Chapter 2
AVA
Confusion reigned as Ava opened her eyes. The initial warm, fuzzy feelings she had when she spotted the bright sunshine and the rolling waves quickly devolved into unsettled, distressing emotions as the reality of her situation smacked her like a physical blow.
She pulled the covers over her head, trying to shut out the world. The chaos at StoneCorp yesterday had been difficult enough. Especially since the arrest they’d made she was now certain was of an innocent person.
The cryptic message from Raven was like a shadow creeping into her life, hinting at danger from “The Board.”
But that wasn’t the worst of it. As frightening as that message was, she knew they could handle it.
It was the other problem that had her twisted in knots. The argument that had gone down with Chris accusing Alex of setting this entire thing up had been the icing on the cake. Alex didn’t like Chris. Chris didn’t like Alex.
Ava felt torn in two, each half pulling her in the opposite direction. With every clash between Chris and Alex, a piece of her heart splintered. Their discord was more than simple rivalry. It forced her to walk a tightrope between her past and her future.
Her heart ached at the thought of her worlds colliding, her past with Alex, full of laughter and shared dreams, now at odds with her future with Chris.
Each barbed comment from Chris about Alex wasn’t just an annoyance, but a tear in the fabric of her life, forcing her to question where her loyalties truly lay.
She forced herself out of bed, determined to face the day and make certain the two men didn’t kill each other.
Her mood didn’t improve when she reached the kitchen, and her day began with an argument between the three of them in which Chris insisted she put a time frame on the investigation, drawing a line in the sand and demanding she tell him when she’d abandon Alex.
The conversation set her on edge, but she had to face it. She left Alex behind, leading Chris to the living room.
She crossed her arms as she glared at him. “That was uncalled for.”
He screwed up his face. “What?”
“Your behavior. It needs to stop.”
He drew his chin back, fluttering his eyelashes. “My behavior needs to stop?”
“Yes.” She flung her hands in the air, incredulous at the statement. “You’re being rude and aggressive. Alex is worried about his company. And you’re needling at him continuously.”
Chris scoffed and shook his head. “Yeah, I bet he is.”
“Stop,” she said.
“No, you stop, Ava. First of all, everything I said is true. We have no idea how long this will take. We can’t stay here indefinitely. A few days, fine. Weeks? Months? Ava, we have jobs and lives to get back to.”
“If you want to get back to it so badly, then go!” she shouted.
“Oh, he’d love that.”
She rolled her eyes, crossing her arms again. “Are we going to start with this again?”
“Yeah, Ava,” he said, nodding his head as he stuck his hands on his hips. “We’re going to start this again. I’m still not convinced–”
“Alex didn’t do this.”
He poked a finger at her. “That’s the other thing. This constant defense of him. This guy can do no wrong despite him doing illegal things constantly. But no matter what he does, no matter how big the problems he’s creating, you just keep defending him. It’s maddening.”
“He is my best friend, Chris. He’s been here for me for countless times. The least I can do is be there for him.”
“The timing is just ironic, don’t you think? You contact him for a divorce and weirdly, he’s having tons of problems with a shadowy organization that no one can track down.”
“Oh, come on, Chris.” She shook her head. “I think you’re forgetting one very big thing. I know him. I’ve known him for decades. He didn’t set this up.”
Chris heaved a sigh, his gaze falling to the floor.
“Chris, you’re not going to convince me. He didn’t do this to himself. All you have to do is look at him. He looks sick over this. Cut him some slack, please.”
Chris raised his eyes to the ceiling. “Fine, fine. He didn’t set this up. But that doesn’t mean he’s not doing anything wrong here. You defend him continuously. Ava, he hacked a government database to find a parking ticket on me. In fact, why did he even bother doing that?”
“Why do you think?” Ava asked.
“Because we’re engaged. And he was just searching for some reason to stop that.”
“That’s not true,” she said with a shake of her head. “He just wants to make sure I’m happy.”
“By checking that I’ve paid all my parking tickets?”
“I think he was looking for something a little more tantalizing than that,” she answered.
He huffed out a breath. “Well, there isn’t anything. I’m a nice, law-abiding citizen.”
“Parking tickets notwithstanding.”
A slight laugh escaped him, and she took the opening to close the gap between them, sliding her arms around his waist. “Seriously, please give him a chance.”
Chris pressed his lips into a thin line as he pulled Ava closer to him. “He’s kind of strange. Honestly, hon, he’s not our people.”
She pushed him away. “He’s not strange. He’s Alex. He’s my person. He has some quirks because people aren’t generally nice to him except when they know he has money.”
