21.
Mark wasn't too happy when Avery told him she'd confronted the deputy.
"I'm more than capable of having a conversation with a person I've seen just about every day for the past 3 years." Avery said before he could build up too much a head of steam about it.
"This isn't just a conversation, Avery. And I told you, I wanted to keep you out of it as much as I could." They were standing in her kitchen. She was trying to figure out what to do about supper when it had come up.
"But I thought you wanted to rattle cages." Avery said, looking up at him with mock innocence.
"I said I would. I would deal with Walls. Not you." His voice had taken on an angry edge.
"I didn't deal with Walls. I talked to Ben. You aren't the one he's got somebody following." Avery pointed out. "And I'm in this whether you meant me to be or not. So deal with it."
He heaved a frustrated sigh and scrubbed a hand down his face. Avery got the feeling she was testing his patience. Good. He needed it. "Fuck's sake, Avery. I told you I wan't jokin' around. I know what I'm doin'."
"And I'm just supposed to trust you, and stay in the dark and go about my daily life like I don't have cops tracking my movements. Gee. I must have been really stupid, daring to ask what a deputy was doing in the parking lot of an empty school. That kinda thing probably happens all the time everywhere else."
"I never said... "
"Oh, cork it already. For some reason Walls has already figured out he can get to you by getting to me, and you, being the super genius detective that you are, have fallen right into it." Avery clapped sarcastically. "Congratulations."
"Avery..." There was a warning note in his voice.
"Don't you 'Avery' me. This is my life. My house, my job, my daughter. I know you think you're handling things, but I'm not some disposable pawn in your game of chess with Andy Griffith. I swear. Walls is using me to get to you, but it seems like you're using me to get to him and I want it to stop. Right. Now." She emphasized each word by poking his chest. "You want to shut him down, good. Great! But at least stop and fucking think before you go off to slay your dragon." First the sarcasm, now the f-bomb. Avery felt like she was on a roll.
Mark was stunned into silence for several long moments. "Hellfire, Avery. I don't think I've ever seen you get pissed off before." He sounded as if he were in awe.
"Overbearing alpha males bring out the worst in me." Avery said.
"Is that what I am? Overbearin'?"
"Extremely. But spoiled rotton would probably be a better way to describe you. Do you ever not get your way?"
"This isn't about gettin' my way." But from the way that muscle in his jaw ticked, Avery knew she'd hit a nerve. Or pointed out a flaw. "We're tryin' to stop a monster before he does somethin' else."
"Or you're pushing him right into doing it more. I'm not the one that's been around criminals but what happens when you make somebody desparate? When they know that a spotlight is starting to turn in their direction? Are they going to fold and come along quietly? Do they ever? Do you realize you're pushing Walls into doing shit he never considered before? It might have started when you got back to town, some kind of weird panic...thing...but I'm starting to feel like it's getting personal between you two and nothing has even happened yet. And he isn't even the one you came back for. That was Rob Williams."
"No." Mark shook his head emphatically. "I came back here for you. The rest of it...just fell into my lap. And I'm not gonna let them keep gettin' away with it. I said before that I never meant to make you feel like I used you, and I mean it now. I'm not using you. I love you. I'm scared to death I'm gonna lose you again. And not just because I'm a mixed up, dumbass kid who didn't know what his options were. Because I shoulda stayed and fought for you then. I shoulda stopped it then. That night when those mother fuckers shared a beer over my mom's body like they were celebrating. I knew it. I knew it. But a part of me didn't want to really believe it. I can't make it right. I can't bring back any of the women or kids that they've murdered, but I can stop it from happenin' again. And I'm damn sure gonna stop it. You just have to trust me."
"I do trust you. But I trust myself too. You remember the town from 20 years ago. I know these people now. I've seen them every single day. I know which ones you can talk to and which ones to avoid. And I talk to them all the time. Including Ben. If you weren't here, do you think it would be any different? I'd still be talking to them. I just wouldn't know what I know."
Mark braced a hand on the counter beside her and towered over her. "Avery..."
"And you can stop trying to intimidate me. It' s not going to work." She had to lean back to meet his eyes.
"I'm not tryin' to intimidate you." His voice had dropped low. Avery's eyebrows lowered in confusion. All of his anger seemed to have drained away as quick as it had come on. "You didn't hear me say it or you chose to ignore it. Which one is it?"
Avery cocked her head to the side. "Ignoring it. You don't say that in the middle of an argument."
