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Ava joined Zane and Jax in Zane’s office. Zane pulled her into his lap as Jax got comfortable on the couch. 

“What did you find out about the child and his mother?” Ava asked Jax as he seemed to have done his homework on Jonas.

“The kid’s name is Loka, at least that is the name he gave Laya. I couldn’t find any information about him or his mother. There is no record of the shithead being registered as a father to any child. That doesn’t mean he isn’t the father, it just means no one put it on paper,” Jax said. 

“How old is he?” Ava asked.

“How should I know? I don’t know shit about kids. Four maybe, but he is skinny, so he might look younger than he is.”

“I’ll join the doctor when he comes. Maybe I can make a new friend,” Ava said. 

“He’ll be here any moment,” Zane told her and kissed her. “Maybe I should join you,” he added.

“No, you most certainly will not,” Ava said.

“Why?”

“Why should you?” she countered with.

“Maybe you’ll need me. What if something happens and I’m not there?”

“Honey, what do you think will happen in a room with a doctor, two of our women, and a child?”

“Angel, you shouldn’t underestimate anyone,” Zane said. Jax burst out laughing. 

“If Loka attacks me and the two professional bad ass women can’t protect me, I’ll ask for your forgiveness,” Ava told him. 

“By then it will be too late,” he objected. Ava gave him a look and he smiled. “Only teasing, you go ahead, angel. We still have some more work to get done. Come back up when you are finished and we will talk again.” She smiled and shook her head before giving him a kiss and standing up. 

“There is a reason you have earned a name for yourself as an evil man,” she told him. “I’ll see you later, Jax,” she added as she walked out of the room. She could hear both men laughing. Ava walked down to the second floor and waited until she heard the doctor arriving. 

“Mrs Velky,” he greeted her as he walked up the stairs. 

“Doctor, it’s nice to see you again. Have you been told why we called?”

“Only that it’s involving a child,” he said in his usual straight to the point way of talking. 

“Yes, a young boy. I’ll join you in hopes of befriending him. We don’t know much about him. We found him in a home situation that was far from ideal. If possible, it would be helpful to get an approximate age and how his general health is,” Ava filled him in. He nodded and they walked to the door that was guarded by Carlos. 

“Mrs A,” he greeted her.

“Hello, Carlos. Everything okay?”

“Yes, Mrs A. It has been quiet since we got here,” he told her and opened the door. As Ava walked into the room, she spotted the young boy sitting on the bed with a woman on each side of him. They were looking through a book that someone had been smart enough to bring. They all looked up as Ava entered. 

“Hello, Mrs A,” both women said. Ava smiled and nodded at them as she made her way to the bed. 

“Hello there, my name is Ava,” she said to the boy. He looked a little shy, but after thinking for a while, he smiled at her.

“Hi, I’m Loka,” he said. 

“Hello, Loka. This is my friend, Doc. Is it okay if he checks you while you and I talk?” she asked. Loka looked at the doctor and ava saw he wasn’t happy about it. “He isn’t as scarry as he looks. That’s true with a lot of people in this house. They look really scarry, but they are just like big teddy bears,” she told him. He looked at her.

“You don’t look scary,” he said. 

“I don’t? That’s sweet of you. How about you let Doc have a quick look at you while you sit in my lap and then you and me can go downstairs to the kitchen and I’ll introduce you to Anna. She always has cookies and she makes the best food,” Ava tried to bribe him. He nodded, even though he didn’t look entirely convinced about the idea. Ava picked him up. He weighed nothing and she could feel his bones. She sat down in a chair and nodded to the two other women that they could leave. The doctor approached carefully and for the first time, Ava saw him smile. 

“Why did they call you Mrs A?” Loka asked. Ava smiled at him and tried to make it easy for the doctor to listen to his heart and lungs. 

“It’s because my husband is the boss of most of the people here, so they gave me a nickname. Do you know what a nickname is?” she asked him. He nodded. 

“It’s what someone calls you, but it’s not your real name,” Luka said. 

“That’s right. Do you have a nickname?” Luka nodded eagerly.

“My mom calls me her monkey,” he said. Ava giggled. 

“Is it because you like to climb on things or because you are hairy?” she asked. Luka gigged as well. 

“I’m not hairy,” he said. 

“I guess you’re not,” she agreed. 

“Jonas calls me idiot or useless, but I don’t think that’s the same,” he continued. Ava felt her heart skip a beat. 

“No, it’s not,” she agreed. “Is Jonas your dad?” she asked. Luka scrunched up his face like he was thinking really hard. 

“I don’t know. My mom always said I shouldn’t call him dad because he doesn’t like it. He gets really mad sometimes when he dosn’t like something,” he told Ava, almost in a whisper. 

