Shawn makes an affirming grunt and bobs his head.
I pull my head back in surprise.For months, Bianca has been insistent about contacting me directly.Often demanding in person meetings so she can proposition me, convinced that I'd willingly become her personal assassin and plaything.I shake my head, dispelling the disgusting thought of her hands on me.I'd rather walk over hot coals than let another woman touch me.I'm Ava’s—I have been since the moment I saw her.And no matter how much she tries to deny it, she's mine.
He spins the laptop around to face me.On the screen is a photo of a middle aged man unloading groceries from the trunk of a mid-sized, blue sedan.He stands in front of a small but well-maintained yellow house holding a paper bag labeledMunson's Grocery.His light but slightly yellowed skin glistens with a thin layer of sweat.It coats his brow beneath short-cropped, salt and pepper hair.
The picture looks like it was taken from across the street, likely from a car or surveillance van.
“Who's that?”I ask.
“Michael Crawford.He was a pretty low-level guy in Bianca's organization before he stashed some of her money and high-tailed it out of the city.Her people found him a few months later.He's staying in a house about two hours north of here in Wilmington.”
“He must have stolen a lot for her to devote the resources to finding him for months,” I surmise.“You dug into the information you got to confirm everything?”
Shawn nods.“Yeah, everything checks out.”
“Send me the file.I'll take care of it tomorrow.”
As I walk toward the door, Shawn mutters softly to himself, “And don't hurt that girl.”
An annoyed sound snorts out of my nose and I close the door with enough force to make something rattle on the other side.I would never hurt her.I shake off my irritation and step out onto the street.The wind whips around me, blasting frigid air into my face.
I pull my jacket up to my chin, releasing some of the sweet scent of Ava's hair that clings to it.As I walk back to my car, my mind wanders.It tumbles over thoughts I've never had about any woman before her.
Is she warm enough in her bed?Is she safe?Is she dreaming about me?
