Chapter 19
ALEX
Alex’s stomach dropped as the line went dead. He stared incredulously at the screen as the call showed as ended before it disappeared from his screen.
Ava’s last words echoed in his mind. I love you, Alex. Now, get my number to Grant’s engineers.
His breath hitched, and his hands trembled, clammy with a cold sweat. He blinked back tears, the image of her walking into danger, of her saying goodbye, ripping him apart.
The risk she was taking might save thousands, but it could also take her from him forever. And he’d just be left here—helpless.
As far as he knew, a gun-toting Vanessa McGee remained on the opposite side of the door, trapping Ava and a wounded Chris inside.
Once Ava opened the door to the small room, Vanessa would attack. She would never let her get that phone to the site manager.
But here he was, useless on their Hamptons couch, while she walked into the lion’s den. She was there alone because he couldn’t be.
“What’s her number?” Grant’s voice broke through his rumination.
Alex didn’t answer, barely registering the comment as Grant stared down at his phone. A second later, the man set his icy blue eyes on Alex. “Alex?”
Alex swallowed hard, his features pinching. “Huh?”
“Ava’s number.” Grant poked a finger at his phone. “For the engineers to call.”
“Oh, uh, right, uh…” Alex ran a trembling hand through his hair as he tried to remember a number that had been burned into his brain since she’d first given it to him years ago.
His mind darted back to that moment in the coffee shop when they’d first spoken. He’d noticed her in his class before that–who wouldn’t have. With her confidence and beauty, she’d been a standout to every guy on that roster.
What he hadn’t expected was for her to be nice, friendly, or even speak to him. And then she’d casually handed off her phone number. He’d spent over an hour crafting a text to her back then, wanting to say something cool or witty.
He’d finally typed out, ‘Hi, it’s Alex from the coffee shop… and class,’ and stared at the message, thinking it was the dumbest text in history. But it was enough. She’d replied, and now here they were.
Still, those simple words had probably changed his life. He’d fallen hard for Ava Collins after he’d gotten to know her, realizing quickly that she was far more than just a beauty.
And now she was his wife–really his wife. No more fake marriage, no more tentative relationship. They were in a real relationship–and now he may lose her forever.
“Mav,” Kyle said as he gripped Alex’s shoulder tightly, “you okay?”
Alex didn’t answer, shaking his head in a silent response.
“We need Ava’s number. You need to focus, bro.” Kyle sank onto the coffee table in front of him, waving two fingers between his face and Alex’s.
Alex squeezed his eyes closed, forcing himself to suck in a deep breath. “Doc, she could be dead.”
“She’s not,” Kyle answered with a shake of his head. “If Ava went out there, she did it prepared.”
“She didn’t!” Alex shouted as he leapt from his seat, pacing the floor. “She went out there because there’s no one else, and we are in desperate need of getting a message to that control room. She’s risking everything to stop the power grid from crumbling.”
He stopped short and slid his eyes closed.
“Shadow’s there,” Kyle said. “For all we know, he’s wrapped up the Vanessa situation. You gotta think positive, Mav.”
“Kyle’s right,” Grant said. “Ava is doing what she needs to do, but she’s also smart and incredibly capable. She took down those commandos.”
“With help,” Alex answered, reminded of the party they attended when gunmen took control. Ava had taken them down, but she’d had Sebastian’s help.
“You’ve got to trust her,” Grant countered. “If she’s taking that phone to the control room, you have to trust that she’ll get there.”
“Dad’s right,” Kyle answered. “Let’s trust Ava, and let’s get the engineers in contact with the control room.”
“Yes, and they can confirm that she’s fine. The minute they get through to the plant manager, they’ll let me know. And we’ll know that she’s okay,” Grant said.
Alex’s flexed his jaw, trying to shove aside his panic. “Right. Ava’s number.” He passed it along as his mind shot forward, forming a plan.
Grant typed it into his phone as Alex rattled it off before he grabbed his laptop, tucking it under his arm, and shoved his phone in his pocket. “I need to get there.”
“Whoa,” Kyle said, sliding in front of him. “Wait, maybe–”
“Maybe nothing, Doc. I need to get there. I’ve done all I can do here. I need to be there with Ava. I need to make sure she’s okay.”
“All right,” Kyle said with a nod. “Then I’m going too.”
“Let’s go,” Alex said, swiping his keys from the bowl near the door.
He tossed them toward Kyle, who caught them mid-air. “You drive. I can’t deal with that.”
“I got you, bro,” Kyle said as they hurried out the door and climbed into Alex’s SUV.
Kyle slid behind the wheel, dumping the keys in the cup holder. “I’m also more than a little stoked to drive this car.”
“You can have the car,” Alex said as he stared at his phone, desperately trying to stop himself from dialing Ava’s number.
He didn’t want to alert Vanessa to her presence if she was somehow trying to sneak to the control room.
He shoved the phone into his pocket, rubbing his forehead before he wiped his sweaty palms against his jeans.
Ava needed to be okay. He couldn’t make it through any of this without her.
He glanced out the window at the passing scenery. Why did it seem like they were going so slow?
“Are you driving below the speed limit?” Alex craned his neck to check the digital speedometer.
“I’m speeding,” Kyle assured him. “Like, a lot—because, to be honest, I’m also a little nervous.”
“What?” Alex cried, his features tightening. “Dude, you just convinced me she was fine.”
“I know. I kind of lied. It’s a doctor thing.”
