Chapter 7
ALEX
Alex’s fingers pounded across the keyboard as he worked to put the final touches of his plan in place.
“How are we looking?” Kyle asked as he peered over Alex’s shoulder.
Alex leaned away from him, his features pinching. “Fine. I’m just finishing up.”
Kyle continued hovering.
“Look, I can’t do this with you hanging all over me like that. I need some space.”
“Sorry,” Kyle said as he pulled away, slouching back into the couch cushions. “I’m a little nervous.”
“So am I,” Alex admitted. “I don’t want to screw this up. It’s Ava’s life we’re talking about. If we fail, it’s not just her freedom, but our future together.”
“Well, not her life, but…still, disappointing her wouldn’t be so good.”
“It is her life. I mean, she’s trapped with that…crazed maniac who grabbed her phone her hotel room. The guy kidnaps her like it’s going out of style. I just…I don’t trust him.”
“I don’t blame you. What’s with the creepy robot-voice?”
“And the mask.”
Kyle screwed up his face.
“Yeah, you’ve never met him in person, but I have. He wears black from head to toe, every inch of his skin covered. And then a creepy mask that doesn’t even show his eyes.”
“What?” Kyle grimaced.
“Super creepy guy,” Alex said, his voice almost breaking. “And Ava’s stuck with him.”
“Not for long. We’re going to do this.” Kyle bobbed his head, trying to be reassuring. “I’m going to be your Ava on this one.”
“Ew, dude, no. That’s not…cool.”
“Well, I just meant…I mean…I’m going to do the part Ava would do.”
“Still…you’re not Ava. You’re nowhere near Ava.”
Kyle pressed his lips together. “You’re right. She’s super cool. Okay, well, hopefully, we’ll pull this off anyway.”
Alex paused his typing, staring into space for a moment.
“What is it? Look, I’m sorry I said the Ava thing, okay?”
“No, I just…sometimes I wonder how Raven knows so much. It’s uncanny at times. I mean, who is this guy?”
“And you have no clues, right? Like none?”
“None. The last time I tried to track him, he saw it coming from a mile away and sent a rather…horrible little message back.”
“Maybe you should check people The Board has wronged in the past. He sounds like he’s got some knowledge and a real grudge.”
“Right,” Alex said with a nod, returning to his work. “But how would I know the people The Board has wronged? I mean, it’s not like there’s been a publicized list.”
“Well, you’re one of them, right?” Kyle said. “Any other people in a similar situation who you could look into?”
“You mean any other tech geniuses who built a billion-dollar business on their ingenuity? No.”
“That’s not…okay, maybe that was a stupid idea.”
“What was a stupid idea?” Julia asked as she entered the room.
Kyle leapt to his feet, a nervous grin spreading across his face. “Hey, Julia. Nothing is a stupid idea because we’re not doing anything.”
Julia stared at him for a second, her eyes narrowing. “Okay, umm, well, I just wanted to let you know that we’re back and as soon as I get Sierra settled, I can pitch in wherever you need me. Oh, I also wanted to let you know that Grant heard from Theo. He was asking about a lunch later this week.”
Alex’s stomach turned over at the thought of another social interaction with a shark like Theodore Bancroft. More than that, he wondered if he’d be doing it without Ava.
If they weren’t able to pull off this evidence retrieval, he may never see her again.
“There’s no reason for you to come back down. Because there’s nothing to do. We’re just…sitting here. Talking,” Kyle answered.
Julia arched her eyebrows. “Oh, well, maybe you could come up and help with Sierra. You know, after your surgery, she took good care of you.”
“I can’t,” Kyle said with a shake of his head. “I’m busy…talking to Alex. Keeping him calm. As a doctor.”
Julia sucked in a breath, her eyes darting to Alex. “Are you sure I can’t help with the Ava thing? I mean…maybe go let her know we’re supporting her or…have Grant make some calls to a judge. Where is Ava, by the way?”
The color drained from Julia’s face. “She’s not in jail, is she?”
“Not exactly,” Alex said with a shaky voice.
“Where is she?” Julia asked.
Kyle puckered his lips, staring down at his shoes.
“Kyle?” Julia said, her voice stern.
“Come on, Julia, why do you have to use that voice?”
“I’d like to know what you two are clearly hiding.
Kyle, you are the absolute worst at plans.
And Alex…well, I don’t know how good or bad you are at them, but if you’re anything like Grant, it’s terrible.
And I’m the only person here to monitor you.
Ava would expect this from me. Now, tell me what’s going on. ”
“We took Ava to a hotel to hide out, but that creepy Raven person took her from the hotel to somewhere else, then told us to steal the evidence back, and plant some new stuff before he’d let Ava go. So, that’s what we’re doing.”
Alex’s jaw unhinged as he stared at Kyle. “Dude, you just outed our entire plan to your stepmom because she used a stern tone of voice.”
“Oh, like you wouldn’t have spilled the beans if Ava arched her eyebrow at you.”
