Chapter 14 Lincoln
LINCOLN
I leaned one arm casually on the counter as I flashed a smile at the officer posted at the front of the precinct.
I’d had a nice long chat with the arresting officer—I still couldn’t believe Ava got arrested.
Something about trespassing. Fortunately, her arresting officer was a fan.
So were most of the cops I encountered when I walked in.
“You know, my kid had a poster of you on his dorm wall,” Officer—I glanced at his name tag—Lyle said. “I’m a fan too. You had the cleanest throw in the game.”
I smiled. “I appreciate that.”
“You must be coaching or something now.”
“I’m an agent, actually. I leave the throwing, tackling, and touchdowns to the kids.”
Officer Lyle ran his fingers through his graying hair. “I hear you. After a certain age, when you break something, it doesn’t heal as fast.”
“Tell me about it,” I muttered. I’d gotten my fair share of injuries. I had to retire before I reached the point of no return.
I glanced at the doorway for the hundredth time. Where was Ava? Was she okay?
As if summoned by my thoughts, she appeared, carrying her handbag and phone.
She looked exhausted but still beautiful.
And most importantly, unharmed. Her eyes found mine and instantly widened.
Her entire face flushed bright pink. After confirming she was alright—for the most part—my gaze dipped to take in the rest of her.
My eyebrows shot up. The dress she wore left little to the imagination.
A few of the officers, as much as they tried to be subtle, checked her out as she made her way to me.
Suddenly, a rush of possessiveness assaulted me.
I wanted to shrug out of my jacket and cover her with it.
But knowing Ava, if I staked my claim in front of others, she wouldn’t like it.
Besides, she wasn’t mine to claim anymore.
“Ava,” I greeted when she reached me.
Her cheeks got redder. “Hey, Lincoln… Thanks for coming.”
“No problem.”
She watched as I shook hands with the officers. Before we left, one of them handed me a Sharpie and asked me to autograph an empty coffee cup.
“This is all I have,” the officer said sheepishly. “I’m a huge fan.”
I heard Ava’s little snort and cut her a sharp look. “No problem.” I scribbled my name and offered the man a handshake.
As we left the precinct, there was a flurry of goodbyes and words of admiration. To this day, people going into adoring-fan mode still made me a little uncomfortable. The arresting officer told Ava, “Sorry for the mix-up,” which had her eyebrows scrunching into a frown.
Once we were in the parking lot, I asked, “Are you okay?”
“As okay as I can be after getting arrested. Jesus, I have a record now,” she groaned.
“You don’t.”
Stopping by my car, she turned to me. “What do you mean?”
“I took care of it. It’s like you were never here.”
“Is that why the officer apologized to me?”
I nodded. “We talked, and he agreed that the punishment was a little too harsh.”
Her eyebrows hiked up. “Wow. So you just walk in, wave your celebrity wand, and I’m no longer a criminal? Hmmm, I suddenly don’t regret calling you.”
I scoffed. “Like you had any other option.”
She pouted and muttered, “I didn’t.”
I grinned.
We stood there for a moment, gazing at each other.
Before things got awkward—it always did—I opened the door and gestured for her to get in.
Once she was seated, I closed the door and walked around to the driver’s side.
We pulled out of the lot in silence. I didn’t want to stew in it for too long, so I fiddled with the radio to find anything to fill the silence.
Something jazzy floated through the speakers, and I left it there.
It was better than the static between us.
Ava stared out the window as if the streetlights and sidewalks were the most fascinating things she’d ever seen. After a while, she said, “Thanks again for coming to bail me out.”
My fingers tightened slightly on the wheel. “You’re welcome.”
“I’ll pay you back, of course.”
“There’s nothing to pay back.” I glanced over at her. “Like I said, the officer agreed it was a misunderstanding. No charges, no record, no need for bail.”
She shifted uncomfortably in her seat. “Right. Well… thanks. I’m sorry for disrupting your night.”
“You didn’t,” I said.
She turned to me with a disbelieving look but didn’t comment. If only she knew that when she called from the station, I had been doing nothing but sitting in my apartment alone, staring at my phone. I’d been debating whether to call her because the way dinner ended the other night still haunted me.
“Want to tell me what tonight was all about?” I couldn’t help glancing at her chest. Hot damn. She still had the most amazing pair. “You went… clubbing?”
