Chapter 14
AVA
Ava paced the floor of the waiting room, her fingers drumming against her thighs. Her nervous energy wouldn’t allow her to sit down. The high-risk rescue mission that had almost led to their capture still frayed every nerve ending in her body.
But what had made her worse than the frightening moments in which she assumed they’d never see the light of day again, had been those moments where time had stood still while Alex’s van wobbled on the road behind them before it flipped onto its side.
The horrific screech of metal against the pavement still echoed in her mind along with the terror that had clutched her heart when she’d feared the worst.
Chris had slammed on the brakes, and she’d unbuckled her seat belt, throwing the door open before the car came to a full stop. “Wait in the car.”
Kyle, Sebastian, and Grant had joined her as they’d approached the van through a barrage of gunfire. With Sebastian and Grant covering them, she and Kyle had pulled a still-conscious Alex from the passenger seat where he lay, bloody and bruised.
They’d made it to the hospital, and he’d remained alert the entire time, but Kyle wanted several tests to be run.
Everyone had come inside except Sebastian.
“Soon, Ava,” Kyle said as he stepped in her path.
“Not soon enough,” she answered, curling her fingers into fists. “I just want to know he’s clear.”
Her nostrils flared, and she dug her nails into her palms. “And I want to kill Miranda for what she did.”
“Whoa, easy,” Kyle said, grabbing her arm and dragging her to a quiet corner. “Maybe don’t say that quite so loudly.”
She sucked in a sharp breath, her eyes going skyward as she struggled to maintain her composure. “He could have been killed in that crash, Doc.”
The words felt like ash on her tongue, burning with the taste of fear and helplessness.
Ava’s thoughts spiraled, looping through every terrifying possibility.
What if next time, it wasn’t just a close call?
What if she lost him for real? The thought clawed at her insides, making her feel like she was unraveling from the inside out.
Her vision blurred as a wave of dizziness hit her.
Her chest tightened, suffocating her in a cocktail of anger and dread.
She couldn’t let this go on. Not anymore.
Miranda had to be stopped, no matter the cost.
“I know.”
“And we could have been killed if Alex hadn’t killed the power at that facility. Doc, Miranda wouldn’t have been giving us tea and scones if she’d have caught us.”
Kyle bobbed his head. “Yeah, I know that. I get it, believe me. But we need to take a deep breath and think this through, okay? I know you want to go after her for what she did, but we need to be smart about this. Let’s just wait to see what results we get back from Mav’s tests and go from there.”
Ava sucked in a deep breath, sweat beading on her brow. “You’re right. I need some air, though.”
“I’ll walk you out.”
She shook her head. “Stay here in case you get a chance to talk to Alex’s doctor. You’ll know far more about what he’s saying than I will. I’m going to check on Shadow, then I’ll be back, okay?”
Kyle nodded as she skirted around him.
“Thanks, Doc,” she said with a soft smile before she darted out the automatic door into the cool night air.
As she crossed the pavement toward the parking lot, she puffed out her cheeks. A dull ache had started at her temples, likely the result of the high levels of stress and the waning adrenaline in her system.
She wiggled her shoulders, trying to release the tension building between them as she crossed to the car Sebastian stood next to.
When she hopped over the curb separating the driving lane from the parking lot, she almost lost her footing, her knees wobbling a little.
Sweat slicked her skin again despite the coolness surrounding her.
She puffed out a sharp breath, ignoring the symptoms as she crossed toward the car.
“Anything?” Sebastian asked as he straightened.
“Nothing yet. How are you?” She eyed the bruises on his face, imagining what was hidden under his clothing looked worse.
“I told you, I’m fine. I’ll call my personal doctor when we get back, but it’s nothing I can’t handle. “
Ava arched an eyebrow. “You were pretty beat up, Shadow. We can’t afford to lose you, so if you need me to get Doc–”
“I’m fine, Ava. And…I really appreciate you coming for me. I don’t know how you found me, but I wouldn’t be alive it you hadn’t.”
“We have to thank Chris for that. He used his in with Miranda. Unfortunately, though, we’ve burned that bridge.”
