Chapter 10 : Everyone Deserves a Hero

*Seymore’s POV*

As Ava looks up at me with tears in her eyes, all I want to do is kiss them away. I thought it had just been luck that I stumbled upon her at the cafe, but then fate offered me the opportunity of a lifetime. When Marcus and I saw Conner pull Ava into the alley, both of us instinctively moved to protect her. I asked Marcus to stand back and only step in if it was necessary, and I’m glad he had.

Not that I was worried that Conner would hurt me. Far from it. After hearing Ava cry out in pain my vision went red, and I was not going to let Conner walk away unscathed from the situation he caused. I hope Marcus gives him what he has coming to him.

As I stand here with Ava in my arms, everything in my life feels like it’s falling into place. She is warm and soft against my body, causing me to want more. I start to pull her in closer when Marcus comes back around the corner with three coffees in his hands.

“I was hoping you two hadn’t taken off yet,” he says, handing us each a cup. “Are you okay?” he asks Ava, ignoring the fact he just cock-blocked me.

“Yes, thank you so much,” she replies, pulling away from me to take the offered beverage. “It’s Marcus, right? And, you’re Seymore’s friend?” she asks, walking toward the street between the two of us.

“Well, I made it to friend status after all these years,” Marcus remarks sarcastically.

Ava laughs, causing me to smile without realizing it. The sound is soft and sweet, like a mix between a giggle and a chuckle. It’s absolutely melodious.

“So, where you heading? Maybe Seymore and I can tag along and make sure you get there safe?” Marcus says, playing the part of a good wingman.

Ava looks down at her coffee and back at Marcus.

“I think I can make it from here. My building is just a couple of blocks up,” she says softly.

“Well, it just so happens we’re heading that way ourselves,” I reply, even though we definitely were not. “After what just happened, I wouldn’t feel very chivalrous about making you walk alone,” I add, not giving her the option to deny the offer.

“If you insist. I don’t want to be alone right now anyway,” she finally says after looking up and down the streets.

I smile, but it’s only to cover up the anger I feel. It pisses me off that any man on the planet thinks he has the right to intimidate a woman. Ava is so sweet and innocent, if I ever come across that guy again I will do more than punch him in the mouth.

“So, what have you two been doing today?” Ava asks, clearly not okay with walking along in silence.

“Not much. Good’ol Seymore here was just walking me around the city. How about you?” Marcus asks before I get the chance.

“Oh, that would be nice. I worked at the animal shelter today. I volunteer there once a week while I’m helping Dr. Davies out,” she replies, giving me a little bit of insight into what she does in her free time.

She likes animals, well that’s already a plus. I’m about to bring up Zeus when a woman comes running down the street toward us, waving her arms and yelling. I step in front of Ava, but she pushes past me.

“Ellie, I’m okay,” she yells toward the woman, causing the blond to slow her pace to a jog.

The woman she called Ellie comes to a stop and pulls Ava into her arms.

“I was frantic, Ava! I got your text and left work, but when I got to your condo you weren’t there. I was freaking out! What happened and are you okay?” she quickfires at poor Ava.

Marcus and I exchange a look while Ava’s friend looks her over from head to toe in the middle of the sidewalk.

“I’m okay, really Ellie,” Ava scolds as this Ellie person leans in closer to her.

“Why do you stink? And who are they?” she keeps saying, appearing to ignore Ava’s attempt to calm her.

Ava grabs Ellie by the shoulders and forces her to hold still.

“I’m fine, now. This is Seymore and his friend Marcus,” she says, pointing to each of us individually. “I will explain everything to you when we get back to my place. Did you really leave work for me?” she asks, giving her friend a look of pity.

“Of course I did! You sent me an emergency text, Ava. I would jump out of a plane mid-flight if you sent me one of those,” Ellie scoffs.

I like this friend of hers. She seems a little scatterbrained, but loyalty means more than a few extra brain cells ever could.

“Sorry, did you say Seymore? As in, Seymore Lewis?” Ellie says, giving me a second glance.

Oh no, here it comes. I don’t want to have to tell Ellie I’m not interested right in front of Ava, but I will.

“Thank you for helping Ava. You know she’s single, right?” the blond states, catching me totally off guard.

“Ellie, not helping,” Ava mutters to her friend.

“What? You talk about him enough, I just thought I would let him know your relationship status,” she adds, causing Ava to blush.

To hear she’s been talking about me sends a wave of warmth all over my body. If she talks about me, why did she refuse to give me her number?

“We need to go,” Ava says, pushing Ellie away from us and down the street. “Thank you, again. Both of you,” she adds.

