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him for his, uh, leadership. ”
    Hank arched a brow at that. They both knew the director of the U.S. Marshals Office was being forced out, in part, because of his mishandling of the murder of the Bennett kids ’ mother. A meaningful silence hung in the air between them for a moment. Then Hank descended the stairs.
    “ Did I hear correctly that you brought dinner? ”
    “ Mineo ’ s, ” Sasha told him. “ Two extra-large pizzas. Will that be enough? ”
    “ As best I can tell, their stomach capacities expand to consume whatever amount of pizza is provided. If you two want to eat, take a word of advice, and grab your slices early. ”
    Hank removed his overcoat from the hall closet and addressed the assembled kids. “ Have fun, and be good for Sasha and Leo. When they say it ’ s time for bed, skedaddle. ”
    “ We will, ” the littlest one promised solemnly.
    He bent to hug her. “ You have sweet dreams tonight, you hear? ”
    “ You ’ re not coming home? ” she asked, lower lip trembling.
    “ I ’ ll be back in the morning in time to get you off to school, ” he promised. “ That ’ s why Sasha and Leo are here, they ’ re going to stay over. ”
    The oldest girl, Brianna, rolled her eyes behind his back. “ Cole and I could have taken care of everyone, you know. We don ’ t need a babysitter. ”
    “ Of course not, ” Leo agreed. “ But Sasha and I miss you guys. Besides, we did bring pizza. ”
    Her posture softened. “ Yeah, you did. ”
    Hank headed for the door. “ Good luck, ” he said as he pulled it shut behind him.
    Leo turned just in time to catch Calla, who had launched herself toward his arms. She buried her face in his neck. He stroked her silky hair for a moment until he felt her breathing relax.
    “ Pizza? ” he suggested.
    She wriggled out of his arms and hit the ground running, her little legs chugging toward the kitchen as fast as they could.
     

 
     
     
     
    CHAPTER NINE
     
     
    Sasha stopped outside Naya ’ s door and listened. She was streaming Christmas music. Again. Or still. It was hard to say. Naya put on the holiday tunes on November first and played them on a near-constant loop until December thirty-first. The effect was partially holiday-spirit-inducing, partially maddening. And Sasha was a great lover of Christmas music herself. Naya just took her enthusiasm to a whole new level.
    She knocked loudly.
    “ Come in, ” Naya called over the music.
    She pushed the door inward.
    “ Hey, do you have time to help me with something? ”
    Naya lowered the volume on her speakers and narrowed her eyes. “ Depends. ”
    “ Fair enough. ”
    Naya had final exams looming. She wasn ’ t quite the lunatic she ’ d been during her first year of law school, but she wasn ’ t what anyone would call serene. Sasha and Will were careful to respect Naya ’ s heavy workload, particularly around exam time.
    The timeworn saying about law school was true: The first year, they scare you to death; the second year, they work you to death; the third year, they bore you to death. This was Naya ’ s year to be crushed by the weight of her assignments. Although, to be honest, Sasha didn ’ t think there was a law school in the country that could rival the amount of work legal assistants like Naya shouldered at major law firms.
    Naya folded her arms and contemplated Sasha. “ I have my Constitutional Law exam on Thursday. What do you need? ”
    “ Strategic advice. ”
    “ Strategic advice? ” Naya echoed. Her voice held a hint of suspicion and a smidgen of curiosity.
    “ Yep. I got the document production in the Maravach case and —”
    “ Nu-uh. No way. I ’ m not taking on a document review in your horrible insurance coverage case. What are you, Ebenezer Scrooge? ”
    “ Simmer down, Tiny Tim. I ’ m not asking you to do it. I ’ ll do it. But … well, I don ’ t know how to tackle it. ”
    Her honesty seemed to disarm Naya.
    “ You just want me to give you a game