26. Ava
26
Ava
I 'd told him everything. I'd foregone every ounce of self preservation and told a practical stranger—who I couldn't help but melt for—my entire story, right down to the nitty-gritty.
"You know, I think this is the closest I've been to someone since I was a kid." He gripped my fingers and interlaced them, my cheek pressed to his warm chest.
I chewed my bottom lip. "Really?"
"Yeah, after the death of my parents, I never let anyone get close. Especially in foster care."
"Me too. Sort of.” My heart compressed as my mother's image flooded my mind. "You were the first person I'd ever been to the festival with." The words blurted out of my mouth as if spontaneous word vomit was contagious. "Not even Darrel."
His other hand slid over my back, rubbing up and down in smooth, gentle caresses as though it would take the sour feeling of my past, the need to relate, burning deep.
"Really? Why?"
"My mother would always take me to the festival when I was little."
Nate shifted his body, turning his chest toward me, his arms swathed like a cocoon around me. "And you shared that with me?"
I nodded.
"And then I fucked it up by fucking you in a tent. Is that why you left so quickly that night?"
Inhaling a deep breath, I buried my head beneath his chin, my arms tucked between us. "You didn't ruin anything. I thought I could handle it. But getting that close to someone again, and especially there, had me tucking tail and running. I'm sorry."
"I get it. Really, I do." His fingers ran through my tousled hair. "Can I ask you something, though?"
I nodded.
"Why did you leave your ex?"
"Darrel?” She sighed. “We wanted different things. He was my high school sweetheart, and when my mom died, I morphed into someone different. The new me didn’t fit the old him anymore."
"How did your mom die?"
A sharp pain lanced across my chest, my fingers tugging gently on his chest hair. "She battled with years of depression, and she couldn't handle it anymore."
"Damn."
"Yeah." Her journal I'd read the night before she passed sat on my bookshelf as a stark reminder to always listen and give a voice to those who felt unheard, and never to ignore the outcries of the hurting and vulnerable.
"What about yours?"
"House fire."
"Oh God, Nate. I'm so sorry."
He wrapped his arms tighter around me and kissed my forehead. "I was five. I don't remember much of it, just that my dad carried me outside and went back in for my mom, but neither of them came out."
"That's awful."
"It was a long time ago."
"Is that why you look at the smoke detectors?"
"What?"
"I've noticed you eying the smoke detectors a few times. Is that why?"
"I didn't realize I was."
He rolled away with a sigh and sat on the edge of the bed, his hand running through the short hair on top of his head, then stood.
"Did I say something wrong?"
He glanced over his tattooed shoulder as I took in the tan line around his waist. "No—"
His cock hung heavy between his legs, and before I could reach for him, my phone rang on the bedside.
Nate's gaze drifted to the lit screen. "Do you and Liam have a thing going on?"
My stomach twirled. "I told you we're just friends." I grabbed my phone and held it. "Why do you ask?"
"Because I don't share." Nate entered the bathroom, and I answered the phone.
"Hi, Liam. What's up? Did you find anything out about Nzene?" I stumbled out of bed, raking my fingers through my hair, and breathed in as I stared at my connections board.
"Hey, uhh , no. I was actually calling about your boyfriend."
I frowned. "My boyfriend?"
"Yeah, Nate. The guy I met at the festival last month."
I raised a brow and pinched my lip between my fingers. "Oh, okay. What about him?"
The shower water squeaked on, and a powerhouse of water hit the tile floor.
Liam sighed. "Look, I don't want to get in the middle of your personal relationships, but I have a really weird feeling about him."
"Okay, that's pretty vague. Do you have a reason?" I pulled the robe off the hook beside the bathroom and wrapped it around my naked body, cinching it tight on my waist.
“I saw him messing around with your car the other night. Something under it.”
I frowned.
What could be worth messing with under my car?
"Maybe he saw something weird and was making sure everything was okay. Are you sure you saw him? I've been with him all weekend." I turned toward the sound of running water.
"It was him, Ava. I confronted him two nights ago."
I stepped closer to the cracked bathroom door, steam curling out. The shower hissed, and Nate’s silhouette moved behind the frosted glass. My hand tightened around the phone as Nate's muscles shifted under the rivulets of water. I moved away from the bathroom and closed the door. “What did he say?”
“He claimed he dropped something and was on his way to see you.” Liam’s voice grew firmer. “Ava, I think he put a tracker on your car.”
I leaned against the doorframe, my free hand gripping the edge. “That’s a serious accusation to make, Liam.”
Why would he do that?
He helped me commit a felony.
There's no way.
I clenched my teeth, my head moving in a slow, deliberate refusal.
No.
My heart shuddered in my chest, and my breaths caught.
Kane Rogers.