“I’m trying to fix that problem right now.” He waved his phone in the air.
Ava bit her lower lip as the tension in her temples ramped up to new levels. “How’s that coming?”
“Bureaucracy runs rampant in The Board. I told them she was a traitor, but so far, nothing.”
Ava narrowed her eyes at his display. “So, she attacks one of their high-ranking members and nearly kills you…and they don’t do anything?”
“There’s been a rift. So, this is a lot more difficult to navigate than you might think. Plus, I can’t exactly explain to them how I got away, can I?”
Ava tried to think of a way to expedite the process, to get The Board to mobilize against one of their own and remove the threat so they could focus, but her brain wouldn’t cooperate. She pressed her lips together as heat washed over her in nauseating waves.
With a groan, she leaned forward, grasping at the car to stay on her feet.
“Ava?” Sebastian called, his voice fraught with tension.
“I’m just…” Her tongue felt thick, her words slurring as her eyelids drooped. She struggled to keep them open while shadows blurred the edges of her vision.
“Ava?” Sebastian’s voice echoed in her ears, but it sounded distant, like he was speaking from the end of a long tunnel.
Ava squeezed her eyes shut, trying to push away the sudden fog that clouded her mind.
Her heartbeat pounded in her temples, each throb sending a pulse of pain through her skull.
For a moment, the world around her tilted, and she had to grip the car door to steady herself.
Something was wrong—very wrong—but she couldn’t let herself fall apart now.
Not with so much at stake. But even as she told herself that, the darkness at the edges of her vision began to creep inward, swallowing the light.
When her eyelids opened next, she found herself propped in the back seat of Kyle’s SUV.
“Ava?” Sebastian asked as she squeezed her eyes closed, rubbing at them before she opened them, sucking a sharp breath.
She twisted to face Sebastian, her head tilting.
“Hey, you passed out for a second there. I’m going to run in and get Kyle–”
“No,” she said, clamping her hand down on his wrist. “We have work to do.”
Sebastian arched an eyebrow. “O-okay? Don’t you want to see how Alex is?”
Ava pushed past him, sliding to stand on the pavement. “I want Miranda to pay for what she’s done.”
Sebastian’s brows knitted. “Yeah, I told you, I’m working on that. The Board isn’t the most expedient–”
“Forget The Board. We’ll send her a message she won’t forget.”
Ava tugged open the passenger door and rummaged through the glove box for the guns they’d hastily dumped there earlier before entering the hospital.
“Whoa, Ava, what the hell is this about?”
“Justice,” she repeated, her tone clipped, cool, almost robotic.
“Justice?” Sebastian flicked his eyebrows up. “Uhh, Ava, I think you need to rethink this.”
She slammed the clip into the weapon and switched off the safety before she shot him a fiery glance. “You’re either with me or against me. Which is it?”
“I don’t think you should take off like this. I think we should–”
Ava ignored him, striding around to the driver side and climbing behind the wheel. She fired the engine, revving it a few times before she lowered the window. “I will run you over if you get in my way.”
Sebastian stared at her for a second, confusion on his face before he climbed into the passenger seat and slammed the door shut.
Before he could fasten his seat belt, she slammed her foot onto the accelerator, sending the car barreling backward before she shifted into drive and peeled out of the lot.
“Whoa, Ava what is going on with you.”
“I’m sick of this. Miranda needs to pay for what she’s done.”
“Okay, umm, maybe slow down a little before we are pulled over, huh?”
She shot him a questioning glance, her features almost incredulous. “What’s the matter? Are you scared?”
“A little,” he admitted. “I’ve never seen you like this before.”
“Well, get used to it. There’s a new Ava in town.”
“Yeah, I see that. Umm, but maybe we should talk about what exactly you want to happen here.” Sebastian’s phone chimed, and he glanced down at the screen, a huff escaping him. “I finally got The Board’s attention. Now, they may do something about Miranda.”
“Good. Take me to them.”
His eyes went wide as he stared at her. “What? Ava…”
She slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a complete stop as she stared at him. “I said, take me to them.”
“Hell no,” he answered. “I’m not exposing you to these people. Ava, you don’t want to do this.”
