Chapter 12
AVA
Ava stared up at the building in front of her as she raised her phone up, pretending to use it to fix her hair as she snapped a few pictures.
Her latest mission from Raven looked like an impossibility. Reach an isolated server on the top floor of a New York City high-rise and download an encrypted file.
She circled around to the alley flanking the towering building, searching for a way to enter without alerting security. Her mind whirled with possibilities from Alex hacking the security cameras to give her a clear shot to a more theatrical entrance.
Her phone chimed, pulling her from her rumination.
She glanced at it, finding a new message from Alex. Grantster remains CEO. I miss you.
With a smile, she responded to him. Good work, babe. Grant owes you…big. Let’s hope he can repay you with an intro to the illustrious Bancrofts. You flying back tonight?
A chat bubbled appeared before it disappeared. Ava arched an eyebrow as it happened several more times. His delayed answer made her wonder what he was having difficulty explaining.
She stowed the phone in her pocket as she continued her reconnaissance mission around the building, studying the windows high above her.
Her phone chimed again, and she slid it from her pocket and glanced at the display. Wellll…about that…I’d call but you seem to be otherwise engaged.
She puckered her lips as she typed a response to him. Tracking my phone?
This time his reply came back quickly. Always. So, tell me, Sparky, what are you doing at the corner of Mercer Heights and Walden Ave?
She chuckled at his questioning of her before she dialed his number, pressing the phone to her ear as she shielded her eyes against the bright afternoon sun glaring off the many windows.
“Hi, Sparky,” Alex’s sleepy voice said.
“Are you still in bed?”
“Maybe,” he answered. “So, what are you doing in the Big Apple?”
“Asks my husband who is miles away buying someone else’s company for another woman.”
“Ouch, when you put it like that, I sound awful.”
She chuckled as she snapped another few pictures before she rounded the corner of the building and crossed the street. With her back pressed against the opposite building as she stared over at her target. “How’s it going down there?”
“Uh-uh, you’re not avoiding my question. What are you doing in the city?”
“Surveilling.” She shifted the phone from one hand to the other as she glanced at her watch, noting the afternoon shift change of the security team.
“For Raven.” The irritation in his voice was unmistakable.
“I’m fine, Alex. There’s nothing to worry about.”
He sighed, a rustling noise filling her ear. “What are you doing?”
“Getting out of bed so I can get my laptop and hack into the city’s traffic cams so I can watch you.”
“Even easier, babe,” she said as she pulled her phone away and toggled on her video.
Alex’s face appeared on her screen a second later. She waved at him. “Safe and sound, see?”
“I see. I want to keep seeing until you’re back home with the doors locked and the security system enabled.”
She offered him a sweet smile. “I love your concern, babe, but I’m pretty good at taking care of myself.”
“And The Board is pretty good at being dangerous. They’ve already kidnapped someone to get at me. You are a target, Avs.”
“So, are you. And now you’re doubly so. You threw your weight into a dangerous game with Lydia Harrington. Watch your back down there, Ace.”
“I am. That’s what I wanted to talk to you about. I’m staying another day just to be sure this is all handled and…you know, ask Julia for the big favorooni.”
“Right,” she said with a nod. “That’s fine. I’m sure they’re reeling. Let them get settled with the new dynamics.”
“Yeah, I just don’t want to ask at the wrong time, you know? And then you’ll be mad at me for being super bad at doing the one thing you asked of me, and we’ll grow apart, then you’ll divorce me.”
She giggled at his overly pessimistic view. “Right, so you’d better get the timing right.”
“I know. So, what does Raven’s request look like?”
She flicked her gaze back to the building, sucking in a deep breath. “Tricky, like everything Raven asks us to do, but…I’ve got some ideas.”
“You’re not doing this until I’m back, right?”
“Right. I need your tech support on the backend no matter which way I attack this.”
“Aw, babe, I’m so glad you need me.”
She blew him a kiss before she winked. They spoke for a few more moments before they ended the call. Ava shoved the phone into her pocket, taking another glance at the building before she strode away from it, returning to the StoneCorp headquarters where she’d left her car.
