Chapter 13
ALEX
Alex’s heart hammered against his ribs as he was dragged into the dimly lit, cold hallway. The echoes of footsteps bounced off the sterile, concrete walls, amplifying his dread. Outside of the confines of his cell, he had a far better chance of escaping than he had moments ago.
He couldn’t let this opportunity pass him by. He had to make a break for it. If he could only get free of them, he’d figure everything out later.
Being moved to a more secure location was not an option. Not only would it make him harder to track for anyone searching for him–and he hoped Ava was–but it would mean they’d have a nearly impossible time getting him out.
As his feet slapped against the tile floor, he vetted his options, his mind racing. He couldn’t fight his way free. There was no way he’d manage to get over on the bulky guards even with the element of surprise.
He needed another plan.
With a deep breath, he let his feet stumble, his body collapsing heavily toward the cold tile floor. The strong arms of the guards held him up. “Let’s go, Stone.”
“I don’t…I don’t feel so good,” he murmured, ensuring his feet dragged before he let his chin loll to the side, hanging from their grasps.
“He passed out,” one guard shouted as they tightened their grip, confusion evident in their eyes.
“Drag him to the van and throw him in that way. At least he won’t be a problem,” Miranda’s sharp voice said.
It took all in him not to wince at her words. His plan had failed. He’d need something else.
Just as the guards started to drag him forward, he pretended to shake all over.
They stopped again. “I think he’s having a seizure.”
Miranda sighed. “Get him on the floor, and one of you go get help.”
The cold floor pressed against him as they dropped him face first onto it. He continued his fake seizure as hands rolled him over.
“Don’t die, Alex,” Miranda said, her voice sharp, “the upper echelons will never forgive me for it.”
He stopped his convulsions, pretending to be unconscious again as two fingers pressed against his throat. “His pulse is racing. Breathing seems erratic.”
A curse escaped her. “Where is Jenkins with that help?”
“I’ll go find out.”
Footsteps echoed down the hall, moving away from him. That would leave only Miranda. He probably could get away from her. If it was Ava, he wouldn’t have tried it, but Miranda didn’t seem as savvy in ninja skills as his wife.
He risked opening one eye a slit. Miranda leaned over him, her attention down the hall.
He had to make his move now before anyone else came back. These were the best odds he had.
Every fiber of his being ached for freedom, his thoughts consumed by images of Ava’s smile, her laugh. He couldn’t bear the thought of never seeing her again.
With his pulse racing, he snapped his eyes open, shoving Miranda away from him as he scrambled to his feet.
She let out a yelp, falling back against the wall.
He spun on a heel and raced toward the end of the hall, his focus on the double doors leading to the parking garage.
“Stop!” Miranda shouted, but he continued barreling forward without looking back. He had to get away.
“Alex! I said, stop!” she shouted again.
But he kept running, hoping his legs would make it before anyone else caught up to him. Behind him, Miranda spoke, but he wasn’t certain if it was to the guards who had returned or if she was making a phone call. “Alex Stone has escaped. Lock down the entire facility.”
Alex prayed he made it to the doors before they were locked.
His fingers touched the cold metal of the crash bar, slamming into it and sending the door flying open.
He came to a skidding halt as the barrel of a handgun met him. His eyes went wide, and his lower lip trembled as he held his hands up, backing a few steps into the hall.
Behind the weapon, Sebastian’s jaw clenched, his nostrils flaring. “I don’t think so, Mr. Stone.”
The guards returned with another man a moment later, grabbing hold of Alex’s arms and wrestling him to his knees.
Sebastian, his cold eyes never leaving Alex, shoved the weapon into the waistband of his pants before he finally flicked his gaze to Miranda. “I trust this will not happen again.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Bancroft, but–”
“Next time, maybe you won’t act without being sanctioned by The Board. I’ll cover for you this time, but not again. Screw this up and I will personally cut that tattoo off of you.”
“Yes, sir,” Miranda said with a bob of her head.
Sebastian straightened his jacket with one final, disdainful glance at Alex before he strode away.
“Get him on his feet,” Miranda said, her features twisted with anger. “You nearly cost me everything, Alex. That’s not going to happen again.”
“Miranda, these people aren’t your friends,” Alex said, his voice pleading. “He just threatened you. And it won’t be long before they find something to blame on you. Especially if I don’t do what you want, and I won’t.
“You will, I’ll make sure of that.”
“No, Miranda, think. I can help. We can help. Ava and I. Just…let me go, okay? You can have your old job back, I’ll double your salary.
You’ll be well taken care of, I promise.
” Alex glanced at the two men holding him.
“Same for you two. Private security detail. Double whatever you’re getting now.
Just…dump me on the side of the road somewhere, and we’ll call it even, okay? ”
Miranda’s gaze shifted sideways as though she was considering it before she snapped it back to him. “Do you think I’m that stupid?”
“No, of course not. I think you’re not stupid enough to stay here with these people who will drop you at the first inconvenience. Now, what do you say? Will you help me?”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “Take him to the other location.”
“No, Miranda, wait!” Alex shouted as the men dragged him forward toward the parking garage. He struggled, trying desperately to break free of their grasp, but they weren’t going to make the same mistake twice.
