Regardless, he had to put it out of his mind as much as he could to focus on Nico. He’d gotten the warrant from the judge and had served it to the cell service provider Nico used. He hoped to receive tracking information by the end of the week. In the meanwhile, he had a dozen interviews to reschedule now that Nico’s case had been updated from a missing persons inquiry to an active murder investigation. That took up the majority of his afternoon.

It was nearing five o’clock, and Jensen had already left for the day, with strict orders for Micah to do the same. (That was an hour ago.) He was surprised Tessa was still lingering around, considering it was a Sunday, and he knew for a fact that she had the day off.

Her motivation behind staying late became clear, however, when she clocked out immediately after him and looped her arm around his elbow. “Drive me home, would you, Micah? I’m not feeling well.” She placed a hand over her belly to emphasize her “fragile” state.

It was all a ruse, of course, to rebuke him over the Damon situation some more.

“He’s a criminal and you’re a cop,” she all but hissed at him as soon as he got behind the wheel of her beat-up, red Toyota. “You realize how stupid that is, right?”

Micah didn’t have to ask who or what she was talking about.

He sighed, but begrudgingly started Tessa’s car, knowing he was in for a long fifteen minute drive. “I know, okay?”

“Then why did you agree to something so… so brainless? You said yourself that it isn’t about the money, and I know the man is built like a horse, but no dick – or ass, for that matter – is worth putting your life on the line over-”

“I know, Tessa,” Micah said, hoping that if he repeated himself the woman would understand he knew how ill-advised the weird, little relationship he was building with Damon was. “I just like him, okay?”

“And what exactly is it that you like so much about him that you’re willing to play chicken with your life?” she demanded, looking skeptical. “Not to mention what it would do to your career if it got out that you were dating a professional criminal.”

Micah winced. He hadn’t considered that.

“Is it that he makes you feel special?” she continued. “That he’s rich and important, and drops thousands of dollars on you without blinking an eye?”

“That’s not-”

“Hey, I’m not judging,” she cut in. “I’m just saying that there are tons of rich, attractive fish in the sea – just like Damon, sans the criminal history – that would love to have a pretty thing like you hanging off their arm, and that would pamper you with attention, and all sorts of gifts-”