Chapter 22
AVA
Ava twisted on her heel, crossing the living room in the opposite direction. At her feet, Gizmo followed every movement as Kyle’s gaze shifted back and forth, trained on her. “I don’t care how hard it is, Raven. I’m going in there to get Alex with or without your help.”
The robotic voice answered her. “You can’t do it without me. But we should—”
“No,” she interrupted with a slice of her hand through the air. “No, I’m not waiting. He’s been there too long already. I know Alex. He’s going to panic with every second he’s stuck there. And that witch Miranda is going to make things so much worse now that she’s seen me with Sebastian.”
“What were you doing with him?” Raven asked.
“Infiltrating like you told me to.”
“How did you manage to get him to take you to the location?”
She sighed, rolling her eyes as she glanced at Kyle. “It must have been my irresistible charm.”
“Very funny, Ava,” he snapped back. “And while I understand the appeal of your unique blend of charisma, Sebastian Bancroft is a high-ranking Board member. He must have asked for something in return.”
Her heart pounded, a mixture of frustration and fear gnawing at her insides. She ran a hand through her hair, trying to steady herself. “He did. He wants me to join The Board…with him. Like leave Alex and hitch my wagon to his.”
“And what did you answer?”
“Are you insane? Have you paid any attention at all to how much Alex means to me? I said no.”
“You turned down a position with The Board?” Raven asked.
Ava let her head fall back between her shoulder blades. “Is this thing not working or are you not paying attention? I turned him down. Period. I’m not joining The Board. I never would join The Board ever.”
“But what about for Alex’s sake?” he shot back.
She shook her head. “There’s no way I could pull it off. I know my limits. Sebastian would demand something I couldn’t give. I turned him down. Why do you keep asking me about this?”
“I have to be assured of your loyalty. The Board is powerful. I cannot risk them coming after me.”
“I’m not joining The Board. And I’m not selling you out to The Board. You’re the only friend I have.”
“Hey,” Kyle protested.
She offered him a penitent glance. “Sorry. You and Doc are the only friends I have.”
She spun on a heel her frustration growing with each passing second. “Now, can we please discuss a plan to go in for Alex tonight.”
“We need to meet.”
“Okay,” she answered. “To discuss a plan to get Alex?”
A sigh sounded through her speaker. “Yes, Ava.”
“Well, I can’t tell with you. You’re so mysterious and vague all the time. I’m not going to waste my time going to the old Beach Comber resort for you to tell me you don’t advise this.”
“Meet me at six. We move tonight.”
The call clicked, and Ava collapsed onto the couch, hanging her head low. “Ugh, he’s so trying sometimes.”
“But at least he’s going to help,” Kyle said as he joined her, perching on the edge of the cushion.
“Yep,” she answered with a nod. “Maybe now we’ll have some action.”
“Action?” Sierra’s voice called from behind them. “There’s action and no one told me? Why? Why have I not been kept informed?”
Kyle rose next to her. “Sierra, what are you doing up? You’re supposed to be in bed resting.”
“I’m sick of resting. Also, Chris is being annoying. I can hear him through the walls. He keeps banging the chair against something.”
Ava heaved a sigh as she stood and slid between them. “You update her. I’ll go check on our illustrious hostage.”
She climbed the stairs to the second floor and pushed into one of the guest bedrooms where Chris lay strapped to a chair on his side. She arched an eyebrow as he glared at her. “What are you trying to do?”
He murmured something through the gag, but she couldn’t understand it.
“Look, with any luck, I’ll let you go soon. But I can’t just yet. Although, you’re really quite useless. I tried to trade you to Sebastian for Alex, and he didn’t want you back.”
She set her foot on one of the chair’s feet and pressed against it as she tugged the chair upright. She patted Chris’s shoulder as she whispered in his ear. “May want to think about how expendable you were to these folks before you go running back to them.”
He shrugged her off, shaking his head.
She crossed the room and settled her arms over her chest. “I just don’t get why you did what you did, Chris. I mean, really? I was that big of a deal that you sold your soul to this people just to get back at me and Alex?”
