Breaking Ties

2

Nick

Watching the security footage as Billings slipped his card underneath the mat before heading to his car, I waited until I was sure the detective was completely gone. His visit had rattled me, and I could only imagine what kind of wild ideas it had sparked in my wife. Sure enough, when I got upstairs, Ava was pacing anxiously in our bedroom in front of a window where she had a clear view of the driveway.

"Did you get the kids to bed?" I asked, setting all of our stuff from the beach down.

She nodded. "What was that about?"

"You can relax." I sat down on the bed and sighed heavily. It had been a long and exhausting day, and having a detective on my property hadn't exactly helped anything. "He obviously wasn't here to arrest me."

"Well, what did he want?" She sat down next to me.

"He's working on a case and wanted my help." I let out a sharp laugh.

Ava looked back at me like I was crazy. "Your help? With a police investigation? Does he know what you do for a living?"

"Believe me," I said with chuckle, "I had the same reaction. I guess Booker sent him. He said whoever he's dealing with seems more sophisticated than his usual gang suspects. He thinks it might be a Mafia."

"Is it drugs?"

I shook my head. "Trafficking. Women and children." I spared her the gory details.

Ava grimaced. Dealing with this type of thing was sensitive and difficult for anyone, but it was even more personal for Ava. After she graduated from school, she'd taken a job with the , working as a victim advocate. A majority of the women she worked with came out of domestic violence or trafficking situations, and the things they had to endure were stomach-wrenching. She hadn't ever been in a situation like that herself, but she'd lived for years under an abusive and vile man and in some ways, she could relate to them. Ava was passionate about helping survivors get back on their feet, and she was perfect for the job. As good at it as she was, she loved it even more.

"You don't work with anyone who does that, right?" she asked.

"No, I don't," I said. "But I can't get involved. You know that."

"But you could find them yourself and take care of the problem," she suggested.

Ava had such a bleeding heart. She wanted to save everyone, and I should have known where this would head the second I told her.

" , I can't go near it with a ten-foot pole. The police are all over it and if I poke around, they'll be on me."

She wasn't satisfied, but she knew I was right.

"I'm sure they'll find him, babe. It's only a matter of time. Really."

"Can we make a deal?"

I rolled my eyes. There wasn't another person in the world I made concessions or deals with besides my wife. "What, exactly?"

"Give it a few days. If they haven't found him in a week, you look into it. Either with the police or on your own."

"I can't make you a promise like that." I reached for her hand. "But if things haven't changed by then, I'll think about it. But only if we put this aside for now. I don't want to talk about it anymore. Okay?"

Ava knew that was as good as it was going to get tonight, so she conceded. "Okay."

I put my finger to her chin and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "You taste like salt. How about a shower?"

"Together?" She shot me a wink.

"You read my mind."

Ava took my hand and led me into the bathroom. Our master bathroom was one of my favorite places in the whole house, and when I designed it, occasions like this were at the forefront of my mind. The shower was enormous, encased in glass, and had a total of eight shower heads. There were benches on either end, and eucalyptus steam rose from vents along the pebbled floor. Ava always teased me about how extra the entire thing was, but she didn't complain when we got to use it for sex.