He warned me.
Did I let the enemy in the house... and sleep with him?
“I know what I saw."
The water shut off, and I plopped onto the couch, staring at the bathroom door, my legs shaking. "Yeah, the music finally turned off a few days ago."
"He's there, isn't he?"
The door cracked open, and Nate stepped out, scrubbing the towel over his head.
"Yeah. Did they ever find out who was doing it?"
Nate glanced at me and smiled, his naked, muscular frame glistening with water.
“The apartment wasn't rented out. It was under renovation, so they think some kids got in and had a party."
"Oh, easy enough."
"You need to be careful," Liam warned, drawing the conversation back.
"I will. Thanks again."
He wrapped the towel low on his hips and smiled. “Everything okay?”
“Fine.” I forced a smile. “He wanted to see if the noise complaint was taken care of.”
"Noise complaint?"
"Yeah, some asshole played his music all freakin night for three days straight a couple of days ago, like the CIA torture kind, until the cops were called."
Nate nodded with a smirk, his gaze lingering for a moment before he stepped my way. "Well, in that case, I say we pick up where we left off."
"The heart to heart?" I dropped my phone on the coffee table and stood, keeping my smile a permanent fixture.
"No, the sex." He grabbed me by the waist and swung me towards the couch, my back bouncing before he fell on top of me.
"Nate," I said between kisses, his lips trailing down my throat. "I have to pick my stuff up from my office." My hands pushed against his shoulders while he moved my robe aside and took a nipple into his mouth.
I hissed. The warmth against my chilled skin wiped my mind of everything but the soft suction of his lips over my breast.
"You're all mine, Ava."
His possession hit my belly like a swarm of butterflies. "Nate." My hands slipped from his shoulders, his hips grinding against me, sending me into a wild flurry of emotion. "As much as I want to do this, I really need to go."
I tugged at him, pulling him from my breast and bringing him to eye-level.
"Okay." He knelt above me, his hand tucking the towel tighter around his waist. "But I'm only letting you go this time."
"Only this time, huh?" I moved to a seated position, his stiff erection forming a solid mass behind the cotton towel.
"Do you need help with your things? I have a few hours to kill before I need to repair the hot water heater in 4A."
"4A?" I shuddered as the shitbag teenager who lived there came to mind. "No, you better get to that as soon as possible, or their kid might egg your motorcycle."
Nate cocked a brow. "That seems a bit—"
"Don't discount this valuable information." I stood and walked around him, getting his swollen cock away from eye-level.
Don't let him distract you.
Stripping the robe, I walked into my closet as Nate sat on the bed, pulling his pants on.
After dressing in casual jeans and a t-shirt, I slipped on a pair of flats and fingered my hair into a high pony.
"So I'll see you later, then?" I stepped out of the bathroom and leaned against the doorway, attaching my watch to my wrist with one hand.
"Actually, probably not. I'm gonna be pretty busy for the next day or two."
My stomach leapt. "Oh."
He stood fully clothed and walked toward me, placing his hand on my hip. "But I'll see you after?" Nate pressed his lips to my forehead, and my chest constricted.
"Yeah. That's okay. I have more stuff to do here anyway."
His other hand grabbed my hip, and he pulled me close. "Promise me you'll be careful?"
Swallowing the sudden lump in my throat, I nodded. "I will."
Our lips pressed together, and my back touched the wall as he cupped my face, devouring me as though this was goodbye forever.
Liam's wrong about him.
He has to be.
I wrapped my arms around his neck, but he pulled away. "I'm going to get going before we tear off each other's clothes and not leave your apartment for another two days."
We laughed. "Somehow, you've convinced me that wouldn't be such a bad idea."
"If only." He placed one more gentle kiss on my lips and turned away. "I'll see you later."
"Bye." I gave a half wave and chewed on my lower lip as he exited my apartment.
Goddamn.
My eyes prickled as I stood where he left me, my mind a whirling pit of chaos and my heart abusing my rib cage.
He can't be what Liam says.
I refuse to believe that.
Dashing to the window, I cracked the blinds as he appeared on the sidewalk below, then turned right on the sidewalk towards my car, causing bile to hit my throat.
No.
My pulse picked up, a thundering beat against my eardrum.
Ten paces.
Five.
Three.
Nate continued down the path, not sparing a glance at my car, and turned left into the complex office while casting a quick wave at a passerby.
I dropped the blinds and slumped against the half wall, my legs like jelly.
It's all in my head.
Liam's wrong.
After several minutes of trying to catch my breath, I jumped up, grabbed my keys from the orange bowl, and left, locking the door behind me.
I pulled into the parking garage twenty minutes later, thankful that Liam didn't have to replace another tire for me, and called him.
"Are you alone?"
