Ava's Revenge: (Salvation Series Book 2)

by Jaime Whitley

  “Ava, this is Silas. He works in homicide. And this is his partner, Lucas.” I shake both their hands.

  “Silas, as in Dante’s friend Silas?” I ask with my hand still enclosed in his.

  “The one and only.” Silas lets go. “It’s nice to meet you finally. How are you and the baby doing?” What does he mean finally? And how does he know about the baby? I know I’m showing but geez, I thought I covered my bump up quite nicely today.

  “We are doing as well as can be expected. I have to say, I’m at a disadvantage. I’m afraid Dante never spoke of you. I only heard of you through Sylva.”

  “Is that so?” I nod. “He was probably worried that just like the rest of the women out there, you would flock to me and leave his ass after taking one glance at me.” Joe laughs.

  “You two and that girl! I swear.” Joe throws his hands in the air, clearly over this discussion.

  “What girl?” I feel like a third wheel as they reminisce on something I know nothing about.

  “Kristin, she’s my ex. I met her at a ball, but Dante had gotten there before I did and he had his sights set on her.” His words make me uncomfortable at the thought of him chasing after another woman and I’m not sure if I want him to continue. Who knew I was the jealous type? “Well, she shot him down faster than a speeding bullet. I, on the other hand, had much better luck when it came to her. Needless to say, we hit it off a lot better than she and Dante did.” He laughs, obviously remembering the night clearly.

  “So, do you guys just have one child together?” I can’t help but ask since I heard him talking about his daughter. He clears his throat.

  “No, we actually aren’t together anymore.”

  “Oh, I’m sorry to hear that. I just assumed, since Sylva and you were talking about kids and Riggs brought her up.” I’m rambling, so I choose to just shut my trap before I make a bigger fool of myself.

  “I guess you can say I did him a favor that night and kept him available for you. You’re a way better match for him than she was. Don’t think for a minute I didn’t see the way you took that officer down over there.” A smile creeps across my face.

  “As nice as it is to hear you talk about the women you chased after with the father of my child,” I say sarcastically, “can someone tell me what’s going on?” I look to Riggs. “Joe, this isn’t your district and I’m not sure why you need me here. I think it’s a little risky having me at a scene of a crime. Does Lance know you called me?”

  “She knows. Come on, you’re here because we’re hoping you can make some sense of this.” We walk a little further down the alley and around a corner. I see a body that’s been covered up and we approach it with Joe in the lead. He places his hands on the sheet but doesn’t lift it right away. “Now, if any of this is too much at any time and you need a minute, just tell me.”

  “I’ve seen plenty of dead bodies. Quit being so dramatic so I can get out of here and enjoy my day off.” As Joe pulls back the sheet, nothing could have prepared me for who is laying on the ground under it. My hand flies over my mouth in complete shock. I look around and all eyes are on me. Silas is watching me, waiting for something to happen. I’m not quite sure what, but I don’t like it. “What? I didn’t do this.” I say pointing to Angelo’s body. “As happy as I am to see this piece of shit dead, I can assure you my hands are clean on this one.”

  “No one is saying you did, Ava. We are just trying to figure out who did.” Joe places his hand on me.

  “Well how the hell would I know?” Silas calls out to his partner Lucas who walks over with an evidence bag.

  “Does this make any sense to you? We found it on the body.” Lucas hands me the bag. Inside there’s a piece of paper with writing on it.

  You fuck with my family, I fuck with yours!

  “It’s obviously a warning.” I hand the bag back to Lucas. My stomach churning with what it might mean.

  “But from who? Do you think Sal could have had anything to do with this?” Riggs asks. My mind is working overtime trying to think about everything. If Sal had ordered this hit he kept it from me, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t do it. He might be trying to protect me from knowing what happened.

  “If he did, he didn’t tell me about it. Last thing I knew was he was looking for Angelo himself. I suppose this explains why he couldn’t find him.” Everyone is looking to each other and I know there is something that they aren’t telling me. “Can someone clue me in please?” I wave my hand around.

