Chapter 2
AVA
Ava shifted on the cold metal chair in the starkly lit interrogation room. The Department of Homeland Security’s office wasn’t made for comfort. It was likely made to keep criminals agitated so they’d spill their guts, she thought.
Glancing around the sterile room, she began to rethink having agreed to this interview.
The whirlwind of events that had led to this point raced through her mind. From the simple accounting error that had brought her to the Hamptons to Alex’s kidnapping and subsequent rescue mission, her life had turned into a roller coaster ride of danger and deception.
She recalled the tactics used by The Board to ensure his compliance–and hers.
She wasn’t sure what disturbed her more–Alex’s kidnapping or the way Sebastian Bancroft had used it to try to win her to his side.
Had he actually thought she’d leave Alex for him and The Board?
With a scrub of her face, she leaned against the cold metal table, her mind turning to the other complication in her life.
Raven.
The nameless, faceless man represented a wild card. While he offered a chance to take down the board, he also could be the worst decision of her life. He’d saved them once before, but could she truly rely on a man who hid behind a mask and robotic voice?
Trusting him could lead them further into the bizarre rabbit hole of The Board.
Every decision lately had felt like a gamble in the highest stakes game of their lives. Were they making the right choice, or being led into a trap?
The room’s coldness seeped into her bones, but her mind lingered on one question that chilled her to her very core. Would she lose Alex?
She puffed out a long breath, fidgeting again. The DHS agents must have asked her to come early just to make her sit here and wait.
They were trying to ice her, make her nervous, get her to admit to something she shouldn’t.
Her attorney, Barry, was on site in case she wanted to consult with him, but according to the agents, he would not be permitted in the interview.
They hid their reasoning behind the Patriot Act, barring the attorney from her interview. And apparently, they could do that.
Ava drummed her fingers on the table, the inescapable urge to run from the room rising inside her.
She rose, the metal legs of the chair scraping against the concrete floor in an offensive sound that echoed off the cold walls.
Before she could take a step, the door opened and the two agents who had approached her last night stepped inside.
“Ms. Collins…did you need something?” Agent Sanderson said as she eyed Ava.
Ava narrowed her eyes. “Coffee?”
Agent Sanderson glanced at her partner who bobbed his head. “I’ll grab one for you,” he answered before he ducked from the room.
Ava regained her seat, clearing her throat as Agent Sanderson settled into one of the chairs across from her with a sigh.
She tugged a thick folder closer to her, flipping through it until Agent Sullivan hurried into the room with a small foam cup.
Ava offered him a tight-lipped smile as she accepted it and took a sip. It turned her stomach more than the thought of the interview.
She grimaced. “This is what you call coffee?”
“I’ll bet it’s nothing compared to the gourmet stuff you drink every morning,” Agent Sanderson said.
“That’s a big assumption to make.” Ava leaned back in her seat.
“Are you saying your billionaire husband doesn’t spring for the good stuff?” Agent Sullivan asked.
Ava’s lips curled into a smirk. “I’m saying this coffee stinks. That’s it.”
“Sorry we’re not up to your standards,” the female agent answered as she leaned closer to Ava.
“But let’s cut the small talk and get down to business.
You’ve recently been spending a lot of time with some pretty high-ranking members of The Board, namely the Bancrofts, and I’d like to hear more about that. ”
Ava shrugged, her fingers tracing the top of the foam cup. “There really isn’t much to tell.”
“Why don’t you let us be the judge of that?”
Ava clicked her tongue, her eyebrows raising. “All right. I went to a charity fundraiser–”
“Which one?” Agent Sanderson uncapped her pen and pressed it against her notepad.
“Hamptons Art Charity Luncheon,” Ava answered.
Agent Sanderson bobbed her head as she jotted it down. “The one hosted by Vivienne Bancroft?”
Ava bobbed her head. “One and the same. Can I ask you a question in return?”
Agent Sanderson tugged her chin back to her chest. “Go ahead.”
