Chapter 10

The sight of somebody has never infuriated me as much as seeing Rye. He sits so casually in my father's chair. One foot rests on his knee while a lazy arm is thrown over the back of it. It's like he owns it. He keeps his eyes on me and the smug smile makes my blood boil.

I hate him.

Dad tenses beside me while Mom manages to catch my eye to give me a worried look. She immediately puts a hand on Ava's shoulder and turns my daughter away.

"Come on, Ava. I need some help with the spaghetti," Mom says.

She starts ushering Ava out the room but Ava turns to look at me with a confused stare. My heart thuds in my chest at the thought of her being near someone so dangerous. I force a smile and nod my head to tell her she should go with my mom. Ava frowns and turns to stare at Rye before eventually following my mom out the room.

"Grandma, who is that man? He looks like Daddy," she asks.

"No one important, sweetpea. If you come quickly I might let you lick the spoon at the end," Mom replies.

I don't hear Ava's reply as they disappear towards the kitchen. Once I'm sure she's out of earshot, I snap my head back round to Rye. He is still wearing that stupid smug smile and a huge part of me wants to whack it off his face.

"How cute. She's grown a lot since I last saw her. She's your double but it's good to see that she's got the Mellark baby blues," he says.

"You don't give a damn about Ava so don't pretend," I growl.

Rye gives me another smile as he picks at his nails.

"You're right. Children bore me. Even if she did take my brother away from me," he replies.

"I won't let you hurt her," I say.

"I don't want to hurt her. I have bigger fish to fry than a five-year-old girl," Rye says.

"So why don't you just tell us why you are really here?" Dad cuts in.

Rye flicks his eyes to Dad and gives him a smile before leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees.

"You really should secure your house better, Heath. With murderers on the loose, I was able to climb through the window in the downstairs bathroom," Rye replies.

Dad narrows his eyes and clenches his fists.

"I'm calling the police," he says.

He turns to the phone but is stopped by Rye's words.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you. I came prepared," he says.

Dad turns back to him and Rye shifts back to lift up his jacket and reveal a gun hidden in his belt. I flinch and my heart jumps into my mouth. Rye catches it and leans back into the chair with a laugh.

"And here I thought you would be used to seeing guns after what happened the last time I was in town," he says.

"I can't believe you brought one into a house with my daughter," I say.

"It didn't bother you before when Peeta kept one in his sock drawer. I'm disappointed by your double standards," Rye replies.

My heart sinks. I always knew Peeta hid a gun there when we were together but I liked to pretend it didn't exist. After the incident when Ava was a baby, I swore I would never let another gun in my house again.

Dad seems to grow a bit more confident and squares his shoulders as he takes a step towards Rye.

"Can I assume you are here for Peeta? It's the only reason that you would come back here, particularly with police swarming all over town," Dad says.

A wide grins spreads across Rye's face.

"Bingo. You're more than just a pretty face, Heath," Rye says patronisingly. "Though coming here is the perfect cover. It's the last place they would look to find me."

Dad clenches and unclenches his fists and I can tell it is taking all his will power not to take a swing at Rye.

"You have probably heard that some rival gang want to over throw me. They are ruining my reputation and need to be put back in their place. And it's about time my baby brother remembered his responsibilities and helped out the brother he loves so much," Rye says.

"Peeta won't be easily dragged back into your games. He has other responsibilities now. Ava is his main priority," I say.

To my surprise, Rye's grin widens.

"Oh, I know. I'm planning on it," he replies.

My blood runs cold at the menacing smile he gives me. I don't know exactly what he plans to say to Peeta but for the first time in a long time I'm terrified he's going to win.

He keeps hold of my stare as he leans forward again.

"Now be a good girl and phone him for me. I think a reunion is long overdue," he says.

I gulp as he waits for me to move. I have no option but to do as he says. It's the only way I will get him out of the house and away from Ava.

I turn to Dad and he gives me a resigned nod of the head.

"I'll stay here with him. You call Peeta," Dad says.

I nod my head and turn to leave the room. Just as I am about to leave, I shoot Rye a glare to show my disgust for him.

