Disclaimer: I do not own Moonlight. I have adopted it and plan to play with it often.

Happy New Year my friends! Thank you for the lovely reviews, they keep me going. I hope you enjoy this next installment.

Chapter 5

Beth stirred slowly a she felt the strong arms slipping away from around her in the darkness.

"Are you leaving?" she mumbled softly as she rolled on her side to see the dark figure picking up clothing from the floor.

"I'm sorry I woke you. Yes, I was going to head home to my freezer," Mick's apologetic voice came to her. He pulled on his pants and shrugged into his shirt.

"What time is it?" Beth asked groggily, trying to focus on the clock.

"Its 3:30 in the morning," Mick answered as he sat on the side of the bed. He reached out to cup her cheek tenderly. "I am sorry I disturbed your sleep."

"You were sneaking out," Beth accused sleepily. She pushed herself up on one elbow. "Don't sneak out on me."

"Okay, I won't sneak out. I just hated waking you when you have a job to get to in a few hours," Mick said quietly.

Beth reached out with her fee hand to grasp his shirt collar. She pulled him closer.

"Don't ever leave me while I'm sleeping," she chided, hurt creeping into her voice.

"Okay Beth," Mick agreed and gathered her close. He held her tightly, happily inhaling her scent. "I am going to have to get a bed at my place, and then I can stay with you longer," he murmured against her hair.

Beth shivered happily in his arms, her face buried in his chest. The thought of Mick making room for her at his place made her heart flip. He was making an effort to include her in his world.

"I love that idea," she whispered against his skin as her fingers slipped inside his unbuttoned shirt.

"Beth…I really do need to go and you need your sleep," Mick cautioned as he gripped her wrists gently. "Beth….."

"I know…..I know," she sulked. "But I love you."

"I love you too," Mick responded and kissed her tenderly. "I promise I will see you tonight. We have time Beth, plenty of time for us, okay?" he finished with a smile.

"All right," Beth answered as she felt sleep beginning to tug her back into its grip.

"Rest well," Mick whispered as he pressed her back into the sheets and tucked the covers around her. "I'll call you."

Beth tried to resist the sleepiness but she lost out, feeling safe as her Guardian Angel tucked her in.

*M*M*

The next day in the DA's office, Ben Talbot poked his head in Beth's cubicle just before noon.

"Beth, would you join me for lunch?" he asked with a charming smile.

"Sure Ben," Beth replied feeling puzzled. Ben had been rather cool towards her since the Monaghan incident and this request caught her off guard. She had not had much direct contact with the ADA in the past week.

A half hour later they were seated in a nearby bistro. After ordering, Beth relaxed and sipped her water. She waited for Ben to get to the point of this luncheon. The handsome ADA took a swallow of his iced tea and then focused on her.

"You are doing good work," he finally said.

"Thanks Ben. I know I haven't been at it long but I'm getting in the swing of things. Is this invitation to lunch a job evaluation?" she asked with a smile.

Talbot returned the smile, he forgotten how quick she was. It should not surprise him that she would get to the heart of the matter immediately.

"No, this isn't about your work," Ben admitted. "I am trying to settle my report on Emma Monaghan's escape. I want to ask you some questions about Josef Kostan," he added sitting back and waiting for her reaction to his question.

"Josef Kostan? Why would you ask me about him?" Beth asked, surprise creeping into her voice. This wasn't where she expected this conversation to go.

"I know you know him and that he is St. John's friend. I have suspicions that he is connected to Emma Monaghan's escape," Ben said seriously.

Beth's mind whirled furiously, knowing she had to watch her words carefully.

"You think that Josef Kostan; billionaire hedge fund trader, a man who supports numerous charities and built the new Hearst sports arena is somehow involved in Emma's escape? What would make you think that?" she asked incredulously.

"He was involved in Emma's defense, it was his lawyer that represented her in court and he was present in the courtroom himself. I'm not stupid Beth, there was a reason he expressed such an interest in her case," Ben stated firmly. He was not able to tell her that Kostan's name was on a list of names locked away in his desk. The same mysterious list of confusing names that ended with Beth's new boyfriend, Mick St. John. There had been no further contact from his unknown caller since the night the list had been delivered and he was frustrated not to have any answers.

