Chapter 10
AVA
Ava stared at the note for another second, the soft scent of the rose drifting to her nostrils and making her heart pound harder against her ribs.
She twisted, her breathing ragged as two other people passed her, neither of whom she recognized. Were there others testifying against The Board?
They settled into their seats as Ava read the note again, her breath catching in her throat. How did Raven know she was testifying for the DHS?
How had he gotten the note onto the plane?
And, most importantly, was this a ploy to stop her from turning him in to the government, or was the threat real?
“Think, Ava,” she whispered as she reached for her phone, intent on calling Alex to discuss it, when Agent Sanderson stepped aboard.
“Better find your seat, Ms. Collins, we’re leaving in a few minutes.”
Ava plastered a smile onto her face as she lowered herself into the supple leather of the window seat.
Her heart continued to hammer as she glanced out the window. Behind her, Agent Sanderson crouched to whisper something to one of the others who had boarded.
Ava’s brows furrowed. She glanced down at the rose, sucking in a sharp breath as a thorn pierced her flesh.
A droplet of blood formed on her fingertip.
She stared at it as though it held the answers to everything. With a sudden jolt, she rose from her seat and raced through the still open door of the jet.
Her feet hit the polished cement floor as the drop of blood on her finger fell, splattering across the gray surface.
Her body pushed her to jog from the hangar in a desperate attempt to get away before anyone noticed and came after her.
She had no idea what the threat was that Raven had warned her about, but something in her gut told her to heed it, to get off that plane.
As she stepped under the canopy of stars above her, she set her sights on her vehicle, her mind swirling. How would she explain this to Alex?
He’d hate the fact that she’s listened to a random warning from Raven, potentially ruining their chance to cooperate with the DHS and put this nightmare behind them.
She licked her lips. She’d just have to hope he trusted her judgment and was willing to move forward in a different direction despite their agreement that cooperating with the government was the best option.
When she reached the car, she glanced down at her key fob, ready to press the unlock button when arms wrapped around her, a gloved hand clamping down over her mouth.
“You made the right choice, Ava,” the robotic voice said. “I didn’t want to have to wrangle you off that plane myself.”
She murmured under the thick glove as he dragged her backward, causing her to lose her grip on the key fob as she tugged at the man’s arm.
Growing more concerned that this had been a ploy, she wanted to ask questions, demand answers.
As he moved to a dark corner of the parking lot, she hooked a leg behind him and flipped him onto his back, landing on top of him.
He groaned, and she struggled to get out of his grasp, rolling across the pavement.
Despite the oxygen being rushed out of his lungs when he landed, he was quick to recover, pivoting onto his side and grabbing Ava’s ankle.
“Don’t make this a fight, Ava. You came willingly.”
“I left the plane willingly,” she answered as she struggled to shake off his tight grip. “I didn’t sign up for another kidnapping.”
In front of her, the DHS plane rolled out of the hangar. Her stomach clenched. She’d lost her chance with them now. The plane was on its way without her, and she was stuck with a raving lunatic who had likely lied to get her off the plane.
He yanked her closer, flipping her onto her back. “You’re going to get hurt if you keep this up. Get in the van.”
“I want answers. Why did you tell me to get off that plane?”
“There are things you don’t know, Ava. Things that I do.”
“No kidding. You love to keep secrets. But what I can’t figure out is why you warned me off that plane. We’re not a team anymore.”
“People argue. It doesn’t mean they split up.”
Ava rolled her eyes as he loomed over her, his grip still tight on her leg though she didn’t struggle against him. “We’re not a couple, Raven. We were partners, and then we weren’t.”
“You needed time to cool off.”
Her eyes went wide. “I needed time?” She scoffed. “I think you needed time.”
“Your loyalty was confirmed once before, and now again. You made the right choice, Ava.”
“Great, now, let me go home and tell Alex the plan has changed. Then, we’ll be in touch.”
Raven shook his masked head. “There are things you don’t know. And something you need to see. Get in the van.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me. Are you going to drug me again?”
“Not this time, Ava. Get into the van.”
“Really?” She arched her eyebrow as she stared up at him before she jiggled her leg. “You want to let go so I can actually stand?”
He gently let go of her leg, and she scrambled to her feet, wary of him.
“Get into the van,” he said.
“Can I actually sit in the front this time or are you going to toss me in the back?”
He didn’t answer, only shaking his head before he crossed to it and opened the driver door. Ava stalked behind him and climbed into the passenger seat.
Raven fired the engine and pulled from the space, aiming for some destination she didn’t know.
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll know it when you see it,” he answered cryptically.
Ava let her head sink into her hand. “Wow. We’re still doing the whole vague hint thing, huh? I guess I should be grateful your warning note on the plane was clear.”
He continued down the road leading from the airstrip without a word.
