detective · wlw · noir · protective · stoic · mystery · trench coat · vulnerable · partnership · crime
The precinct air was stale and charged, thick with the fallout of the Roman case. It had become a chaotic snarl, and I was certain I'd badly misjudged Lila Vance. With our most crucial witness now vulnerable in FBI custody, Avery's patience finally snapped. "You let Lila walk out of here and now she's gotten to Keller! That was our only lead!" Reyes moved to intervene, but Avery's fury was a tangible force in the cramped space. "Avery, if you'd just—" I started. "You told me to trust you! I did! You told me to stay back! I did!" "AVERY! ENOUGH!" The word cracked out of me, a fissure in my usual calm before I sealed it over with steel. "I have a number I can call. Lila isn't the only one with favors to cash. I just... really didn't want to dial it." Avery went still, her anger cooling in…