Chapter 16
AVA
Ava let out a muffled scream as she curled her fingers into fists, her head dropping back against the couch cushion behind her.
With Alex gone for more than twenty-four hours, she was losing her patience with the cold leads and lack of information. Her heart ached for him, and she longed to give him another kiss and tell him she loved him before it was too late.
“What is it?” Kyle asked, his voice tinged with concern.
Ava swallowed hard, trying to push down the rising panic. Every second Alex was gone felt like an eternity.
“Raven,” she said through clenched teeth. “Why can’t he ever be a team player?”
“Your request not going over too well?” Kyle questioned.
She stared at her phone, a grimace on her face. “In a word, no.”
Kyle shifted next to her. “So, no tracker for Sebastian? Which reminds me…how are you going to find his car?”
“Those are details we don’t need yet, Doc. I’ll figure out a way. But Raven will not give me a tracker because he says he’s already tracking Sebastian.”
“Oh, maybe he knows where Alex is,” Kyle said. “Ask him that.”
Ava huffed out an irritated breath before she snapped her gaze to him.
He winced, holding up his hands. “Sorry. Didn’t mean to overstep.”
“No, you make a good point. I want to see Sebastian’s activity. Maybe we can track Alex through him. Although, there’s no guaranteeing that Sebastian has anything to do with Alex’s kidnapping. I mean, upper echelons tend to keep their hands clean.”
“But there’s no saying he doesn’t know where Alex is or hasn’t been there.”
Ava studied her phone again before her thumbs flew across the virtual keyboard. Where has he been lately? Any chance he’s inadvertently led us to Alex?
“If he has…you can skip the meeting with Bankroll Bancroft.”
Ava twisted to face him again. “Wow, you’re getting as good with the nicknames as Alex.”
Kyle offered her a proud grin. “I try...Anyway, I don’t like this.”
Ava pressed her lips together as her features tugged into an amused expression.
“What?” he asked.
“Alex will be proud of you to objecting when he’s not here to do it.”
“I told you I’m your back-up husband.”
Ava squeezed his cheeks between her forefinger and thumb. “And I told you not to be anyone’s backup. Speaking of, I need to get ready.”
She launched herself off the couch and strode toward the stairs.
Kyle hurried behind her. “Ava, I’m being serious.
Like as awesome as I pretend to be…if you never come home, I’m going to lose it.
And not just because I was interested in you.
What do I do? I don’t know Raven. I don’t know how to hack traffic cams. I don’t know anything.
I’m just good at punching people and kissing married women. ”
“Those are hardly your strong suits, Doc,” she said as she climbed the stairs. “And I’m coming back. You don’t actually think Sebastian is going to admit to anything, do you?”
“How should I know? Every time I think I’ve figured out what’s going on here, there’s some new bizarre twist. The weird robo-voiced, mask-wearing ally who only seems to be sort of your ally.
The ex-CFO with an axe to grind.” Kyle lowered his voice as he thumbed toward a closed bedroom door.
“Your ex-fiance tied up in a guest bedroom. Ava, I’m seriously out of my league. ”
Ava pushed into her bedroom and crossed to the walk-in closet, glancing through her dresses. “Mmm, maybe a track suit. More range of motion.”
Kyle clicked his tongue. “We ought to put a tracker on you.”
Ava froze as she lifted her baby pink hoodie in her arms. “Doc!”
“Sorry, inappropriate and line-crossing, I know.” He shook his head.
Ava offered him a coy smile. “Actually, it’s genius. If I do happen to stumble upon something with Sebastian, you can track it all.”
“But will we get a tracker in time from Raven?”
She grabbed her phone from her pocket and tapped on the screen. “What about a pet tracker?”
“Uhhhh, I mean…it could work.”
She wrinkled her nose. “No, these are way too short range. We need to be able to track much longer distances because I doubt they’re holding Alex a mile away at the Bancroft manor.”
Kyle snapped his fingers. “Luggage tracker? Before I used Dad’s private jet, I used those to track my luggage because I’m a little…uptight.”
“Just a tiny bit,” she said with an amused smile.
“I may still have one in my bag. Let me check.” He hurried from the room as she grabbed a sky-blue velvet hoodie set and disappeared in the bathroom. When she emerged, she found him at the door, waving the luggage tracker triumphantly.
She grabbed the small tracker and slid it into her pocket. “Perfect.”