  “Well, we were hoping it was Sal.” Silas is quick to state and I stare at him, slightly confused. I know we are trying to get as much evidence against Sal as possible but this doesn’t feel like that’s what he means. I look around, waiting for someone to fill me in more.

  “If it wasn’t Sal, then we’re worried it might be retaliation from, and I hate to say this, but the right side of the law.” Lucas adds.

  “You think a cop could have done this?”

  “It’s possible. You know as well as I do not all cops are clean. Some like to do things their own way and Dante’s death, well it didn’t sit well with a lot of people. There’s a lot who feel he didn’t get the justice he deserved.”

  “Including me, which is why you called me here.” The pieces start to fall into place slowly.

  “Lance told me you brought Killian in and he knows you’re undercover. Do you think Sal could have told him about this and advise him to keep it from you?”

  “It’s a possibility, but I think he would have told me. I don’t think he would have kept something like this from me.”

  “He’s a criminal. I’m sure there’s a lot he’s keeping from you.” Silas chimes in angrily. I don’t know where his sudden aggression towards Killian is coming from but he doesn’t know him like I do. He probably looks at him as a criminal, looking for an easy way out to avoid jail time.

  “And I’m sure there are things you keep from your wife. Just like there’s things I keep from Joe and Ali and everyone else in my life for that matter. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll call Killian and get him down here.” I storm off, annoyed at how judgmental people get over someone they don’t even know. Sadly, this happens way too often but hey, you can’t fix stupid. People these days forgot how to make their own opinions on people and just follow what others think and I’m sick of it. I walk back to my car and grab my phone to call Killian, the one person I’ve been avoiding since the other night. The few days of silence worry me more than before now, taking a deep breath, I call, praying he answers and he isn’t lying in the same fate as Angelo someplace else in town.

  Thankfully Killian answered when I called and I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that I held my breath until he picked up. Not wanting him to ask too many questions I basically pulled the same stunt that Riggs pulled on me. I told him where to meet me, I also told him to park a couple blocks away, and walk the rest of the distance. I informed him I’d be waiting in my car.

  I sure as hell wasn’t going back over there by myself. Especially with the stares that Silas was giving me. I mean who does this guy think he is anyway? He doesn’t know me, all he knows is what Dante’s told him. I know Dante wouldn’t have said anything bad about me but this guy looked at me like he straight up thought I killed Angelo. Believe me, as much as the thought had crossed my mind, the only throat I plan on slitting is Sal’s.

  I’m browsing the web on my phone when a knock on my window catches my attention. I look and see Joe giving me a little wave. I press the unlock button on the door.

  “Mind if I sit?” He asks peeking in the car.

  “Not at all.” I move a few things off the passenger seat and he gets in.

  As he’s about to speak, his phone rings, interrupting him. He huffs as he rolls his eyes, “I’m sorry I have to answer this.”

  I shrug. It really doesn’t bother me. I know the drill, so I keep scrolling on my phone. Not really paying attention to him, I’m off in my own world.

  “I’m with her now.” He tel
ls whoever is on the other end of the phone.

  This catches my attention and I turn to look at him. He shakes his head at me like don’t worry about it, but I hate being spoken about. When he finally hangs up, he rests his head back against the seat scrubbing his face with his hands. “Remind me to take a very long vacation when all this is over.”

  “Who was that?” I turn in my seat so I’m facing him. “And why were they asking about me?”

  “Oh, just Mema. You know how she worries. I was actually visiting with her when I got the call. She dropped by the station unannounced because she was ‘in the area’.” He uses his fingers to make quotations. Laughing, I know all too well what he is talking about. Mema could live two hours away and she will say she was in the area just to see you. But if there’s one thing I’ve learned, you don’t mess with her. She’s one badass grandma and will smack you with whatever is lying around that she can get her hands on if you give her any lip. “I told her I’d needed to run and of course she called me a couple hours later to check in.”

