Page 78 of Power & Punishment

I bite the inside of my bottom lip just to stop myself from closing the gap between us.

“Like I ever had a choice.”

“That’s right,” he bites. “You’ll never have a choice around me because you gave that up the second you stepped into this.”

“I—” I stop myself. I can’t trust what will come out of my mouth right now.

Swallowing hard, I force myself to sit up straight and ignore the pull he has on me. “Does the name Marco Bellini mean anything to you?”

“I thought you weren’t telling me anything,” Leo says, crossing his arms.

“I’m not,” I say. “It’s just a question. I’ll show you mine when you show me yours.”

And just like that, our charged moment dissipates into thin air.

Leo’s grin slips, but only slightly. “Where did you hear that name?” he asks, attempting to coax more information out of me.

“Depends. Why did things get weird when I told your family I’m a cop?”

A beat passes, but no one budges.

Leo exhales slowly. “Then I guess we’re done talking.”

“You look like shit,” Keith says, not bothering with a hello or a good morning even though I had the decency to pick him up a coffee on my way in this morning.

But he’s not wrong.

“You always know exactly what to say,” I deadpan, shooting him a dirty look.

He’s quiet for a moment, his eyes trained on the computer in front of him as he squirms in place. “Seriously,” he begins, clearing his throat. “Did you sleep last night?”

My stomach tightens.

Barely.

After arguing with Leo for a solid ten minutes after we got back to his place, I convinced him to let me take the spare bedroom. I needed time alone after everything that happened yesterday. Mainly, I needed to remind myself to keep him at arm’s length.

But that quickly bit me in the ass, because apparently I only sleep well when I’m next to him.

“I’m fine,” I say, sliding my jacket off my shoulders and dropping it onto the seat behind me.

Keith crosses his arms, not convinced. “I call bullshit. We’ve been working together way too long for this broody detective act.”

Normally, I’d fire back with a fun antidote or sarcastic comment, but I don’t have the energy this morning. I’m physically here, but my mind is still stuck on last night.

Between finally letting go with Leo and seeing an unexpected side of him in front of his family, I’m losing focus. And I can’t afford to do that when I finally have a lead on Vince’s case.

Which is why I made sure he was still in bed when I left his place this morning.

And I’m ignoring the pit in my stomach each time I check my phone and see he hasn’t texted.

Keith’s eyes narrow. “What is going on, Mia?” he asks, catching me off guard with the way his voice transitions into a deeper tone.

“It’s too early to play Dr. Phil,” I groan, grabbing my mouse and pulling up my email. “I brought you coffee as a peace offering, not an invitation for an impromptu therapy session. Where are we at with the Mooney case?”

“His sister is coming in this afternoon for an interview,” he answers, his lip sinking slightly as he leans forward with a new determination. “Listen, I’m not trying to annoy you. I’m just worried about you. You disappear for hours, never answer my texts, and blow off happy hours. Also, I tried stopping by your place the other day, and your neighbor said you haven’t been home for days. What the hell?”

Fuck.