Alex wagged a finger at him. “That’s completely different. Ava has a black belt. The only thing Julia can do is…look disapprovingly at you.”
“Hey,” Julia said, “that is not the only thing Julia can do. And what Julia’s going to do is tell you that this is not a good plan. How are you going to get to that evidence?”
“Well…I have access to the police station security, and Kyle is going to just real quick, stop in and grab it,” Alex said nonchalantly.
“Real quick? Alex…” Julia shook her head.
“I can do this, Julia,” Kyle said. “I can.”
“This is not a good idea, guys. Look, call Raven and tell him that.”
“No way,” Alex said with a shake of his head. “I am not about to tell the man holding my wife hostage that I can’t do the thing he told me to do to get her back.”
“Yes, you are. This is peer pressure, plain and simple. And I’m not going to let you succumb to it.” Julia crossed her arms.
Kyle’s features pinched, his voice turning whiny. “But, Julia, I really wanted to do it. You know, be all cool and sneak into the police station and grab the gun and save the day.”
“Hey, Juls, everything okay?” Grant asked as he stepped into the room.
“Don’t tell Dad.”
“Don’t tell Dad what?” Grant asked.
“How’s Sierra? Shouldn’t you be with her?” Kyle asked him.
“Oh, she’s berating the home nurses, so I stepped out,” Grant said. “How are things with Ava? You got her a good criminal attorney, right? If not, I know a guy–”
“Thanks, Grantster, but we’re sort–”
“They’re going to steal the evidence from the police station,” Julia said. “And Ava is not being questioned because they spirited her away to hide out but then she was kidnapped by their strange ally, Raven.”
Grant narrowed his eyes, confused etched into his features before he nodded. “Oh, any way to locate Ava and storm the castle to get her back in addition to stealing the evidence?”
“Grant!” Julia said with a stamp on the floor.
“What? You gotta fight fire with fire, here, Julia. This isn’t the time to sit back and do nothing.”
She pressed her lips together, her jaw flexing. “I don’t think Kyle should be sneaking into a police station to steal evidence.”
Grant rubbed his chin for a moment before saying, “Honestly, he’s the best option. He’s young, he’s fast. He’s sly.”
Kyle grinned at his father. “Thanks, Dad. I appreciate that.”
“I cannot believe that after everything we’ve been through, you’re condoning this plan.”
“I’m not condoning it—I’m fully supporting it. And they’re going to do it anyway, whether we like it or not. The more the merrier.”
Grant twisted as Sierra appeared, hovering in the door.
“Oh, hey, baby,” Grant said. “What are you doing downstairs?”
“I felt out of the loop. I want in on the new plan to rescue Ava.”
“You heard all of it?” Julia asked.
“Yes, and I definitely can oversee things. I’m a good coordinator, and also a good motivator. I’d like to be in Kyle’s ear while he’s in the police station so I can make sure he doesn’t make any mistakes.”
Alex’s jaw unhinged at the explosion of support. “Wait, this is…we can’t all…”
His ringing phone interrupted his broken thoughts. He swiped to accept the call from Ava’s phone. “Avs?”
“Wrong. Where are you with the plan?”
“Is this Raven?” Julia asked. “I think we need to rethink the plan.”
“Who is this?” the robotic voice answered.
“Never mind who is who, bird brain,” Sierra said as she snatched the phone from Alex’s hand. “We’re working on the plan. We don’t need you calling every five seconds. Now, put Ava on the phone.”
“I’m not discussing this–”
“You don’t get a say, you plumed pest. I said put her on the phone or we do nothing.”
“Doing nothing only hurts Ava.”
“Look, I can’t be bothered with the technicalities here. Just…let us talk to Ava or you’ll regret it. I will hire someone to find you and rip you apart feather by feather.”
Alex wrinkled his nose at the woman’s aggressive behavior.
“That was impressive, Sierra,” Ava said.
“Avs? Please tell me you’re okay,” Alex asked, his voice rushed.
“I’m fine. Although, Raven isn’t the best host. He’s kind of mean, and his cooking isn’t that great.”
He smiled at her comical way of putting him at ease.
“Look, we almost have this taken care of, okay? So, hopefully it won’t be long before you’re back here.”
“Yes, please. I don’t like it here. It’s woodsy. Everything smells like damp pine trees. And you know how much I hate that. Plus, he won’t let me watch television.”
“That jerk,” Sierra said with a shake of her head.
“I know!” Ava answered. “Look, do what you have to do, but be careful, okay? The Board set this up for a reason. I don’t want anyone getting hurt trying to fix it. Julia…keep them in line, please.”
“I’m doing my best, but I’m in the minority here.”
“Well, Raven’s plan is solid, but that doesn’t mean it’s without flaws. Please don’t walk into a trap.”
“I’ll keep my eyes peeled, Sparky. And I’ll see you soon, okay?”
“Good luck.”