  “But why was she asking about me?” I hate to worry anyone, but I also hate being checked up behind my back.

  “I was still with her when I had to call you to come down here.”

  “Gotcha. So Angelo’s dead. I have to say, I didn’t see that one coming.” I try to change the subject from me and back onto the case.

  “You and me both. You see how this could be a really big problem right?” He pinches the bridge of his nose, the stress obviously getting to him.

  “I do. But let’s not worry about that until Killian gets here. He can tell us if he knows anything about it.” Joe moves to exit the car, I close my eyes and remember the last time I was alone with Killian, a shiver runs through my body. This is the whole reason why I’ve been avoiding him, it felt too good being with him. “Aren’t you coming?” Joe pauses as he leans in the car.

  “No, I don’t like the way that Silas guy’s looking at me like I did this to Angelo and I can only hold my tongue for so long.” The memory of his accusatory stare makes the anger rise in me again. How dare he act like he knows me?

  “I’m sure he doesn’t think that. We’re all just trying to figure out why the hell this happened.” I purse my lips. “Okay then, I guess just head on over whenever Killian gets here.” He closes the door and I close my eyes to take a quick nap. I know it’s going to take Killian at least two hours to arrive so I have plenty of time.

  I feel like I just shut my eyes when the car door opens and a body slides into the passenger seat. “Sorry to wake you but I figured I should jump right in before you had a chance to sneak away again.” I blink a few times trying to clear the sleep from my fuzzy brain and look over to see Killian smiling at me. I’m glad he’s joking around about what happened, it’s the way he is normally with me and I know that even after our little slip-up, we can move on and forget about it.

  “I’m sorry about that, I didn’t…”

  “It’s okay.” He stops me mid-sentence. “I get it. Really, I do.”

  I arch my back, cracking it and then try to roll the kink out of my neck from my nap. I thought I would be refreshed when I woke up but it’s only caused my body to be achy.

  “So, what’s with all the cops? I figured this is the last place you would want me.” He pulls on the collar of his shirt by the neck. I want an honest reaction from Killian. I know that he’s skilled in hiding the truth from the cops, so I decide to tell him now, while no one is around.

  “Angelo’s dead.” I say, aggravated.

  “Well, we all know that once Sal finally gets in touch with him shits going to hit the fan. It’s not looking good for him, especially since he won’t answer anyone calls, but I wouldn’t say he’s dead.”

  “No Killian, Angelo’s dead. As in his body is laying on the ground in an alley over there.” I point with my finger and he turns, looking towards where I'm pointing. I watch as his eyes widen and mouth drops open.

  “What the fuck do you mean, Angelo’s dead? Who the hell killed him?” Shrugging, I open the door to the car. I can tell that just like me, if Sal had something to do with this Killian was left in the dark about it. Watching Killian jump out of the car, he rushes to my side and grabs a hold of my arm and pulls me close to him. The smell of his cologne overwhelms my senses and images of the other night flash through my mind. He brings his face close to mine. I mentally chastise myself for letting the shiver of lust flow through me. His eyes search mine and his voice is hushed. “Ava, I need to know what I’m walking into here. Am I in some kind of trouble? I agreed to help you, but I promise you, I didn’t do this.”

  Placing my hand over his I smile. “I know you didn’t, Killian. We just need your help trying to figure things out.” A man clearing his throat startles me and I jump back, putting space between me and Killian.

  “We’re all waiting on you, so if you two lovebirds are done…” he trails off as he turns his back to us and stalks across the street.

  “Who’s that and what’s his problem?”

  “That’s a friend of Dante’s and as for his problem, I haven’t a fucking clue. Come on, let’s hurry up and get this over and done with.”

