Chapter 8
AVA
Ava crossed her arms as she arched her eyebrows at the masked man in front of her. “Alex has a brain.”
“That is questionable at this moment. A genius in the tech world, yes. In the real world…not so much.”
“He wouldn’t be so nervous if you weren’t holding me hostage. In fact, I’d be far better at this work than he will be.” Ava bit into her lower lip, her nose wrinkling. “At least Julia’s there to keep them in line.”
“Why did you invoke the Harringtons?” Raven asked her.
“Someone said we needed to get closer to the Bancrofts, and Grant happens to be Theodore’s friend.”
Raven wagged a finger at her. “You’re in with Sebastian should have been enough.”
“Yeah, well, I like to have a backup plan. If Sebastian puts me in an impossible situation, that connection could be burned.”
“As in?”
“As in forcing me to choose between Alex and him. Spoiler alert: I’m picking Alex.”
Raven sighed, his gloved hand tightening around the phone.
“Sorry to ruin your evening. Your roses aren’t swaying me either.”
He didn’t answer her.
“Enough about me, though. Let’s talk about you.”
“No,” he answered.
“Why? What are you hiding, Raven?” Ava narrowed her eyes at him, trying to read his body language through the bulky clothes.
He didn’t respond.
“Okay, let’s try something else. Why do you hate The Board?”
Still nothing.
“What did they do? Murder your family? Bankrupt you? Is this personal or professional? Both?”
After another nonresponse, her shoulders slumped.
“Come on, give me something to work with here.”
“There is no reason for you to know the answers to your questions.”
She heaved a sigh as she shook her head. “Well, we’re supposed to be working together. I thought maybe it could solidify our partnership.”
“My personal details shouldn’t matter.”
“Really? I mean, you basically asked me for a blood oath when we connected, so…”
He leapt from his seat, his chair skittering back over the tiled floor. “Go to bed, Ava. I will inform you of any developments as I have them.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Go to bed, Ava? What are you, my mom?”
“I’m not joking. Upstairs, now. I have other things to attend to. I can’t babysit you.”
“Oh, well, if I’m an inconvenience, you could let me go.”
He jabbed a finger at the ceiling.
With a sigh, she climbed from her seat and thrust her handcuffed wrists forward. “Mind removing these?”
He shook his head.
“You’re such a jerk,” she said as she pushed past him, slamming into his shoulder to test his muscle mass. A hard bicep told her he was well-muscled.
Before she could skirt him, he thrust out an arm, wrapping a gloved hand around her arm.
His grip tightened slightly as he spoke, his voice sounding more vulnerable despite the robotic tone.
“Everything I’ve done has not only been to defeat The Board but to protect you.
They won’t stop until they get what they want. ”
Ava froze, surprised by his comment as she searched his mask for any sign of who may be behind it before she wrenched her arm from his grasp.
“Sometimes I’m not certain if I need protection from The Board or from you.”
He didn’t answer, and with one last defiant glance, she trudged from the room. As she crossed the living room, her eyes lingered on the drawer he’d shoved the framed photo into earlier.
Raven’s footsteps thudded behind her, and she continued moving toward the stairs, climbing them before she strode into the bedroom at the top.
As she plopped onto the edge of the bed, Raven appeared, hovering in the doorway. Her heart sped up a little, wondering if he’d harm her. Instead, he reached inside and yanked the door closed before the lock engaged.
A second later, a tiny silver key slid across the floor.
She scrambled off the bed and collected it from the floor, freeing her wrists. Before she tossed the handcuffs aside, she arched an eyebrow at them. They could be useful. She shoved them into her hoodie pocket along with the key.
“Better hope I don’t get the jump on you, Raven.”
With a deep sigh, she climbed back onto the bed. Raven’s footsteps thudded dully below her as she struggled to stop herself from worrying about Alex. Would he manage to pull off the evidence grab?