“It’s okay, Luka. My husband and his friends have made sure Jonas won’t be coming back,” she told him.

“Not ever?” he asked.

“Never ever. We will make sure you and your mom are safe. Do you know where your mom is?” Luka shook his head. 

“When I woke up one day, she wasn’t there any longer. Just Jonas,” he told her. 

“It’s okay, we will find her. Do you know her name? What did Jonas call her?” Ava asked. 

“A bad word,” he whispered and looked at the doctor that was pretending he couldn’t hear their conversation.

“Oh, well then we better not repeat it,” Ava said, and Luka nodded. At the same time, the doctor nodded at Ava to signal he was ready. “How about we go downstairs so I can introduce you to Anna?” she asked Luka. 

“The cookie lady?” Luka sounded a lot more excited this time.

“Yeah, the cookie lady,” Ava agreed. “Do you mind waiting in the library a moment?” she then asked the doctor.

“Not at all. Come find me when you are ready,” he said. Ava stood up and put Luka down. She held out her hand, and he took it. Ava led him down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“Anna, I have a special visitor with me today,” Ava said as they walked into the kitchen. 

“I can see that. Hello young master,” Anna said and smiled at Luka.

“What does that mean?” Luka asked Ava in a child's whisper. She smiled.

“It’s a new nickname. It means she likes you,” Ava told him.

“Hello,” he said to Anna.

“I was thinking Luka needs something to hold him up until dinner,” Ava told Anna.

“Oh, yes. How about a cookie and a glass of milk?” Anna asked. Luka’s eyes lit up and he nodded. 

“Do you think you can sit here with Anna and eat your cookie while I say goody to Doc?” Ava asked him. He nodded and she helped him up on a chair by the kitchen table. Anna came with a plate holding a cookie and a tall glass of milk. 

“I’ll keep an eye on him,” she told Ava. 

“Thank you.” Ava hurried to the library and the doctor. “Thank you for waiting,” she told him.

“No trouble,” he said. 

“What can you tell me?”

“At first I would say he was about four, but after examining him I would say he is closer to six. His diet has been poor for at least a couple of years. He’s too skinny, most probably it has affected his growth overall. He has some bruises on his upper arm that are a couple of days old. No broken bones. I drew some blood and I will get back to you as soon as I get the labs back,” he told her. 

“Thank you. I will make sure you get your payment as soon as possible. We appreciate you coming so quick,” Ava said. The doctor shook his head.

“This one is free of charge,” he said. Aya smiled at him and thanked him before she showed him out. On her way back to the kitchen, she sent a text to Zane telling him she would be busy, but they would see each other at dinner. She spent the next couple of hours with Luka. They watched Bluey. Luka loved it and after the first half hour he realised he didn’t need to be quiet as a mouse. After that, he laughed and bounced on the couch as he got excited. Ava found it fascinating to watch him come out of his shell. When it was time for dinner, Luka didn’t complain when Ava shut the TV off and willingly took her hand. When they entered the diningroom, Jax and Zane were already there. Luka stopped and looked at them with scared eyes. Ava was so used to the two men that she forgot how scary they could be. She crunched down beside him.

“Luka, that is my husband, Zane. And that is Jax,” she told him. He looked at the men that looked back at him in silence. He then turned to Ava.

“They look scarry,” he told her. She smiled.

“I know. But remember, when I told you people in this house look like that, but act like teddy bears?” he nodded. 

“Well, it’s the same with these two. You have nothing to be scared about and I’ll be here all along,” she told him.

“Don’t tell him that,” Jax objected, and Luke jumped at the sound of his voice. Ava shot Jax a look that clearly told him he was in trouble. “Sorry,” he said in a lower voice. 

“It’s okay, Luka. Jax isn’t really mad,” Ava comforted the boy.

“Are you sure? He sounded mad,” Luka said. 

“I know, and I will make sure his girlfriend puts him in time out as a punishment when she gets home. But he was only trying to joke,” she reassured him.

“In time out?” he asked, sounding like he didn’t believe it. 

“Yes, that’s what happens when you miss behave. You have to sit and think about what you did wrong,” Ava said, shooting Jax another look. To his credit, Jax looked truly sorry. Luka nodded. Zane slowly walked over to them and crunched down beside Ava. 

“Hello, I’m Zane. Ava is my wife,” he told the boy and reach out his hand. Luka looked at Ava and she nodded.

“Hello, I’m Luka,” he said and put his tiny hand in Zane’s massive one. For some reason, the picture made Ava tear up. 

“How about we sit down and eat dinner? Anna came in with a pile of pillows. I’m guessing those are for you,” Zane told Luka. 

“Can I sit next to Ava?” he asked. 

“Sure, but only if I get to sit next to her on the other side,” Zane said. Luka nodded.