“And I’m already set up to track it. I can track you anywhere.” His grin slipped into a concerned stare. “Oh, that sounded so stalker-ish, sorry.”
“This time it actually sounded sweet, but I do see what you mean. Anyway, I’m going to head out–”
“Wait, wait. Where’s your little brooch? I want eyes and ears and tracking.”
She crossed back to her jewelry box and grabbed the pearl pin, sliding it onto her hoodie. “My comm device is downstairs.”
“And turn it on before you leave so we can check it. I don’t have Alex’s skills to troubleshoot.”
“No, but you’re bossy like him,” she said as she left the bedroom behind and descended to the first floor.
With the miniature speaker in her ear, she toggled on the camera and comm. “There you are. Happy listening.”
“Happy…well, whatever it is you’re doing with Sebastian. Don’t do anything that Alex wouldn’t like.”
“Okay,” she said with a grin. “See you on the flip side.”
“You bet,” Kyle answered as she left him behind.
With her keys in hand, she slid behind the wheel of her pink SUV and headed for the sprawling Bancroft mansion overlooking the sea.
“You ready for this?” Kyle asked as she pulled into the driveway.
“Yep. How’s it look on your end?”
“I’ve got eyes, ears, and your location, so we’re all good.”
Ava brought the car to a stop, killing the engine. “Then away we go.”
She slid out and approached the door. The maid led her to Sebastian’s painting studio where he sat with his sketchbook near the window overlooking the gardens.
“Ava!” he said, tossing it aside as the maid showed her in. “How are you holding up?”
“Not so well,” she admitted, careful to balance her performance with some emotion, but not enough to overwhelm her. She needed to remain on her guard.
“Nothing from Alex?”
“I don’t think the kidnappers are going to let him phone a friend.”
“Nice one, Ava,” Kyle whispered in her ear.
Sebastian wrapped an arm around her and led her to the chaise, pulling her down next to him. “Are you sure that’s what’s going on here?”
She glanced at him, her brows furrowing. “Alex wouldn’t leave me and say nothing.”
“Maybe he…”
“Please don’t say something stupid like lost track of time or didn’t know how to tell you. No, Alex Stone does not just disappear. Someone took him. And after the trouble that’s been going on at StoneCorp, I’m not entirely surprised.”
“Trouble at StoneCorp? Maybe he got into something over his head.”
Ava glanced sideways at Sebastian. Every instinct in her screamed for her to put him into a chokehold and demand information, but she knew that wasn’t the best way to find Alex. She had to keep playing the game until an opportunity presented itself.
She shook her head. “No, Alex would never do that.”
“What people say to their spouses and what they do behind their backs can be very different, Ava.”
“That’s crazy. Don’t listen to him,” Kyle hissed.
Her jaw clenched involuntarily at the insinuation. “With all due respect, you don’t know the ins and outs of our relationship, so please don’t make any assumptions.”
“I don’t, but I do know that you weren’t around until recently. An interesting development.”
As she considered how she’d respond, Sebastian went a step further. “What if I told you I could clear this entire thing up?”
“Whoa, see what I mean about plot twists? Didn’t see that coming,” Kyle said.
“I’d ask you straight out if you kidnapped Alex,” she answered him.
He huffed out a laugh. “Not exactly, but I may be able to help you.”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “With your private investigators and security team.”
“What if I could help more than that?”
Ava scrubbed her face, trying to feign ignorance. “I’m sorry, I didn’t get much sleep last night, so I’m having trouble understanding you.”
Sebastian let his hand slide around hers. She stared down at it, her features pinching. “I think you know I’ve been interested in you.”
She yanked her hand away from his. “I’m not interested in a one-night stand.”
“That’s not what I’m offering.”
“Might want to work on your approach then because that’s what it sounds like,” she retorted.
“Ouch, burn on Biceps Bancroft,” Kyle said with a chuckle.
“You’re special, Ava,” he answered. “Unique. Someone who could benefit from…leveling up?”
Ava screwed up her face. “What are you suggesting?”
“A partnership.”
Ava’s eyebrows arched as she stared at him, prodding him for more information.
He adjusted his sleeve. “You asked about my tattoo.”
“Uh-oh,” Kyle said. “This is another one of those plot twists I didn’t see coming.”
“It means something, something very important. Something that can be life-changing for you.”
