Twenty

"Oh look, the Bureau's back," Jacob grumbled as he handed Leah a cup of coffee, freshly-brewed in the station break room. "Nice way to ruin a Thursday morning."

Leah took a sip of the drink. It wasn't the strongest, but it would have to do. "Like I said before, we're gonna see a lot more of them. At least, until this mess dies down," she reminded her partner as she watched Paul begrudgingly accept the feds into his office.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…" Jacob said with a flippant wave of the hand.

Leah shook her head at the man's reaction. "Is there a story behind your and Paul's animosity towards the FBI?" she wondered. "Because I feel like there's a story."

"There's no animosity. Distrust, more than anything. I guess I shouldn't hate all agents. Just some of them, you know?"

"So, there is a story."

"A long, complicated one…" Jacob's comment stalled as he checked on the buzzing phone in his pants pocket. "A few missed calls," he remarked, and then, "Holy shit." His eyes widened as he carefully read, "Sasha's and Vasili's bodies are back at the morgue—" He looked up at his equally stunned partner. "They've been returned."

Goodness, so much shit had been going on the past week, Leah had almost forgotten about the stolen Denali bodies. "You're messing with me," she accused, snatching the phone from her partner's hand and quickly skimmed the message. "They're messing with me."

"Given what's been happening over the past few weeks, I highly doubt that," Jacob said. "We should go there. ASAP. Bella is probably going to do a quick autopsy, just in case."

Leah audibly exhaled. She should've known she would be stuck on babysitting duty. "You go and take Embry with you," she said, catching Paul's stormy expression through his de-blinded office glass panel. "I'll stay back and make sure Paul doesn't try to strangle anyone. So, you better hurry up."

A couple of hours later, Jacob and Embry returned from the Office of the Medical Examiner and explained everything to Leah and Paul inside the captain's office. According to Bella and Eric, the Denali bodies just... showed up. No one knew how it happened, only that they must have been dropped off between midnight and six in the morning, prior to the medical examiners' arrival.

"Any speculation of a suspect?" Paul asked.

Jacob and Embry shook their heads.

"The bodies didn't have any evidence," Jacob said. He was more tense than usual, sitting uncomfortably in his chair. He had been this way since returning to the station. "They looked just like they always had been, frozen and partially dissected. They were placed in the same frozen, the same drawer under the same name."

"Something must have compelled the thieves to bring them back," Embry said. "I mean, it's been, how long, months since the bodies first disappeared?"

"It was probably the Olympic," Leah suggested. "The Cullen's and the Denali's seemed to be hell-bent on making sure no autopsy is performed on anyone associated with them. That's what they did with Jessica."

"Any update on her?" Paul asked.

Leah shook her head. "Jenks is still jammed up. Sorio isn't helping matters, as usual."

"One of these days, that man's gonna get what's coming for him," Jacob vowed. "It will be glorious."

"So, what should we do about the bodies?" Leah asked the captain. "We're investigating their murder—"

"Inconclusive death," Jacob corrected. "That's what Bella's going to rule their death as."

"That's the official story; we're looking for the unofficial version. That was one hundred percent murder," Paul told everyone. "I've been rumors that the Volturi had something to do with it. Something about breaking a cardinal rule?"

"The anti-vampire-baby rule," Embry said.

Leah lightly snorted, although that did seem to be the best description of said rule. "The Volturi are the gatekeepers for vampire-ethics. Obviously, they should be brought in, but that Deal..."

"We won't be able to get them into the interview room without getting our heads chewed out by the higher powers," Jacob pointed out. "Arrest warrants won't do a damn thing—"

"Unless you give the case to the feds," Embry offered. He continued when everyone gave him a questioning look. "That'll make them cooperate. I'm sure the Bureau will appreciate the offer and maybe get off your back, once and for all, Paul."

When the meeting was over, Jacob pulled Leah aside and directed her into an old storage closet located in the musty station basement. Before she could protest, he shut the door behind it and began to pace around the confined room. He made no effort to turn on the light.

Leah stood there, hands on her hips, trying her best to follow her partner's move in the darkness. She waited for several seconds to pass before speaking up, "Okay, so what's up with you? And don't tell me it's nothing, because despite what you like to them, you're not the best liar. And why the hell are we inside a storage—"

"She kissed me."

Leah blinked. She hadn't expected that. "Who kissed you?"

