Chapter 24
AVA
Ava’s heart pounded with a frenetic beat as she caught motion out of the corner of her eye.
Instincts honed from years of martial arts training reacted even before she realized what she was doing.
Her arm raised to fend off a blow from the attacker as she ducked to skirt around the masked figure.
The near hit sent her gun skittering across the floor into a dark corner.
Across the room, Alex worked frantically to free Chris from the zip ties that held him to the chair.
“Ava!” Chris called again as she backed away from the attacker, assessing them.
She ignored him, not allowing her concentration to be broken while she made a mental list of traits she needed to keep in mind during their skirmish.
Despite being hidden under dark clothes, she could tell her attacker was larger than her, both in height and weight, but the exact build remained a mystery.
She’d treat the person as though they were muscular which meant she’d need different attack points designed to cripple them despite their build.
The assailant swung at her, and she danced backward, raising her arms as she eyed their movements, learning from them to plan an attack. The hair on the arm that slid out of the hoodie made her think the person was a male.
“How long, Ace?” she asked as she ducked away from another swing.
She didn’t want to deplete her energy too quickly if this person could fight, though, from the wild swings, she doubted they had any formal training.
“A few minutes?” His breathless voice sounded questioning.
“You’re going to have to speed that up,” she answered as she swung around to land a kick against her attacker’s side. They didn’t need any backup heading their way.
“I’m trying.”
“Try faster,” Chris’s frightened voice said. “Or better yet, switch with her. He’s two times her size.”
“That’s a terrible idea,” Alex answered.
“He’s right,” Ava said. “I’m fine.”
The attacker swung again, and she blocked the blow before she landed one of her own. She grabbed hold of his shoulders and slammed him forward into her knee, driving the bridge of his nose into her patella.
A spray of blood spattered the floor as he stumbled backward when she let go.
“Nice hit, Avs,” Alex said.
She narrowed her eyes at the assailant who remained undeterred by the blood staining the mask, raising her hands in the air again in a fight stance.
“Come on, come on!” Chris murmured.
“Almost there. One more to go,” Alex reported.
The attacker barreled toward Ava, knocking into her before she could move and driving her to the ground.
“Get off of her!” Chris shouted.
Ava braced herself before she smashed upward with her hip, throwing him to the side and leaping to her feet.
Her attacker did the same, scrambling up in a low crouch and shifting his weight from side to side.
Chris finally bounded from the chair, free of the bonds that held him.
Alex rose next to him. “Ava, let’s go.”
She backed a few steps away but stopped when it became clear that he intended to rush her again. “Stay back.”
Alex hurried forward, skirting around her to put himself between her and the masked person.
“Alex, get back,” she warned.
Before she could push him behind her, the man lunged forward, landing a blow against Alex’s jaw that sent him reeling. He crashed into Chris, his hand smacking hard against his jaw.
Ava pounced on the assailant, using the distraction Alex had provided to land several hard hits before she leaned into a kick that sent him stumbling back a few steps. Before he could recover, she swept his legs out from under him with a roundhouse kick.
“Let’s go!” she shouted.
Behind her, Alex steadied Chris who pressed a hand against his jaw as he slowly straightened.
Alex’s eyes went wide as he glanced over her shoulder. “Ava, look out!”
She twisted a second too late to find the attacker smashing into her again. They landed separately, and she skidded across the smooth concrete. He rolled to a stop next to her, reaching a large hand toward her that she shoved away before she flung herself toward him, climbing onto his back.
She slid an arm around his neck, tugging it tighter with her other arm. He gasped for breath, his features reddened as sweat beaded on her brow. After a moment, he went limp.
She released her grip, and he slumped to the floor.
“Uhhh–“ Chris murmured, his eyes wide.
As she climbed off of him, her hands shook, not from fear, but from the rush of relief and victory. Memories of countless hours training in the dojo flood back to her as she crossed to Alex and Chris. “He’s not dead. Just passed out. Let’s go.”
“Excellent work, Avs,” Alex said as he slid his arm around her.