“What is the deal with The Board? Who are these people and why is the DHS interested in them?”
The agent played it off as nothing. “I told you last night. These people are dangerous. They’ve got a lot of money behind them and a lot of powerful people involved.”
“Dangerous how?”
“That’s beyond the scope of what I can tell you.”
Ava arched an eyebrow. “Really? That’s beyond the scope. You drag me in here for information on this organization, but you can’t tell me why they’re dangerous? For all I know, you could be asking for inside information on people just to personally go after them.”
Agent Sanderson tugged her lips into a frown as she bobbed her head. “Fair enough. Board members are responsible for some pretty horrific stuff—plane crashes, blackouts, chaos.”
“So, they’re just terrorists?”
“No,” she said with a shake of her head. “No, they’re worse than that. See, they sow the chaos, then they swoop in to claim the rewards as they clean it up.”
Ava pressed her lips together as the picture came together. “Right, so these people profit off of people’s pain.”
Agent Sanderson poked the business end of her pen at Ava. “You got it. Now, back to your captivating tale.”
“Hardly captivating. Like I said, I went to the event. It was held at an art gallery. I purchased a painting there for the event. It happened to be painted by Vivienne’s son, Sebastian.”
“Happened to be.” Agent Sanderson narrowed her eyes at Ava.
Ava lifted a shoulder. “It was two ships weathering a storm together. I liked it. Reminded me of Alex and me, so I bought it and made a generous donation to the charity.”
Agent Sanderson shifted her eyes toward her partner as she opened her folder and grabbed a photo from within, sliding it across the table toward Ava. “And that’s how this came about?”
Ava stared at a photo of her, held close by Sebastian Bancroft at the Independence Day ball. “Yes and no. Alex always receives an invitation to their party. This is the first year we attended.”
“That’s interesting. Why is that again?”
“Alex and I don’t have the most traditional marriage. We’re just starting to settle into our lives after pursuing our separate careers. We decided to go this year.”
“I see. Interesting timing. And, uh, how did your husband like the way Sebastian Bancroft looked at you.”
“Alex has nothing to worry about.”
“So, Mr. Bancroft was merely…smitten after meeting you at the ball?” Agent Sanderson asked.
Ava sucked in a breath. “Well, we’d met before. He was…ecstatic that I’d purchased his painting. He wanted to involve me with a charity initiative. He offered to paint a portrait of me in return for my support. We obviously had to spend quite a bit of time together for that to happen.”
“And…why would he do this?” Agent Sanderson asked.
“My husband has a lot of money. He hoped to woo me into the project.”
Agent Sullivan leaned forward. “And at any time did Mr. Bancroft mention wooing you into…another initiative?”
“The Board, you mean?” she asked before she shook her head. “No, he never mentioned The Board to me.”
“Really?” Agent Sanderson asked, her features surprised.
“Why would he?”
“He looks quite taken with you. Maybe he offered you power in exchange for…I don’t know…marrying him?”
Ava chuckled. “Well, that’s a leap.”
“Is it? You’re a beautiful woman. You have a lot to offer.” Agent Sanderson rifled in her folder again, pulling out a sheet of paper. “Graduated with high honors, black belt. Smart, dangerous, beautiful. Sounds like a combination that would be very attractive to The Board.”
“If it is, I don’t know anything about it. He never mentioned it to me.”
“You’re saying you have no idea about The Board?”
“I didn’t say that. I said Sebastian never mentioned it to me,” she answered. “I do know about The Board. They are the ones responsible for the skimming from Alex’s accounts at StoneCorp.”
“Were you aware that the Bancrofts were members of The Board?” Agent Sullivan asked.
“Yes,” Ava answered, careful not to give any more information.
“How?” Agent Sanderson asked.
Ava licked her lips. She couldn’t give up Raven. She had to explain this another way. “Well, I suspected Miranda Vale right away based on her behavior. I noticed she has a tattoo on her wrist. A Bishop.”