She rolled her eyes as he narrowed his at her and stalked to the door. “Whatever. Just… keep it down, okay? Sierra’s recovering, and she needs her rest. Oh, and the gun stays with Julia. Whether she shoots you or not—that’s up to her.”
She slid from inside the room and headed down the hall to change into a dark pair of yoga pants and hoodie before they met Raven.
With her new attire on, she opened the safe, retrieving two handguns and ensuring they had full clips.
She shoved one in her waistband, holding on to the other for Kyle as she returned to the living room.
“I can’t believe you’re going to get Alex tonight.” Sierra glared at her.
Ava screwed up her face. “Why?”
“You could have waited for me to go, too. I want a gun. I want to go all commando on someone.”
“Sierra, you’re recovering from a gunshot wound, you can’t go.”
“I know!” she shouted with a stamp of her foot as Grant and Julia entered. “Oh, Daddy, thank goodness you’re here. Now, maybe sense can prevail.”
Grant offered his daughter a confused glance. “Okay?”
“Ava and Kyle are going on a ninja-style missing to rescue Alex. Please tell them that is insane.”
“Whoa,” Julia said as she stared at the weapon in Ava’s hand. “You found him?”
“We did. And we’re going to get him tonight.”
“Okay, Sierra’s right,” Grant said with a shake of his head. “This is a bad idea.”
“Exactly,” Sierra said. “You should definitely postpone until I can go.”
“What? No, that’s not what I said,” Grant answered. “No one should go. None of you. Okay, well, maybe Ava because she’s pretty good at taking people down, but…Kyle…I feel like you’re way out of your element here.”
“No, I’m not.” Kyle grabbed the gun from Ava and grabbed the top, trying to tug it backward.
“What are you doing?” Ava asked.
“Turning the safety off,” Kyle said.
Ava winced as she shook her head. “Okay, we need to have a private meeting outside.”
She grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him toward the sliding door.
“Ava, please don’t kick me off the team. I know how to use a gun more or less.”
She shook her head. “I’m not kicking you off the team, but you have no idea how to handle a gun, do you?”
“I have…some idea. I’ve seen a lot of people use them.”
She grabbed the gun off of him. “Look…safety is here, you flick it off and on.”
She released the clip before she shoved it back in and loaded a bullet into the chamber. “Load the clip, turn off the safety, load your first bullet, aim, and squeeze, don’t pull.”
“Right, got it.”
“And don’t point it anywhere you shouldn’t, like at your foot or at me.”
Kyle nodded, his features serious.
“Questions?”
“Umm, so actually, yes, I have one. I have no idea what you mean when you say squeeze don’t pull.”
She raised her index finger and demonstrated. “Slow and controlled, not quick.”
“Ohhhh, oh, I get it. I totally get it. Got it.”
“Only shoot the bad guys, and only if you have to. This isn’t the Wild West.”
“Safety on unless we’re facing bad guys, only shoot the bad guys, not the Wild West.”
She offered him a soft smile and a pat on the shoulder. “You’re a good kid, Doc.”
Color rose in his cheeks. “I’m not really a kid. I’m not that much younger than you. In fact, we totally could have dated–”
“Okay, that’s enough. I’m married, remember?”
“Right. Sadly, you are married.”
She patted his cheek. “You’re going to find the one, Doc. But don’t settle. You’re too good for that.”
He grinned at her. “Thanks, Ava.”
“Now, if you’re good with the gun, we should get going. It’s almost time to meet Raven.”
“Let’s do this. And thank you for not kicking me off the team.”
Ava wagged a finger at him. “Don’t make me regret it.”
He shook his head. “Never. I’ll be the best…wait, what am I? Like a…sidekick or…a partner in crime?”
“I meant don’t get yourself killed or shot. I don’t want to attend your funeral.”
“Oh, yeah, definitely. I will not get killed. I don’t want to get killed…or shot. When Lydia’s people beat me up, that was bad enough.”