She shouldn't even be entertaining this. They were at work, on the clock, supposed to be hopping into Jacob's car and following leads. Not in some dingy storage closet full of dust that was most likely causing some irreparable damage to her lungs.

"Bella."

Leah's eyes widened. "Uh... what?"

Jacob gave her a look. "You heard me."

Leah slowly nodded. So, that could explain her partner's odd behavior from earlier. The action must have thrown off guard, especially coming from a woman who had previously never shown any interest in him. "But… why?"

Jacob let out a frustrated noise. "Why does anyone?"

"Well..." Leah trailed off, clasping her hands in front of her. She bit her lip and then asked, "Did you…?"

"C'mon Leah, I told you already. I ain't interested."

Which had always thrown Leah off because everyone and their mother knew the man had a crush on the coroner. Or, at least, he used to have one. Jacob hadn't talked about Bella in that aspect in a very long time. And Rebecca had been insistent, and her brother was only through a phase—Damn, Leah felt like she was back in fucking high school, talking about crushes under the bleaches or some shit.

"Well, you never know. Maybe a date or two—"

"I'm not interested."

Leah cocked her head to the side, confused. "Then why are you telling me this?"

"Because I don't know what to do, and you're…" Jacob's hand moved in circles as if trying to find the right words. "You're here."

Leah raised an eyebrow. "You're asking me for advice?" When she received a nod, she glanced at the door and shook her head. "I can't believe— Be honest with her," she offered. "Beating around the bush isn't going to do anyone any good. You know that."

Jacob dragged a hand down his face. "I know that..."

"It's going to be fine," Leah said, not knowing what else to say. She had always been bad at this. "You're going to be fine, just... talk to her, I guess. Once the dust settles."

"Did you talk to her?" Leah asked Jacob hours later, during her short break from searching for information on Bree Tanner over the internet.

"Yes."

"Did you tell her you're not interested?"

"Yes, I gave her the 'We Should Be Just Friends' speech," Jacob replied as he continued typing on his computer. He was the middle of completing paperwork. "It was awkward as hell."

"Those conversations generally are," Leah remarked, sitting back up and searching via Google for nearby homeless centers. She was hoping that one of these places housed Bree during her time away from home. "How did she take it?"

"She seemed surprised."

"At herself or your response?"

"The latter."

"Oh…" Leah nodded as the realization dawned on her. "She knew about your crush on her."

Jacob snorted. "Leah, I'm pretty sure the whole damn country did."

"You need to stop wearing your heart on your sleeve."

Jacob rolled his eyes. "I do not wear my heart on my sleeve."

"If that's what you want to believe," Leah muttered, clicking open a directory site and skimming the contents. It didn't give her what she needed.

Jacob's sigh was full of frustration. "I'm working on it, okay?"

"Why aren't you interested?"

"I'm positive we've had this conversation before."

"Well, you're the one who brought her up again during lunch," Leah reminded the other man. In reality, she could've entirely ignored the Bella-situation, but she could tell that her partner was still bothered by it, evens hours after the incident—and that simply wouldn't do. There should only be one person in their partnership that should have frustrating love lives. Not two. "So, I'm guessing you still want to talk about it."

"Have you ever had someone who you thought was attractive and nice, and that's just it? You weren't trying to marry them or anything. Maybe introduce her to your parents and sisters once in a blue moon, but nothing serious."

"Sure. We all have crushes." Leah said with a shrug. She leaned over to the side to get a better view of her partner. "Why is it bothering you? It was just a kiss. People with crushes would have enjoyed that."

"Because I know she doesn't like me that way. She's never liked me that way," Jacob replied honestly. "At first it sucked, but now, I'm over it. Moved on."

"Ah." Leah sat up straight. "So, that kiss... you think she didn't have any feelings about it. She just wanted to see how you react, and then figure out what to do from there. Maybe entertain you with a date. Maybe even more... But you both would know it wouldn't be real."

"Exactly," Jacob said. "It would have been a waste of everyone's time."

"Well, as I said earlier: this, too, shall pass," Leah said. "This is Bella we're talking about. She doesn't give me the vindictive vibes, so I doubt she'd screw us over because you refused to screw her."

Jacob let out a short laugh. "Thank you, Leah," Jacob said, giving his partner a joking and grateful grin. "I would forever appreciate your words of wisdom."

