"You were not kidding that you had a conspiracy wall." Paloma comments as Mordecai tries not to fall backwards from a chair he was standing on while attempting to tack something to the wall.

"I wouldn't say exactly it's a conspiracy wall, it's more of a...an evidence wall." The older man responds before he climbs down. "With...red string."

"No it's a conspiracy wall, I should know, Gabriel and I made one as kids when we were trying to explain to our family how this one cow in the barn was really some sort of shapeshifting vampire."

Mordecai blinks in surprise. "Wait, a cow? How-"

"Don't ask, but the point of that was...that old thing always hovered around the area where we slaughtered the chickens and for some reason always licked the chopping block after we used it." Anyways, what did you come up with?"

"Alright a lot of this for some reason ties back to Asa, but do keep an open mind about what I have." Mordecai says as he points to the wall full of notes scribbled from his notebooks and crude drawings or ripped photographs. "So ever since I started working for Asa, I've had to kill off various different people, many of them small fry and who don't seem to matter. But then I start wondering: why? What does Asa want with a jewelry thief? A gambler? A kettle salesman? What does he want with any of these low level thugs? And then, with this Gracie fellow, I discovered something odd."

"What was it?" Paloma asks, now sounding intrigued.

"He's a low level thug, a thief to be exact, yet he was given a high leveled attorney and asked to be an informant for some detective or high rank officer. Some man named Drago."

"Drago...that name sounds familiar but I can't recall how." Paloma mutters, tapping her forehead in thought. "Ugh, I swear I know that name somewhere!"

"It's fine, we'll go back to that." Mordecai says, grabbing his notebook on the desk to scribble something down before ripping it out and tacking it to the wall. "I still have yet to get information out of him about this Drago, perhaps since you agreed to aid me, you could be of better use."

"Amor, I am very offended that you think of me that way!" Paloma gasps, dramatically placing a hand on her chest before grinning. "But Atlas did tell me I was good at sweet talking people, so perhaps I can butter this man up to get more information."

"Good, it's what we need." Mordecai says with a nod and looks to the wall. "I've refused to tell Kuura and Kalle about this, Asa does not know anything about what I'm doing and I don't want him knowing. Mitzi knows, and you too."

"You don't think he will like you poking around about Atlas?"

"Doubt he'd take kindly to it. Now, let's close up the study, we have an errand to run don't we?"

"I have an errand, you are just driving me." Paloma snorts as they exit the study before she removes a key from her apron pocket and locks the door behind them. "I should redye my fur and hair, I don't like how high my chances of crossing paths with that man are."

"If you don't mind me asking, what's the point of keeping him away?"

"I don't know, Kuura just doesn't want him anywhere near her or the baby, and Kalle would kill him if he was anywhere near us."

"Fair, lest we want the wrath of his sister on us. If you are so worried about him, how about I do the errand? It's just some groceries and pharmacy supplies, I'll drop them off and be on my way back to the apartment."

"Aw, not staying the night?"

"Afraid not, but tomorrow we can see the thief I mentioned to you and get some information out of him. He claims I'll barely get anything out of him, but that's where he's wrong when I have you."

"Aww how sweet!" Paloma cooed, gently taking his face into her hands to squeeze it before giving him a kiss on the snout. "Let's go get your things, they should be dry by now."

She leads him to the living room where his hat, suit jacket, trench coat, the rest of his clothes and shoes are drying by the fire, which thankfully managed to dry well enough. Earlier it had suddenly started raining, which had resulted in poor Mordecai arriving soaked to the bone. Right now he was wearing one of Kalle's buttoned shirts and a pair of Paloma's pants with a pair of house slippers after being towel dried roughly by Kalle.

Paloma left the living room to go grab an umbrella from the closet, checking to make sure it had no holes and opened the front door to see if it was still raining outside. There was a light drizzle, but there was no telling if it will go away or get stronger, so she will have to insist he take the umbrella. She hurried back to the living room to find Mordecai with his back to her almost fully dressed, still working on buttoning his shirt up.