"I"ve never said it at all, so I wouldn't know. Who makes up the rules?"
"Stop trying to distract me." Avery put her hand on his chest and pushed gently, trying to get some space. She was still mad, damn it, even if he wasn't. Mark didn't back off. He crowded her even more, until she was backed into the counter and he blocked her in with hands on ether side of her on the countertop.
"I don't remember you bein' so hardheaded." He said, keeping that low tone. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel like I was usin' you, Avery. I wouldn't do that. Maybe I have tunnel vision. I get my sights set and I only see one thing. We can fight this thing out til we're blue in the face if you want. But I give. I won't leave you out of anything anymore, and I'll ask you for help. I won't try to stop you from helpin'. Is that good enough?"
"It's a little too easy." Avery said. "Apology acepted. I'm not some fragile little flower, Mark. I don't need to be kept in a glass case. I'm not going to break." She reached up and cupped his face in her hands, surprising him. "I'm so damned scared of losing you again."
Mark nodded and ducked down until his forehead was against hers. "You won't."
"How can you be sure?" Avery let her thumbs move over his cheeks, feeling soft skin and rough whiskers.
"Because I won't let you lose me again. I might be spoiled rotten, and used to getting my way but I'm also overbearin' and impossible to get rid of once I set my mind on something."
Avery huffed at that, amused in spite of the lingering anger she felt. "You have got to learn to trust me. You keep telling me to trust you, but it has to go both ways."
"I know." Mark's hand moved from the counter to rest on her hips. He ducked his head lower and kissed her near her ear, down her jaw-line, onto her neck.
"What are you doing?" Avery asked, smiling a little.
"We fought. Now we make up. Thought it was obvious." His voice was a low rumble in her ear.
"Are we done fighting?"
"Probably not." Mark admitted with a chuckle. His hand were sliding up her sides, under the cotton of her t-shirt. Before he could get too distracted, there was a knock at the front door. He groaned in frustration.
"That's probably your friend." Avery pointed out.
"Her timin' is horrible." He regretfully let Avery go and went to answer the door. She shook her head and went back to taking inventory of her fridge. When she turned around Mark was standing in the kitchen doorway, unreadable expression on is face. "It's for you." He nodded toward the living room.
Avery moved past him and saw Ben Marsh standing awkwardly by her front door. "Ben?"
"Avery." He nodded at her and then looked from her to Mark, and back again. "Sheriff asked me to bring you in. For quesitoning."
She ignored the sound Mark made behind her. "Questioning for what?"
"I can't say. He didn't tell me." Ben shifted uncomfortably. "I don't like it. It's not protocol. Not even for him. We all know you. We coulda just called and had you come into the station in the morning. He waited until dayshift ended." He gave her a meaningful look. "The night shift guys...those are the Sheriff's guys. His favorites."
"Oh. I get it." Avery said with a nod. "Get me alone after hours, push me to see what I know about what you're doing..." She said that to Mark.
"You're not goin'." It was a flat statement.
"Sure I am." Avery ignored the dark look he gave her. "You're going with me though."
"Damn right." For a miracle, he wasn't going to argue.
"I'm staying too. I don't like this."
"Ben, you don't know what you're stepping in." Avery tried to warn him off. "You have to watch out for your kids. Don't get involved."
"I think it's too late for that. I've heard some stuff. About the sheriff's...hobbies." He looked away from her. "I'm not one of his boys, I don't know everything. I can only guess at some of it. And like I told you earlier, I already have marks against me. There wasn't anything I could do."
Avery glanced at Mark, who was frowning in confusion. "Walls threatened to fire him unless he shadowed me. Just like he threatened me if I kept seeing you."
"Since he didn't say I had to arrest you, you can just follow me back to the station. If you mean to go. I would say don't go but then he'd just send somebody else to get you and...like I said those are his guys." Ben glanced from her to Mark. "I'll wait outside." With that he turned and left.
"Arrest me." Avery muttered. "For what? Missing work?"
"More a scare tactic. He can't arrest you." Mark followed her outside and watched her lock the door.
"Well. I'm sure he could. But he won't." Avery shook her head. "You wanted to poke the hornet's nest. Guess this is going to be your chance."
Mark could only nod as he got into the passenger seat of her car. Walls wasn't going to like seeing him show up on Avery's heels. The thought of the look on the other man's face when he saw Avery was not alone made him smile grimly.