Leah matched her partner's smile. "You're very welcome," she said. "Now, go back to work and stop moping over a girl you don't want."

"I wasn't—" Jacob stopped and chuckled at himself, shaking his head. He dropped the topic altogether as Embry returned, sitting down at his desk while complaining about his long work hours.

At the corner of her eye, Leah caught Jared snatching up a couple of pages from the office printer and skimming over them with a deep frown.

She motioned Jacob and Embry to be alert, upon realizing that the younger cop was heading their way. "Good afternoon, Jared," Leah later greeted when Jared arrived. He seemed more troubled than usual. "What can we help you with?"

Jacob and Embry waited for an answer.

"We got a missing person's report. I thought you'd like to check it out."

"Who is it?" Jacob asked.

Jared handed Jacob the pages. "Lauren Mallory," he replied, nodding when the others gasped in disbelief. He continued, "Age 22. Originally from Aurora, but has been living in Edgewater for the past couple of years. She was reported missing yesterday by concerned relatives. No one has heard from her since Memorial Day Weekend."

Jacob tossed his back and groaned. "Of course, they didn't."

Embry just blinked excessively while Leah swallowed the lump in her throat and cursed under her breath.

Lauren-fucking-Mallory.

Besides being Jessica's roommate, Lauren had attended the infamous party, flirting with Carlisle-motherfucking-Cullen. She would've been there when the grenades went off, and the shooting commenced. She would've seen everything—and she had been forgotten.

It was an honest mistake, she knew it, but she feared it would be a costly one. The cops were supposed to speak to Lauren the Monday following that goddamn party.

Embry slapped his forehead. "Fuck my life," he remarked, sharing both Leah's and Jacob's sentiments. "Really fuck my life."

"Somebody tell me something," Paul demanded. He was sitting behind his desk, leaning back with his ankles crossed on the table, he staring down the trio of cops in front of him—He wasn't in the best moods, but he was noticeably a lot calmer than on the night of the ambush.

"She was there," Jacob said, once again taking one for the team. "She was at the party. I don't know how she got in or why, but she was there."

"And where did she go?"

"We don't know," Leah told the captain. "Everything went to hell when the explosion happened. She wasn't confirmed as one of the dead, so she's most likely still alive."

"Or dead," Jacob said. "She's a witness. They may get rid of her before she can start talking."

"Then they would have killed her then and there," Leah countered. "Why whisk her away?"

"Maybe none of them took her?" Embry offered. "Maybe she just escaped and hiding out of fear for her life?"

Paul sat up. "Find out where she is and fast."

"Sometimes, I really hate my job," Leah grumbled she read through Lauren's missing person's report for the umpteenth time. She wished she had received this news last week; maybe they could do something about it. "She's been missing for almost two weeks now. Two weeks."

"There's a very long time," Embry pointed out the obvious. "Usually, it doesn't bode well for the missing… She could be in a ditch somewhere."

Jacob shot him a look.

"Or, she could be alive," Leah countered. "Which, for our cases, really needs to be the case. She lived with Jessica. She went to a goddamn vampire party; she must know more than she's letting on. I mean, how on earth did she get an invitation to that party?"

Jacob picked up his desk phone and quickly dialing a number. "Hey, Paul, how quickly can we get a search warrant into Lauren's place?" He grinned at the captain's response. "Thanks, man."

"How long?" Embry asked.

Jacob hung up the phone and scribbled a note on post- it. "A couple of hours. The court's all tied up with today's trial."

"Oh, right. I forgot about that."

So, did Leah. Occasionally, she had to remind herself that other crimes were being committed beside the investigated by the task force. "Was it the armed robbery one?"

"Yep," Jacob said. "Thankfully for us, Sorio's out of the office for the next month. On vacation. So, there's an adjunct."

"Right," Leah said, and then asked, "An honest one?"

Jacob shrugged. "He seems decent enough. Paul claims he has no connections to the Cullen's or the Volturi, so that's a plus." He slapped a hand on his desk. "Finish up with what you're doing; there's someone we have to visit. Someone who may give us some insight into this Lauren Mallory."

"Who, her parents?" Embry asked.

"No, Alistair."

