Chapter 6 #3
“Miss Webb, my name is Brenda Ross, and I’m a nurse in the emergency room at Atrium Health in Charlotte. We have a patient here by the name of Avery Morgan, and I was asked to give you a call.”
“Avery?” Her heart flew into her throat when she heard her sister’s name. “What happened?”
“The doctor is still with her, so I don’t have a lot of details to share. What I do know is your sister was involved in a pretty serious car accident, and she’s in critical condition.”
“Oh, God.” A rush of unshed tears immediately filled her widening eyes. Alex jumped to her feet, letting the cloth napkin fall to the floor. “I-I’m in California right now, but please tell her l’ll be on the next flight home.”
“I’ll let Mr. Morgan know.”
“He’s there now?”
“Your brother-in-law is the one who asked us to call you. He knew you’d want to be here but didn’t want to leave your sister’s side, so I promised I’d let you know.”
At least Avery isn’t alone.
The only semblance of relief she could find made its way through the panic. “Please tell him I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“I’ll let him know, and . . . safe travels, Miss Webb. If your sister’s condition changes, I’ll be sure to call you with an update.”
“Thank you.” Alex ended the call before meeting Gordan’s intense stare. “I have to go.”
“Now? But we haven’t even finished our dinner.” He motioned toward her full plate.
“It’s my sister. She was in an accident, and I—” Her voice cracked. “I-I’m sorry, Gordan. I need to get back to the hotel so I can pack.”
“I’ll call my driver.” He pushed himself to his feet. “He left earlier to run an errand for me, but he should be able to get back here within a few minutes.”
She didn’t have a few minutes. Avery may not have a few minutes.
Please, God, let her be okay.
“It’s fine,” she blurted. “Finish your meal. I can take a cab.”
It shouldn’t be hard to find one willing to give her a ride. There’d been several coming and going out front when she and Gordan first arrived.
“Alexandria—”
“I’ll call you, Gordan,” Alex lied with a forced smile. “Goodbye.”
Alex didn’t wait for a response before spinning around and rushing away. She ignored the strange looks from those she passed as she hurried toward the restaurant’s entrance.
Her chest was tight, and her heart ached with worry for her only sibling. If she lost her—
No, no, no. Don’t let yourself go there, Al. Avery is going to be okay.
Her vision blurred, but she blinked away the well of unshed tears. Crying wouldn’t help. In fact, it would only make things worse. She needed to be strong.
And she needed to make a plan.
Get a cab, buy a plane ticket, pack my bags, and get a ride to the airport.
Those were the events that needed to take place. In that order and as fast as she could.
What about Colt?
Alex burst through the restaurant’s glass doors, sucking in a long, deep breath as she stepped out onto the sidewalk. She’d find a cab first, and then she’d call Colt and tell him what happened. After that, she’d work on booking a new flight.
Her gaze swung to her left, and then she looked right in a frantic search for a ride back to the hotel. There’d been at least four here earlier, so surely—
There!
She started to move. Her legs shook with worry, her new heels clicking loudly against the sidewalk as she practically jogged toward the awaiting car.
“Miss Webb?” A woman called her name from behind.
Alex halted her steps and turned back on reflex. When she did, she saw a woman with dark, bouncing curls approaching her with equally swift steps.
“Yes?”
Speak fast, lady, because I don’t have time to waste.
The pretty brunette came close—real close—and she spoke with a lowered voice. “Miss Webb, I’ll explain later, but right now, I need you to come with me.”
Alex sent the woman wearing jeans, a gray t-shirt, and a black leather jacket an incredulous stare. “I’m sorry?”
The stranger glanced around as if she were ensuring no one overheard. “My name is Agent Swensen. I work with Coulter Morgan, and I have orders to drive you back to the hotel.”
Shock had Alex taking a step back. “You know Colt?”
The woman claiming to be CIA retrieved her ID from her back pocket. Alex immediately recognized it as the same kind Colt and Agent Paulsen had shown her the night before.
“Please, Miss Webb. Any second now, Gordan Crawford is going to come outside those doors, and you and I both need to be gone before that happens. Do you understand?”
Did she?
Not even close.
“But my sister—”
“Avery is safe and sound, at home with her husband, Garrett.”
Wait, what?