Once in the hallway, I pull out my phone and call Peeta's number. The phone barely rings twice before his panicked voice answers.

"Katniss, have you left yet?" he asks.

"No," I reply. "There's been a change of plans. We have a visitor. He wants to see you."

I'm careful with my words. I'm sure the police are monitoring Peeta's calls in case Rye does get in touch and I can't risk the police coming round here while Rye and Ava are under the same roof. I don't want to predict what Rye would do if he was ambushed.

Peeta goes silent on the other end of the line and I know he is trying to decipher my tone.

"Is it just one visitor?" he asks.

"Yes. He wants to thank you for the Christmas card," I reply.

Peeta is silent again but I hope my clues show that it is Rye here and not one of The Careers.

"I'll be over as soon as the police finished taking my statement," he says.

"Okay. I'll see you soon," I say.

"Yeah. Bye, Katniss," Peeta says.

I say goodbye too and then Peeta cuts off. I didn't realise how fast my heart is hammering until I take the phone away from my ear. I clutch the phone to my chest and hope that Peeta gets here quickly.

I sit on the stairs in the hallway as I wait for him to come. I can imagine Dad in the living room giving Rye hard glares while Rye tries to joke and make a mess of the room. I glance at my watch every few seconds to check the time and let out a frustrated huff when I realise no time at all has really passed.

I stare at the door in front on me, drumming my fingers against my leg and willing the doorbell to ring. It eventually does with a shrill ring and I jump up to answer it. I yank the door back and quickly pull in a worried looking Peeta.

"Rye's here?" he asks for confirmation.

"Yes," I reply. "He wants you to help him with The Careers."

Peeta clenches his jaw and turns his head towards the direction of the front room. Rye's laughter can be heard floating through the door and Peeta's shoulders tense.

"I'm sorry. This is the last thing I wanted," he says.

I smile at him sadly but it's like Ava can sense her daddy is here as she opens the kitchen door and beams when she sees Peeta.

"Daddy!" she exclaims, running towards him and flinging her arms around him. "Mommy said we wouldn't see you."

Peeta snaps his head away from the front room door to focus his attention on Ava. He manages to smile at her and kisses the top of his head.

"Hey, bug. I managed to find some time to see you before you and Mommy go away," he says.

"You should come with us, Daddy. We're going to see Jo and she has a tyre swing in her garden," Ava says.

Peeta smiles as he strokes some of her hair.

"Maybe next time. I've got stuff I need to do here," he replies.

Ava bows her head and begins picking at the strap of his watch.

"Are you going to find the man that killed Joel?" she asks.

Peeta looks up at me and we share a pained filled glance.

"I'm going to help put him in prison. And then I will be free to come and join you and Mommy. You can show me how high you can go on the tyre swing," he says.

Ava nods her head but still looks despondent.

"I'll miss you, Daddy," she says.

Peeta gives her a sad smile.

"I'll miss you too, bug," he says.

He then places a long kiss on her forehead before pulling away and ushering her back to the kitchen.

"What were you doing in the kitchen? Were you helping Grandma?" he asks.

"Yes. We're making spaghetti," Ava says a bit more upbeat.

"That sounds so yummy. I bet Grandma still needs your help. Mommy can help too," Peeta says.

Ava nods her head in agreement and Peeta pushes open the kitchen door with one hand. Mom looks a little surprised to see him but quickly hides it as she encourages Ava to come and try the sauce. Ava scampers over to her so Mom can bend down and hold out the spoon for her. Peeta and I watch her for a moment before he gently touches my elbow.

"I'll get Rye out the house. I don't want him near Ava," he says.

I nod my head in agreement and he gives my elbow a squeeze before ducking out the room before Ava notices.

I go over to Mom and Ava sticks out her tongue to lick up the sauce that has dribbled down her chin.

"That's yummy, Grandma. Can I have some now?" she asks.

I chuckle as I reach own to stroke the top of her head.

"You're always thinking about food. But the spaghetti hasn't boiled yet," I say.

Ava huffs a little as Mom and I grin. She then turns around and sees Peeta has left the room. Her smile soon drops off her face.

"Daddy's gone already. He didn't say goodbye," she says.

"He's still here. He just needs to talk to someone," I say.