Alex screwed up his face. “What? No. It’s totally not. Doctors aren’t supposed to lie.”
“What?” Kyle offered him a sidelong glance. “That’s not true. Doctors lie all the time. It’s called bedside manner.”
Alex fluttered his eyelashes. “It’s not.”
“Well, whatever. Then it’s a Kyle thing. I sometimes…fib.”
Alex shook his head, returning his gaze forward. “I can’t believe you talked me down, and now you’re racing to the power plant because you think Ava’s totally not okay. I should have driven. I thought you could handle it because you were so calm and collected.”
“I’m still calm. Mostly. I mean, I’m nervous, but if I walked into the OR completely unhinged, it wouldn’t go too well for my patients.” Kyle shot him a glance. “Also, you are the slowest driver ever. Ava is totally right about that. I mean, we’d get there tomorrow morning.”
“That’s so not true.” Alex bit his lower lip as the banter took away some of his nerves, but in the back of his mind, his worry for Ava never waned.
“It is true. So, I am both the faster driver and the more composed one.”
Alex clicked his tongue. “Well, it is my wife who is…”
His chest constricted as he failed to finish the statement.
“She’s fine,” Kyle said, his fingers tightening on the wheel until his knuckles turned white.
“Do you actually believe that or are you just saying it?”
“I’m just saying it because I need to convince myself of this because I’m not…she needs to be okay.”
Alex clasped his hands together, squeezing them. “You’re really not making me feel better here, Doc.”
“I know. I’m sorry,” Kyle said with a shake of his head. “I just…you guys are my best friends. And I can’t handle losing either of you.”
Alex bobbed his head, his lips tugging into a frown.
“Sorry,” Kyle said. “I’m…too much, I know.”
“No, bro, it’s cool,” Alex answered with a clap on the man’s shoulder. “I get it. You’re a good friend. And I know I can speak for Ava and myself when I say that you’re important to us, too.”
Kyle offered him a tight-lipped smile. “Thank you. That’s…I’ve never really fit in with anyone else before. That means a lot.”
“Yeah, me either. And honestly, I think Ava would say the same thing.”
“What?” Kyle asked, his features screwing up. “No way.”
“Yeah. I get it. She just looks like she’d fit in with the popular crowd, right?”
“Yeah, totally. She is such a knockout. I just picture cheerleader, dating the quarterback, super popular.”
Alex shook his head as the scenery passed his window, glad to have the distraction. “Nope. Ava was never into that scene. At least not when I met her. And I pretty much know all about her high school years.”
“You met in college, right?”
“Yep,” Alex said with a nod. “We were in the same programming class. We ran into each other in a coffee shop and started talking.”
“And she was just…not what you expected?”
“Not at all. She was so…Ava,” Alex said, his heart swelling as he recalled all those moments they’d shared over the years. From that coffee shop conversation to the first time she’d seen his Hamptons’ house and everything in between, every moment had been special to him.
His fingers tightened into fists as he recalled another special moment they’d never gotten to live. Tears formed in his eyes as he wondered if they’d be robbed of the chance.
Was Ava still with them or had she sacrificed more than he’d wanted her to?
Next to him, Kyle huffed out a laugh. “Yeah, that’s an apt description.”
“I’m serious, though,” Alex said. “She was just…nothing I expected her to be. I really thought Ava was going to be…shallow, stuck-up, a real…you-know-what.”
“And she’s none of those things.”
“No,” Alex said, his features softening. “She’s beautiful inside and out. She’s just…one-of-a-kind. Deep thinking, not impressed by the usual things, and full of surprises.”
The GPS prompted Kyle to turn as they approached the facility. Alex shifted in his seat, his stomach dropping as it came into sight. Nothing looked amiss, but the turmoil going on inside forced a lump into his throat.
“Let’s hope one of her surprises is that she successfully made it to the control room.”
Alex leaned forward, his eyes going to the flashing red lights of an ambulance. “I hope that’s for Chris.”
His strained voice barely got the words out as the closed in on the site.
“There are two along with a slew of cop cars,” Kyle said as they approached.
Alex bit his lower lip as he scanned the chaotic scene, wondering if they’d managed to contain the problem. His heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of the auburn hair of Vanessa McGee.
“There’s Vanessa. She’s okay. She’s fine. So…where is Ava?”
Kyle pressed the accelerator harder, speeding the final few feet toward the emergency vehicles. He slammed on the brakes as they arrived, skidding to a stop.
Before the car came to a stop, Alex flung his door open, leaping from the car.
“Mav!” Kyle shouted as he hurried to throw the shifter into park and join him.
“Where is Ava? What did you do to her?” Alex shouted as he raced to Vanessa, handcuffed and being dragged to a police car.
She offered him a coy, narrow-eyed stare. “My lips are sealed.”
His nostrils flared as irritation built inside him. Kyle’s hand pressed against his chest. “Easy, Mav. Don’t do something stupid. Let’s go find Ava.”
Alex’s heart hammered against his ribs as he desperately tried to keep his emotions in check.
He shifted his gaze to the door, wondering if they’d be able to get inside. But in another second, it didn’t matter.
A pair of paramedics emerged with a patient strapped to a stretcher. He recognized her right away despite how ill she looked. Ava. Eyes closed, pale, barely breathing.
Ava lay strapped to the stretcher, her face pale, her eyes closed. His heart stopped. Every future he’d dreamed of shattered. He didn’t know if he could breathe without her. And in that moment, nothing else mattered—only getting to her side.