Instead, he was hauled to the van he’d been in before and tossed in the back.
He groaned as his shoulder took a hard hit and his chin scraped against the bottom of the vehicle. With a wince, he forced himself up to sit. The van’s engine roared to life as he shimmied his way closer to the door, wondering if he could open it.
He fiddled with the area around where it latched but couldn’t manage to open it.
Panic built within him again as claustrophobia set in. He’d never make it out of this situation alive. His one attempt had been blocked by Sebastian Bancroft, a man who not only wanted to use him for his own gain, but who also wanted to steal Ava.
He let his head smack against the van door, a disgusted sob escaping him.
With every second that passed, the hope that Ava would find him diminished, especially with the location move.
If Ava was even looking for him, his mind taunted.
Raven had promised to return her once the evidence against her in the murder case was removed, but had he?
Or was he in the clutches of The Board while Ava remained a prisoner of Raven’s?
They drove for what seemed to be well over an hour before the van finally came to a stop.
When the door opened, the two guards stood in front of him.
Before he could scan the area for any signs of where he was, one of them raised a taser.
It shot toward him, jolting him with electricity before he collapsed.
His eyes slid closed as darkness encompassed him, his last conscious thought of Ava.
When his eyes fluttered open again, he found himself in another tiny cell. Dampness permeated the air, and it smelled again of mold. His nostrils flared, his eyes squinting as he tried to sit up, but found his head spinning.
He collapsed onto the thin mattress again with a groan. Water dripped somewhere in the distance, a constant, irritating sound that grated on his nerves.
He forced his eyes open again, searching for anything he could use to escape or defend himself. Again, he found nothing in the room outside of the cot he lay on and a metal table and chair.
He rolled onto his back, staring up at the ceiling. How many hours had he been in here? How long had he been gone?
Was Ava any closer to finding him or was she still locked away at a remote cabin with Raven?
With a groan, he pulled his still bound hands up to his face, letting them rest against his forehead.
Before he could lament his predicament any further, a lock clanked across the space and a door opened, shining more light into the dimly lit cell.
Miranda strode inside, the deep scratch on her face twisting her expression into one of pure malice. Her eyes narrowed with barely contained fury as she approached him.
He sat up, ignoring the pounding at his temples and the way the room still spun a little.
“Hello, Alex,” she said, her voice dripping with venom. “I brought you a present.”
“Is it a get out of jail free card?” he tried.
She crossed her arms as she waved a guard into the room. “Not quite.”
The man laid a laptop on the table before he clasped his hands in front of him. Alex’s eyes rested on it. A laptop was like putting dynamite in his hands. He could send a signal for help, track his own location, anything.
“Oh, good,” Miranda answered, plastering a fake smile onto her face. “I’m glad to see you’re interested. Can I expect you to write my little program request quickly?”
Alex firmed his jaw. “No, you can’t.”
Miranda’s shoulders slumped. “That’s a shame. Well, I’ll take your present back.”
“You could leave it,” Alex said with a shrug. “Maybe the whim will strike me.”
Miranda scoffed. “I doubt it. And after what your wife did to me, I’m in no mood to be generous.”
Alex narrowed his eyes. “What are you talking about?”
She twisted her neck, illuminating the large scratch before she flashed another one on her hands. “Courtesy of Ava and the clean up I had to do.”
Clean up? What was she talking about? Was this some sort of code for dealing with Ava in some irreparable way? They’d tried to kill her once before. Had Sebastian changed his mind about keeping her around for himself?
He was torn between wanting Ava’s loyalty and ensuring her safety, even if it meant losing her to Sebastian.
“Clean up?” Alex finally murmured.
With a flare of her nostrils, Miranda pulled her phone from her pocket and toggled it on before she twisted the display toward Alex. “Your wife’s handiwork.”
Alex leaned closer to watch the security footage from Miranda’s home. She crossed to open the door, a second later stumbling back as Ava entered with their fireplace poker and Kyle trailing behind her. She smashed a table, breaking it clean in half before she spoke to Miranda.
Whatever answer the woman gave his wife, Ava didn’t like it. She stormed into the living room, smashing a glass table before she drove Miranda back against the wall, raising the poker overhead.
Finally, Ava left but not before she smashed a lamp.
Alex’s lips twisted into a smile, glad to see that Raven had held up his end of the bargain and that Ava was on the case.
“She gave me twenty-four hours to help her, or she’ll come after me again.”
“She will,” Alex said. “Ava’s a force. You were wrong to deny her a place with The Board when I asked.”
Her nose wrinkled as she tugged her lips into a sneer. “Don’t worry, Sebastian is dealing with her. Which leaves me to deal with you. And right now, I’m not feeling very kind-hearted. So, either start that program, or I’ll let Frank here have some fun with you.”
Alex shifted his gaze from Miranda to the thug next to her. They weren’t going to be nice after what had happened in the last facility. He needed to make a call. With Ava on the case, maybe he just needed to buy a little time for her to find him.
He blew out a shaky breath before his head bobbed. “Okay, I’ll see what I can do with this program.”
He hoped she couldn’t read the lie in his eyes. He had no intention on working on the program and every intention on sending the bat signal out to Ava any way he could. Would he manage to do it or was he making the worst decision of his life?