She let out a snort. “Not really.”
“What really happened? The only part of the story I got was something about you trespassing.”
She rolled her eyes. “The whole thing is ridiculous. Is sneaking into a club really trespassing? Granted, it was an invitation-only event… but trespassing?”
“I hate to break it to you, but it is. A misdemeanour at best.”
She groaned and rubbed her forehead. “Yeah, I know. I was just trying to sound less like a criminal.”
The note of humor in her voice made me chuckle. “I mean, you spent two whole hours in jail. You’re a hardcore criminal now, Montgomery. I expected you to walk through the door sporting a few new tattoos.”
She chuckled. “Shut up.”
The car was filled with our amusement, which eliminated the tension that was usually simmering below the surface.
She turned to me with a smirk. “The other ladies in the cell thought I was a hooker.”
After a beat, I roared. “What?”
She threw her head back and laughed. “The outfit and makeup are kind of incriminating, so I wasn't mad. They were really nice women. Kept me entertained. I never thought I’d laugh that much in a jail cell. At least I have a funny story to share with Melody when I get home.”
The mention of her going home put a damper on my amusement because I couldn’t let her leave LA without making things right between us.
But right now, I didn’t want to ruin the moment of easy peace we’d found.
We were in my car chatting and laughing…
like we used to. No, I couldn’t dredge up the heavy stuff now.
“So why did you sneak into an event?” I asked instead.
Her hesitation piqued my curiosity.
“I was following a hunch,” she said at last.
I kept my eyes on the road. “Okay…”
“It started at Jaden's party. Rumors about drug use. Before you blow up on me… Lord knows you’ve threatened me enough.”
“I never threatened you.”
“Fine. You warned me. A lot. This has nothing to do with Jaden.”
I let out a short scoffing sound. “Well, of course it doesn’t. I’m not stupid, Ava. I think I’d know if Jaden or any of my clients were into drugs. There would be signs.”
From my periphery, I saw her shoulders relax. “Good, now that you know I’m not out to get you, Jaden, or anyone for that matter… After Jaden’s party, I ignored the rumors. But then I saw something else that had me curious.”
“What’s that?”
“On my first day shadowing Jaden, I saw an interesting interaction in the parking lot of the gym between a player for the Chargers and who I thought was Phoenix Sky.”
The name sounded familiar. I racked my brain. “The singer?”
“Yes. I’m pretty sure I glimpsed her and someone else doing another exchange at the Rams’ fan fest. I had brushed off the gym incident because there’s a possibility she’s dating that football player.
But what was she doing at the rally? If it were really her, that is.
I just knew something was going on. I heard about her performance at that club tonight. I snuck in to get a solid lead.”
My fingers flexed on the wheel. “And what did that get you but arrested?”
Her brow furrowed with annoyance. “It got me proof, Lincoln.”
“What kind of proof?”
Again, she hesitated as if she didn’t trust me.
“Why should I tell you? You’re a part of the Hollywood crowd.”
“I’m not. I may have acquaintances and attend a few events, but I stay far away.”
She let out a soft sigh. “When I snuck backstage, I saw things… Inappropriate behavior from some well-known celebrities aside, I saw drugs. Lots of them. I’m no expert, but I’m pretty sure handing off wads of cash for little packets of white powder and pills is illegal.
I managed to snap a couple of pictures before I got caught. ”
My next breath hitched in my throat. I had to take a deep breath to calm the storm of worry rising inside me. Concern for her. As I turned into the parking lot of her hotel and found a spot, I said as calmly as I could, “Ava. Stop.”
She crossed her arms and tilted her chin defiantly. “Stop what?”
I braced myself because I knew my next words were landmines. “Going after people who can ruin you.”
“I’m not afraid of a little heat.”
“This isn’t a little heat,” I snapped. I had to stop and take a deep breath to rein in my emotions.
“Just do the feature you came to do on Jaden and don’t go after powerful people.
Once they find out you’re after them, they play dirty.
Like I said, I’m not immersed in the dark world, but I'm adjacent to it. I’ve seen people destroyed. ”
Her jaw clenched. “I knew I shouldn’t have told you anything. Thanks for saving my ass tonight. Goodnight, Lincoln.” She was out of the car and marching away before I could blink.
