1.

Ava was getting really tired of staking out for the third night in a row. The man she was after hadn't returned to his house but Ava was sure he was going to show up sooner or later. She just hoped it would be sooner because she never had a great knack for patience and she would hate to spend another night in her car. And as she was making those thoughts, she saw the lights of a car pull in the guy's drive way.

"I knew it!" she said to herself and put down the salad she was eating.

As the man was going in his house, Ava slowly and calmly walked up to the entrance. She caught up to him just as he was putting the keys in the keyhole. He was trembling and seemed quite agitated so when he felt Ava's hand on his shoulders he jumped up.

"I am sorry to startle you, Mr. Prothens" Ava smiled at him.

The man might have been stressed and was ambushed at his doorstep, but he seemed to look upon Ava with a friendlier eye than one would have expected. After all, he was eyeing a tall brunette, with green eyes and fleshy lips. Ava refrained from rolling her eyes. She still couldn't get used to how men were constantly stupefied by a pretty face but it usually did the trick so she didn't mind using it. After that first reaction, the man quickly came to.

"You are mistaken, miss. My name is not Prothens"

Ava pulled closer and smiled widely.

"Come, come, Mr. Prothens. Why don't we take this inside?" Ava whispered.

Was it because Ava's looks were demanding or because he was scared to leave the matter settled at this porch? The fact was that he opened the door and let her in. The house was the most conservative house Ava had seen. Right out of a catalogue of white people with moderate amount of money, living in the suburbs.

Ava made herself comfortable on the man's couch and he just sat across her rubbing his hands nervously.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"The most important thing, Mr. Prothens, is who you are. Or more accurately who you used to be"

"Listen…" the man went on.

"I do not appreciate it when I am interrupted" Ava added politely yet firmly "To help you with that, I would suggest you listen until you hear me phrase a question. When that happens, feel free to answer the question"

The man blinked stupidly once or twice but made no attempt to interrupt her again.

"Excellent. Now, Mr. Prothens you are fugitive of the law. You have skipped bail in Oregon and you are now officially a wanted man. The bounty on your head is up to a considerable amount of U.S dollars. I, to answer your question, am a bounty hunter"

Upon hearing those last words the man jumped up from his seat and looked at Ava with a wary eye.

"You fucking bitch…" he pointed a finger at her.

Faster than the blink of an eye, Ava was on her feet, had grabbed his finger and twisted it till his was on his knees before her.

"Did you hear me phrase a question, Mr. Prothens?"

"Fuck you, you filthy…"

Ava pushed the finger to the verge of breaking.

"Technically I did just ask you a question. Yet, I do not generally appreciate it when people are calling me anything in the spectrum of bitch"

"You won't take me back in one piece. I know my rights. I have to be in a good shape for you to have your money" the man whizzed "and I am not coming without a fight"

"It may come as a surprise to you, but that's exactly what you are going to do" Ava pulled him up and threw him on the couch.

"Never"

"Ah!" Ava took her place "I understand your sentiment. Would it be shifted if I told you I have proof you are dealing child pornography?"

Ava's face was melted to the most heartily, soft smile. On the other hand, the man was looking as if somebody tied him down to a barrel of coals.

"So" Ava crossed her denim wrapped legs "Tomorrow you are meeting me outside the Sheriff's office. The Sheriff is your friend, right?"

"He…uhm…yes"

"Let's make it noon. I hate early mornings. We are going in and I am giving you over to the authorities. That's simple, isn't it?"

"It is. Can I ask a question?"

"Of course, you may"

"Why would I do it? You know what I am wanted for. I will be tried and put away for life"

"That is true. Now, if word came out that you are a child molester and that you deal images of your…endeavors, that time would be significantly reduced. You do know what happens to your kind in prison?"

The man didn't answer the question he just bit his lips down.

"As for me, I want to collect my money. You are not skipping bail with that accusation over your head, that's for sure"

Ava got up and went for the door, grabbed the knob and opened it.

"Tomorrow noon, Mr. Prothens"

It was noon and Ava was sitting under the warm sun at the park outside the Sheriff's office in that little, California town. She was sipping a coffee she got from the one and only coffee house in it and was nibbling on a chocolate croissant. Right on cue, Mr. Prothens appeared and walked up to her. His hands were in his pockets and he had a little backpack. He looked as if he hadn't slept all night and Ava guessed he was erasing all clues of his extracurricular activity.

"Very well, Mr. Prothens. Now, shall we?" Ava pointed at the Sheriff's door.

The man had given up and he just nodded before ascending the few steps and pushing the door with Ava at his heels. At the reception there was one of the deputies, a young boy in his early twenties, tall and bulky. As soon as he saw Ava, his face took a half-stupid face that became utterly stupid when Ava smiled at him.

"Take a seat there, Mr. Prothens. I will have someone pick you up" she said to the man trembling next to her.

She then went up to the deputy and explained the whole situation. The young looked at Mr. Prothens and back at her with disbelief before calling the Sheriff. Ava proceeded explaining to him the same thing, taking out the announcement that identified the miserable man sitting on the chair as a fugitive and a wanted man. It took the Sheriff of that small town a while to grasp the meaning of all that was said to him and even more to follow a procedure that he had never done before. All that time Mr. Prothens had his ears open and was trying to hear any hint on his real nature camr up. The more time passed with Ava making no comment, the more relieved he seemed. His face relaxed and a faint smile adorned his face as if he was being booked for vacations, not jail.

"That's it?" the Sherriff asked Ava.

"That is all. Mr. Prothens is all yours. It was great doing business with you"

"S…sure"

Ava closed all her things in her black leather bag and went for the door. Mr. Prothens looked at her thankful and blissful. When Ava pushed the door and went out in the sun, Mr. Prothens took a deep breath and leaned back relieved. And right at that moment, the door was pushed open once more and Ava walked back in in a brisk pace.

"How forgetful am I?" Ava's smile shone brightly "I forgot to leave you this"

Ava took out a black hard disc from her bag and left it on the reception. She then turned and regaled Mr. Prothens with one of her smiles.

"What is this?" the Deputy asked as the Sheriff appeared behind him.

"Oh, this? This has proof that Mr. Prothens deals child pornography. You do have children, Sherriff, right?"

All the color was drained from Mr. Prothens face. He gaped at the tall woman that stood relaxed at the reception.

"He is what?" both the officers asked.

"He is a pedophile. I am sure that he had erased everything from his hard drive but I made a copy. Nothing is really erased after all. I would be really impressed if he put his hard disc in the microwave"

"Liar, liar!" the man went up to Ava with a bad intent "she is trying to frame me. These are not from my personal computer"

"I couldn't agree more" Ava's lips were still smiling but her eyes darkened "So I guess these fine gentlemen would have to do with the clips of you doing…what you did" she stung him with a poisonous look "That was really stupid of you"

The man collapsed on the floor exactly the moment the Sherriff came at him with a gun in his hand. Ava took her bag and walked out the door once more. Behind her the Deputy was calling as many people as he could and the Sherriff was screaming on the top of his lungs.

"I let you in my house! Near my daughter, your filthy pig"