She strolled through the dimly lit underground parking garage to the spot marked for the CEO. Her lips curled up as she spotted her pink SUV with the custom license plate AVS as she fished her keys from her pocket.
Tires screeched behind her, echoing off the concrete walls, and she instinctively twisted toward them. A white van raced toward her. Her heart hammered against her ribs, and her eyes went wide as she dove to the ground and rolled closer to the parked cars.
The tires screamed, locking and sliding across the ground as the van came to an abrupt stop. Ava scrambled to her feet as a hooded, masked figure stepped from the drivers’ seat.
She lowered her center of gravity, widening her stance in a defensive move.
The driver slid a gloved hand into his hoodie.
Ava’s heart rose into her throat as she backed toward her car, intending on taking cover behind it if the figure–who appeared to be a man based on the build–pulled a gun on her.
A hint of red flashed as he removed the object from the hoodie and thrust it forward.
Ava slowed, cocking her head as her gaze raised to the mirrored eye patches in the mask. “Raven?”
The single red rose betrayed his identity. The man bobbed his head slowly.
Questions swirled in her mind, but she selected the one burning its way to the front. “What are you doing here?”
“We need to talk.” The voice came out robotic as the voice changer in front of his mouth modified it to be unrecognizable.
“Seriously?” She wrinkled her nose as she eased her defensive stance. “This is how you roll up to talk? Why didn’t you just text? Or call? Or…anything outside of driving a super creepy van straight at me in the middle of a parking garage?”
“We can’t talk here.”
“I’m not taking you to Alex’s place, so it’s here or nowhere.”
“Not true, my beautiful spy. Not true at all.” He reached into his pocket and withdrew a canister. In one swift motion, he raised it and sprayed it toward her.
A cloud of white smoke wafted toward her. She tried to cover her face, squeezing her eyes closed, but she’d inhaled some of the particles before she could defend against it.
She choked out a cough, trying to dispel it as she reached for her phone while simultaneously taking a step toward her car. If she could only get inside and lock her doors, maybe she could ride this out.
The world swam around her as her thoughts turned fuzzy. Her vision clouded, and her knees wobbled.
Raven strode toward her, catching her as she collapsed. “Nighty night, beautiful Ava.”
She fought to stay awake, but the aerosol sedative pulled her toward unconsciousness. Darkness crept in at the edges of her vision until the world collapsed around her.
When her eyes fluttered open again, she sucked in a sharp breath, squinting against the bright light aimed at her.
Her arms ached as did her head. She shifted, realizing she was pinned to the wall. As her senses returned, she glanced upward, finding her wrists bound by handcuffs swung around a pipe.
She yanked against them as panic crept over her.
“There’s no reason to fight,” the robotic voice said.
The light dimmed, limning a dark-clad figure as he stepped in front of it.
“Raven,” she spat out, her voice filled with disdain.
“The next time I ask you to come with me, you’d do well to listen.”
“The next time you come at me, I’m not going to be as stupid as I was the first time.” She yanked hard against the handcuffs.
“You need to stop being so cavalier. Focus on our work.”
“I’m focused,” she growled, irritation building along with the tension in her temples. “I’m doing what you asked. I found a way in with the Bancrofts. And I was surveilling the building to lift the file you wanted.”
“Where is your counterpart?”
“Alex? He’s busy. And by the way, he didn’t appreciate the rose you left or the note.”
“Too bad for Alex Stone. I didn’t appreciate his gift either.”
Her brow furrowed at the words. “No, not too bad for Alex Stone. I didn’t like it either.”
“Learn to appreciate what you have, Ava. You never know when you may need it. Now, about our conversation.”
“You can’t be serious. You knocked me out and brought me here, handcuffed me to a wall, and you want to have a conversation? We could have done this at StoneCorp.”
“I told you this conversation needed to be private. You fight me at every turn, but we are allies, Ava.”
“Allies usually share information. You know, stuff like their faces, their voices.”
“It is imperative that I keep my identity a secret. I have my reasons.”
“I’m starting to get tired of this arrangement, Raven. Because what it feels like is that you are using us. Like we’re slaves to your whim.”
