Chapter 9
ALEX
Alex’s hand wrapped tightly around the steering wheel, his other hand rubbing his lips as he silently fumed. He’d walked into the art gallery feeling chuffed about finally being the man someone was jealous of.
He’d walked out furious about Raven’s romantic interest in his wife. Although, it wasn’t fury that turned his knuckle white around the wheel, it was worry.
Their shaky start to a romantic relationship was already delicate enough. He didn’t need this added issue.
Facing The Board was enough, shoving the memories of Chris Maxwell far away was another problem, but this…this could ruin everything.
A loud noise sounded from the opposite side of the car. He snapped his gaze sideways to spot Ava lowering the window. She tossed the rose outside before she closed it and dusted her hands.
He flicked his gaze into the rearview mirror. The rose rolled across the pavement, its petals scattering across the black surface.
As the symbol of esteem tumbled into the oblivion of the passing road, a pang of relief mixed with an unsettling dread washed over him.
He tightened his grip on the wheel again, his fingers almost numb from the effort.
Every muscle in his body tensed, a physical reaction to the storm of jealousy and fear swirling within him.
The discarded rose was supposed to symbolize an end to the immediate threat, but for him it was a stark reminder of his vulnerabilities. Ava may have seen it as nothing more than a fleeting annoyance, but to Alex, it was a storm cloud on the horizon, and he braced himself for the impending tempest.
What if Raven’s interest was more than their love could survive? The thought nagged at him as he turned the steering wheel.
He twisted to find Ava eyeing him. “There, that’s done. Now you can let up on that poor steering wheel before you break it.”
With a final glance at the rose disappearing behind them, he heaved a sigh. “It’s not…I…I don’t like this. I told you he liked you.”
“He likes the idea of me,” she answered. “And I have no interest in him.”
“You can’t say that,” Alex answered. “First of all, that rose means he sees in you what I see in you. And that scares me because he could be…like…”
She arched an eyebrow as he glanced at her. “What?”
“Never mind.” He tromped on the accelerator, urging a little more speed from the engine as his frustration peaked.
“I want to hear it.”
He didn’t want to say the words. He didn’t want to make this more real than it already was in his mind.
They didn’t know much about Raven, but they did have an inkling that he was computer-savvy. Maybe not as computer-savvy as he was, but still…impressively computer-savvy.
His brain then concocted an image of a well-muscled, chiseled-jaw man who could nearly match his hacking skills while also sweeping Ava off her feet. The perfect mix of brain and brawn, he’d lose Ava to the mysterious rose-wielding specter known as Raven.
“I don’t want to talk about it.”
“Ohhh,” she answered, her voice a little teasing, “so, let me make sure I understand this. I lock myself in the bathroom, and I have to come out so we can face things together. You get upset because Raven gives me a rose, but you get to brood silently.”
“Women like brooding men.”
“False,” she answered. “Come on, Ace, spill it.”
“You can’t know you have no interest in him. What if you see him and you’re starstruck?”
“Instalove?”
“Instalove.” He punctuated the statement with a bob of his head as he swung into his driveway and eased the car to a stop.
When Ava popped her door open and climbed out of the car, Alex sat for an extra second, noticing she hadn’t dismissed the idea, before he finally swung his door open.
She leaned against the car, Gizmo clutched in her arms, waiting for him to round it. He avoided eye contact with her, annoyed and embarrassed at the same time.
“I’m not going to fall into instalove with Raven,” she said.
“You don’t know that,” he called over his shoulder as he walked to the house.
“I do know that,” she answered, trailing behind him and setting the little dog down. He raced into the living room with a yip.
He opened the door and shuffled inside, slamming it behind her after she walked in. “You know, I think he deliberately made us come home so I couldn’t take you to the surprise. And then, he decides he’s going to just romance you with this rose.”
Alex flung a hand in the air, a disgusted sigh escaping his lips.
“You’re really jealous.”
He lifted his gaze from the floor to her eyes.
“There’s no reason to be, Alex. I said I’m staying, and I meant it.”
“But you also said you weren’t sure about this.”
“That doesn’t mean I’m going to race off with the cyber stalker because he slipped a rose into my drop envelope. It’s weird and creepy.”
The statement made him more uncomfortable rather than less, his lips curling into a frown.
“What?” she asked.
He shot her another glance. “I…may have hacked your webcam more than once just to see you. So…I, too, am weird and creepy.”
She blinked before her expression turned brighter, a smile spreading across her lips. “You’re not weird or creepy. And I gave you permission to do that, remember?”