She didn’t doubt his technical skills, but if he needed to sneak into the police station, it could be a disaster.
Maybe Kyle would handle that part of the operation. That didn’t bring her any solace. The doc was an untested member of their team.
She hoped that after tonight, that would no longer be the case.
As the minutes ticked past, she chewed her lower lip. She hated feeling helpless, but that was exactly what she was at the moment. Trapped inside of some cabin’s bedroom, she didn’t even know where she was.
But she did know of a place where she could get information. Her mind focused on the picture frame tucked away in the living room. She needed to get to it, memorize the photo. They needed some clue as to Raven’s identity.
She eased herself from the bed, careful to be as noiseless as possible as she crept to the locked door.
With her ear pressed against it, she listened for any sign of Raven. Quiet. Maybe he’d gone out.
She hurried to her bag in the closet and pawed through it in search of a hairpin. A smile spread across her face as her fingers found her makeup bag. “Thank you, Alex.”
She pulled it out and unzipped it, finding a bobby pin. After bending it, she crossed back to the door and slid it into the lock.
With a frustrated growl, she yanked it back and peeled off the rubber nub at the end. “Who needs comfort when you’ve got a lock to pick,” she murmured.
She fiddled with the pin for several minutes before she slumped to the floor, frustration filling her.
“Come on, Ava, get it together. You’re not going to let a simple little lock defeat you, are you?”
She sucked in a deep breath, readying for her next attempt. Not only could opening the door lead her to information on the identity of Raven, but it could also allow her to escape.
As she worked, she lamented the loss of her favorite unicorn onesie if she did manage to make it out of the cabin. But she’d buy a new one if she had to. At least she’d be free.
After twenty minutes of work, the clang of the lock disengaging echoed in the quiet room.
She sucked in a breath, holding it as she strained to hear any sounds of Raven’s approach.
After a torturous two minutes of waiting, she climbed to her feet and slowly twisted the knob. Wincing as she slid the door open and it creaked, she pressed her cheek against the jamb and stared through the slit.
She couldn’t see or hear anyone. Where was Raven?
Steadying her nerves, she inched the door open a little more, her gaze scanning for any potential threats. When she’d opened it enough to slip through, she took a tentative step into the hall.
With her breathing shallow, she crept to the railing overlooking the living room and peered over it. The room was empty. No sign of Raven anywhere.
She forced herself to wait a full minute, stretched her senses to hear anything that could alert her to trouble. With nothing presenting itself, she wrapped her fingers around the banister and inched down the stairs one by one.
Her heart hammered against her ribs as she reached the living room’s floorboards. Her eyes focused on the door across the room, presumably leading out of the cabin.
She wanted to race to it and run into the night. You need to know who he is, she reminded herself.
Besides, what were the odds that the front door was unlocked? She’d cross that bridge when she got to it. She had to pass the side table containing the photo anyway. One quick peek wouldn’t hurt.
She tiptoed across the darkened room to the side table.
Her fingers closed around the brass drawer pull, and she carefully slid it open.
Her heart skipped a beat as she stared into the empty drawer, her stomach sinking. A curse escaped her lips. Raven had moved the stupid thing.
The knot in her stomach twisted tighter. Raven had moved it.
Why would Raven move it?
Her mind responded to her own question. Because he’d anticipated that she’d try to escape.
Her heart leapt into her throat, her eyes flicking to the door. Could she make it?
The sound of footsteps behind her drew her attention, and she turned, but it was a second too late. Strong arms wrapped around her in a bear hug from behind, pinning her against him. Panic surged as she struggled against his grip, her thoughts racing.
“I told you snooping wasn’t appreciated.”
“Okay, how about if I just leave then?” she retorted as she elbowed his gut before she dropped to the floor, escaping his grasp.
She scrambled to her feet and took a step toward the door when he latched onto her arm.
She spun, one leg readied to kick him when he caught it and tugged her forward, causing her to lose her balance.