“I’ll see you tomorrow?” I ask before she’s too far away to hear me.

“You bet!” she yells back before turning around and taking Ellie by the arm.

We wait for them to get about half a block away before we continue down the street. I pay close attention as they walk into a large stone building that must be the condo Ellie was talking about. Today has been more productive than I thought it would be. I now know where Ava lives, who her best friend is, and that she has another job at an animal shelter.

“So, you happy I didn’t let you beat my head in with a baseball bat last night?” Marcus says, once again using his usual annoying sarcastic tone.

I shake my head.

“If you hadn’t broken into the house and raided my fridge, that could have been avoided,” I reply. “Or, you know, maybe call me back rather than just show up,” I add.

“I didn’t break in, I used the key you gave me. Is it my fault you never changed your locks?” he retorts, sipping at his coffee.

Marcus is just lucky he had MI-6 training to fend off the attack. If he had been an intruder, I doubt he would have been able to avoid my swing.

“Anyway, now that we’re done playing hero, tell me more about this car that was following you,” he says.

We had spent the morning discussing the Ambrose family, a group he’s familiar with. He said they have been working with the A-Team for years now, and no one has had any luck taking down the whole syndicate. He agrees with Doc that these guys aren’t someone you want to mess with.

“It's a black car. I haven't gotten a good look at the driver, but I think it’s following me. I told Doc I would get the plate number next time I see it. He wants to run it to find out who the owner is,” I explain, looking around for the first time since running into Ava.

“If I’d known that I would have grabbed the number at the coffee shop,” he says, sounding annoyed.

“What? You saw it at the cafe?” I ask, shocked I hadn’t noticed.

“Yup. While you were playing super-hero to Ava, I saw it sitting across the street. There was a big mean-looking dude sitting behind the wheel. He was watching me when I escorted shit-for-brains out of the alley,” he says, finishing his coffee and throwing it into a bin on the side of the road.

“Why didn’t you say something?” I ask before I think about the question.

Marcus tips his head toward me, giving me a look that screams stupid question. I nod my head in defense.

“I know, I know. I didn’t mention it till now, my bad,” I reply.

We head to the train station and back to my place. The trip to the city had been so Marcus could familiarize himself with my routine. He will be following me at a distance on the regular now, and it helps to know my route ahead of time. Not much has changed since the last time he shadowed me, except the addition of the weekly trips to Dr. Davies’ office. We walk into the house and are greeted by Zeus and his mighty tongue. Thankfully, Marcus loves dogs. The bigger the better, he had said the night before.

“What are you doing you big baby? Did you miss your uncle Marcus?” he coos while rubbing Zeus down. “Where are you going?” he asks me as I walk down the hall toward my office.

“I need to look up anything I can about shit-for-brains,” I reply, stealing the very appropriate nickname he had given earlier.

“Do you know who he is?” Marcus asks, shadowing me down the hall.

“Not really, but I’m taking a stab in the dark and guessing it’s Ava’s ex-husband,” I state, powering up my computer.

“You know, we really should be working on figuring out why Duncan Ambrose has it out for you. If you put as much effort into that as you are Ava, we would have you in the clear by now,” he lectures from the doorway.

“That’s what you’re here for,” I reply, dropping a hint that I don’t need him hovering over me while I dig into Ava’s past.

Marcus shakes his head before turning around and going back to the living room.

I spend hours on the computer looking up everything I can about Ava’s ex. I found out his name is Conner Brown. He works as a general manager at a local car lot, of all places. The guy is known for his fits of anger, and the police have been called by neighbors to break up domestic disputes in the past. The more I read, the angrier I get. By the time I power down my computer, I’m contemplating the best place to hide a body.

“All right, man, I’m calling it a night,” Marcus says from the doorway.

“I’m right behind you,” I say, getting up from the computer desk and stretching my numb limbs.

“Did you figure everything out?” Marcus asks as we walk down the hall.

“For the most part. Don’t forget, I have my appointment in the morning,” I reply as he walks into his room.

“I know, 11 o’clock,” he says before closing his door.

I have a feeling it’s going to take me a while to get to sleep tonight. Zeus walks into my room a few minutes after me, taking his place on his oversized pillow. I wish I had been able to spend some alone time with Ava. She had felt so amazing in my arms, and her hand against my chest had made it difficult not to physically react to her touch.

After laying down in my bed I stare at the ceiling. I am officially making it my mission to serve and protect Ava at all costs. I don’t know why, but she does something to me no one else ever has. I want to take care of her and see her happy. This is no longer just about getting her phone number. Now I won't be happy till I make Ava mine.