They hurried toward the exit as Ava glanced at Alex’s jaw. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine,” he assured her.
“You okay?” she asked Chris.
He rubbed at his jaw. “Yeah, I think so. I just…”
Cool night air rushed past her as they stepped into the parking lot and crossed to the car, climbing inside.
She twisted around from the passenger seat as Alex fired the engine and peeled out of the lot. “Let me see.” She grabbed his chin and tugged his face to the side. “You’re probably going to have a bruise. We’ll put some ice on it when we get home.”
“Ava, you were amazing,” Alex said with a grin.
“Where did you learn to fight like that?” Chris asked as she settled into her seat again.
Alex eyed him through the rearview mirror, his features crinkled. “Did you not know that she has a black belt?”
“You have a black belt?” Chris cried.
“In jujitsu,” she answered. “Thank goodness I did. This is getting out of control. I can’t believe one of your employees could set this up.”
“I’m beginning to think there’s more to this than meets the eye,” Alex answered.
“But what?” Ava answered.
“Who cares?” Chris said from the back seat. “It’s about time this ended. Call the police. By the way, why didn’t they show up at the warehouse?”
“I wasn’t taking that chance,” Ava said with a shake of her head. “They sent the feed to Alex’s laptop. I wasn’t about to take a chance that they’d hurt you if we contacted the police.”
Chris shook his head. “This is ridiculous. You should be turning this over to the cops not setting up a trap for whoever is doing this.”
Alex pulled the SUV into the driveway and killed the engine. The glance he shot Ava was filled with a mix of emotions ranging from worry to contrition.
She reached out to squeeze his hand, a silent message of support to him.
“Someone say something,” Chris said, his voice tense as silence stretched between them.
“Let’s head inside and take care of both of your injuries,” Ava answered, throwing her door open.
Chris followed her, sliding out of the car. “Something other than that.”
They pushed into the house with Alex trailing behind them. Ava headed for the kitchen, grabbing two plastic bags and filling them with ice.
She passed one to Alex before she wrapped a towel around it and pressed it against Chris’s jaw.
He winced as she eased him onto the stool. “Ow, Ava, easy.”
“Sorry,” she answered.
Alex hovered in the opening to the kitchen, one hand shoved into his pocket and his posture stiff as he pressed the ice pack against his jaw.
She flicked her gaze to him as she held Chris’s ice steady. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah,” he answered with a nod, avoiding her gaze.
He was upset, too. He needed her support, but she needed to deal with Chris first.
She glanced back as he shifted on the stool, rising to stand. “What are you doing?”
“Going to get my phone. I’m calling the police.”
“Chris, no.”
“Ava, someone just kidnapped me, tied me to a chair, and broadcast it. I could have been hurt…or worse.”
Alex slid his eyes closed behind the man, his distress obvious.
“Yes, you could have been. But you weren’t. Let’s focus on that. Sit down.”
“Sit down? Sit down?” Chris flung his arms out to the side. “Of course. I’ll just sit down because that’s an appropriate reaction to this situation.”
“Easy, Chris,” Ava said, as she discarded the icepack on the counter and crossed to him, taking his hands in hers. “You’re in shock. Let’s go sit down.”
“I’m not…” He shook his head as he allowed her to lead him back to the stool. “Yes, I’m in shock. I was just kidnapped.”
Ava sucked in a breath as she nodded, cupping his face in her hands. “I know. But you’re okay.”
She pressed the ice against his jaw again. “Take a deep breath.”
He sucked in a breath, his features pinching. His lower lip trembled for a moment as he wrapped his hand around hers and squeezed.
“You’re okay. You’re fine.”
He blew out a long breath. “Ava, this is dangerous. We need to involve law enforcement. This is well beyond the normal scope of digging through financial documents. Someone was killed. I was kidnapped.”
“Which is why we need to solve this. And until we do, no one’s going anywhere alone. Did you get a look at the person at all?”
“No,” Chris said with a slight shake of his head. “I walked into the house, and he was standing in the living room. He had the mask on the entire time.”
