Chapter 3
ALEX
Alex shifted his weight as he stared at the screen in front of him. Live feeds of all the security cameras at the VoltTech headquarters spread across his screen. His eyes flitted between them, searching for any signs of a threat.
There were too many guards. They were everywhere.
His leg bobbed up and down as he eyed tried to find a pattern to the guards’ movements. The single server that housed program details about Project Eclipse sat in a heavily guarded facility.
Reaching it wasn’t going to be easy, especially with what he’d seen so far on the security feeds.
Guards were constantly on the move, patrolling hallways, exteriors, and checking the server room every five minutes.
Alex sighed as he zoomed in on the guard positions again.
Each hallway was covered with overlapping patrols, and the guard at the server station was armed to the teeth.
Even if they managed to slip past the patrols, they’d have to deal with the server guard, who seemed permanently glued to his post. No blind spots, no gaps—VoltTech wasn’t leaving anything to chance.
After the events with PharmaTech, it looked like VoltTech was taking no chances with any of its private information being made public.
With a sigh, Alex shook his head. The guards who had been making a loop around the building, suddenly changed their trajectory.
It appeared they did not use a set pattern for patrolling so no one could easily elude them.
He cursed under his breath, hating that Ava would be the one who would have to deal with this. He didn’t want to put more pressure on her when he was still convinced the Neuroprisol-X could cause her to blackout and act recklessly.
Hopefully, soon they would have some sort of confirmation that it was entirely out of her system, but until he heard back from Kyle with a definitive answer, he’d worry.
His fingers hammered the keys in search of a safe route for Ava to take while retrieving the files they needed to move forward against The Board.
At every turn, he was stymied by the random movements of the guards and the timing of security sweeps.
With a frown, he navigated to another area in the security settings and triggered an alarm. Could he use the element of distraction to clear a path for his team to grab the program?
His eyes darted from camera to camera, searching for the way in. With a shake of his head, he found nothing. Two guards from two separate stations responded to the alarm, each of them leaving another guard behind to maintain their patrol.
And the guard at the server station never left his post.
He slapped a hand against his forehead as another curse escaped him. “You’ve got to be kidding me.”
“What’s wrong, babe?” Ava asked as she stepped into the office carrying two steaming coffee mugs.
“What’s wrong is VoltTech’s bid to take over the world is being guarded more heavily than the President.” He waved toward the screen with one hand as he took a coffee from her with the other.
Ava peered closer at the screen as she sipped from her own. “Wow, that’s some heavy security.”
“You aren’t kidding,” Alex said. “They’re strict about keeping to their posts.”
A knock sounded behind them. Ava barely reacted, her brows pinching as she stayed focused on the cameras.
Sebastian stepped inside. “Any luck?”
“No,” Alex muttered, turning back to his screen. “Are you sure your father can’t get you in?”
“Can I get into that building because of my affiliation with The Board? Yes. Can I get into that server room? No. So, there’s no point in trying that route.” Sebastian crossed his arms, his biceps building under the sleeves of his t-shirt.
Alex grimaced at him, turning back to the laptop. “Fine. Well, this way probably isn’t going to work either. Because these guards are serious.”
“So, they have heavy security. With your help, we should be able to get through this, right? Dodge a few guards, have you open the locked doors.” Sebastian shrugged.
“No, dude, not as simple as you’re making it. These guards randomly patrol, and they never leave that server room. Ever. Someone is always there.”
Sebastian shifted his gaze to Ava. “What do you think?”
The knot in his stomach tightened as Sebastian spoke to Ava like he wasn’t even there.
Did he really think he could ignore him forever?
Did everyone think they could just keep testing Ava’s loyalty until she snapped?
The pressure in Alex’s chest was unbearable—he was tired of being brushed aside, tired of pretending that his fears didn’t matter.
“Why are you asking her? I just told you what the situation is.” Alex’s voice turned sharp as his annoyance showed through. Why did Sebastian always ignore him and act like he and Ava had some sort of primal connection?
“I’m asking for her take on this situation.”
Alex snaked an arm around Ava’s waist, pulling her closer. “It’s the same as mine.”
Ava rubbed his shoulder. “Alex has a lot of points, but we need to figure this out together.”
“Avs, there is no way.”
“What about triggering an alarm to pull them away from their stations and clearing a path?” Sebastian asked.
Alex shook his head, tapping his trackpad. “I tried that just to see how it would go over. Here’s me setting off an alarm across the facility.”
Alex tapped the space bar to play the video. Guards scrambled toward the alarm, but at every station, one guard remained.
He arched an eyebrow. “See what I mean?”
“Well, one guard is easier to take out than two,” Sebastian said.
Ava sucked in a sharp breath. “He’s right.”
“Ava!” Alex shouted. “Are you kidding me?”
“I’m sorry, Ace, but I’m not. We need to get in there. We need some proof, whether it’s easy or not.”
“This isn’t about being easy, Ava,” Alex said, his stomach twisting into a tight knot. “This is about being possible. These guards are carrying weapons. I don’t want you getting shot.”
“Which is why we need to shoot first. We need to go in there with as much information as possible,” Sebastian argued.
Alex slammed his fist down against the desk, rattling his laptop. “This isn’t about information. This is about the fact that you are going up against multiple guards. It only takes one of them to be quicker on the draw.”
Ava rubbed his shoulders.