"How is it outside?" He calls out, glancing back at her. "Still pouring?"

"Drizzling, but you should take this in case." Paloma says, holding the umbrella out to him. "Can't have you soaked again, unless you wish to spend the night waiting for your clothes to dry out again."

"They already feel stiff, I'd hate to think how that'd feel soaked again." Mordecai mutters. "I'll bring by a few sets of clothes and pajamas tomorrow, that way I'll have spares here in case I spend the night here again. As kind as Kalle is for lending me his things, I don't like drowning in them."

"You do have the option of wearing my things." Paloma points out with a chuckle. "I'll even lend you one of my dresses too if necessary."

"Absolutely not."

Paloma snorts before grabbing his tie and turning her lover around to loop it around his neck and pull him close to start tying it properly. "There, now you're ready. I'll walk you to the door." She says once she's done. "Take your time, no need to rush and do be careful driving back will you?"

"Don't you worry, I've yet had someone suspicious follow me back." Mordecai assures her before they walk to the front door as he is putting his coat and hat on. "You take care, alright ahuvati?"

Paloma felt her chest flutter slightly and nods before standing on her toes to give him a quick kiss and opens the door to let him leave. Funny how during the first four years of their dating life he had never called her any terms of endearment like she had, yet over a year of them being apart, beating the stuffing out of each other and kissing now had him calling her sweet names like ahuvati, metukà, yekiratì or even schatz, terms of endearment in two of the languages he spoke with such affection in his eyes. She never understood why, but she really couldn't complain when he'd use one and it'd make her heart flutter like that.

"Ugh, please stop acting like that, it's so gross." She hears Kuura gag from the hallway before she emerges from the kitchen with a glass of water.

"He's been here for a few weeks and you still gag at that?" Paloma asks. "You gotta get used to it."

"Never." Kuura mutters as the front door is closed. "Anything needs to be cleaned? I feel like cleaning."

"No, but you must get your rest. Let's go read, you can nap with me in the library while we wait for Kalle to come back from work."

The two made their way towards the library and laid down on the couch together as Paloma proceeds to read Treasure Island to Kuura, until she felt tired. She then sets the book down and grabs the blankets they had on the floor to cover them both up and proceeds to let herself drift off to sleep.

While it felt like just a few minutes had passed, Paloma was suddenly woken up with the sound of the doorbell being rung frantically along with knocking. She sits up, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes and trying not to push a very annoyed looking Kuura off before they heard the doorbell stop ringing. A few moments of silent passed before they heard a loud thud and men shouting.

"Get off me you oaf!" They hear Mordecai yell.

"I will if you tell me where she is Peekon!" Both women froze and looked at each other in horror. Nico?!

"He found us." Kuura whispers as Paloma gets up and rushes over to a desk to dig around inside before yanking a sharpened letter opener out. "What are you doing?!"

"I left my gun in my room, you stay here!" Paloma says as she tucks the blade into her apron and hurries off towards the fighting.

She finds Mordecai and Nico wrestling with each other on the floor, groceries strewn on the carpet, the umbrella broken, the door hanging off the hinges and Mordecai's gun laying far from him as he and Nico fought. Paloma quickly grabs the gun and aims it at the boxer, shooting it at the floor near them to get their attention.

"Get your hands off him!" Paloma yells as she reloads the gun. "Now!"

"Tell me where Kuura is!" Nico yells back. "NOW!"

"Don't tell him anything!" Mordecai yells.

"Oh trust me, I won't. In fact, I'm going to kill him if it means keeping Kuura safe!"

"Well get me out of his grasp first!" Mordecai yells as Nico stands, now hoisting him in the air.

Paloma nods before tucking the gun away and runs at Nico, ramming her elbow into his stomach. Mordecai is released, falling to the floor and gasping for breath as Nico clutched his stomach in pain. Taking the opportunity, Paloma immediately rams her elbow into him again, this time into his nose and drops to quickly kick his legs out from under him, causing him to fall onto the floor.