Ava’s heart sped as she vetted her options. Did she play stupid, or did she let on that she knew? In a split-second decision, she realized she didn’t enjoy playing stupid. Not when The Board was involved. “I know what your tattoo means. I’ve known since I asked.”
“And that is why I like you, Ava,” Sebastian said with a grin. “You tried to play me.”
“Tried? The way you were just explaining things to me, I think I succeeded.”
He sucked in a deep breath, shrugging. “I suspected you may know. And that meant there was no sense in hiding it from you. I can help you, Ava. And I can make sure Alex remains alive.”
“So, you do have him,” she said with a sigh as she rose and stalked to the window, her arms crossed. “And what is it that you want from me in exchange for your help?”
She spun to face him.
“You,” he said with a grin. “And your help getting Alex’s cooperation.”
She tightened her arms across her chest. “So, let me get this straight. You want me to convince Alex to help you…and then you want me to leave him…for you.”
“The way you said that really hit him in the gut,” Kyle said.
“Ouch. You don’t have to make it sound so…awful. I can give you the kind of lifestyle to which you’re accustomed…maybe more.”
“I’m married to Alex.”
Sebastian crossed closer to her, his eyes narrowing. “See, I heard that was fake.”
“Let me guess…you heard that from Miranda Vale.”
“Maybe. Or maybe I just realized that you two don’t belong together.”
“Whatever she told you isn’t correct. She was working from faulty information.”
“Really?” Sebastian heaved a sigh, his eyebrows wiggling. “Well, that is a disappointment, though, I’m certain we can still work something out. My offer still stands.”
“I assume Board membership is required from your little arrangement,” she said, her voice steady despite the uncertainty roiling inside her.
Sebastian’s eyes gleamed with a predatory light. “It is. You bring a wide variety of skills to the table, Ava.”
“I thought I wasn’t welcome,” she shot back.
“As you mentioned, Miranda often works with flawed information. So, what do you say?”
For an instant, she considered the offer–not because she wanted any parts of it, but because it may afford her the chance to bring the board down from within. But it was too risky, and she wouldn’t betray Alex.
“If you’re thinking about this, don’t,” Kyle said. “I double-agented for a while. It’s awful, and you have way too much to lose. I didn’t have anything to lose.”
He was right. This could lead to more trouble than it was worth. She’d find another way to find Alex. With a flex of her jaw, she raised her eyes to his. “No.”
He sucked in a breath, giving a slight shake to his head. “I think you’re making a huge mistake, Ava.”
“Noted. Now, mind returning my husband?”
“I do mind, actually. And I’d like to suggest that you visit with Alex first before you make your decision. You may find it illuminating.”
“You’ll take me to him?”
“Oh, Ava, I don’t know about this,” Kyle whispered.
“I will.”
“When?”
Sebastian offered her a smirk as he skirted her and tugged open his desk drawer. He thrust forward a zip tie and a dark hood. “Right now.”
Ava stared at them before she pressed her wrists together and held them out.
“Oh, and I’ll need you to remove that brooch that’s obviously a camera, and the little communication device from your ear. Who’s listening to us, anyway?” Sebastian slid a hand under her hair, tugging the device from her ear.
“Ava, don’t do it! Tell him no!” Kyle shouted as he removed it and placed it in his ear, his features pinching.
“Is this Kyle Carter?” With a roll of his eyes, Sebastian pulled it from his own ear and dropped it on the floor before he crushed it under his heel.
“Now the brooch.”
Ava unpinned it and handed it over.
“Anything else I need to know about?”
“No,” Ava answered, her features expressionless.
“Are you wearing a tracker?”
“No,” she answered.
“If I find out you’re lying…”
She arched an eyebrow at him, tilting her head in challenge.
He huffed out a laugh before he yanked her closer, the roughness of his grip sending a shiver down her spine. Sebastian slid his hands over her shoulders, lingering as if savoring the moment before they trailed down her arms, sides and finally around her waist. “Still nothing to say?”
As his hand slid over her hip, he paused before he slid his fingers into her pocket and pulled out the tracker. “Really, Ava? I’m disappointed.”
“You would have been more disappointed if I’d just given it to you,” she countered.
He tossed it onto his desk before he waved for her wrists. She held back a wince as he tightened the zip ties around them.
He grabbed the hood.
“Is that really necessary?”
“I can’t have you watching where we’re going, now can I?” With a grin, he pulled the hood over her face.
As darkness closed in, her heart raced. No one could track her. He could take her anywhere. This could be the end of everything.