Beth carefully considered the responses she could safely give Ben.

"I'm not sure I have any information that can help you Ben. Simone works for Josef and I believe he knew the Monaghans through her. I remember that Simone mentioned she did work for Dominic's family so I assume she knew the Monaghans that way. I'm sure that is why she represented Emma. Josef was in court because he was curious, he took what happened the night of the dedication personally," Beth told him staying as close to the truth as she could.

"Those are still a lot of coincidences Beth," Ben said patiently.

"What reason would Josef have to try and break Emma out of custody?" Beth questioned.

"I don't know but this whole escape just smells to me," Ben muttered.

"Were there any witnesses to what happened?" Beth asked. Prior to this she had avoided asking what Ben knew of the escape. She did not want to appear too curious.

"No and both guards were killed in the crash when the van rolled. Someone caused the accident and extracted Emma from the wreckage," he answered sourly.

"And you believe that Josef Kostan was involved in that?" Beth asked skeptically.

"I'm thinking that Jackson Monaghan had a part in this since he's missing as well. But a clean escape like this takes money and that is something Kostan has plenty of," Ben said meaningfully.

The waitress delivered Beth's salad and Ben's sandwich and Beth pushed the lettuce around on her plate as she considered what he had said.

"I was at the Monaghan's office, I don't think money was a problem for them," she said slowly. She didn't add she had also been at their home with Mick as well.

"You're right," Ben sighed. "I took a lot of heat for this mess and it leaves a bad taste in my mouth. There is too much mystery around Kostan and I don't like mysteries," he added taking a bite of his sandwich.

Beth ate some of her salad and thought about what he said. She needed to find a way to deflect Ben's interest from Josef.

"I'm not sure I would continue to pursue these questions if I were you Ben," she finally said. "I don't think it is a wise political move to cast suspicions on someone with Josef Kostan's clout unless you have some solid evidence. You do not strike me as a man who commits career suicide this way."

Ben laughed, shaking his head in amusement. He really did like how this woman's mind worked. She was right; he had no intention of risking his job by making unfounded accusations against someone with Kostan's power. This had been a fishing expedition and Beth had refused to take the bait. He felt she might know more but he couldn't call her on it. It was clear he needed to keep a close eye on her and stay on friendly terms. He didn't like the questions he had about her because he was drawn to her, so he deftly changed the conversation to the latest case Beth was researching and the rest of the lunch passed pleasantly.

Later that afternoon Beth quietly placed a call to Mick.

"Hi," she said softly when he answered. "I really need to see you tonight. It's important."

"What's up Beth? Are you still at work?" Mick asked, sensing something was wrong.

"I am, so I can't go into detail. Let's just say I have something that a friend really needs to know," she answered in a very low voice.

"Who? Do you mean Josef?" Mick said intuitively.

"Yes."

"Do you want to go to his office? I'll give him a call."

"How about we meet at Dusk to Dawn later? Kira and I have some plans to finalize," Beth suggested.

"I just can't keep you out of the place," Mick chuckled. "I will let Josef know and tell him to meet us. Shall I pick you up?"

"I think I will meet you there at nine. I have some errands to run first. Is that okay?" she asked.

"Sure Beth, I'll meet you there. I have a few things to see to myself. I really need to find a bed." Mick's low voice caused Beth to shiver and put a big grin on her face.

"Sounds wonderful Mick. I will see you at nine at Dusk to Dawn," she said breathlessly before ending the call.

Beth didn't see that Talbot paused just outside her cubicle and had listened to the very end of her call. He heard her set up a date to meet St. John at a place he was not familiar with for later that night. Returning to his office he quickly checked out Dusk to Dawn on the internet and learned it was a local night club that featured jazz and blues. He wasn't comfortable with the idea of spying on an employee but he could see no other way to get the answers he needed. He had to begin somewhere and it appeared that a night out was in order.

End chapter.

So there you have it. Our ADA is suspicious and he is going to do some snooping. I hope you enjoyed this. Remember, the author has a review addiction that loves to be fed. Thank you.