“I see you as an equal, Ava.”
She arched an eyebrow, jiggling her hands around. “Really? Then how about setting me free?”
“Because I am not a fool. You are a capable and dangerous woman.”
“Flattery will get you nowhere. You know, Alex tracks my phone constantly, so–”
“He’ll find your phone at StoneCorp where I left it safely in your car.”
She shifted her weight, realizing he’d have no way of finding her if Raven intended on keeping her hostage. “What are you after? Ransom?”
“I told you, Ava, I wanted to talk to you.”
“Yet you haven’t said a word yet about what you want.”
“Your resourcefulness continues to be impressive, but even the best of us need to be forewarned for what lies ahead.”
“What? Why go through all of this for that cryptic warning?”
“Consider this a precautionary measure. You’re walking into a storm, and I need to make sure you’re prepared.”
Ava clenched her jaw, her head throbbing as she tired of the vague warning. “Ready for what?”
“A new player in the game. A dangerous one. One with a…personal vendetta. You’re about to encounter a ghost from the past…be careful not to underestimate them.”
“Who?”
“I leave you to discover that on your own. But the return is calculated. Consider this a friendly heads up. Your friends aren’t all who they claim to be.
” Raven dug into his pocket, withdrawing a small metal object.
The light gleamed off it as he tossed it toward her feet.
It clattered across the cement floor. “Let’s see how quickly you can free yourself.
I have no doubt you will impress me again, but it’s how you handle the next wrinkle that will show your true colors. ”
With those final words, Raven turned on a heel, leaving the room, his footsteps echoing as he left her behind to ruminate on his warning and her next actions.
She squinted against the bright light glaring at her as she stretched her foot to reach the lock pick, her mind spinning as she tried to determine how she’d lift it to her fingers.
Her heart pounded out a frenetic beat, but she refused to give in to panic. Her eyes darted around the room, seeking clues to her location while she worked to slowly slide the metal object toward her.
The handcuffs bit into her skin as she stretched to carefully position her feet around it and pinch it between the soles of her shoes.
With a groan, she lifted her ankles toward her wrists until her fingers touched the toes of her shoes.
With a lick of her lips, she released the pressure between her feet, sliding her fingers into the gap. Her clumsiness knocked the lock pick from its precarious position. It landed with a thud on her shoulder.
She let her head smack against the concrete wall behind her as frustration soared in her.
Trying to control her breathing, she bit her lower lip, forming a new plan. She twisted her head, using her nose to push the key into a new position where she could grab it with her teeth.
She lifted her body upward, feeding the metal into her fingers, and using it to work blindly on the handcuffs as her fingers tingled. She wiggled them, trying to increase the blood flow before she gave up and continued working to free herself.
After what seemed like an eternity, a click echoed in the silence of the room and one side of the handcuffs fell away.
She scrambled around, finding it easy to unlock the other side, and shedding the handcuffs on the floor as she rose to her feet.
Her heart pounded as she searched for an exit, wondering if she’d make it out unscathed or if she’d have another run in with Raven.
With no weapons in sight, she’d have to use her martial arts skills if she ran into him again, assuming he didn’t knock her out.
As a preventative measure, she ripped off her hoodie and tied it around her nose and mouth before she crept forward in the direction Raven had exited.
She found the hall beyond the room empty, and she bolted toward the metal door at the end, pushing into the waning sunshine beyond, gulping in the fresh evening air.
Her hand lingered on the door’s handle as she glanced up at the building, taking in the details as she searched for clues. This location could help lead them to Raven’s identity. Although, bringing it up to Alex would be tricky.
She noted the address on the building in bold black paint against the tan stones before she left it behind, hurrying through the streets aimlessly to put distance between the warehouse and herself.
Eventually, she righted her course, making her way to StoneCorp. She found a single red rose in the door handle and her key fob on her front tire.
She unlocked the doors and slid inside, the supple leather surrounding her as she slammed the door closed and locked it behind her.
Tears filled her eyes as she allowed herself to feel the weight of the situation she’d just endured. It wasn’t just the terrifying kidnapping, though, but the warning Raven had given her. Which friends were about to betray her?