"You're Paul's alpha," Leah told Jacob during the ride to Alistair's home. Jacob didn't say anything, save for a surprised grunt. "That night. When the ambush happened, and Paul was five seconds away from shifting and you kinda, somehow, stopped it," she recalled the best she could because that moment had been weird. Everyone in that office, except her, as usual, had known what was going on. "Remember?"

"How did you reach that conclusion?"

Leah narrowed her eyes. "You're not denying it."

"I need to watch what I do and say around you," Jacob said, sheepishly shaking his head. "I don't do that often, by the way. I'm not one of those micro-managers; it's too fucking exhausting, and it doesn't help with morale."

"But that night...?"

"I didn't want Paul to cause a scene," Jacob said as if it was the most obvious thing. "So, I did what I did."

"You know, you could have just denied everything."

"I could," Jacob admitted. "But apparently, I can't lie to you."

"Everyone can lie," Leah contended, feeling a bit… she didn't know how to feel about that response. She wished Jacob didn't say things like that. "And does."

"Aren't you a cynic?"

"It makes life easier, " Leah replied. It was just then, as Jacob stopped at the red light when she remembered that Embry had been in the back seat of the car, the entire time. Not saying a word, but paying close attention to the detective's conversation.

She glanced back at him.

He didn't say a word. He just smirked at her with one eyebrow raised.

"She was not one of my girls," Alistair informed the detectives, staring at Lauren's photo. He didn't seem too impressed with the woman's glamour shot, made during her amateur-Instagram model phase.

"Have you met her before?" Jacob asked, glancing to his left where, behind the door, Embry stood, guarding the living room with Alistair's receptionist.

"Once," Alistair admitted, reaching over his glass table for a Cuban cigar. He offered one to the detectives; they both declined. Shrugging, he lit up the tobacco and carried on, "It was not anything special. Jessica had bought her around in hopes of doing things together. Some people deem it safer that way. Why go to someone's place alone when you can tag along with a friend and get paid more?"

"Why didn't you choose her?" Leah asked. She could already think of a few laws the man admitted to breaking in his last statement, but she would worry about a plea deal at a later time. "She's pretty enough."

"Yes, but she lacked grace," Alistair said before taking a long drag. He glanced at the photo again and shook his head. "Too… what's the term the youth use these days? Thirsty for my liking."

Jacob raised an eyebrow.

Leah never wanted to hear such a word coming out of the mouth of Alistair ever again. She paraphrased Alistair's statement in her notepad. "I thought it all for the love of the money?"

"It is," Alistair replied. "But it does not mean you reveal all of your intentions on a silver platter in front of the clients. Most of them are entirely aware that the relationship is not based on love. But for that brief time, you have to convince them otherwise. You have to sell them a fantasy. "

"And you didn't think she had what it took?" Jacob asked.

"No."

"Do you any idea why she would be invited to a Cullen party?" Leah asked.

"Heavens, no." Alistair let out a chuckle, dismissing the implication with the wave of his hand. "Esme has enough to deal with one mistress—well, one former mistress. Why torture herself with another?"

Jacob narrowed his eyes. "Maybe she didn't know?"

"Oh, she would know," Alistair said, insistent. He took another drag before carrying on, "Do not let her demeanor fool you, Detective. Everything Carlisle does, she knows about. Whether he admits it or not." He faced Leah. "Why are you asking about her anyway?"

"She's missing."

Alistair leaned forward to crush his cigar in his gold ashtray. He sat back against the couch. "How unfortunate," he said, voice void of any concern. "Unfortunate, indeed."

"I have a plan."

Admittedly, it wasn't a well-thought-out one, but it might be crazy enough to work. It involved Jenks and some backdoor tactics. The courts couldn't know; Sorio would shoot that down in a blink of an eye. And Paul, he could find out at a better timing; he wouldn't necessarily be upset, but he had spent the past forty-eight grueling hours dealing with his supervisors and the feds.

Jacob raised an eyebrow as he reached for his early morning coffee. "You've been having plenty of plans lately. What's this one?"

"The Emmett-ATF plan is going as excepted, thank you. Anyway, I have a plan to get Lauren back," Leah replied, leaning over her desk, whispered again. She retreated and gave her partner a nod. "Preferably alive, of course, but you just have to trust me on this one."

Jacob studied Leah for a moment before giving her an assuring grin. "When haven't I trusted you? Just don't do anything too illegal, alright?"