Ava looks up at me and thinks for a long moment.

"Does he know that man in the other room?" Ava asks.

Mom and I share a glance before I bend down to look Ava in the eye.

"Yes. He does," I reply.

I can't lie to her. Not when I don't know what is going to happen. It's better to be as truthful as I can now as it will be easier to explain once everything is over.

"How does Daddy know him?" she asks.

I take a deep breath before answering.

"He's your dad's brother," I reply.

"Is that why he looks like Daddy?" she asks.

"Yes. Brothers and sisters often look alike even though Auntie Prim and I look different," I say.

Ava nods her head and is silent again as she contemplates something.

"Why doesn't Daddy see him more? I thought brothers were supposed to play with each other all the time," she says.

I sigh as I pull her towards me. I wrap my arm around her shoulder and look deep into her eyes.

"He's not a very nice man and he's done a lot of bad things," I say.

"Like when Daddy stole things?" Ava asks.

I nod my head.

"But your uncle still steal things and Daddy doesn't like that. Daddy doesn't want him around," I say.

Ava nods her head and then wraps her arms around my neck.

"I don't like him, Mommy," she says.

I smile as I hug her close.

"I don't like him either, bug," I say.

Dad comes back through to the kitchen a moment later. Ava sits on my lap, drawing more pictures, and Dad comes to sit next to us with a grim look.

"I tried to listen through the door but couldn't make anything out," he says. "How I wish I could just throw him out the house."

I nod my head and Ava turns to look at my dad. She pushes a piece of paper towards him.

"Everyone looks sad. I'm drawing sunshine and rainbows to make everyone happy again. You can have this one, Grandpa," she says.

Dad smiles fondly at her as he takes the picture off her.

"Thank you. Seeing you always makes me happy," he says.

He tweaks her nose and Ava grins, satisfied for now, before turning back to her most recent picture. I stroke her hair and place a kiss on top of her head, desperately wishing I can keep her as innocent as possible.

Time drags by slowly as Peeta and Rye talk in the other room. Mom serves us the spaghetti and I try to distract Ava with questions about Frozen and her favourite animals. Dad is silent throughout the meal and both of us check the clock every few minutes to see how long has passed. As every passing minute goes, my sense of dread grows.

Eventually we hear some movement in the hallway, followed shortly by the opening and shutting of the front door. I tense and sit up straight as footsteps can be heard approaching the kitchen. The door opens and Ava immediately jumps off her seat when she sees Peeta's curls appear round it. She flings herself into him and he bends down to hoist her on his hip.

"Daddy! I drew you a picture of the sun to cheer you up. Look! He has sunglasses!" she says.

She shoves the picture in his face and he smiles as he studies it carefully.

"Thank you. He is the happiest looking sun I've ever seen," Peeta replies as he walks them to the table.

Peeta takes a seat and Ava settles in his lap. Her arms wrap around his neck tightly and she snuggles as close as possible to him. She may only be five but she is more perceptive than we give her credit for. She knows something is wrong with her daddy and desperately clings to him to try and keep him here.

"Did that man go? Is he really your brother?" Ava asks.

Peeta reaches out to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and nods his head.

"Yes. But he's gone now and won't be coming back," Peeta replies.

Up until now he has avoided my stare but he now quickly flashes a glance in my direction. It's fleeting and I barely catch hold of it but one brief look is enough. Rye has got to Peeta.

Peeta goes back to ignoring me and my heart falls in my chest. This hurts more than when he left the first time.

"Are you hungry, Daddy? Grandma still has some spaghetti left. I helped make the sauce and wore the apron you gave me," Ava says.

"I definitely need to try some. If that is okay with your grandma?" Peeta replies.

He looks towards my mom and she nods her head before silently getting up to serve him a plate. Peeta takes it gratefully but finds it hard to eat as Ava refuses to get out of his lap. She is the only one who talks as she tells Peeta all about her drawings while the rest of us all wait to discover the outcome with Rye.

I let Peeta enjoy all of Ava's ramblings and stand back as he plays ponies with her before bed. The tension stays in my body and only grows tighter as the minutes tick towards Ava's bed time. I run through a variety of scenarios of what Rye has got Peeta to do but the images in my head get worse and more morbid as time goes on and I have to stop myself as my anxiety level grows.