"¡Amor! Are you okay?" She yells back at Mordecai as she plants a foot on Nico's chest before aiming the gun at his head.

"I'm fine...I think..." The triggerman says in a hoarse voice. "Don't let him up!"

"Don't plan to. Now you, give me one good reason why I shouldn't shoot you for trespassing?"

Nico says nothing, just glares at her from the floor.

"Oh, finally nothing to say?" Paloma asks. "No flirty or smart remark? Nothing? I'm quite surprised, but I shouldn't be."

"Go ahead, try it." The boxer growls. "But at least tell me where she is."

"I don't get why you are so obsessed with her now, you hardly paid her any attention, you spent too much time chasing after me when she was right there waiting for you. A man like you does not deserve someone like Kuura, especially after what you've done. Brushed off her feelings and acted like she didn't exist until it was convenient for you!"

Nico lets out a laugh. "How high and mighty of you to judge me when you barely know me."

"I know you well enough that I should never have thought kissing you was a great idea."

"Oh now you want to-"

"STOP!" Paloma looks towards the hallway to see Kuura waddling towards them, leaning against the wall for support, her face twisted in pain as her arm cradled her swollen stomach as she let out labored breaths. "Please, just stop! No fighting!"

"Kuura, I told you to stay hidden!" Paloma gasps as she steps off of Nico, rushing over to the smaller woman. "Are you okay? You're not going into labor are you?"

"N-no, it just hurts to walk. Baby heavy, very upset." Kuura admits as she leans against Paloma. "I'm okay."

"You...you are pregnant?" Paloma hears Nico asks and turns to see him on his feet, walking close.

"Not another step closer!" Mordecai snaps as he hurries over to the two women, taking his gun back from Paloma.

"Kuura, why didn't you tell me?" The boxer asks, now only a few feet from them, his eyes glued to Kuura's swollen stomach.

"As if you deserved to know!" Paloma snaps, hugging Kuura protectively to her chest. "Would you have even cared? You have so many lovers, it's a surprise you can even remember half of their names!"

"I cared about her!" Nico snaps. "Do you know how many months I spent looking for her? If I didn't, I wouldn't even be here!"

"Well you don't seem to be the type." Mordecai retorts. "You owe the Sweets a new door. Now that you've seen her, you can leave."

"I'm not leaving her!" Nico snaps, his bright eyes narrowing.

"Yes you are!"

"I will not!"

"If you don't get out of here, I will stab you!" Paloma warns, grabbing the letter opener from her apron "Get out!"

"Wait, don't!" Kuura interrupts. "Can...can you and Mordecai be outside? Please?"

Mordecai blinks in surprise. "Kuura, are you sure? I don't think it's a great idea to leave you alone with this man."

"I'm sure. Please?"

The two gangsters look at each other, unsure what to agree to before they both nod in agreement. Paloma pushes the life into her friend's hand and turns her head so they are looking at each other.

"Just in case. Scream if he does anything to you."

Kuura nods before Paloma and Mordecai get to their feet, making their way to the front door. Outside wasn't rainy anymore, but it was chilly. The ground was soaked, littered with puddles and soaked leaves, the air heavy with that smell you could only get after a heavy rain storm, and Paloma was now wishing she remembered to bring a jacket. She forgot how old Missouri got at this time of year, especially so close to winter. Probably in a few days it should start snowing, and that would mean she and Kalle had to chop more wood and -

"Here, before you get sick on me." Paloma feels something heavy drop on her shoulders and looks at Mordecai to see him lacking his coat. "You need it."

"Amor, I'm fine!" She tries to insist. "Really!"

"Say that again tonight when I have to feed you cold medicine while you lay in bed with your nose plugged with mucus and your throat aching." Mordecai scoffs.

"Aw, you actually plan on staying tonight?" Paloma teases.