“Ava,” he said with a shake of his head, “you can’t flatter me into agreeing with you. This is insane. And I do not support it at all. We need another way.”
“There is no other way. We’re going in,” Sebastian said.
“I’m not helping you.” Alex rolled back away from the desk as he slapped the escape key to kill all the security feeds.
“Alex…” Ava said, her tone a pleading warning.
Alex shook his head, crossing his arms. “No. No, Sparky. You can’t get me to agree with this by rubbing my shoulders, calling me smart, placating me with a kiss. And you can’t get me to do it by arching that eyebrow and getting all scary either. I’m not doing it.”
Ava arched an eyebrow at him, tugging her chin back to her chest as she crossed her arms.
He frowned, tightening his arms across his chest as he refused to look at her. “Not playing, Sparky.”
“Alex…” She said, this time her tone was way more warning than pleading.
“Ava!” He slumped his shoulders, his features twisting with worry. “This is serious.”
“I know. That’s why we need your help. Come on. You’re not thinking about this like a smart, savvy genius. You’re thinking about it like a husband.”
“Uhhh, yeah, Avs. Because I am your husband. Does everyone keep forgetting that? I guess so. I mean Shadow hits on you like you’re single, gives you roses.
It’s like he doesn’t even care that I’m here.
Chris thinks you’re just going to fall madly in love with him.
But here I am…your husband. So, yes, I’m thinking about it as your husband. ”
“Whoa,” Ava said as he finished his tirade.
Ava’s eyes widened slightly at his words, and she blinked, her lips parting in surprise. She reached out, touching his arm as if trying to pull him back from the edge of his emotions. The softening in her gaze told him she understood his fears—but it didn’t make it any easier.
“Yeah, umm, I’m going to go get a few things ready for this and leave all the husband angst to you.” Sebastian shook his head as he backed form the room, disappearing into the hall.
Alex leapt from his seat, leaving it spinning behind him as he paced the floor. He ran a trembling hand through his shaggy hair as he puffed out his cheeks.
Ava stepped into his path, stopping his ambling. “Hey–”
“Don’t,” he said as he wagged a finger in her face. “I’m not being unreasonable here.”
She grabbed his finger, peeling open his hand and threading her fingers through his. “No one is saying your worry is unreasonable, babe. But you can’t let it be crippling.”
“I’m not,” he insisted.
“You are,” she shot back. “You’re thinking about all the things that could happen to me, and you’re not thinking strategically.”
“There is no strategy here, Avs. These guys are shoot-to-kill hired guns, and they don’t leave their posts. This is serious.”
“And I’m a good shot. So is Shadow. We just need you to help us move through quickly and anticipate their moves. Alex, we need this. Now, come on. You can’t hold out on us like this.”
He slid his eyes closed. “Ava, I don’t like this at all. It’s way too dangerous. Yes, you’re the karate kid. Yes, you’re a good shot. Yes, we’ve gotten through all the other Board situations unscathed, but this feels different. Please, can you trust me on this?”
She raised her green eyes to his, searching. “On two conditions. First, that this is based purely on a lack of strategy to get into that server room, and it has nothing to do with that big, long tirade you just went on about Shadow and Chris.”
Alex pressed his lips together, scrubbing his face with his hands. “I’m sorry that it bugs me that people completely ignore that we’re together. Shadow acts like I’m not even here. Chris…he keeps insisting you still love him. I just…”
“And I think that’s all affecting your analysis of this situation.”
“It’s not. I am more than worried that this won’t work. Even if you weren’t going, if it was just Shadow, I would tell him not to do it because it’s way too risky.”
She licked her lips as her brows furrowed. “All right, but I also need you to know that I don’t love Chris, and I have rebuffed every one of Shadow’s come ons. They mean nothing to me. As soon as this is over…he’s out of our lives.”
Alex kissed her forehead, wrapping his arms around her. “I’m sorry. I’m not second-guessing this or you, I’m just–”
“Sick of the way the other people are treating you.” She caressed his cheek as she offered him a soft smile. “I get it, Ace. And we’re going to fix that as soon as we can solve this situation with The Board. But we need to get through this first.”
He pressed his forehead against hers. “I know. I just…don’t think this is a wise idea, Avs.”
“Okay, noted. But we need to find another way before we say no to this. We have to find a way to get access to that program and expose The Board for what they’re about to do.”
He bobbed his head. “I think I have a way to do that.”
She pulled back, her features twisting. “You have another way to get this program that’s not on a server accessible by the internet?”
He bit his lower lip, raising his eyebrows. “I do.”
With a grin, he kissed her cheek before he dove for his chair, collapsing into it and rolling back to the laptop. He woke it, waiting for the screen to glow back to life before he tapped around.
He brought up a picture of the pretty redhead. “I give you Vanessa McGee.”
Ava fluttered her eyelashes at her picture. “What does she have to do with anything?”
Alex shifted in his seat, beaming at her. “She is going to give us all the access we need.”
Given his ownership of StoneCorp, he could attempt to woo Vanessa to his side. She could even give him snippets of her code that may be enough for him to piece together the bigger project.
All he had to do was reach out and offer her a bigger salary, pretend that he was interested in luring her away to his company. This time, he could be the hero.
He pressed his lips together as he gauged Ava’s response. He knew there were risks to this plan—risks he wasn’t ready to acknowledge just yet. But if it meant getting them closer to taking down VoltTech, he was willing to bet on himself, even if that meant playing with fire.