  When we reach the crime scene, I introduce Killian to Joe and he walks us over to where Lucas and Silas are. After quick introductions and a mini game of ‘fill everyone in,’ Killian is shown the evidence bag with the note. Lucas is questioning Killian and he’s being as informative as he can. Killian really is helping as much as he can and as I watch him explaining what he knows, I can see the fight he has in him to start over. He wants this just as bad as I do and I know together, we can make it happen. “You seem to be all gooey-eyed over him.” Silas says from behind me. Finally having enough, I turn around and punch him in the face. He’s smiling as he rubs his cheek with his hand. “You pack a good punch.”

  “And you can be a real asshole.” I spit back. “I don’t know who you think you are, but you don’t know me and you sure as hell don’t know a damn thing about Killian.”

  “Honey, I’m a detective. It’s my job to uncover mysteries and read people. And that back there was more than just friends talking. Your body language was all off. I can see how uncomfortable it made you to be so close to him. The way you’re looking at him now, well if I had to put my money on it, I’d say that you’ve both hooked up.”

  “Well, you don’t have to put your money on anything. Whatever we are or aren’t is my business, and my business is none of yours.”

  “Dante was a friend and as much as he would love to see you move on, he wouldn’t want it to be with the very type of person he spent his life trying to get off the streets. But you know what? You’re right.” He holds his hands up in defeat. “It’s none of my business. It really was nice to finally meet you, Ava.” Walking away, I’m left trying to figure out what the hell just happened. Is it that obvious that we slept together? If someone I don’t even know can pick up on it, did Joe? The last thing I want to do is disappoint him with a mistake I made; because let’s face it, that’s all it was, a mistake and nothing more.

  Killian is walking over with Joe and I’m still standing where Silas left me, I have my arms crossed and I’m contemplating the next move. Joe is standing across from me and Killian comes to my side. I move a couple inches away from him and his eyebrows crease in confusion at the move. I see Silas with a smug smile on his face and I want nothing more than to walk over and punch him again, so instead I flick him off.

  “So, were you able to figure anything out?” I look to Joe for answers.

  “No. Killian has been very helpful though, filling in some gaps.” His tone is laced with anger and he’s shooting daggers at me. It seems like I’m just pissing off everyone today and I don’t even know how I’m doing it.

  Tilting my head to the side. “Gaps?”

  “Yeah, like the fact that you were drugged, for one.” Swinging my head in Killian’s direction I punch him in the arm.

  “You told him I was dru
gged! You basically just ratted me out to my father-in-law. What the hell, Killian?!” I yell. Everyone turns and looks to me and I see Silas and Lucas laughing. “I swear to God. If you two don’t stop laughing at me, I’m going to come over there and kick your ass.” Silas is smart and he immediately stops but Lucas clutches his stomach laughing harder.

  “Don’t you yell at him, young lady! This is something you should have told me or Lance. My God, Ava, you were in the hospital and you didn’t even think to call me?” His hand flies into the air.

  “I didn’t want to worry you, Joe. Everything is okay and I’m fine, the baby’s fine. I promise.” Placing my hand on his shoulder, I attempt to calm him down. “This is exactly why I didn’t want you to know. I know you care about me, Joe.”

  He sighs. “We all do, Ava. It’s not just me. It’s Ali and Mema, and even Sylva. You’re shutting us all out one by one.”

  “I’m not shutting you guys out. I’m just trying to keep you safe. Did I lose my shit on Sylva? Yes. Do I owe him an apology? Probably. I’m just trying to stay as focused as I can so I can speed things up. I’m not going to be able to be flipping people over my shoulder much longer at the rate this baby is growing. I just want to be done with this so I can move on.”

  “Angelo drugged you and you kept that from all of us. The note found on the body… this doesn’t look good, Ava. I have to ask you one more time and then I’ll drop it. Did you kill him?”

  “I swear Joe, I didn’t kill him. I wanted to, I really did. Someone just beat me to it.” I tease.

  “A simple no would have been good.” He’s rubbing his temples. “I pray that this baby of yours is not a girl. I swear boys are much easier to deal with.” I let out a giggle and he pulls me into a hug. Wrapping my arms around him, I squeeze him, hugging him back before pulling away.