Page 74 of Lord Have Mercy Part Four: Big Son

He wasfurious.

The moment Ava realized that, she realized what she needed to do. For their family, and for Remy, but for Mercy, too, on a purely personal level.

She stepped up beside him, and slid her hand into his, interlacing their fingers. “Let me talk to her,” she whispered, but loud enough for Regina to hear.

He didn’t respond.

Regina’s lips closed over her teeth, and she sat up straighter with a grunt of effort, head tipping back against the support post so she could peer at Ava through low-lidded eyes.

“You go back inside with Bob, and I’ll find out what she knows.”

When he still didn’t respond, she turned to him, and found him already staring at her, his eyes wider and wilder than she’d seen since…she didn’t know when. A long time. He lookedscared. And when his hand tightened on hers, she knew that he was scared for her. He didn’t want her here in this shed with Regina, wanted to spare her, and shield her, and keep her far, far away, just as he’d wanted to with Dee when they were first married.

“Come here,” Ava murmured, and tugged his hand; towed him back out into the sunshine. “Hey.” She took his other hand, and stood opposite him. “Listen to me: I want you to let me do this.”

“Ava–”

“I want to do thisfor you.”

“No,” he said, but not very firmly, and his eyes tracked back and forth across her face, glazed and febrile. “I can’t let you…be in there…with that…” He shook his head. “It’s my mother. It’s my problem. I don’t want you to…” He trailedoff when she squeezed his hands hard enough that both their knuckles turned white.

“Baby,” she said. “I’m not…” She started to sayafraid, but bit it back. Met his gaze head on, and said, “I was with you in Dee’s house eight years ago. I wasn’t here when you were growing up, but I only needed to see her one day to know what she did to you back then. I don’t know what that’s like, baby. I always knew my mom loved me, and I know she loves me still. I know that Dee…” She bit her lip, not wanting to say more in front of Bob.I know your mama hated you, and I know it hurts, still; that your hatred was born of pain.

Changing tack, she said, “As awful as she was, I’ve always been glad that you didn’t kill her with your own two hands, even if you wished you had. I wouldn’t want you to live with that on your conscience, just like I don’t want you to squeeze information out of your sister.”

His throat jerked as he swallowed, and his voice came out rough-edged. “That thing in there isn’t my sister.”

She didn’t correct him, because she knew, by the paleness of his face, that he’d recognized Dee in her, and that he rejected his relation to her so violently that he couldn’t allow himself to accept it, at least not out loud.

“And she knows where Boyle took Remy, and–” He swallowed again, and Ava didn’t know if he could continue. His hands flexed in her grip, tendons leaping in his forearms, and she was afraid, for a moment, that he would rip away from her, storm into the shed, and do something irreversible.

“I know she does,” she said, firmly, “which is why she needs to be questioned, and it’s why I want to be the one to question her.” She leaned in closer, and whispered, “Please, Felix. Let me do this. Ican do this. And I know you want to protect me, but you don’t have to, not from something as pathetic as her, and I can handle myself.” She forced a smile.“Look who I’m married to: you think I don’t know my way around a knife?”

He let go of her with one hand – but only so he could wipe it down his face. His eyes were dry, but a sheen of sweat had sprouted on his cheeks and forehead. “I don’t want you to have to,” he said, softly. He sounded lost.

“Somebody has to,” she prodded, gently. “And no one’s gonna ask more specific, or tougher questions than Remy’s mama.”

He didn’t agree right away, but he drew in a deep, shuddering breath, and then kept breathing, open-mouthed and unsteady.

“I don’t – I always have a secretary,” he said, a last-ditch stall effort, but she could see the way he was unbending toward the whole notion, that he was going to let her do this, and was so relieved her knees felt wobbly.

Before she could say that she would go inside and find one, easy as anything no need for him to worry, a voice spoke up. “I’ll do it.”

They both turned, and there stood Gray in his prospect cut, pale hair curling and sticking to the sweat on his forehead, his expression calm. Reassuring. He held Mercy’s tackle box in one hand, and Ava thought he must have gone back to the car for it.

“I’ll help Ava,” he said.

Ava could have kissed him. She’d been planning on fetching Reese or Tenny, but she wasn’t sure Mercy’s shoulders would have dropped with such a sudden release.

“See?” she said. “Gray’s gonna help me. We’ll be fine.”

He nodded at Gray, and then dropped his head, was still another long moment. Finally, he drew in an unsteady breath, stepped in quickly to kiss her forehead, and then turned her loose and walked away. He seemed to sink down into himself,growing impossibly smaller and smaller as he walked around the side of the clubhouse, and eventually disappeared.

Ava took a deep breath, and shoved her worry for him aside. For the moment.

She turned to Gray, and held out her hand. He joined her, and passed over the tackle box.

“Ready?” she asked.

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