.

Hodie sounded frantic as he said, "God, Leah, I'm so sorry." Leah was shaking, praying she wouldn't have to phase in front of him. She put her foot on the brake, shifting her car in reverse. "I'm so sorry," he yelled again.

Leah growled out, "For what? Being human? They're fucking leeches. That's not your fault. They better not break my fucking axle."

The car dropped to the ground, and Leah slammed on the gas, knocking both vampires over. She hit the brakes again, sliding over them as she shifted back to drive. Leah laughed in triumph as her car peeled out over them, sending one of their heads flying out from under her back tire. She and Hodie whipped out of the lot as the other vampire screamed after them.

Looking behind them, Hodie said, "Man, I hope he doesn't trash my truck over his buddy." As he turned back toward the front of the car, his eyes went wide again. He said, "Uh, Babe, you wanna turn your headlights on?"

Leah chuckled and flipped on the lights. She said, "We're probably far enough away for him to not catch up anyway. He's probably trying to put the other leeches head back on." Leah laughed again. Her trembling was easing as she slowly relaxed. When she looked at Hodie, the seriousness of their situation hit her. This was not just Leah and one of her packmates laughing with relief over the destruction of another red-eyed intruder. Her very human Hodie was bracing himself, facing her with his back to the door. Leah grabbed her cigarettes and lit one anxiously before cracking her window.

God. How the hell does Hodie know about them in the first place? The poor guy is scared to death. At least I didn't have to wolf out in front of him. He would probably shit his pants.

Leah asked, "Hodie, are you okay?"

He mumbled, "I honestly don't know."

Damn it, what if the other leech decides he wants revenge for his buddy? What if they track Hodie to his house? Leah took a deep breath, reminding herself to not panic. She was trembling again, the cigarette shaking in her hand. Leah said, "I think you should come home with me. I don't think it's safe for you to go home tonight."

Hodie asked, "How do you know about them, Leah?"

She cringed, taking another drag. Hodie snagged one of the packs and lit his own cigarette before cracking his window open.

Leah was startled as Hodie screamed, "Motherfucker!" The right hand of the second bloodsucker was hanging from her window trim.

When the hell had he even gotten a hold of the damn door? I bet he's having fun putting his buddy's head back on with one hand. Leah carefully pulled her car over and parked it. She rushed to the passenger door and grabbed the severed hand. The icy cold of it burned against her skin. Leah tossed it back and forth as she walked around to pop her trunk. God, I don't want to smell this fucker the whole way home. When she saw her back bumper bent to hell, she started cussing. Leah tossed the hand in the trunk, climbed back in the car, and dug around under her seat for her hand sanitizer.

As she poured a heavy glob in her hand, Hodie asked, "What are you doing?"

Leah said, "I have to get the smell off before I vomit." When she had finished soaking her hands, she sniffed them and gagged before coating them a second time.

Hodie asked, "You can smell them?"

Leah sighed defeatedly. She shut her door and restarted the car. She asked, "You know how you said you think I'm hiding things?" Hodie glared at her suspiciously and nodded. Leah snagged another cigarette, fighting back uneasy tears as she pulled back onto the highway. "Well, you're about to find out."