“He?” she asked. “Did he speak? Are you sure it was a man?”
“Yes, male voice. He said, ‘Don’t move’. And pointed a gun at me and made me climb into the trunk of his car and zip-tie my hands.”
Ava glanced down at his wrists. Bruises marred them. “Are you hurt? Do I need to get the first aid kit?”
“No, I’m fine. Ava…”
“Hold this. I need to talk to Alex.” She pressed his hand against the ice bag. “Don’t move.”
She crossed to Alex and drew him a few steps away.
“Ava,” he whispered, worry still etched in every line of his face. “I’m so sorry.”
“This isn’t your fault.”
“It sort of is. I mean…this started at StoneCorp.”
She shook her head. “Alex, I’m not going to do this, okay? We’re not going to play the blame game. This isn’t your fault. You didn’t ask for any of this.”
“I feel really responsible, though. Chris could have been killed.”
“But he wasn’t. But we need to step up our game. Let’s hope the bait you put out helps us unravel this.”
He pressed his lips together, his brows still pinched tightly.
She glanced up at him, concern swirling within her. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” He didn’t make eye contact, a clear sign he was lying.
She reached for his hand, pulling it close to her chest. “Hey, I’m serious. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I didn’t get hurt. I should be asking you that, though. He tackled you twice.”
“I’m not hurt. And I don’t mean physically, Ace. You look like you need to take as deep a breath as Chris.”
His jaw flexed as he stared into mid-space. “Avs…”
She pulled him into a hug. “It’s okay, Ace. We’re okay.”
He leaned back, studying her face. “Are you sure? If you need a doctor, I’ll call the best one and have him here in ten minutes.”
She cupped his face in her hands. “I’m fine, Alex. He didn’t hurt me.”
Alex squeezed her tightly again. “If you don’t want to do this anymore….”
He didn’t finish his statement.
This time, she arched away from him. “I want to finish this more than ever. We’re in this together. I’m not leaving you.”
“I’m not sure Chris is going to be happy about that.”
She shrugged. “We’re in this together. I should go check on him, but before we head in there…there’s something else.”
“Something else? I knew it. You’re hurt. Where? Never mind.” He shook his head as he fished in his pocket for his phone. “It doesn’t matter. I’ll just call a general practitioner for now, and we’ll go from there.”
She grabbed his hands, steadying them. “No, no. I’m not hurt, Ace. I’m fine. But…when I was fighting with the masked man, I…saw a tattoo on his wrist. Maybe we can use it to identify him.”
Alex’s forehead creased. “What was it?”
“A pawn,” she answered, recalling the black symbol she’d spotted just before she’d knocked him out.
Alex bobbed his head. “Yes. That will help identify him. Good catch, Avs.”
“Now, we should head back in to check on Chris.”
“Yeah. And I’ll check on the bait.”
She nodded, taking a step toward the kitchen when he caught her hand. She stared into his eyes, reading a mix of warmth and gratitude.
“Avs…”
She raised her eyebrows, prompting him to continue.
“Thank you.”
She nodded, lacing her fingers through his as she tugged him along with her.
They strode into the kitchen, finding Chris staring blankly at the counter as he pressed the ice against his face.
“How are you feeling, hon?” Ava asked as she stepped around the counter.
He raised his eyes to her. “Okay, I guess. I’m still…reeling from the events of the past few days. Who knew my fiancé would be married, investigating some weird financial theft that would lead to my kidnapping and her rescuing me with her martial arts skills.”
“I’m sorry, hon.”
“I had no idea who you really are. I feel…” He sucked a deep breath, his features crinkling.
“Hold that thought, Beam Buddy,” Alex said, his voice barely able to temper his excitement. “I think we’ve just got a hit on the bait I tossed out there. Looks like someone is attempting to access the secure files I put on the server.”
Ava hurried around the counter, peering over his shoulder. Her heart thudded against her ribs as she waited to see what he’d found. Could they have just cracked open this puzzle?