Eventually it is time for Ava to go to bed and she groans when I tell her.

"Can you read me a story? Both you and Daddy?" she asks.

I pause and flick my eyes towards Peeta. I don't really feel like acting happy families when I know he has got something bad to tell me. But Ava's eyes plead with me and I don't know if she will ever get a normal night with both of us again. I let out a long sigh before nodding my head.

"Okay. You better go up and pick one out," I say.

Ava grins and bounds up the stairs to her bedroom. Peeta catches my eye and gives me a grateful look but I quickly look away, my expression blank.

We don't talk as we climb the stairs and don't look at each other as we enter Ava's room. She turns to us with a wide grin and waves a colourful book about a frog in the air.

"I found one!" she declares.

I smile at her fondly and she then rushes to her bed. She clambers onto it and snuggles into the middle. There is just enough space for Peeta and I to sit either side of her. She looks at us expectedly and reluctantly I join her on the bed. Peeta follows behind me and we squish together on the small bed. Both of us put an arm around our daughter and our shoulders press against each other. I tense again but don't dare turn to look at him.

"I don't think I know this story," Peeta says as Ava opens the book.

"It's good, Daddy. The frog wants to become a prince so tries to get all the princesses to kiss him. But no one wants to kiss a frog!" Ava replies.

Peeta chuckles as he squeezes Ava tighter. He then turns to look at me.

"Does Mommy want to start?" he asks.

I look back at him blankly but nod my head.

"Can I see the book please?" I say.

Ava nods her head and moves the book in front of me. She tucks her toy goat under her arm and places her head on Peeta's chest as I begin to read. Peeta and I take it in turns to read the pages and Ava giggles as we put on different voices for the characters. I put aside the trepidation I feel towards Peeta to entertain our daughter and it's worth it to hear her laughter.

Peeta finishes the story and Ava smiles at him.

"You're funny doing the voice of a princess, Daddy," she says.

"I once dressed up as a princess for Halloween. And Mommy dressed up as my handsome prince," he replies.

I try not to smile as I remember Peeta in the blond wig and corset. He doesn't get to bring up good memories when he is about to disappoint me again.

Peeta sighs when he sees my neutral expression and turns back to Ava.

"It's time for you to go to sleep now. I'm not going to fall for your tricks to get me to read more stories!" Peeta says, poking her in the tummy.

Ava's face falls and she drops her eyes.

"Are you going to be here tomorrow?" she asks.

Peeta's shoulders sink and he shakes his head. He puts his finger underneath Ava's chin so he can tip it up to look at her.

"I've got a job I need to do tomorrow. I don't know how long I will be away," he says.

My suspicions are almost confirmed and my heart feels heavy and aches. Ava drops her head again and Peeta pulls her in for a tight hug.

"I love you, bug. I will always love you. You are the best thing in my life," he says.

His words sound like a final goodbye and my heart begins to crack. I watch as Ava clings to him tightly.

"I love you too, Daddy. Please come back quickly," she says.

"I'll really try," Peeta replies.

He then places a kiss on her head and slowly extracts himself from her bed. I lean in to give Ava a kiss too before standing up and telling her to close her eyes. Ava clutches her toy goat while Peeta and I slowly back out of the room.

Once in the hallway I look at Peeta for the first times in ages. He looks defeated as he tips his head towards the front room downstairs.

"We need to talk," he says.

I nod my head and follow him silently down the stairs.

Peeta walks into the centre of the room and stops to look at me. My feelings of trepidation have only grown since Rye's left and I've begun to piece together exactly what he was asked. Peeta wrings his hands in front of him as he gains the courage to speak.

"Rye wants to put Cato and Marvel away. He's not been able to do his usual business and the incident with Joel is the last straw. He has a plan to stop them," he says.

"And he needs your help," I state.

There's no point beating about the bush. Rye's always wanted his little brother by his side. Peeta nods his head.