She glanced over, finding the plane she was meant to be on rising in the air alongside them. Her nostrils flared as she realized she could have been on it, ending this nightmare instead of riding alongside it with a maniac who wouldn’t even show her his face.
“You know, I’m really having second thoughts here. I think I should have stayed on that–”
She never finished the word as the plane outside her window burst into a ball of flames, explode mid-air with a deafening boom.
Ava’s heart stopped for a second as she stared out the window at the flaming pieces of plane falling from the sky.
Raven brought the car to a stop and, without a sound, she opened her door and slid out, her wobbly knees barely holding her.
“Oh my goodness,” she whispered, her hands digging into her hair.
Raven skirted around the van, silent as usual.
Ava stared into the night sky where the fireball had been only moments ago before her gaze fell to the horizon where an orange glow lit it.
Her chest constricted as she tried to make sense of what had just happened. She swallowed hard, twisting to stare at Raven with wide eyes.
“What just happened?”
“I thought that was rather obvious,” he answered.
She curled her hands into fists. “You know what I’m talking about.”
She poked a finger at him. “That plane exploded. You warned me to get off of it. How did you know?”
He didn’t answer, and her stomach clenched as she raised her eyebrows, a shocking thought rattling through her mind. “Did you…did you set the bomb?”
“No,” he answered. “The explosion was courtesy of The Board.”
“There were other people on that plane! Why didn’t you warn everyone?”
“Not everyone matters to me, Ava. You do.”
She paced in a tight circle, her features pinching as the gravity of the situation set in around her. She could have died. Had she not listened to his warning, she would have been on that plane.
She pressed her hands against her head again as she continued her pacing. “I need to go home. Take me back to the airstrip.”
“Can’t do it, Ava.”
Her heart sped at the words. “What?”
“I can’t take you back.”
Her eyes widened at the words before she shook her head. “Fine. I’ll walk.”
His boots crunched the gravel on the side of the road as he stormed behind her.
“Leave me alone, Raven,” she called over her shoulder.
“No, Ava.” He clamped a hand down on her shoulder.
She twisted around and yanked him forward, using her black belt skills to fend him off. He anticipated her move and countered, tugging her back toward him.
She fell into his chest, and he looped a tight arm around her waist.
“Let me go,” she growled.
“I can’t. Ava Collins needs to die.”
Her head swam at the words, nausea sweeping over her. Was he about to kill her?
She fought him, trying to escape. “So you got me off that plane just to kill me?”
“Of course not,” Raven said, his robotic voice chilling despite the denial.
Before she could resist again, he dragged her to the van, shoving her into the back.
She hit the floor hard, wincing, as he fished her phone from her pocket.
“But the world thinks you’re dead, and so does The Board. We need to play along.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but he slammed the door in her face. The sound of her phone dropping to the ground and being stomped on came next before the engine fired up a few seconds later, and the van lurched forward.
Ava lunged toward the front, pounding against the wall. “Open up.”
This time, he didn’t bother giving her the courtesy of opening the small window.
She banged her fists against the wall again, shouting, but to no avail. With a growl, she crossed to the side door and tugged on the handle. It wouldn’t open.
She tried to memorize the turns they were taking, but she wasn’t certain it would matter. This wasn’t like finding Alex after returning home. She’d be trapped wherever he took her.
She’d never escaped him before.
And this time he was determined to make certain she didn’t get away. Ava Collins needs to die.
His ominous words echoed in her mind as the van’s engine roared and they started to climb. Where were they going?
As the road turned rougher, she wondered if they were headed to the cabin. Would she be able find any clues to his identity?
She needed information. How had Raven known the plane was going to explode?
Questions plagued her, and she wasn’t certain she’d ever have answers. But she was determined to do whatever it took to find them.
After what seemed like an eternity, the van finally came to a stop. The engine died, and the front door slammed.
Her heartbeat ramped up higher as she heard a set of footsteps circling the van. The door opened a moment later, soft moonlight streaming into the van. Ava backed away as Raven reached for her.
He managed to grab hold of her foot and drag her out of the van.
She spotted a cabin, assuming it was the one he had brought her to before.
She fought as he pushed her to it. Once she was inside, she had no power at all.
With a hard flail, she yanked herself free of him. “Who are you?”
“That’s not important.”
She tilted her head, her features taut. “I think it is. You somehow knew The Board put an explosive on that plane. Who are you?”
He shook his head. “You can’t know that–”
She lunged for him, reaching to remove the mask when he blocked her, grabbing her wrist with his left hand.
Her nostrils flared as her eyes fell to a sliver of exposed skin. She used her other hand to grab his sleeve and yank it up.
A familiar tattoo graced his wrist. Her lower lip trembled, and a lump formed in her throat. She shifted her gaze to the mask, yanking it from his face and staring into the eyes of the man she’d know as Raven.
Her heart plummeted, and her eyes went wide. “You.”