"I managed to get some spare clothes earlier that I wanted to drop off before I forgot, perhaps that's how he found and followed me back."

Paloma grimaces. "You weren't careful this time?"

"Unfortunately not, I wonder how he suspected I knew where Kuura was."

"We shouldn't have left them alone, I need to go back." Paloma says as she turns to start walking back towards the cabin. "I don't trust him to be alone with her. I've already read too many stories in the newspapers about-"

"I'm worried too, but I'm sure he won't do anything to her." Mordecai says, grabbing her arm. "Nico won't harm a hair on her head, I can assure you that. The man may be oafish and brutal, but he's not like those men you may be thinking of who harm their partner when they leave them."

"Well the fact that he tried to strangle you earlier is not helping with my worry! I'm going back!"

"Wait, Paloma!"

She ignores him, storming back towards the cabin, not caring if her feet went through puddles before she rushed up the steps and through the ruined door. Kuura and Nico were nowhere to be seen, at least until she looked into the living room to find them on the couch. Kuura was leaning against Nico and asleep, her legs draped over his lap while one arm held her close and his free hand was laying on her swollen belly. His attention was on her, a soft expression on his face before he noticed Paloma in the doorway.

"You've had your talk, now get out!" She snaps, briskly walking over to them. "Go home!"

"And what will you do if I don't?" Nico asks. His tone and the look he was giving her was not flirty, he holds Kuura protectively as she stirs slightly. "I'm not leaving her."

"You've hurt her enough, get out. I'll drag you out myself if I have to, I've done it before to drunkards heavier than you. Now go before Kalle comes home and kicks your ass!"

"Paloma?" Kuura calls out sleepily. "You back?"

"Shh, go back to sleep mon amour, you need rest." Nico says softly as she yawns and curls up against him again.

"Paloma is back..."

"Yes I am because I don't want to leave you alone with this floozy." Paloma snaps, grabbing Nico's arm to fling it off her friend and quickly scoops her up as gently as possible before he could react. "To your bed, you'll be more comfortable there."

Kuura murmured something before snuggling against her, her tail immediately wrapping around Paloma's arm. She glares at Nico again before hurrying off towards the bedrooms, nudging the door of Kuura's open and shutting it behind her with her foot. The bed is still unmade, with the pillows strewn around it, and she carefully laid Kuura down before tucking some of the pillows under her head, feet and belly before covering her with the blankets.

"I'll get started on dinner, you can sleep for now." Paloma says softly and brushes some strands of her curls out of her face.

Kuura nods sleepily before pulling her blankets up a bit to cover her nose. The moment Paloma opens the door to step out, Nico is right there in the doorway sporting an unhappy face.

"Move." Paloma snaps, trying to keep her voice low and shoves him aside to give her room to step out and shut the door behind her. "Now go home."

"I'm not leaving her." The boxer insists. "What if something happens to her while I'm gone?"

"Nothing is going to happen to her!" Paloma scoffs. "Who else has been cleaning up this dusty old place, feeding Kuura, helping her bathe, making sure she doesn't do anything that will harm herself and the baby? Me and her brother! And Mordecai, but still! We don't need anymore help, you've done enough already by impregnating her with what may be a very large child, so go home."

"She wants me here!" Nico argues as he follows her towards the kitchen. "We had a talk while you and Peekon were gone, and she wants me to stay. I didn't even have to ask if I could stay with her until the baby comes, she asked."

"Well when she gives birth we'll call you! But get out! Selena insisted we keep the number of people in the cabin to a minimum!"

"Oh so you have no problem allowing your ex in here, but once I'm here you want me out!"

"On the contrary, we are back together." They hear Mordecai say loudly and they turn to find him at the stove with a newspaper under his arm while pouring some water from the kettle into a mug. "And Selena said I could stay, come and go as I please as long as I do not interfere with Paloma's tasks of looking after Kuura. You on the other hand, are very distracting."

"Distracting?" Nico scoffs. "To who?"

