7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Leigh

" H e's cute," Tabitha said once Tolly had slipped out the door.

"It's not like that."

She stared him down with a well-groomed eyebrow raise.

"Fine. It could be like that, but right now we're just friends. Roommates."

"You don't have a second bedroom, William." She called his bluff. Not that it really was a bluff, things were just complicated. "Relationships are good. I'm glad you made a friend without a record for once, but there's chatter on the streets about Sweeney and the Morettis heating up. I don't want you caught in the middle."

"I won't be. I can't help it if I happen to live in their territories. Moving is expensive. Maybe if the cops could catch either of them on something, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"You got some leads you want to throw my way?" she asked. She had to try.

"Sorry, fresh out."

"Same old tune? Do you really want to turn out like your father?"

Leigh looked away from her. She always brought that up, because his deadbeat dad had been in and out of jail most of his life before he drank himself to death. The last thing Leigh ever wanted was to be even a shadow of him, but some things were inescapable. It was one of the reasons he never drank.

"We done here? I showed up on time, didn't I?"

She had no legal reasons to report badly about him—yet—but that didn't make her any less upset with his evasion. "I need pay stubs or a real plan of action for a job next time or I'm done with you. You hear me?"

The last thing Leigh needed right now was her breathing down his neck for the next few weeks. "I guess there is something I wasn't sure how to ask about."

"I'm listening."

"How's an ex-con supposed to get a business loan?"

"Business loan?"

"I'm not exactly appealing to the banks, but there's a place in my neighborhood about to be empty. Could be an opportunity. Always wanted my own shop, maybe get some of my neighbors to stop hitting me up in my home and start becoming paying customers. Tolly's been pushing me toward it." Leigh shrugged, taking to the lie easily because it wasn't a full lie. "See, good influence, just like you'd want."

"Want me to put in a good word, see what's possible?"

"Worth a shot, right?"

"I'm proud of you, William," she said. "These are tough decisions, but isn't it better to try something different than to get sucked into all that drama with Sweeney again? Petty theft is one thing, but I'd hate for you to end up doing something you'd regret."

Heaviness settled in Leigh's stomach like it was filled with the same cement that had once weighted his ankles. "Me too, Beckett. Me too."

It was only meant to get her off his back while he planned a man's murder. He shouldn't be so curious about how things might turn out if she returned with good news.

Leigh worried he wouldn't find Tolly in the lobby right up until he turned the corner and found him waiting patiently. It still threw him for a loop that Tolly even existed. Though as far as the system was concerned, he didn't , and Leigh needed to fix that before Tabitha did any real digging on "Tolly Allen."

"Where to now?" Tolly asked.

"Now, we get you a backstory and an ID."

They left the building, and Leigh couldn't help but notice how Tolly seemed more determined in his step, though about what, Leigh wasn't sure yet. He just hoped he never had to see him come to his defense with such brutality again. It didn't suit him at all.

Not like the monster following at Leigh's heels.

He froze, nearly tripping over his feet as he passed a long row of glass windows, because for a split second, he could have sworn that beside him was the monster from his nightmare. He hadn't gotten a good look in the dream, not really, but he remembered bloodred skin, black eyes, the fangs and claws and deadly intent….

"Leigh?" Tolly came up beside him, looking into the reflections as well, but there was no monster. It was just him and Tolly.

"I'm fine," he said, because he was good at lying, after all. Forcing a grin for Tolly's sake, he pushed aside his fears and focused on what he could control. "Let's go make you a real boy, Mr. Allen."