Chapter 16
AVA
Ava snuggled closer to Alex, determined to settle his nerves. From her first night back in the Hamptons, Alex’s usual calm demeanor had been replaced by a restless energy that seemed to spike with each new twist in their complex situation.
This had been the worst she’d seen him, though. Physically unable to relax, he paced the floor. Not even one of her famous shoulder rubs had helped. In fact, it’d seemed to have hurt. He’d leapt away from her, issuing a firm order for her to stop.
In an emotional moment, she’d asked him to postpone the divorce, hoping it would shield him from Miranda. Now, she couldn’t help but wonder if her request had added to his burdens, layering more apprehension onto his already heavy load.
The friction between Alex and Chris was palpable from the start.
What began as cold civility quickly degenerated into open hostility, making every encounter a verbal battleground.
She curled her fingers into a fist, wincing as her wrist hurt.
She’d hoped the two most important men in her life would become fast friends, but they hadn’t.
Every second, she found herself walking a tightrope between past and present, and it got thinner by the second.
After several tense minutes at the computer, they’d crafted and sent a digital message into the ether; a beacon, beckoning Raven. Alex, finally relenting to exhaustion, settled beside her, the weight of their action palpable in the silence that followed.
Gradually, his rigid posture softened, his breaths evening out. As he leaned his cheek against the top of her head, a silent acknowledgment of gratitude and comfort passed between them.
Her mind spun, trying to seek a solution for the problem at home while they waited for the net they cast to find its mark.
He’d been wanting to tell her something and every time he tried, they were interrupted. Was it that he didn’t like Chris? Or was it that he thought they should move forward with the divorce she’d asked to postpone?
She bit her lower lip. It had been selfish of her to ask him to postpone it, but she’d wanted desperately to keep him safe.
Her forehead creased as she recalled the brief conversation with Barry. The man had seemed to have no idea about the impending divorce. Why?
She opened her mouth to ask when the chiming of Alex’s phone interrupted them, sending a jolt through her.
He snatched it from the bed as her pulse pounded. She peered over his shoulder as his shaky hands swiped into his messages.
Her heart thumped against her sore ribs until she spotted the name. A frown formed on her lips and her nostrils flared as she curled her fist tighter. “Are you kidding me?”
“It’s Miranda,” Alex said as he swiped into the message.
Her insides twisted at his eagerness to read whatever nonsense she’d sent. She’d been right to postpone their divorce to save him from this vulture. She clicked her tongue, slumping back against her pillows. “False alarm.”
“Maybe not. What if Miranda is Raven?”
She glared at him. “I hope not.”
“Avs, she could be…She’s the one who alerted us to the financial problems at StoneCorp.”
“And she has a rook tattooed on her wrist, Alex. She’s Board.” Her irritation built. “Why do you always want to believe her?”
His features twisted as he glanced at her. “Don’t get upset, Sparky. I’m just throwing it out there.”
“I’m not upset.”
He raised his eyebrows at her. “I know you better than that. You, Ava Collins, are lying.”
She pouted as she stared at him. “Okay, I’m upset.”
“There’s no reason to be upset, Sparky.”
Her brows squashed together as she tried to process her feelings. This gut reaction that came up every time she thought of Alex and this woman together twisted her insides into a tight knot.
“You know what…I won’t even read the message if you don’t want me to,” he said, his voice softening.
She flicked her gaze up to his, a slight smile curling her lips as she read the concern in his eyes. “You should read it.”
“No.” He lifted his chin and tossed the phone away. “I won’t read it. You don’t need to be upset after everything you’ve been through. Come on, let’s find another movie to watch.”
He held his arm out, a silent invitation for her to curl up next to him. She relented, only so he didn’t toss his phone across the room in a show of support.
With the remote in hand, he selected the next movie on the list.
“What if she’s Raven, though?” Ava said, craning her neck to glance up at him.
He clicked his tongue at her, a chuckle escaping him. “Ava…”
“Alex, I don’t like her, but….”
“I know. And that matters to me, Ava. If you don’t like her, then I don’t like her.”
The words sliced at her, her lips tugging into a frown again. Alex didn’t like Chris, and she just kept throwing them together and expecting them to get along. “But…you should…you shouldn’t dislike her just because I don’t like her.”
She felt horrible dictating his friends to him.
He rubbed her shoulder. “I don’t like her because she has no respect for my wife.”
She chuckled at the sentiment. “That sounds kind of ridiculous, Ace.”