"Yes. I-I think I am. I took my car to work. Look, I really don't think—"
"Just get under it and take a look."
I sighed and sank down to my hands and knees—the parking lot stained and grimy. "Okay, I'm down here. What am I looking for?" Pressing the speakerphone button, I placed my phone beside my tire and rolled onto my back, shimming beneath the car.
"They can come in different forms, but you should be able to feel something that's out of place. Something round or with edges. Like a small box."
I stuck my hands between the sidewall and the engine, running my fingers along the undercarriage, then hissed. "Fuck." I jerked back my smarting hand.
"What happened?"
"I burned myself on the engine."
"Be careful. Stay away from the hot parts. He wouldn't put a tracker where it's going to melt. And don't forget to look around the edges, too."
Switching hands, I traced the frame of the vehicle, then switched on my phone's light and did a visual sweep. I let out a sharp sigh as I shimmed out from beneath and sat up. "There's nothing there."
"Look with your flashlight. There has to be something under there."
"I did. Everything looks normal."
"I might've confronted him in time to keep him from putting it on. I'd still be careful, though. Promise me you'll keep an eye out."
I breathed in and nodded.
Trusting them both is like two rams butting heads.
"I will, I promise."
"Did you ask him what he was doing near your car?"
"No. I didn't want to make him suspicious."
"Good, keep it that way. Let him think he's convinced me he's not a stalking psychopath."
"Liam—"
"I'm only saying, Ava. Something isn't right here. You know I have good instincts for these kinds of things."
"Yes, I know that's how you made detective." I bit into my inner lip and stood, leaning against the car. "But what if you're wrong, and I end up throwing away the first real relationship I've had in a long time?"
"I'll make sure I'm certain before we confront him... together ."
Together?
"Okay, yeah, sure."
"Ava, don't pacify me on this one. He could be dangerous."
"I'm not. I don't see what you're seeing."
Liam let loose a deep growl. "Maybe you don't want to see it."
Possible.
"Maybe." Thunder rumbled in the distance, the sky growing darker.
"Listen, I have to go. My CI is calling, but don't do anything until we're together. Please."
"Alright, alright. I'll talk to you later." I hung up the phone and slid it into my pocket.
Brushing off my back and butt the best I could, I waltzed into the only job I'd ever known to collect my things.
"Ava, it's been a while." Daniel closed the maintenance closet and wheeled his cart from the wall. "I thought you'd quit."
I gave him a soft smile. "I did quit. I'm just here to get my things."
"You and Aria in the same thirty-day period? What are you two planning?"
Laughter bubbled up from my tight chest. "Nothing Daniel. It's time to part ways, that’s all."
We walked to my old cubical as he caught me up on his grandkids and their new hobbies as the winter approached.
"I'll get you a box." He placed his hand on my upper arm with a gentle squeeze.
"You don't have to do that."
" Aehhh ." He wheeled his cart away, and I gathered my items into a singular stack.
"Ava," Whitney poked her head halfway out of her office. "Can I see you for a moment?"
Grinding my teeth, I closed my eyes and drew in a deep breath before walking to her office.
My stomach swam with vile acid, which threatened to burn the tender flesh in the back of my throat.
What did she want?
Would she try to convince me to stay?
"Hi, Whitney." I slipped between her and the doorway, making my way into her office.
She shut the door behind us. "I'm asking you to reconsider."
"No." My fingers twitched, my head shifted with a shake. I crossed my arms over my chest and put space between us. "You are supposed to have my back against the establishment."
"I am—do. I have your back."
"No. You are no longer acting in the best interest of the public, but what benefits you and this newspaper. That's not journalism."
She shook her head. "Ava, you don't know what you're talking about."
"Then enlighten me. You let me go for it, and then suddenly, it's no longer a touchable topic." My arms branched out into the space beside me, then dropped to my sides. "What gives?"
"It's just... I don't have to explain myself to you, Ava. It wasn't a good time for that story, and you weren't bringing anything to the table with it."
I let out a harsh, biting laugh. "Who bought you off?"
Her eyes widened. "How dare you." She raised her finger to my face, her voice low and bristling. "I've been in this field of work before you were taking your first steps as a snot-nosed little shit. I'll be damned if I sit here and let you accuse me of being a sellout."
"The evidence is pretty damning, Whitney. Is this all you wanted to talk about because I have other things to do?"
I brushed past her.
Whitney's fingers wrapped around my upper arm. "I'm asking you this one time, please ."
"My objective is to act in the best interest of the people. That includes putting my life at risk to let them know what's really going on. Is that still yours, or did they change when your pockets grew heavier?"
Her fingers fell from mine, her large brown eyes softening with a deep melancholy. "I hope you know what you're doing."
"Me too."