She hit the floor hard, knocking the wind from her lungs.
With a groan, she squeezed her eyes closed as he grabbed her hand and tugged her to stand. She used the momentum to land a jab to his face, knocking him back a step.
With a quick spin, she kicked him, sending him stumbling back further. He righted himself and lunged toward her, but she danced backward, avoiding him before she swept a low kick across the floor to knock him off his feet.
He slammed into the floor, and she twisted to sprint to the door.
Fiddling with the lock, she pulled the chain free, then flicked the deadbolt. Cool air raced past her as she started to pull the door open, but as quickly as it came, it left when a heavy weight smashed her against the door, sending it closed.
She struggled against him, trying to free herself or open the door. He wrapped an arm around her waist and dragged her kicking and screaming across the room.
Her antics knocked him into the wall as he tried to climb the stairs. He growled his frustration as he continued up them.
She grabbed hold of the railing with her feet, trying desperately to hang on to it and fight her way free. As he grabbed her thigh, she reached behind her, trying to find a weak spot.
Before she could make any progress or tug his mask away, he managed to yank her away from the railing.
“No!” she cried as he hauled her into the room and tossed her onto the bed.
She bounced a few times, scrambling to sit up as she heaved for breath.
He wagged a finger at her. “I told you when you could leave. Everything I’ve done has been to protect you.”
The chiming of her phone split the silence before she could respond. “Is that Alex?”
“Can I check without you attacking me?”
“You must have anticipated my move. You removed the photograph.”
“I prepared for the eventuality which is why you didn’t escape. Now, can I check the phone?”
She held her hands up in defeat, and he pulled it from his pocket. “It’s done.”
Her heart lifted at the response, her features turning hopeful. “Then I can go home.”
Her eyes raised to his face, probing. “Or was that all a lie?”
“It wasn’t a lie, Ava. I’ll take you home. But I can’t have you knowing the whereabouts of this cabin.”
“More of your favorite perfume?”
With a nod, he removed a canister from his hoodie and shot a steady stream of it toward her. Within seconds, her world turned black.
When she opened her eyes again, she found Raven hovering over her in the back of a van. “Ugh. I thought you were taking me home.”
He held up a silver key, and for the first time she realized her hands were bound by handcuffs again. “You are one block away from Alex’s. We’ll talk soon.”
She snatched the key from him before he grabbed hold of her and shoved her out into the cool night air.
The door slid shut an instant later, then the van sped off, tires screeching.
She rolled her eyes, still feeling groggy as she unlocked the handcuffs and let them fall from her wrists. Exhaustion coursed through her, but she pushed herself to keep moving forward until she reached their driveway.
She climbed up it to the front door, praying that it was unlocked. She found it wide open.
Her heart skipped a beat, her instincts screaming at her. Her muscles stiffened, and her senses stretched as she slinked through the door, her gaze darting around for any sign of a threat.
Voices came from the living room. She crept toward them, peering inside, finding Grant, Julia and Kyle leaning over someone on the floor.
“Doc? Where’s Alex?”
“Ava,” Kyle answered as he shot to standing.
Ava recognized Sierra on the floor, her designer nightgown drenched in blood. “Is she okay? Where’s Alex?”
“She’s okay, she just…needs a little blood,” Kyle said. “We’re going to take her back to the hospital.”
“Okay, is Alex calling someone?” Ava asked.
“Uhh, Ava,” Julia said as she climbed to her feet, her features tugging into a wince.
“What’s going on?”
“Ava, I’m so sorry. We…we went out to get the weapon…the one with your prints,” Julia explained.
“Okay…” Ava’s features pinched.
“When we got back…” Julia puffed out a breath. “Ava, I’m so sorry. Someone kidnapped Alex.”
Ava’s heart plummeted at the words, dizziness threatening to make her knees buckle. She couldn’t live without Alex. But what if she was faced with that exact scenario?