“He has plenty of that. Did he really buy you that sports car just for the weekend?”
She chuckled as she recalled the pink sports car with the license plate Avs. “He did. But see what I mean? He’s generous to a fault when it comes to his friends.”
“Do you think he’d let us use his private jet for our honeymoon?”
“Knowing Alex, yes.”
He rubbed her back as he pressed his forehead against hers. “Okay, maybe I can tolerate him, then.”
“Please, please just be nice to him. He’s important to me.”
Chris sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. I’ll try. I just…I need a few minutes. I’m going to head down to the beach.”
“Okay,” she whispered before he kissed her lips.
“I love you, Ava.”
“I love you, too.”
She released her grip on him, offering him a slight smile. “Enjoy the beach.”
“I will.”
They parted ways, and she returned to the kitchen with a sigh. Day one of her complicated life straddling the past and present was starting off with a bang. She desperately wanted the two most important men in her life to come together and get along, but it seemed like a losing battle.
Maybe things would turn the corner now.
She slumped onto the stool, taking a sip of her coffee. Her nose wrinkled as the cold liquid hit her tongue.
Alex heated it for her as they discussed Chris’s whereabouts. Despite her reassurance that Chris would be easier to get along with moving forward, Alex’s glum mood didn’t seem to lift.
With a frown, he stared down at the countertop.
She grasped his chin and twisted him to face her. “I’m with you in this, okay?”
“I know, Avs, it’s just…hard with Chris around.”
Ava shifted in her seat, understanding his upset. “I know he was a pain this morning, but we’ve talked and he’ll be better moving forward, I promise. Please stop looking so sad.”
But the sadness floating in his eyes never left. She’d never seen him like this. Was the threat against StoneCorp that upsetting to him?
She reached for his arm, desperate to know what was bothering him. “Alex, what is it? What’s wrong?”
His breathing turned more rapid, and his voice shook. “Ava…”
“Yeah?”
Alex twisted toward her, taking her hands in his. He raised his blue eyes to her, looking like he was about to be sick. What was wrong with him?
“Ava, I–”
Chris shuffled into the room before he could finish, interrupting with an apology for his behavior. Maybe that would help.
Alex had a hard time dealing with difficult personalities, so Chris’s aggressive behavior had likely upset him.
She thanked her fiancé for the apology, turning to see if Alex accepted it.
“Ah, yeah, no problem, bro,” he said after she arched an eyebrow at him.
After another near argument, Ava moved the conversation to a plan to move forward. Before she could detail it, though, Miranda called.
The sight of the woman’s name immediately soured her slowly improving mood. She poked on the speakerphone, determined to monitor the conversation. She could understand Alex not liking Chris. If he got engaged to this woman, she’d drag him away from the altar, kicking and screaming for his own good.
“Alex, hi. Sorry to call, I know you’re probably trying to forget about everything that’s happened at StoneCorp recently, but…I had to call.”
“I’ll bet,” Ava said, her fingers clenching into fists.
Alex shot her a wide-eyed glance. “No problem. What’s up?”
“Well, I really hate to be the bearer of bad news, but…we have major problem here at StoneCorp.”
Ava’s stomach twisted into a knot, and she slid her hand onto Alex’s shoulder, offering him silent support.
“Another one?” he asked.
“Another one. A major data breach. I think you should get your eyes on this as soon as possible.”
“Of course she does,” Ava murmured, receiving another warning glance from Alex.
“Yeah, send it over to me.”
“Ah, I think you need to come in.”
Ava sucked in a breath as she let her eyes float to the ceiling.
Alex grabbed her hand, lacing his fingers through hers. “We’ll be right in.”
“Oh, uh…I don’t think Ms. Collins will be of any help with this one. It’s not finance-related.”
Ava’s jaw dropped open. Alex tugged his hand from hers and plastered it over her lips.
“Ava’s really good at a lot of things.”
Chris scoffed at the statement.
“I’m…sure she is,” Miranda answered, “but–”
“We’ll be in soon, Miranda,” Alex interrupted. “Try to keep this quiet and out of the press. Thanks.”
He ended the call, and Ava tugged his hand from her lips. “Alex! Don’t cover my mouth.”
“I didn’t want you to say something you shouldn’t.”
She arched an eyebrow. “Something I shouldn’t? Like what? Like Ava can’t help because it’s not finance-related, yet your CFO is all over this and it’s not finance related. Ace, she is after you, mark my words.”
“So what, hon?” Chris asked.
Ava offered him an icy stare. “I don’t like her.”