Cameron grabbed her hand before she could punch him, huffing at her and shaking his head. "I'm trying to help you! Look, I helped you lose them and I can help you get back to wherever you're staying safely. But I would suggest going home or somewhere that isn't your hotel room. I'm sorry for picking you up, okay?" He checked his bags to make sure his goods were still okay and exhaled heavily, trying to get his breath back.
Ava pulls her hand away from him before looking around. "Just go home, okay? You don't need to get wrapped up in this shit again." She takes a few shaky breaths as she nervously drums her fingers on her leg. "I'll be fine. Once the coast is clear, I'll get somewhere safer." Right now she just needs to make sure that they've actually lost the cops. How did they even know where she was? She's always been so careful. If someone in the Kosci is a rat then she has much bigger problems then trying to run and hide.
"Look, I will get wrapped up in it if it means your safety. I know how to avoid cops, Ava. You should know that. I'm not going to waste that knowledge. I will do anything to help you," He vowed to her, looking back up at her, his eyebrows narrowed in the moonlight. He shifted his bag higher on his shoulder, evaluating her mask. "They didn't happen to find out who you are, right? They didn't see your face or anything?" He looked around again, inhaling slowly. They were in the clear. She should be damn glad he was there. He would have gone and gotten her out of jail if he needed to, but this was easier.
"It's not just the damn cops, Cameron. This was a trap. They knew where I was going to be and when," Her hands curl into fists. How could she have been so stupid? Falling for a trap is a rookie mistake. "You're retired and I won't ask you to come back into the game. Please just go home." If he gets caught or hurt because of her then she'll never forgive herself. "No, they didn't." She shakes her head before lifting her gloved hand to briefly touch her mask and then her black wig. Everything is still in place.
"You can't allow yourself to fall into traps, Ava. I won't get back into the game, but if someone is targeting you, I will help!" He sighed and looked over the dumpster again. "Just come home with me again, okay? Just so you have somewhere safe to sleep tonight." He crossed his arms, looking down at her, his face not softening from his gruff, serious expression, which was a rare one to see on his almost always goofy features. He was a pretty laid-back guy, but he was prepared to protect her with his life.
"I know that, Cameron," She snaps, frustrated at the situation, not him. It's not like she makes a habit of falling into traps. "No way. I'm not putting you in danger. All I need to do is it make it to my safe house." The library tower hasn't been compromised so she can stay there tonight. She pokes her head out around the counter. There's no signs of the cops. "Look, I need to get going now and you need to go home."
He gently grabbed her arm, looking around. "Please, come home with me. If they find you, you'll have no chance in fighting back. I want to know you're safe," His voice had gotten softer, gentler, as if he were begging her. And he was. He didn't want her to get hurt, and the thought of it would make him so nervous he wouldn't be able to sleep. He was partly doing this for her, and himself. It would be so much better to possibly sacrifice himself then see her get killed or thrown in prison.
"Cameron, I will be safe. I can take care of myself just fine." She insists, sighing heavily. Right now she's covered in blood, dirt, and sweat so all she wants right now is to take a shower and then sleep for a solid ten hours. Arguing with him is not improving her mood. "Look, I appreciate the concern but there's no way I'm going to put you in danger," She tells him, caring about him too much to let him do something stupid because of her.
"Ava, I will carry you myself back home!" He snapped in a tone that did not suggest her to fight him. He kept his grip on her arm, though his face was still soft and determined. "I will be put in any kind of danger. I'm used to it, okay? I know how to defend myself and you. Please let me take you back home. You're not going to get caught while I was able to take you under my wing and keep you safe. I won't allow it."
"I swear that I'll neuter you if you pick me up again," She warns, growling in disapproval at his tone. Ripping her arm out of his grasp, she steps away from him. "Cameron, I'll let you know when I'm safe, okay?" That's about as good as her offers is going to get. "See ya later." She turns and starts to exit the alleyway. Best she can tell, the library tower is about a half hour to forty five minute walk away.
Cameron narrowed his eyes a little as she walked away from him, walking forward and scooping her up again into his arms, holding her facing forward.
"At least let me drive you!" He didn't move, but held her like that until she agreed to something. "You can't walk somewhere in the middle of the abandoned city, they'll have a lookout for you! You will not be safe!" He protested in the same tone of voice, not afraid of her at all. He knew what was best for her, she was just too proud and stubborn.
Ava once again delivers a swift kick to his knee. "Cameron, let me go." She's past frustrated and is borderline furious now. "Fine! Fucking hell. You can drive me but that's it. Now put me the fuck down before I kick you again." Being picked up is really starting to piss her off. If he doesn't put her down then she very well may try to strangle him.
"Ava don't get frustrated with me! I don't want you to get yourself fucking killed okay?" He practically threw her down as she kicked his knee again, his eyes narrowed and angry. "How do you know that person didn't set another trap up in the library tower? You can get yourself killed or captured by the police. You're not thinking about what you're going to stumble into, only because you don't want me to put myself in danger for your safety! I care about you Ava!"
"Too fucking late! I am well past frustrated!" She snaps, quickly regaining her balance. "No one knows about the library tower and they don't know where it is. Who the fuck cares if I get captured or killed? If I die then I die. It's not a big deal." Throwing her hands up in the air, she resists the urge to hit him again. "Cameron, you're my best friend and I care about you too and that's why I'm not going to let you get hurt."