"He's managed to get his hands on a large amount of cocaine. He's knows where Cato and Marvel are hiding out and plans to plant the drugs there and take back the money they stole from us a few months ago. Then all it needs is a quick call to the police and they will be behind bars," Peeta says.

"Why not just call the cops straight away? They are looking for them. And then you don't have to get involved," I say.

"Because there is no evidence to put them away! No DNA or forensic evidence linking them to Joel's murder or the other crimes they have committed. They might have been seen in Seam but you can't charge someone for driving here. That amount of drugs in their possession would mean twenty-five years in jail. And it would mean Ava is safe," Peeta replies.

I shake my head. There has to be a better way.

"But why you? Surely he has other members of his gang to help him with this?" I say.

"He doesn't trust anyone in his crew. He suspects someone is leaking information to Cato and Marvel. I need to be there as his back up," he replies.

"You don't need to be there. You promised me that you wouldn't get involved with Rye again. You promised me that Ava was your only priority. I can't believe I trusted you," I say.

Anger starts to rise up inside of me. He's disappointed me once again but this time it's going to hurt Ava too.

"I'm doing this for Ava! Cato and Marvel need to be behind bars to keep her safe!" Peeta exclaims.

"And what about the next time Rye pisses someone off? Will you need to do another job then to make sure she's 'safe'?" I say.

I take a step towards him and feel my emotions bubbling on the surface. Peeta holds my stare with equal intent as he shakes his head furiously.

"He's leaving once this is done. Somewhere out west with a new identity. This is the bargain I have to make to ensure he is out of our lives forever," Peeta says.

"There are other ways for you to do that," I say.

The tears start to brim in my eyes. I know Peeta better than anyone and know he can be stubborn when he wants to be. I won't be able to change his mind.

"If you do this, I can't let you come back. You'll break Ava's heart," I say.

My voice cracks at the end and I almost say that he will break my heart as well. Because after everything, I've fallen back in love with him again. And I'm not sure how I will cope with losing him again.

But I don't tell him that. I don't want to be the reason he stays. If he can't stay for Ava, then he's not worth my love.

Peeta drops his head but steps forward to take a grip of my forearms. He forces me to look into his eyes and I see the pain and conflict swimming through his eyes.

"I know," he says. "But she will be safe. And that's more important."

I let out a shuddering breath as I sense the argument coming to a close. I drop my head because I know if I look at him any longer I will cry. Peeta steps forward and tries to place a kiss on my head but I step out the way and wrap my arms around my body. He looks heartbroken but doesn't try to reach out to me again.

"I love you, Katniss. I always have. And this is the right thing to do to keep you and Ava safe. You won't have to worry about it ever again," he says.

I refuse to look at him even though his eyes plead with me to say something, anything to give him hope. But I can't. I have no words for him.

Eventually he gets the hint and sighs before walking out the door. I hear the front door close and I let out a shuddering breath as I finally let the tears fall.

Dad leaves me for a few moments before coming through to check on me. The tear tracks are obvious on my face and he immediately wraps me in his arms. I grip onto the front of his shirt as I sob into it.

"I really thought he would choose Ava over Rye," I sob.

Dad strokes my hair as he lets me fall apart.

"This is worse than when he left the last time," Dad says.

I nod my head and then Dad asks what happened in here. I give him a run down and Dad's expression gets icier as I retell him what happened.

"I don't know what to do now, Dad," I say.

Dad pulls back slightly to look me in the eye.

"Yes, you do. You can't let them get away with it any longer. And if you don't do it, I will," Dad says.

I sniff loudly as I nod my head. I knew what I had to do as soon as I saw Rye in this house. I just hoped that Peeta wouldn't be involved as well.

I wipe my nose with the back of my hand and step out of Dad's grip.

"I can't remember where I put my phone," I say.

Dad gives me a sympathetic smile and then helps me search for it. It doesn't take long to find it and I scroll through my contacts. I hit the call button and press the phone to my ear.

"Darius. I know where Rye is. And I know what he and Peeta are planning…." I begin.

A/N: I know this chapter will probably have conflicting reactions. Some will be mad at Peeta for getting drawn back in and not calling the police while others will be mad at Katniss dobbing him into the police. I think it's a hard situation and both of them both believe what they are doing is right.