“Yeah, but…now it feels borderline inappropriate.”
“Or romantic,” she said as she stepped closer, sliding an arm around his waist.
“Or creepy like our feathered friend who slips roses into your drop envelopes and calls you beautiful.” He glanced toward the living room, avoiding her gaze. “And if you think my hacking of your webcam was romantic, you must find this…wooing very enticing.”
She burst into laughter, throwing her head back as she chuckled. “You’re kidding, right?”
“No. And to top it off, he’s stopping me from romancing you at all. It’s like my hands are tied behind my back while he has four.”
Her giggling continued for another moment before she shook her head. “He’s hardly wooing me.”
The words did little to ease the tension in his jaw.
“Okay, here’s the thing, Ace. I’m not interested in Raven. I don’t care if Raven has…the face of Chris Hemsworth and the body of Dwayne Johnson, he’s not wooing me away.”
“What if he is like a carbon copy of me but hotter? Like he’s also a tech genius with a nice fat bank account but he has the face of Idris Elba and the body of…well, probably also Idris Elba.”
She heaved a sigh and shook her head. “Nope. No one can be a carbon copy of you, Ace.”
“For better or worse.”
“Stop,” she said, cupping his face in her hands.
“Raven isn’t a threat. Raven is just a thorn in our sides while we stop whoever these people are.
A necessary nuisance. And we will get to that surprise as soon as we can, okay?
Maybe we could go now. I’ll grab my laptop and research the Bancrofts while we’re traveling so Raven can’t complain. ”
A smile spread across his face, and he nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, let’s do that.”
His heart lifted. This surprise could help solidify their relationship, or at least make her feel more comfortable. That was the plan, anyway, and why it was so important.
He dug his cell phone from his pocket, prepared to make the arrangements when it buzzed in his hand. His eyebrows knitted as he stared at the caller on the screen. Julia.
Ava clicked her tongue. “Please don’t tell me that’s Raven.”
He shook his head. “Julia.” With a swipe, he accepted the call. “Hey, Sunshine, how’s it hanging?”
Ava’s forehead creased as she leaned closer to overhear the conversation. “Hey, Alex. I’m really sorry to call again, but I was wondering if I could tap your tech skills again for what I hope is a really simple task.”
“Tap away, kid. What can my legendary skills do for you?”
“I need to know the location of someone’s phone. Can you do that?”
He chuckled at the simple request. A kid could do it, but Alex could do it in record time. “Kid, does your life have more drama than a soap opera?”
“Thanks, Alex. It’s Kyle’s phone we’re tracking. What do you need?” The relief was obvious in her voice.
He wrapped an arm around Ava, leading her to the living room where he plopped onto the couch and grabbed his laptop. “What’s his number?”
Pulling up a custom program he used to track Ava’s phone from time to time, he tapped the number she passed along into the interface. “Do you know what we’re working with here? Android, iPhone?”
“Uhh, Android, but I don’t know the kind?”
“Carrier?” he asked as he filled in details.
“I’m not sure. I’m so sorry.”
“No worries, kid. The ace of cyberspace does not need all the deets, just the number’ll do. It’ll just take a second longer.” With the appropriate modifications made, he waited for his program to do its work as Ava rubbed his shoulders.
He offered her a soft smile, pleased that he’d finally found the courage to tell her his feelings. “Ooookay, just narrowing this down for you. And I’ve got it.”
“You do? Where is it?”
“Uh, just a second…” Alex clacked across the keys, sending the interactive map to Julia’s phone. “And there. Sent a map to your phone. You should see his phone blinking in red. Just follow the trail of breadcrumbs. Say, what’s the skinny on the need to locate the little Grantling on the double?”
“We haven’t been able to get a hold of him. Just…making sure he’s okay,” Julia said as she pulled the phone away from her ear to find a map with a blinking red light. “This is perfect. Alex, thank you so much, again.”
“No prob, Sunshine. Call any time. Good luck with Grant’s sequel.”
They said their goodbyes, and Alex hung up.
“What was that about?” Ava asked.
“Apparently Grant two point oh hasn’t been answering his phone. I guess stepmommy dearest is worried.”
Ava wrinkled her brow as she considered it. “Does she seem overly concerned?”
Alex slouched down against the cushion. “Whoa…maybe. Does she…do you think she’s in love with Kyle.”
“No, she’s definitely in love with Grant. But she seems to care about the kids a lot.”
“I think Grant Junior cares a lot about her but in a way different way than most kids like their stepmom.”