Page 61 of Aussie
“So,” Christian said, “have you talked with Ava at all today? I know she’s nervous about everything going on.”
Aussie’s grip on the steering wheel tightened slightly, but he forced himself to keep his tone light. “I actually had lunch with her. She’s okay. But you’re right. She is nervous, and she has a lot on her plate.”
Christian nodded, his expression thoughtful. “She worries about everyone else more than herself. I just don’t like seeing her stressed. I feel responsible for everything that is going on.”
Aussie’s chest tightened. One of the things he admired most about Christian was his compassion. Despite everything the kid had been through, he was anything but selfish. But he also didn’t like that the kid was beating himself up over the situation at hand.
“Hey, this stuff going on is not your fault. You didn’t ask for it.”
“I know that, but it is because of me that Ava’s life is in danger.”
Aussie didn’t want to tell Christian about them leaving town yet.
“Well, hopefully, the police can get a handle on the situation quickly. Until then, you’ve both got me, plus my team behind you,” Aussie said.
Christian smiled, then his eyes lit up as they passed a small barbecue joint. “Can we grab dinner from there? Their brisket sandwiches are amazing.”
“Brisket it is,” Aussie agreed, pulling into the parking lot.
After picking up some sandwiches, mac and cheese, and cornbread, they headed back to Ava’s house. As Aussie parked in the driveway, he immediately noticed Ava’s car already there.
“She’s home early,” Christian said as they grabbed the food and headed inside.
The moment they stepped through the door, Aussie felt it. Ava was in the kitchen, pulling some snacks out of the pantry, but something about her posture was off. She was stiff, her movements almost mechanical.
“Hey, Ava!” Christian chirped. “We brought dinner!”
She turned and smiled, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Perfect. I’m starving.”
“Go get ready for dinner,” Aussie said, giving Christian a gentle nudge. “Wash up, set the table, you know the drill.”
Christian nodded and disappeared down the hall, leaving Aussie alone with Ava. He set the food on the counter and stepped closer to her.
“What’s wrong?” he asked quietly, his voice low and steady.
Ava hesitated, then sighed. “I don’t know if I’m just being paranoid with everything going on, but when I got home, there was a car that I didn’t recognize parked on the side of the road between my driveway and the neighbor’s next door. When I got out of the car and turned to look at it, the person took off.”
Aussie’s heart pounded. He wanted nothing more than to scoop Ava and Christian up and get them far away from all of this. “Can you describe the vehicle? I can at least give that information to Agent Jefferson, and they can check it out.”
“Yeah. It was a champagne-colored Lexus sedan. It had Virginia plates, but I only caught the first two letters. It was XB.”
“That’s a pretty good description,” Aussie said, pulling his phone out and texting the information to the agent.
When he was finished, he looked at Ava. She was biting her lip nervously.
“Are you alright?” he asked her.
“Are we able to leave earlier?”
“We can leave whenever you are ready. I had suggested the day after tomorrow because I assumed you had things you would need to take care of.” Hell, he would be happy if they left right after dinner. But he knew that was wishful thinking.
“Ava nodded, her expression softening. “How about tomorrow?”
Aussie nodded. “Tomorrow works.”
Before they could say more, Christian returned, setting plates on the table. “Everything okay?” he asked, his sharp eyes flicking between them.
“Yeah,” Aussie said, forcing a smile. “Come on, let’s eat.”
