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Leia looked up at her with so much love in those eyes—even for someone who wasn't used to being around kids, I could tell that these two had become inseparable. Juniper was like the mom Leia deserved.
Reed touched my shoulder briefly. "I need to talk to you guys about Hunter."
My brows knit. Cap had been evasive about his call with Ramsay the whole of last night. And he'd straight up and disappeared this morning.
This meant he was hot on the trail of something or someone.
I nodded at Miguel and then Juniper, who looked at the time and exclaimed, "Okay! Leia, little lady, you have to get yourself to bed now so you can be all gussied up for school tomorrow."
Leia bobbed her head up and down happily. "This was the most amazing night. Thanks for doing this for me, Junie."
Juniper leaned down and kissed her head. In the dim yellow lights of the room, it looked like the tenderest moment I'd ever witnessed—the love in Juniper's eyes was the same that I saw in my mom's eyes. And the many moms I'd met on my missions. It was beautiful.
"Let's go," Reed said, patting Leia's shoulder gently. "You need to sleep."
Leia, for once, didn't hit back at Reed with a snappy reply. Instead, she bundled up everything she got.
Juniper packed the remains of the cake, although most of it was in Miguel's stomach, and she walked back to our apartment with us.
"G'night, Leia." She stopped at the door and hugged her once more.
We waited until Leia was in her room and in bed before getting together.
"So, what is it? Why've you been acting so cryptic?"
"It's our client. Turns out he's nothing but a dirty fuckin’ liar. He's a con artist. A swindler."
"What?" I sat down on the couch, beer in my hand. "What're you going on about?"
Miguel was quiet, listening to every word he had to say.
"He's manipulated women all over this town, and in some others, too. He uses them, gets sensitive financial information out of them, and then leaves them with nothing."
"You mean he's a scammer?"
"Pretty much. And I think we've been pretty sloppy, not figuring this out by now. With everything that had been going on, I didn't consider running a thorough background check on Hunter. I should have."
Miguel and I exchanged another glance. "So, there's... do you think Juniper is tied to this somehow? Like with what he does? Else, why would the thing with credit cards keep coming up?"
Reed let out a frustrated groan. "I don't know. I can't, can I? Not unless she comes and tells me. Paladin, I need you to talk to her tomorrow."
I balked. "And ask her about her past? Man, I can't do that!"
"No, not her past. Just—just talk to her," he replied, wringing his hands. "I don't know how to help that woman, damn her. I–I love her, and I want to keep her safe, and it feels like I'm doing everything else but that."
That was when we got a knock on the door.
Miguel immediately reached for his gun, earning a heavy scowl from me. "Can you not? At least not in the fucking house?"
Miguel shrugged peacefully. "One of us has to be prepared, and it ain't gonna be you."
"Fuck you," I muttered, standing up to go to the door.
"Who is it?"
"Asher, it's me."
Juniper usually stayed up at night reading books and doing crosswords. I knew that because I'd seen her from my bedroom window like a lovelorn puppy.