Leah let out a dry laugh. She would probably never get over the faith her partner had in her. If he had been the others, he would have likely reported her to the captain. Some had done worse. "Alright."

"I got your leverage."

Jenks glanced at the clock, hanging above the door to his office. 8:20 in the evening. With a raised eyebrow, he turned his attention to the detective standing at his door. "What?" he asked.

Leah approached the prosecutor's desk. She pulled out a file folder from under her arm and slapped it on the prosecutor's desk. "I got your leverage," she repeated, this time adding a smirk.

Jenks slowly picked up the folder, opened it, and pulled out the report. He skimmed it, glanced up at the detective, and then back down. "And why is she important?"

"Because she is Lauren Mallory. The roommate of Jessica Stanley. The one who spoke to us about Sulpicia's necklace. Completely cooperative with the investigation," Leah explained. "She was also at Mike's on the night of the ambush—which my team I were planning to talk to her about. And, now, she's missing. Along with Mike Newton."

Jenks was now interested. "Together?"

"We're not sure."

"Maybe she's one of the dead?"

"She isn't."

Jenks took a deep breath. "I'll talk to Rosalie."

Leah nodded. Knowing that she couldn't speak to Rosalie face-to-face, this was the best course of action. Rosalie was still not thrilled with the detective's plan to make Emmett cooperate—A part of the detective cringed at the thought of dangling a possible kidnapping in front of mobsters. It wasn't entirely ethical, but she supposed that if a superior asked about it, she had a pretty decent excuse—she was essentially killing two birds with one stone.

"Thank you," Leah said.

Jenks placed the report back into the file folder and leaned back in his seat with his hands behind his head. "And Detective Uley?"

"Yes, Counselor?"

"This conversation never happened."

"Of course, not. Have a good night."

"You as well."

"Uley," Leah answered into her phone, almost dropping the device balancing between the face of her face and shoulder. This wasn't the ideal time to speak on the phone, especially as she placed her groceries on her local supermarket's conveyer belt. Thankfully, she was the only one in line. "Hey, Jenks, I'll call you later—"

"Three days" was the prosecutor's only response.

Leah brought her eyebrows together. "What?"

"That's how long they have to bring Lauren back."

"Wait—" Leah stopped and then took the milk out of her basket, rechecking the expiration date. She soon put it down as well. "How?"

"Leverage," the prosecutor said, voice dropping to a whisper. It sounded like he was entering an elevator. "A deal had to be made."

"Which calls for…?"

"I'll talk to you later, Detective. Stop by tomorrow after work."

"Rosalie Hale is willing to convince Sorio to drop the injunction contingent on me not providing the feds any information in regards to her client's connection to the Mike's Lounge Incident."

"The Cullen's are suspects…" Leah slowly reminded the prosecutor. "Hold up, isn't that illegal?"

"Not unless I'm subpoenaed," Jenks said. "I don't view this as obstruction. As far as the feds are concerned, they're treating the ambush as a domestic terrorism incident involving the supernatural. We're not involved, thanks to the Deal."

"But Paul's taskforce…"

"It technically doesn't exist, remember?" Jenks pointed out. "When Lauren returns, would you like us to send her to Paul?"

"You seem extremely confident about her reappearance."

"I don't want to sound like some Godfather-impersonator, but I did make Rosalie, and by extension, her clients, an offer they couldn't refuse."

"Jasper's searching for your girl," Benjamin told Leah and Jacob the following evening. He was sitting inside his car (A simple black 2016 Toyota Camry, nothing too flashy. Nothing for anyone to notice), parked inside an abandoned parking lot in Albany Park and a couple of feet away from Jacob's car.

The meeting had to be short, even if it were near midnight, and no other souls were in the vicinity.

The detectives exchanged looks.

"Should we be concerned about this?" Jacob asked.

Benjamin shook his head. "No, he's on strict orders not to kill her."

"Why is he searching for her now?" Leah asked, still not believing she was involved in this mess. Admittedly, it was pretty exciting, but a part of her wished she was simply working on a simple homicide case. Not a conspiracy involving the supernatural, murder and now, kidnapping.

"Oh, come on, I'm sure you know that your ASA and Hale have their little, under the table deals."

Jacob glanced at his partner, smirking proudly. "Ah, yes," he said with a nod before turning the key in the ignition. Leah had told him all about her conversation with Jenks. "Hey, man, let us know when she gets back?" he requested. "We need to talk to her."