Ava nodded. “Okay, as long as we’re agreed, let’s get going.”
They entered the house again, and Grant glanced up, his head shaking. “Kyle, this is dangerous.”
“I’m going, Dad. I’m not leaving Ava alone.”
“Ava,” Julia said, “I agree with Grant. This isn’t a job for you and Kyle. This–”
“Is a job for who?” Ava asked. “And we’re not going alone. We have Raven’s help. But I have to do this. I can’t leave him there, Sunshine. I need to get Alex. And I need to get him now before something happens to him.”
“Do you have any idea what you’re up against?” Julia asked.
Sierra rolled her eyes. “Oh my gosh, if you two would stay home once in a while you’d know these things. Ava saw Alex earlier when Sebastian took her to where he was after he asked to marry her. So, yeah, she’s been there.”
“Sierra’s right. I have some idea of what to expect and Raven is filling in the other details.
Look, we need to get going. With any luck, we’ll be back with Alex soon.
There’s food in the fridge and an entire stack of take-out menus in the drawer next to the oven.
Oh, and Chris is upstairs tied up still but hopefully he’ll behave until I’m home. ”
She crossed to the opening leading to the foyer before she twisted back toward them. “Oh, and Grant?”
“Yeah?” he asked.
She rubbed Kyle’s back. “I’ll bring him back alive.”
“I’d really appreciate that. I’ve already had one child shot.”
She offered him a firm nod before they left the house behind, climbing into her car with Kyle. They made the short trip to the old resort, circling around the resort to the beach.
A dark figure stood outlined in the moonlight, staring over the ocean.
“Raven?” Ava called as they approached.
He twisted to face them, and she pulled her chin back to her chest. “Seriously? We’re about to knock over a Board fortress and you’re still rocking the mask?”
“I will not risk my face being caught on their cameras.”
“Camera shy, huh?” she teased. “Well, that’s up to you. I personally don’t know how you stand it. When Sebastian had that hood over my head, it was so hot, I couldn’t take it.”
“I’ll be fine. Let’s go.”
“We’ll follow you.”
He shook his head. “I’ll drive.”
“Fine,” Ava said.
“Oh, man. Why does everyone get to drive but me?” Kyle asked.
“You drove! Like twice!” Ava said as they followed Raven down the beach.
“I really wanted to be the driver this time,” Kyle said with a sigh. “Oh, well.”
They reached the van and Raven slid open the side door. “Give me your gun and get inside.”
“Wait, what?” Kyle’s features scrunched. “I’m not giving you my gun. It’s mine.”
“Give me the gun or you don’t go,” Raven’s robotic voice said.
“Hey, whoa. Doc’s a full member of this team.”
“Says who?” Raven asked.
“Me. I do. Doc is part of this. He’s not going into that building without protection. He keeps the gun.”
“I don’t trust you,” Raven growled.
“Too bad,” Ava answered, her voice equally raw. “Kyle keeps the weapon.”
Raven remained silent for a moment before he shifted away from the door and circled the car to get into the driver’s seat.
“Thanks, Ava,” Kyle said before he climbed into the back of the van as Ava slid into the passenger seat.
She sat in silence, her mind whirling as she counted the seconds to arrive at the location. She worried with each mile that passed that they’d be too late.
“So, how well do you know this facility?”
“Well, enough. Heavily guarded. ID badges required to open doors.”
She arched an eyebrow as she snapped a gaze at him. “And you have what we need to access it?”
He patted his breast pocket. “I do.”
“And how did you achieve that?”
“Not your concern.”
“It is if it doesn’t work,” she shot back.
“It will. Just concentrate on getting Alex out of that cell.”
“Not a problem,” she answered as they approached the building.
Her stomach twisted into a tight knot as it came into sight. Her heart hammered against her ribs as Raven brought the van to a stop. “Time to roll, Ava.”
She nodded, though her legs trembled. They were about to head into a heavily secured Board location. Would they make it out with Alex? Would they make it out at all? Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and prepared to face whatever lay ahead.