Page 57 of Aussie
“No problem,” Aussie replied.
The three of them sat, and for the next hour, they discussed the threats made toward Ava and Christian. Jefferson was methodical, taking notes as Derek and Aussie filled him in on the confrontation between the boys from Christian’s school.
“We’ll have surveillance put on those two boys,” Jefferson said. “With any luck, they’ll lead us to someone higher up.”
Aussie nodded, though his jaw clenched. “What about Ava and Christian? What can be done to keep them safe in the meantime?”
Jefferson hesitated, his expression somber. “Truthfully? Not much, given that we don’t know who all the players are. The best we can do is keep watch and hope something breaks soon.”
Aussie didn’t like that answer, and he could tell Derek didn’t either.
Jefferson sighed. “Does Ava have family she could visit for the holidays? Somewhere out of town?”
Aussie frowned. “No, she doesn’t.” But then an idea hit him. “What if I take them with me?”
Jefferson raised an eyebrow. “Take them where?”
“Originally, I was planning to visit my family in Indiana for Christmas,” Aussie explained. “But after I met Ava, I decided to stay here instead. But what if I take them to my parent’s place? It’s far enough away.”
Derek exchanged a glance with Jefferson, who nodded slowly.
“That’s a solid plan,” Jefferson said. “Getting them out of the area could buy us some time to gather more intel.”
Derek leaned back in his chair. “You’d need additional leave. Consider it approved.”
“Thank you. I just need to make a quick call,” Aussie said as he excused himself from the room.
The door to Derek’s office clicked shut, muffling the sound of Agent Jefferson’s low voice as he discussed logistics with Derek. Aussie leaned against the wall in the hallway, his mind already racing ahead. Even though he had made up his mind about Ava and Christian staying with his family for Christmas, he knew there was one more person who needed to be in the loop. And that was his mom.
He pulled his phone from his pocket and dialed. The line barely rang twice before his mom answered, her voice bright and cheerful.
“Well, look who’s calling! Is this my son who forgot his mother existed?”
Aussie rolled his eyes, his lips curving into a smirk. “It’s been two weeks, Mom. Not exactly an eternity.”
“That’s debatable,” she replied. “What’s going on? And don’t you dare tell me you’re stuck in some frozen wasteland or on amission where you can’t tell me anything. I’m not in the mood for that today.”
“Relax, I’m not on a mission.” Aussie glanced at the closed door, lowering his voice. “Actually, I need to talk to you about something important.”
The teasing edge in her voice softened. “What’s wrong?”
“I’ve got a couple of people I’d like to bring home for Christmas,” Aussie said, his tone even. “A woman I’ve been seeing and the teenager she is fostering. Her name is Ava, and the boy is Christian.”
There was a brief silence on the other end before his mom spoke, her curiosity palpable. “Okay, back up. Ava? This is the one you mentioned last time, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, it’s the same person.”
“And she’s fostering a teenager? How old is he?”
“Fifteen,” Aussie said. “He’s a good kid, Mom. Really good. And Ava’s incredible. She’s a social worker who works with kids like Christian. She’s tough, selfless, and honestly amazing.”
“Well,” his mom said with a laugh, “it sounds like you’re already smitten.”
Aussie felt his ears burn. “Mom.”
“Oh, don’t ‘Mom’ me. You don’t bring just anyone to meet the family, and now you’re talking about two people. This sounds serious.”
“It is,” Aussie admitted, the weight of his words settling over him. “I care about them. Both of them. And things have gotten a little complicated around here.”