"Sure thing," the agent said with two thumbs up, and then asked, "So…?"

"Oh, right." Leah pulled out a folded note from her pocket and handed it over to Benjamin. It wasn't much, just written notes. After he quickly reviewed it, she carried on, "According to our source, Victoria had a hand in the ambush, but there's a possibility that the Volturi is somehow behind this. They could've contracted Victoria to do the hit. She has an incentive to do so, and she's pretty strapped for cash."

Benjamin raised an eyebrow. "Oh, really?"

"Are you surprised?" Jacob asked. "Tanya's been raiding all of Victoria's warehouses for UV's and blood.

"Ah, that explains the shipment from a couple of weeks ago," the agent said, nodding. "See, nobody tells me things." He shrugged, not concerned. "Just brought in a truck-full last week."

"Where are these warehouses?"

"Somewhere in the Southside," Benjamin said. "And there's two near Midway."

"Any near the Stock Yards?"

"There's a couple, including the one where all those people were found."

"Thank you, Miss Mallory, for meeting with us."

It was Monday afternoon, approximately twenty minutes after the detectives found the young woman sitting calmly in the precinct waiting area, wishing to talk to the detectives.

The look on Lauren's face said that she was confident, but there was a sense of anxiety surrounded her, which hadn't been there fifteen minutes ago. No, fifteen minutes ago, Lauren had been sitting down, waiting for the detectives to fetch her, with her head up high like she was about to send everyone who had done her wrong right to the slammer.

Leah wondered where the anxiety came from. She hadn't asked anything thought-provoking. Jacob's body language was relaxed, slouching in his seat, playing with a coin between his thumb and pointer finger. The detectives had no intention of arresting the woman. They wanted to talk to her, and she wanted to speak to them; it was all mutual.

The last thing Leah wanted was for Lauren to be uncomfortable. Uncomfortable meant that the subject's walls would never falter. They would result in blank stares, useless, guarded one-word answers, and would end up being a waste of time.

"There's no need to call me that," Lauren said, plied lightly, giving both Leah and Jacob a small, nervous smile. She did the same for Embry, who was leaning against the interview door, arms crossed, expression uncharacteristically serious. "Lauren's just fine."

"Lauren," Leah tried, pushing the cup of water in Lauren's direction. The young woman had swallowed a few times, clearing her throat. She glanced at Jacob, waiting for some confirmation to continue. When he nodded, she carried on. "We're glad to see you in good shape."

Lauren took a sip of water and raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "Should I not be?"

"Your friends reported you as missing the Sunday before Memorial Day," Jacob told her. "They seemed alarmed, so we treated your supposed disappearance as a kidnapping."

"I wasn't kidnapped," Lauren stressed, eyebrows drawing together. She appeared offended that Jacob would even suggest such a thing.

"Okay, you weren't kidnapped," Leah said, deciding to play along. "Then why couldn't anyone reach you, and why are you here?"

Lauren hesitated, staring at her half-filled cup of water. She picked up the cup and quickly emptied it. "I have a conscious, you know," she quietly replied. "I couldn't just stay quiet."

"You need a lawyer," Jacob said.

"Do I?" Lauren questioned. "I didn't do anything wrong. At all. Especially after what happened with Jessica? I'm not trying to land in jail or what."

"What are you here to discuss?" Leah asked.

"These past few days," Lauren started, swallowing. "Been insane, I tell you. Insane. All I wanted to do was have a good time. Go to a party. Have some drinks. Meet with some people. Make a connection. That was it."

"It was a private party," Jacob said. "How did you get an invitation?"

"Apparently, this party was months in the making," Lauren said, shrugging. "Jessica had invited me. I saw the invite on my table a few days before—she would have wanted me to go."

"And you went by yourself?" Leah asked, writing in her note pad.

Lauren held her head up high. "I can take care of myself, thank you."

"Did you enjoy yourself?"

Lauren's eyes flickered to Leah's face. "It was alright." She shrugged. "It wasn't my scene, and then, of course, everything got crazy really fast."

Leah shifted in her seat and folded her hands on the table. "Let's talk about that. What happened?"

"I don't know. One moment everything was normal, and then the next, there was this huge boom, and then there was smoke and fire and… the shooting."

"How did you escape?"