"Everyone. Now go home before your sister gets worried."

"She knows I'm out, and I'm a grown adult, no need for her to worry about me."

"So is Kuura but that didn't stop Kalle!"

"Not stop me what?" The three turn to see Kalle in the doorway of the kitchen, looking very tired but glaring at Nico. "The fuck..."

"He broke the door!" Paloma yells.

"Guessed it."

"And he wants to stay." Mordecai adds. "Kuura said so apparently. She's sleeping so don't bother her."

"I ain't leaving." Nico adds with a frown.

Kalle frowned and scratched the side of his neck. "Fine, but you fix door. And no bother my sister. Help around house, or you go."

"Fine, seems fair." Nico agrees and smirks at Paloma.

"She boss of you, not me." Kalle adds as he walks past them to grab a cup from the cupboard and turns on the sink to get himself some water. "Loma boss here."

Paloma returns the smirk. "Yes I am. Now you two best help me with dinner while the Havu siblings rest."

----

"So...this is where he is being kept?" Paloma asks Mordecai as they approach a rundown apartment. "You sure?"

"He refuses to be housed anywhere else." He assures her. "As I said, refuses to tell me anything, so you are my best bet at getting him to talk, maybe jog his memory with some things."

"Like what?"

"The officer he has to give information to."

He didn't like the idea of using Paloma like some sort of torture tool, but Mordecai was getting desperate. Gracie had been refusing to say anything, leaving him hours of just silence until he left the apartment in frustration. If there was a chance to get him to talk, Paloma was his best bet and she was willing to help.

They entered the apartment, which smelled something awful and he could hear a radio playing inside from the living room. In there, the jewel thief was just sitting in an old worn wooden chair staring out the window.

"Finally decide to pay me a visit Marigold?" The man asks. "I ain't telling you shit today."

"I figured you'd say that, but perhaps you'll change your mind today." Mordecai says as they move to stand in front of him. Gracie turns to look and stiffened a bit before looking away.

"What makes you think I'll talk if there's a woman present? No broad is gonna get me to squeal."

"Well, I can assure you I'm not just any broad." Paloma says as she grabs a old dusty armchair from nearby to drag it over and set it in front of the thief before dusting it off and sitting down.

"I'm sure even you know who she is." Mordecai says as he removes his hat, walking to the window to pull the drapes but left them slightly open to allow a sliver of light into the room. "She goes by so many names save for the one she prefers to be called, feared by many in the criminal underworld. She even scares me sometimes."

"And with good reason." Paloma says with a small smirk. "When you want to talk, I'll be ready."

Mordecai stands himself next to the armchair, watching Gracie's face. He could see the man looking very nervous, just as he hoped. Even if you weren't a part of some gang, anyone in St Louis' criminal underworld knew of Paloma and what she was capable of. Very few would look at her and think she was nothing, assuming they could take her in a fight. Others knew very well to stay away from her. Lest they wanted to be on the receiving end of her shotgun or revolver, or whatever item she picked up to use as a makeship weapon. Just her mere prescence could make a man as cocky as Asa as hardened and jaded as him and Viktor nervous, and it ofen made him wonder how afraid Atlas was of the girl he decided would make a perfect addition to his gang.

He wasn't sure how much time had passed, but he could see the thief looking more nervous by the minute as Paloma calmly sat in her seat, occasionally shifting to make herself comfortable or leaning forward to keep her gaze fixed on him. Whatever the case, Gracie finally let out a defeated and tired sigh.

"Fine, I'll talk, but no more staring at me like that." The thief grumbles.

"Wonderful! He's all yours amor." Paloma says cheerfully as she gets up from the armchair, allowing Mordecai to sit down and she moves so she's leaning back against the armchair. "There, now start talking."

"This Drago guy, he's a detective or some high ranking officer of some kind. Works down at the station, often has me meet with him at the park once in a while or by one of the bridges by the river."

"That's what you've been holding out on me?" Mordecai asks with a frown. "You could have told me when I stuck you in the caves and found you a cheap apartment to hide in."