"I care if you get captured or killed!" He bellowed back, throwing his bags down to the ground in his frustration. "I might be the only one who does, but god-dammit if I have to tell you again I will personally take you back home! I don't care! If! I! Have! To! Sacrifice! Myself! Okay? It is a big deal. I lost you for three years, and I can't imagine you fucking dying. I'm your best friend, and I care about you too much to let you go back and fucking kill yourself."
She throws her own bag down on the ground before she fixes him with a venomous glare. "Stop! Just fucking stop it, Cameron!" She shouts, her nails biting into the palms of her hands. "Don't sacrifice yourself for me and don't even think about it. I'm not worth it." There is no way she's just going to cave on this, not when there's a chance that he'll get hurt. "I'm fine, damnit! The tower is perfectly safe and if it's not then I'll leave."
"I will not stop! I want you to be safe!" He screamed over her words. "I don't care about sacrifices, I'll do whatever! You are worth it, you're worth it to me!" He glared at her, sighing heavily as he tried to calm himself down.
"You might not be able to do that. Please think about everything, Ava, I really don't want to lose you. I won't let you go by yourself."
"Think about your son, Cameron! How would he feel if you died? He needs you so you can't be stupid and reckless!" She yells, trying to be heard over his screaming. "I can get out of there if anything goes wrong, trust me on that. Look, I said you could drive me but that's it. I don't need a babysitter and I don't need a bodyguard." This is driving her crazy. Why can't he see that she's perfectly fine on her own?
"I'm not going to be babysitting you! I'm going to be keeping you safe, and that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make for you! If I died, it'd be more noble than sitting around on my ass worrying about you, Ava! How do you know? There could be a trap set up for you right now. If it's someone you work with, they might definitely know that's your roost. It's scary to think about! If that person trapped you for the hands of the police, they might do it again without hesitation."
"Then I won't go to the tower! I'll just check into a motel or something!" Ava exclaims, beyond frustrated. She grabs her bag and storms out of the alleyway. If she doesn't have to deal with this then she won't. Without looking back, she starts to head down the street, making sure to stick to the shows. There's a motel a few blocks down that she can check into and then leave early in the morning. It's not under the best of circumstances but it'll have to do for one.
Cameron growled in frustrated Russian, turning around to kick and dent one of the smaller trash cans. He beat it up for a bit, snatching up his bags and turning back along the path to his restaurant. He made it there in record time thanks to his quick pace stemmed from his rage, practically throwing the goods he got into the refrigerator for tomorrow's use. He grabbed his things, clocked out, locked his office and stormed to his car. Once he was at home, he tossed his keys down hard onto the table which they usually went, inhaling shakily. She could get herself killed or caught. Her family would get her out. He tossed his phone down with his keys and walked to go check on Lily. She could always calm him down.
Ava stops in an alleyway and opens her bag. She strips down and changes out of her work outfit and into a pair of jeans and a navy blue hoodie. Lastly, she pulls her wig off and stuffs everything into the bag. With that done, she heard over yo the motel and gets a room, paying in cash. The doors to the rooms are outside so that has pros and cons. She can escape easier but it’ll also be easier for the cops to get on. Stepping into the room, she looks around. It’s small and not very clean but the water is running and there’s a bed so that’s all that matters. She spends the next ten minutes in the shower and then another five braiding her hair and getting dress. She makes sure to keep her running shoes on and her bag close.
Lily was upstairs where Cameron left her, and she rose her head off of Cameron's pillow with a soft bark. She leaned forward and sniffed Cameron as he lifted her up, smelling Ava and barking softly.
"No, girl, she's not here. She's too stupid and stubborn to realize that she should be." Lily whined and huffed in disappointment. Cameron rolled his eyes.
"Like you understand. Trust me, I'm as disappointed as you." He carried the large dog outside, carefully setting her on her paws. "Anyway, the vet said you can try moving around, now that you're on that pill she gave me. Remember, the one you hate?" Lily wagged her tail and slowly moved off to go pee. The pill seemed to work well enough.
Ava lays down on the bed with a sigh. She shouldn’t have been that mean to Cameron, she knows that he was only trying to help. Tomorrow she’ll have to apologize to him. A loud knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts. Oh no. She jumps to her feet and shoulders her bag. A quick glance through the peephole tells her that the cops have arrived. Fuck. She scurries into the bathroom and throws the window open. The room is about two stories up so this isn’t going to be fun. Unfortunately, she doesn’t have time to think of a safer way. She climbs out of the window and starts to carefully make her way down to the ground. A loud crash echoes through the area as the cops burst into the room. She’s out of time. After taking a deep breath she jumps off of the wall. She ducks and rolls to avoid getting hurt. “Stop!” A voice shouts after her as she takes off running. Several shots are fired but she only gets hit once. A bullet rips through her clothing and embeds itself into the left side of her stomach. It hurts like hell but she doesn’t stop running. Keeping her hand pressed to the wound, she darts through the streets, heading to the one place that she knows is still safe, Cameron’s house.
Cameron hummed for Lily to join him again when she finished, and she ambled over cutely, her mouth bobbed open and her tongue sticking out. She relaxed into his chest and he hugged the happy dog, kissing her head. "You are so sweet, Lily girl. You make me so happy." He carefully set her on her massage pad, curling her up in the blanket. "You get half an hour, okay?" Lily whimpered and set her chin down.
"Aww… Lily you-" He was interrupted by a crashing noise near his house that sounded like glass. He stood up, grabbed a gun tucked away in his couch and exploded into his center room, pointing the rifle at the person standing there as they shut the door.
"Wh-Ava?"