“It doesn’t.”
She pulled back, searching his eyes. “It does because–”
“Because what? She thinks we’re married. Well, we are married. And she has zero respect for that. No matter how many times I tell her, she just ignores you and what I’ve said about you. She’s not a good person, Ava. I can see that. You don’t need to worry, okay?”
“Sorry,” she said with a wrinkled nose, “but I worry about you.”
He smiled down at her. “I worry about you, too. Which is why I’m not going to read her message because you have been through enough. You need to be resting and letting me take care of you.”
“Thank you for that. But I think you should read it…with me monitoring it of course.”
He laughed as he retrieved his phone. “Of course, Avs. I don’t keep any secrets from my wife.”
His grin faltered for a second before he plastered it back onto his face. Her brows furrowed, wondering what had just shot through his mind.
With a sigh, he let the phone fall away from him for a moment.
“What did she say?” Ava asked, grabbing his wrist to tilt the display back to her.
She clicked her tongue, shooting Alex an unimpressed stare before she read it aloud. “Hey, how is your wife? I hope she’s okay for a very selfish reason. We need to finish our conversation.” Ava huffed. “She never quits.”
“I told you that. I can’t believe she’s still pushing this agenda.”
“Or The Board is making her.” Ava shifted on the mattress, hugging a pillow to her chest. “Maybe that’s her purpose. She was supposed to get close to you.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Lure you into the fold? Make it easier for them to do whatever they were planning with StoneCorp?”
“Well, neither of those are happening.”
“No, but…” She chewed her lower lip as her mind vetted through possibilities.
“But what, Avs? She’s not going to get to me,” he promised.
She shot him a glance. “I know. But maybe you should.”
“Huh?” He shifted to face her. “Sparky, do I need to take you back to the hospital? You’re talking nonsense. I have no desire to have her lure me anywhere.”
“I’m not saying you should join The Board, but…maybe you should meet with her and see what her end game is.” His features pinched, and she quickly added, “With me monitoring you, of course.”
He puffed out a breath, fluttering his eyelashes. “With you right by my side, Ava. I’m not letting her think I’m interested in her.”
“Not even if she gives you some information?” Ava lifted a shoulder. “I flirted to get some information.”
“Correction, you almost flirted to get some information. I stopped you because that’s a terrible idea. And I am not going to do it. I don’t even know how to flirt.”
Ava burst into laughter, holding her ribs. “Ow, don’t make me laugh. You do so know how to flirt.”
“I don’t,” he said. “So, that’s not even an option.”
“You always flirt with me, Ace. Pretend she’s me.”
“I’m not flirting with Miranda for information. And my imagination isn’t that good. I don’t like her at all, so I couldn’t be that fake. If I meet with her, you’re going to be standing right next to me.”
“She’s not going to say anything with me there.”
“Then, she’s not going to say anything. Here are the choices, Avs. I don’t meet with her at all, or we both go. You pick.”
She swallowed hard, considering both options. “I think we should meet with her. I don’t think she’s going to tell you anything, but if we don’t meet with her, she’s just going to keep this up.”
Alex poked a finger at her as he snatched his phone. “You’re right…I’m going to tell her she owes me some information and ask where she wants to meet.”
Ava scooted closer to him, peering over his shoulder as he typed the message.
He hesitated before he pressed the send button. “Wait. You shouldn’t be out of bed.”
She clicked her tongue. “I’ll be fine. Just send it.”
“Are you sure? I do not want to take you back to the hospital.”
“Am I running your bill up too high?”
He rolled his eyes at her as he hit send. “Yes, Avs, you’re costing me too much money. Hey, speaking of taking care of you, where is your fiancé?”
Ava flopped back in the pillows. “Oh, probably taking his time packing. I told you, he’s not into playing nursemaid.”
Alex raised his eyebrows, his expression unimpressed.
“I’m fine, though. I don’t need anyone to take care of me.”
Alex draped an arm around her gently. “It’s not about what you need, it’s about what you deserve.”
Her eyebrows pinched at the words, but before she could follow up, his phone chimed again.
He swiped into it and read her response. “Our last conversation didn’t go as planned. I can meet you whenever and wherever you’d like. Name the time and place.”
Ava huffed out a disgusted sigh. “Can she be any more transparent? Make it somewhere open with easy exit points. I don’t trust her.”
He wrinkled his nose. “What, like you think she’s going to try to take us out?”
“I don’t put it past her or her employer.”