But we had Diaz now. We had Sloane Harper. We had Charles Rothwell and his army of lawyers.
The Langs had bought the system. We were going to force it into the light.
Ava was curled up on the couch when I got home, Watson sprawled across her lap, morning light cutting through the windows. She looked up when I came in, and something in her face softened.
"Hey."
"Hey." I dropped my keys on the counter and shrugged off my jacket. "Long night?"
"Twelve-hour shift. Three codes, two of them pediatric." She scratched behind Watson's ears, and he purred louder. "You?"
"Structure fire this morning. Pulled an elderly woman out—smoke inhalation, but she's going to be okay." I crossed to thecouch, lifted Watson despite his protests, and sat down beside her. The cat immediately relocated to my lap because Watson had no loyalty whatsoever. "And I heard from Detective Diaz today."
Ava sat up straighter. "What did she say?"
I told her everything—Captain Hendricks, Crescent Holdings, the payments, the timing, the system built to make Kevin Lang’s crime disappear.
By the time I finished, Ava was quiet. Processing.
"A police captain," she said. "They bought a police captain."
"Yeah. But now we know. And Diaz is on our side—she's risking everything to help us." I shifted to face her. "Tomorrow we meet with Sloane Harper. Between her investigation, Diaz’s intel, your father’s lawyers, and what we already have… the Langs are starting to run out of places to hide.”
Ava nodded slowly. Then, to my surprise, she smiled. A real one.
"We actually have a chance," she said. "A real chance."
"We do."
"I keep thinking about Derek Edwards' family. His mom came into the ER once, a few months after it happened. She didn't know I was the one who heard Kevin's confession—she was just there for a sprained wrist. But she talked about him. About how he was saving up for college, how he worked at that grocery store every day after school." Ava's voice was soft. "She deserves to know what really happened. They all do."
"They're going to know. We're going to make sure of it."
She looked at me, and her expression shifted. Softer. Less guarded.
"Thank you," she said."For letting me stay here. For the crew. For everything. I don't know what I would have done without you."
The words landed somewhere I didn't have a name for.
"You would have figured it out," I said. "You always do."
I meant it. Still did.
"Maybe." She tucked her feet up under her, leaning into the couch cushions. "But I'm glad I didn't have to."
We sat like that for a moment. Comfortable. Easy. Watson purred between us, oblivious to anything but the warmth.
Then Ava stretched, stifling a yawn.
"When this is all over," she said carefully, "I should probably start looking for my own place again."
I nodded. Kept my face neutral.
The words landed. Harder than they should have. I didn't want her to leave. I didn't want to go back to an apartment that felt empty, to mornings without her stealing my coffee, to evenings without Watson weaving between both our legs.
But I had nothing I could ask for without changing everything. The whole point of this arrangement was safety. Once the Langs were dealt with, once the threat was gone... what reason did she have to keep living with me?
None. At least, none I could say out loud.