"Well the more I keep to myself, the better chances I have of not getting killed, right?"

"Well what you tell me will decide what I am going to do with you. Tell me more, unless you want her to interrogate you."

Paloma peeks over the armchair and smiles, wiggling her fingers at the man. He shudders before nodding. "F-fine. As you know, I have to report things to him, anything that could be useful. It's what i've been doing when you don't come by to check on me. In fact, he knows about this."

Mordecai stiffens. "Knows about what?"

"A Marigold who was ordered to kill me is keeping me alive."

Mordecai mutters a curse under his breath. The house could be watched by agents right now and he could be grabbed by the police the moment they step out, Paloma too as an accomplice. They needed to get out - now.

"Yekiratì, we're leaving." He says as he stands up, dusting himself off. "Come."

"W-wait don't we need to ask him more things?!" Paloma asks as he grabbed her hand to yank her out of the living room and towards the upstairs area of the apartment.

"No time! We have to go! Bedroom!" He quickly yanks them into an empty bedroom save for an old cracked mirror. Mordecai hurries to the window and manages to open it wide enough for someone to slip through. "I'll go first, wait until I'm at the bottom and I'll signal for you to come."

Paloma nods as he slips through the window and starts to carefully make his way down the fire escape before he hits the ground. Once down there, Mordecai waves his arms, hoping she could see him from inside. Paloma soon stuck her head out before climbing out on her own, carefully hurrying down until she reached the ladder and started to climb down when -

"Pardon, you wouldn't happen to be visiting someone living here, would you?" Mordecai whips around to find a man, maybe a few years older than him with grey stripped fur, bright green eyes and sporting a light brown coat over his suit with a matching hat approaching them slowly. "Oh, is the door not working? Or...are you trying to...run?"

"Dios mio, I remember you!" Paloma gasps. "You're that - AAAH!"

Mordecai barely had time to react as she dropped right down on top of him, sending them both falling to the ground. He hears a chuckle and lifts his head to see the man extending a hand out to them, which Paloma takes to stand up before it's offered to him as well.

"I see your lady friend here remembers me, and I recall quite well she made such a ruckus at the station because no one told her where a man named Zib was being kept." The man says once the two are on their feet and dusting themselves off. "I suspected he may have had ties to a dying empire thanks to a pin he wore, but he denied it. You two wouldn't happen to be tied to that either, would you? One that lately had been slowly rising from its grave?"

"I believe you have the wrong people, Zib is just an acquaintance and I hardly know who or what he's associated with." Paloma says as she pushes Mordecai to walk past the man. "Good day sir."

"Paloma Alvarez, age twenty-three, immigrated from Zacatecas and became an American citizen the summer after coming to St Louis. Also known to many as the Devil Dove, the Red Dahlia, Atlas May's little hell dog." The two stop walking and look back at the stranger, who is now approaching them. "Elijah Metzger, or should I say Mordecai Heller? Somewhere in your late twenties, no one knows where you're from and all they know is that you worked for Atlas May until he passed."

Mordecai's hand twitches, desperately wanting to reach for his gun. Who was this man And how did he know so much about them? Paloma is looking at the man in fear, her arms gripping his arm so tightly he could feel her nails digging into his flesh through the coat and suit.

"Relax, I'm not going to arrest you - for now." The man says once he gets close. "The thug who is my informant had something quite interesting to tell me when he let slip about a Marigold gangster. Did some digging, you two have quite a reputation in the criminal world, at least in this city. If he hasn't told you yet and you haven't put two and two together, my name is Dominic Drago. I've heard what you been up to, and I am quite interested in seeing what you have on Atlas May's death."

"Why does that have your interest, it's been ruled an accident." Paloma says with a frown.

"True, but I've picked up some clues that tell me it's not. Sounds a lot like the plot of a crime novel my wife is trying to write up, but it's real. How much do you two know about Susan May?"