“Go on,” Agent Sanderson prodded.
“The Bancrofts have similar tattoos, all in the same location with different chess pieces. I surmised.”
“That’s a pretty good deduction, Ms. Collins.”
“Thank you. As you said, I’m smart.” She grinned at them.
“Are you receiving any outside help in tracking members of The Board?” Agent Sullivan asked.
“No,” Ava said before she tilted her head. “Well, that’s not entirely true. We have friends in from New Orleans. They’ve been helping us make some connections. But they have nothing to do with any of this.”
“The Harringtons?” Agent Sanderson asked.
“That’s right, yes. Grant happened to know Theodore Bancroft and said he’d make an introduction. Other than that, they’re enjoying a beach vacation.”
“Beach vacation? Is that why Dr. Kyle Carter checked you into a hotel as his wife?”
Ava shifted in her seat, glancing down at the metal table. “Like I said, Alex and I don’t have the most traditional relationship.”
Agent Sanderson snorted a laugh. “Are you saying you and Dr. Carter had a fling?”
“I’m saying Dr. Carter checked me into a hotel room. He’s a sweet kid. I like him a lot.”
Agent Sanderson leaned forward again, her voice lowering. The room seemed to shrink, the pressure mounting. “I think you’re lying, Ms. Collins. I think you know a lot more than you’re saying, and I want to know how you know it.”
Despite her racing heart, Ava worked to keep your expression neutral. “I wish I did. Alex and I are furious about what happened at StoneCorp.”
“As you should be. That money was likely used to create tragedy.” Agent Sanderson tapped on her folder. “But we are the only ones who can take these people down.”
“Yet you need my help.”
“We want your help, yes. You pursued avenues we couldn’t. And you did it with help. Who helped you?”
“No one. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Agent Sanderson’s eyes widened in fake surprise. “Really? Because you’ve been up to a lot of naughty things, Ms. Collins.”
She opened the folder, tossing out pictures of Ava in various compromising positions as she retrieved Board information for Raven.
“Who gave you the orders to carry out these missions?”
“Missions?” Ava said with a laugh. “You’re reaching.”
“We have you breaking and entering multiple times, Ava. But we can help you.”
“Really?” she retorted. “How?”
“Full immunity for both you and your husband from anything you’ve done in the name of tracking The Board. All you need to do is give us your contact and a full debriefing on everything you’ve done with them.”
Ava sucked in a breath. “And I suppose you’ll detain me here until I see things your way?”
“No, not at all.” Agent Sanderson collected the pictures, stuffing them back in her folder. “Go home, sleep on it. Talk to your husband about it. Talk to Dr. Carter about it.”
Ava scoffed at the statement.
“Think about it,” Agent Sanderson said as she and her partner rose. “But don’t take too long, and don’t make the wrong decision.”
She smirked down at Ava. “Hope to hear from you soon.”
“So, I’m free to go?” Ava asked as the woman stepped to the door.
Agent Sanderson popped it open, motioning with her folder. “Free to go. Have a nice rest of your day, Ms. Collins.”
As Ava rose, she resisted the urge to scramble to the door, determined to show her strength. “Great talking to you.”
She strolled from the room into the clinical hallway, her heart hammering as she headed for the doors leading outside.
She squinted against the bright sun as she gulped in deep breaths of fresh air when she finally stepped outside.
“Ava!” Alex’s panicked voice called to her.
She shielded her eyes with her hands as she searched for him. She found him and Kyle hurrying across the parking lot.
“Hey, what are you two doing here?”
“We were about to break in and rescue you,” Kyle said as Alex shot him a glance.
“What?” Ava asked, her attention turning to Alex. “Is that true?”
“No…maybe…Look, Avs, we’ve got trouble.”
Her stomach tightened, her heart skipping a beat. It seemed like they were always in a state of crisis, and the constant stress was taking its toll. What fresh hell awaited them now? And would this one tear them apart?