"By the grace of God, that's how," Lauren said, dropping her gaze. "Mike Newton, you know, the owner, was there and he pushed me down this hole in the ground right after the shooting began. And then I followed him through the tunnel…"

"And what happened after that?"

Lauren blinked. "What happened?"

"Your friends reported you missing that weekend," Jacob told Lauren.

"Missing?" Lauren gasped, and then whispered, "Oh."

"Oh?"

"Damn it, I just couldn't—" Lauren stopped to catch a breath. "I— everything was so crazy. I had to leave Chicago because what if the gunmen hunt me down? What could I have done? I wasn't involved in any of that mess..."

"You wanted to disappear," Leah confirmed.

"I would've come back," Lauren insisted vehemently. "I swear, but..."

"Where did you go?"

"We just traveled on 80-West until we reached Nebraska. Even for a moment, thought about going up to Canada, but of course, since this happened so fast, we didn't have our passports..."

The detective shared a look.

"Who's we?" Jacob asked.

Lauren froze.

"Who's we?" Jacob asked again.

Lauren's gaze shifted to the area where the white wall met the carpeted floor. "Mike..." she finally said in a whisper.

"As in Mike Newton?" Leah wanted to clarify.

"Yes."

"Why the hesitation?"

"He—I'll have you know, he didn't do anything wrong," Lauren started vehemently. "In fact, he was the one who saved my life. He was the one who got me out of that club, and into his car... we drove out west until we hit Nebraska, and then, he found us."

Leah decided to drop the Mike-subject until later. "Who?"

"I didn't catch his actual name, but Mike called him, Cigar… no, Sicario."

Jacob, as if all of his questions had just been answered, leaned back in his seat with both eyebrows raised and a hand on his chin. He used the other hand to write down the woman's statement quickly.

"Description?" Leah asked, although she honestly didn't have to get one. She knew exactly who Lauren was talking about.

"Pale, really pale," Lauren quietly replied. "Blond shoulder length hair? But it was puffy sort of. Wavy, I guess? He was handsome, but like in an old-school way. Like someone from the seventies. Like he was in a seventies rock band, or something—Mike was scared of him."

"Did this man hurt you?"

"No," Lauren said, rubbing a hand up and down her arm. "All he did was gave Mike a look. I can't really describe it, but Mike freaked out and ordered me to go with him."

"Where's Mike now?" Leah then asked.

Lauren's body stiffened again. She visibly swallowed, gaze dropped to the table, mumbling something under her breath that Leah couldn't catch (but Jacob might have). "Uh..." she started.

"It wouldn't be in your best interests to come up with a lie," Leah reminded the young woman. "Be honest. We promise you're not in trouble."

"Promise," Jacob added.

Lauren kept her gaze glued to the table, blinking occasionally. Based on her body language, she wanted the detectives to squash the topic. Talk about, perhaps, Jessica or just what happened at the party like Lauren had planned. But they weren't going to let this question go. The look in Leah's eye when she finally gained enough courage to glance up told her so.

"I wasn't trying to lie," Lauren finally said.

Jacob was becoming impatient. "Just tell us where Mike is."

"I don't know—"

"Lauren."

"I don't know," Lauren maintained, clearing her throat a few times before carrying on, "He came back with me, back to Chicago, but as soon as I got to Buffalo Grove, he disappeared."

"Why were you so hesitant to tell us this if you just didn't know?" Jacob asked, folding his hands on the desk, leaning forward, studying the woman in front of him intently.

"I wasn't supposed to say anything," Lauren quietly admitted, peeking in the direction of the entrance.

Leah raised an eyebrow. So, Lauren wasn't supposed to open her mouth, and yet she was still here, still talking, not looking like she wanted to bolt out of the room despite being uncomfortable. Leah made a note of that. "Who told you that?"

Lauren sighed, tracing the rim of her cup with a finger. "Rosalie Hale."

Leah would have been surprised (and a bit disappointed) if Rosalie hadn't said anything to Lauren. From a practical sense, especially for those who didn't trust the law, not talking was the smartest thing to do. But Leah didn't want to think Lauren didn't trust the law; if she hadn't, she wouldn't have taken the risk to come to Paul's.

"Do you have reasons to fear for your life?" Leah asked.

Lauren blinked a couple of times before shaking her head. "Absolutely not."

