Page 53 of Rescuing Nathaniel

“Was it … because of me?” It had to be, didn't it? She’d escaped, and they feared she’d lead authorities straight to them so they cleaned house. All those innocent people killed so she couldn’t bring help and save them.

“No,” Nathaniel said fiercely. His hands gripped the arms of her chair, and he spun it around until she was facing him, then crowded close. “Not because of you. Because someone thinks they can treat other human beings like bags of money instead of people.”

“That’s why they need me back. They already had to sacrifice some of their bodies, and they don’t want to let me go, it’ll cost them even more money.” Plus, they were probably furious that she had caused them all this trouble.

“We will find them, Ava,” Nathaniel said with such authority that, combined with the nods and affirmations from her team, she almost believed him.

Almost.

But not quite.

* * *

March 6th

11:20 A.M.

“I wishI had something else to give you,” Ava said, and the frustration in her tone was obvious to him, and everyone else in the room.

Lines of tension bracketed Ava’s mouth, and the dark circles under her eyes made it look like she had a broken nose they were so black. The fine tremors in her hands that had started not long after they arrived there and started going through the faces of the people who had been found dead on the boat, looking for links between them and the hospital, were now much more noticeable.

It was time to wrap this up. Ava hadn't slept in more than twenty-four hours, and she was still weak, still battling infection, still recovering from the hell she’d been through. She needed sleep, proper sleep, in a bed not on a jungle floor, and without the hustle and bustle of a hospital.

Not that she could go back to it anyway. It wasn't safe for her. Given that the trafficking ring seemed determined to get her back in their clutches, she wasn't really safe anywhere. Not until these people were stopped, the ring dismantled, the perpetrators dead or in prison.

Personally, Nathaniel would prefer they were all dead for what they’d put Ava through.

But right now, that wasn't his priority.

The gorgeous blonde, sitting ramrod straight in a chair in front of her computer, flicking through the photos one by one of every single person who had been on the ship, was the only thing he cared about. She’d been so brave, so strong, and worked so hard, but it was time to call it quits for the day. She had an entire team of people who he knew would keep working while she took the time to give her body the rest it so badly needed.

“Hey.” Nathaniel grabbed the arms of her chair and turned her around so she was facing him instead of the wall of screens. Her eyes remained fixed on the glowing monitors until she couldn’t any longer, only then did her gaze drift to meet his. He held it for a moment, then let it drop to the small white bandage taped to her neck. Beneath it was the wound from the bullet that should have ended his life.

The one she’d taken in his place.

The one he’d never be able to forget.

“You’re wiped out. You’ve gone above and beyond, spent hours here looking through photos, running names, working with your team, but, Aves, now it’s time to take a step back.”

“I can't. Not right now. We don’t have anything yet,” she protested, looking aghast at the idea of taking anything that wasn't a step forward.

“Not true,” Teresa piped up. “We have names for everyone on that boat, and we’ve started running background checks on them. We have some leads to follow up on and we know that it’s possible that not all the staff were there by choice, that they’d been blackmailed into helping. That’s more than we had before you showed up here this morning.”

It was true, but her friend’s words didn't seem to placate Ava much.

No doubt if they left it up to her, she’d stay there indefinitely.

But that wasn't going to happen. Not on his watch.

“You haven’t slept in over a day,” Chelsea reminded her.

Like the words let out the final bit of wind in her sails, Ava deflated in front of them all. Exhaustion was etched into her features, and she had to know that it was no sign of weakness to go home and get some rest.

With a weary nod, Ava sighed and sank back into her chair. “Yeah. I guess I could catch a cab home and get a few hours’ sleep. Maybe when I come back tomorrow, I’ll have remembered something that will be helpful.”

Honestly, they all knew that wasn't happening. Whatever intel Ava had she’d already shared it with him, the agents who debriefed her when she got home, the cops last night, and now again with her team. There was nothing else she knew. It didn't mean she couldn’t still be a helpful tool in this investigation, it just meant she wasn't going to break the case wide open.

Right now, though, what she brought to the table wasn't his biggest concern. Nathaniel already knew she was a team player, smart and intuitive, with a never-give-up attitude. What he was worried about was keeping her safe.

---