“Dammit, Ava!” I went after her. “Come on, I’m giving you sound advice here.”
“Screw you and your advice.” She threw over her shoulder. “I’m no coward.”
“I know—”
We walked through the lobby door, and I had to pipe down.
There were still people lounging around.
My eyes were glued to Ava as she strutted ahead with determination.
The tiniest smile curled my lips because she still had that I-mean-business walk.
It was just so much sexier now. I mean, her ass was just…
I stared at it as her hips swayed from side to side. It was perfect.
When I joined her in the elevator, she glowered at me. “What are you smirking about?”
Instantly, I wiped it away. “Nothing. You’re still stubborn as a mule, I see.”
“No, I’m just not in the mood to be discouraged.”
“That isn’t my aim.”
“You didn’t have to follow me up.”
“Pardon me for being a gentleman.”
She rolled her eyes.
Arms folded and foot tapping, she stared at the floor indicator.
“I was just trying to point out how dangerous your mission is,” I said.
“This could be my shot, Lincoln. I sit in a tiny cubicle every day writing shitty entertainment articles. That’s not what I got a journalism degree for. I finally got a break to come to LA. I saw an opportunity for something more. I mean to take it. Sue me!”
The elevator stopped, and she was off again.
Looking skyward, I stayed on her tail. “You don’t know what these people are capable of. Money and fame make the worst kinds of monsters. A scandalous byline won’t make you untouchable.”
She stopped at her door and wheeled around to glare daggers at me. “This isn't about my interest in juicy Hollywood gossip, Lincoln. If there’s something sinister happening, I aim to put a stop to it. I mean to get the truth out. I’m not scared of them.”
“I know you’re not!” I shouted.
Ava startled and got quiet.
I didn’t mean to yell, but damn it, I couldn’t help it. I needed her to listen.
“I know you’re not afraid, Ava.” My voice dropped, but the intensity remained.
“That’s the problem—you’re fearless. You always have been.
But I’m not. Not when it comes to you.” I shoved my fingers through my hair in agitation.
“This world can get pretty dark. I couldn’t stand to see you hurt in any way. ”
My confession hung between us. My moment of vulnerability and honesty seemed to have thrown her off balance.
It threw me off, too. I didn’t like putting all my emotions out there like that.
I blew out a breath and just stared at her.
The woman who still held my heart. Yet I was afraid to tell her because she wanted nothing to do with me.
Her eyes were wide, full of so many things—confusion, shock… maybe something deeper. “Oh… Lincoln, I’ll be fine.”
“You can’t promise that.”
“I can promise I’ll be careful.”
“Well, then I guess I have to take comfort in that.”
An uneasy hush fell over us again.
My eyes dropped to her mouth as she began to nibble on her lip. She was nervous.
“Uh… Lincoln… about the other night…”
I took a deep breath. The other night. What a disaster.
“I’m sorry I accepted your dinner invitation with an ulterior motive. It was nice… the beginning of it where we talked.”
“It was.”
She cleared her throat lightly. “Maybe I can make it up to you with a do-over dinner before I leave.”
I nodded, afraid to speak for fear of saying something stupid. I settled on a simple, “I’d like that.”
“What I said before I left. The way I behaved… I’m sorry about that, too. It’s been years. I shouldn’t…” Patches of pink bloomed on her cheeks. “I shouldn’t have sounded so bitter. I feel awful, especially after you came through for me tonight. Truce?”
I let out an amused grunt when I glanced at the hand she held out.
“Sure.” Once my hand engulfed hers, the air shifted between us.
It was like we were being pulled close by some invisible thread because I found myself leaning closer, and so was she. Her eyes flickered to my mouth… I’d been staring at hers the entire time.
The air practically burned between us, so hot my heart sped up. Just before our lips met, Ava jerked back, blinking rapidly. “I… should go in.” She hiked a thumb toward her door. “It’s been a long night.”
My jaw was clenched too tightly, so I couldn’t speak. I just nodded.
Chest heaving and face red, she opened her door and backed inside. “Good night, Lincoln.”
“Good night.”
I stared at the door long after she had closed it. Finally, when my eyes started to burn, I blinked out of the haze I got lost in and walked away. Something still burned between us, but Ava was determined to fight it. How did I get her to stop?