Dizzying emotions ran rampant as her mind worked overtime to make sense of what she was being told. “I don’t understand. I just got a call from a nurse at Atrium Health. She, uh . . . she said her name was—”
“Brenda Ross.” Agent Swensen nodded. “That was me. I’m the one who called.”
Disbelief and confusion warred with the realization that the other woman’s voice matched the one from the phone.
“You can call Avery on the way back to the hotel and see for yourself, but we need to go.”
Agent Swensen slid her ID back into her pocket as Alex’s gaze slid from her to the restaurant’s entrance.
“Your sister is safe and unharmed.” The pretty brunette motioned to a yellow sedan marked Taxi that was parked a few feet away. “You have my word. Now, please. You need to get into the car before Crawford sees you.”
Though she was still confused, she did as the woman asked and climbed into the so-called taxi’s back seat. The door closed and Alex wasted no time grabbing her phone and calling her sister.
It rang once. Twice. And after what felt like an eternal third ring, Avery’s sweet voice finally filled her ear.
“Hey, Al. What’s up? How’s sunny California?”
A wave of emotion struck with such force it took three hard swallows before Alex could even speak. “H-hey. Um . . . yeah. California’s awesome.”
Her sister paused before asking, “Is everything okay?”
It is now.
Mostly.
“Yeah, everything’s great. I’m just . . .” Terrified because I thought I might lose you. “It’s just been a really full day, and I’m totally exhausted.”
“I’m sure the time change doesn’t help.” Avery seemed to buy the lie. “Anyway, what’s going on?”
“Nothing really.” Her pulse finally started to return to its normal pace. “I just finished dinner and am on my way back to the hotel. Figured I’d let you know I’m heading back home tomorrow.”
“Sounds good. What time’s your flight?”
Crap. “I’ll . . . have to check and see.”
“No biggie. I was just curious.”
In the background, Alex heard Garrett’s deep voice as he called out for his wife.
“Hey, Aves? You comin’? The movie’s about to start.”
“Be right there,” her sister hollered back before her focus returned to Alex. “Sorry. We were getting ready to watch a movie, but it can wait if you still need to talk.”
“No.” Alex cleared the remaining tendrils of emotion from her throat. “No way. Go spend time with your husband. I’ll text you the details of my flight home.”
“You sure?”
“Of course. We can talk in the morning if you want.”
“Sounds good. Just give me a call when you’re up, since I’m a few hours ahead.”
“Okay. Talk soon, sis.”
“Love you.”
“Love you back.”
She ended the call with a sigh. Her chin quivered, and she could feel the tears starting to form again, but she pushed them back when the woman behind the wheel spoke again.
“Like I said.” Agent Swensen’s dark gaze met hers through the rearview mirror. “Your sister is perfectly fine.”
“You mentioned you worked with Colt,” Alex said it as if it were an accusation. “Where is he? He said he’d be at the restaurant, keeping an eye on Gordan, but—”
“He’s there.”
When she didn’t offer more, Alex demanded to know, “So why are you the one taking me back to the hotel instead of him? More importantly, why the hell did you make me think my sister had been hurt in some sort of horrific accident?”
“I’m sorry about that, but the phone call was Agent Morgan’s idea. He said it was the only guaranteed way you’d leave the restaurant.”
Her chest grew tight. “I thought the whole point of tonight was to keep up appearances in front of Gordan.”
“It was, and you did. As for the other, you’ll have to ask Agent Morgan that yourself when he gets back to the hotel.”
“You think that was me being normal?” Alex challenged back. “I literally freaked out and left Gordan sitting at that table alone for an emergency that never even happened.”
“As far as Crawford knows, there was an emergency. And don’t worry, if his people check the hospital’s records, that’s exactly what they’ll see.”
“Hospital records?” Alex felt as if her entire world was spinning out of control. “I still don’t get it. None of this makes sense. I mean, why was it so important that I leave?”
“Like I said, Agent Morgan will explain everything to you once he returns to the hotel. It shouldn’t be long.” Agent Swensen shrugged. “And hour or so. Maybe two.”
You crossed a line this time, Colt. And you’d better have a damn good explanation as to why.
She looked at the woman behind the wheel, but her dark gaze was already fixed on the road ahead. With thoughts of a very painful—and possibly bloody—plan for revenge she’d never actually carry out, Alex fell back against the cushioned seat with a sigh.