Leah maintained a steady gaze. Lauren was lying; Leah knew it, and Jacob knew it. She didn't understand why Lauren was lying through her teeth. The detective hadn't been the one to call her, insisting on a conversation. She came here out of her own free will.

"So, no threats were made?"

Lauren repeated her answer.

Jacob leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms, practically leering at the woman who refused to meet his gaze. "Not to be mean, but, Lauren, I find that hard to believe."

"Well, it's the truth," Lauren said. Her stance was far stiffer than before. She hadn't prepared for this questioning, at all.

"Are you willing to testify in front of a grand jury?" Leah asked, changing the subject. It was the most important question of this entire conversation. Nothing much would matte if Lauren refused to sit on the witness stand.

"I don't know what I want or willing to do," Lauren said, dropping her shoulders, but she wasn't feeling any better. She looked moments away from crying. "I just want to forget about all of this, and—"

"With all due respect, Lauren, you should have thought about that before attending that party," Leah said. She hated blaming the victim, but damn Lauren should have used better judgment. "You are a witness whether you like it or not. So, let me ask you again: are you willing to testify as a witness when the time comes?"

"Am I in trouble?"

"Like we said before," Jacob said. "We're not after you. We only need your help. You don't have to give us an answer right this moment." He gave Leah a quick look. "But it would greatly help our investigation if you do."

"You'd need a lawyer first," Leah explained. "Anything you agree to here is unofficial. Once you get counsel, we can think about making a deal."

Lauren looked between the detectives, terrified. "I thought I wasn't in trouble?"

"You're not," Jacob said. "But you're still a part of this investigation."

"How do you feel about witness protection?"

"It's horrible."

"But you'd be alive."

Lauren shifted her gaze from Leah to Jacob and back. She sat up tall in her seat, trying to remain strong, unfazed by the past events, but she knew deep inside, the young woman knew the mess she found herself in. "I don't want it."

Jacob let out a frustrated sigh.

Leah couldn't say she was too surprised. "Lauren, you attended a party hosted by mobsters. You were there when the ambush happened, so you know that these people are capable of. You've already seen what happened to your friend—you need protection."

For a second, Leah thought she got to Lauren, but before she could say anything else, Lauren let out a huff. "I'm fine," she insisted despite the concern looks on the detectives' faces. "Honest. I don't plan on staying in Chicago for much longer."

Jacob let out a sigh and then informed the younger woman, "You are aware that these people will follow you out of Chicago, right? They know who you are."

"I'll be fine."

Leah and Jacob shared an exasperated look.

"She's as good as dead."

Leah sighed as she watched Lauren Mallory entered a cab through the precinct windows. She wished she could hold the woman back. Maybe talk some more sense into her, but she didn't have the authority. No one really did unless they planned on arresting her. But on what grounds? Being a witness? Attending a party? Being the roommate of a murder victim? Once Lauren obtained a lawyer, the precinct would get chewed up, and Paul didn't need that—all Leah could do was hope for the best.

"Oh, come on, Jacob," Embry said, fishing for some pocket change; he was eyeing the candy bar in the vending machine next to him. "Don't you have any faith in humanity?"

"Oh, I have faith in humanity," Jacob said, and then cursed as Lauren's car drove away. "But I ain't dumb. They're gonna find out, whether she decides to testify or not, and then hunt her down for being a rat."

"She's convinced she'll be fine," Leah said, still trying to convince herself of such. Lauren seemed to have her head on straight, relatively-speaking; she must be aware of the dangers and maybe, just maybe, took some precautions. "She's a grown woman. She can make her own decisions."

"I'm not saying that she can't. It's that—Jasper can sense emotions," Jacob argued, turning around to head back to the open office space. He seemed troubled. "He'll smell it off her—"

"But what makes you think his senses are perfect," Leah challenged. "After all, isn't Benjamin roaming around the coven, seemingly untouched? Now, unless Jasper is in on it, he may not be aware of our informant's true allegiance."

"So, you think Lauren can pull this off?" Embry asked.

"Well, she's lasted this far," Leah replied, shrugging. "Maybe she'll surprise us—but enough about Lauren, for now. We have to do something about Mike's. He's MIA."

"Paul said he already assigned a couple of guys to it," Jacob said. "Don't worry. He'll be back."

"And what if he doesn't?" Leah challenged.

"He'll be back."