“Fine,” she said, her features taut, slamming her foot onto the accelerator again, “then we proceed with my plan.”
“The Board is handling this. Let them take care of Miranda.”
She careened around a bend nearly on two wheels. “Oh, I will. They can dismantle her entirely. I’m just going to leave her a little present.”
They drove in silence for another fifteen minutes, Ava’s fingers tight around the steering wheel and her vision laser-focused on the road ahead, before they arrived outside of Miranda’s home.
“Ava…” Sebastian called as she stepped out of the car, leaving it parked near the curb. “Hey, what do you think you’re doing?”
“Paying a visit,” she answered as she stormed across the lawn and slid between the house and the neighbor’s hedges.
Sebastian hurried behind her. She crossed the darkened back yard toward a shed tucked in the back corner of the property. With her weapon raised, she shot off the lock and yanked the door open.
The corners of her lips tugged into a wicked smile as she found two gas filled gas cans inside near a lawn mower.
“Ava, what are you doing?” Sebastian asked as she hauled them up and carried them toward the house.
“Leaving her a message. It looks like she’s not home.” Ava circled around the house and climbed up to the front door. With one kick, she sent it slamming into the interior wall.
She strode inside and popped the cap on the first gas can, pouring a long trail of it down the hall and into the living room.
“Ava, whoa, this isn’t a good idea.”
Ava dumped what remained of the gas can in the dining room before she used the other to soak the floor in the kitchen. “Isn’t it? So, she can do what she wants, kidnap Alex, nearly kill me, nearly kill you, and nothing happens to her? I don’t think so. It’s time she learned who she’s toying with.”
Ava dumped out the rest of the gas as she returned to the foyer. She tossed the can to the side and crossed into the living room. The pungent scent of gasoline filled her nostrils, making her lightheaded as she grabbed the long matches from the fireplace.
She returned to the foyer and struck one, watching the flame flicker for a moment before letting it fall.
It hit the trail of gasoline and ignited instantly. Flames raced through the house, consuming the accelerant as she stood motionless, staring into the fire.
“Ava, let’s go,” Sebastian said, tugging her backward a step.
But she didn’t budge. She stared into the dancing flames, mesmerized until her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fell toward the floor.
When she opened her eyes again, she lay in the back of Kyle’s SUV. “Ava?” Sebastian called as he hovered over her. “What? What happened?”
Her features pinched as she craned her neck to look around. “Where are we? Why aren’t we at the hospital?”
“What?” Sebastian asked, his face crinkled with confusion.
“What happened? Why did you bring me here? Where are we?” Ava’s voice wavered as she spoke, a sickening sense of dread creeping into her mind.
Her eyes darted around the SUV, trying to make sense of the situation.
Then she noticed it—a faint, acrid smell clinging to her clothes.
Gasoline. Her gaze dropped to her hands, and she recoiled at the sight of dark soot smeared across her fingers.
Her heart pounded as she looked up at Sebastian, his expression grim.
“I didn’t bring you anywhere,” Sebastian answered. “You don’t remember?”
“Remember? Remember what?”
“Ava…” Sebastian screwed up his face. “You passed out at the hospital and when you woke up, you went berserk.”
“Berserk? What are you talking about?” Ava slowly sat up, a residual thudding at her temples making her wince.
“You tore out of there, intent on making Miranda pay for what she’d done.”
“What?!” Ava exclaimed.
“Yes,” Sebastian said with a nod. “And you did, too. Ava, you burned her house down.”
The words slammed into her like a physical blow, knocking the breath out of her lungs.
Burned her house down? Her mind raced, grasping at any memory, any fragment of what she’d done, but there was nothing—just a dark void where those moments should have been.
She stared at Sebastian, her mouth dry, her heart thudding painfully in her chest.
"I... I don't remember," she whispered, her voice trembling. But even as she spoke, the enormity of what she’d done began to sink in.
How would Alex react when he found out? And what about The Board?
If they discovered she was acting outside their control, it could bring their entire operation crashing down.
And worse, if Miranda survived, this would only make her more dangerous.
Ava had lit a fuse—now, she had to brace herself for the explosion.