Chapter 21
ALEX
The headline scrolled across the bottom of the screen as a newscaster read from her teleprompter in a grave tone.
“An investigation has been launched into the pharmaceutical giant, PharmaTech, after allegations that they have been toying with genetic modifications of viruses in some of the labs. This news comes on the heels of an outbreak of a deadly virus in the small Vermont town of Hemlock Falls. The outbreak, which claimed the lives of dozens of town residents, was only stopped because of a whistleblower who came forward suggesting that the town was being used as a test ground for the efficacy of this bioweapon to spread and kill. Sources say PharmaTech not only acted with criminal intent but that they also held back a life-saving cure that would have prevented most if not all of the deaths. For more, we go now to Kent McCullough who is on site in Hemlock Falls. Kent?”
The image flipped to a man in a windbreaker who stood in front of the camera nodding before launching into his report about the events that had taken place.
Alex stared at the screen, shaking his head as the memories of Hemlock Falls flashed in his mind—panicked people, overflowing hospital beds, and the constant fear that they were losing control.
Only hours ago, they’d been in the middle of that chaos, and now the news was spinning it into a public scandal.
He felt a mix of relief and dread; relief that it was over, that the cure was out, and dread at what might come next.
PharmaTech had been caught, but The Board wasn't one to simply back down.
They were powerful, and this could only be the beginning of something much bigger.
The town’s mayor and chief of staff at the hospital had all praised the quick work of the DOJ agents at securing the town’s borders and bringing them the cure.
“They’re singing your praises, babe,” Alex called to Ava as she shuffled into the living room with two steaming coffee mugs in her unicorn onesie and matching slippers.
“And yours,” she said as she handed the mug off and kissed his cheek. “You made it possible to get that cure, Ace.”
“Right before I nosedived into a coma.” He shook his head as he turned off the report. “I can’t believe I got sick.”
“Babe, we all did,” she answered as she eased into the soft cushions of the couch and patted the one next to her.
Gizmo raced into the room and leapt onto his hind legs, pawing at Ava.
She balanced the coffee mugs against her knee as she scooped him up.
Alex dropped into the seat next to her, and Ava placed the little dog between them before she draped a blanket over the two of them. Gizmo nestled between them, snug in the fleece material.
“It’s good to be home, babe,” Ava said as she laid her head on his shoulder.
He lifted his arm, wrapping it around her as she snuggled closer. “Yeah, and not sick. I knew we shouldn’t have gone there physically. Like we totally could have gotten the cure and mailed it to them.”
She patted his chest with a chuckle. “But we did it. You should be proud of us.”
“I am,” he answered as he kissed her temple. “You’re always awesome, Ava. I’m just…still not over the fact that some rando sneezed all over me and nearly killed me, you, Doc, and even Shadow. I mean, I don’t like Shadow, but still…”
She giggled before she sipped her coffee. “Well, you saved them all, Ace.”
“No, you did. You and your whole ‘I survived a plane crash, then traipsed through the jungle, then broke into a pharmaceutical company and jabbed a needle full of something unknown into my arm’ vibe.”
She set her chin on his shoulder as she raised her eyes to his. “Well couldn’t have gotten in there without you, babe. You paved the way for that now-infamous blind jab.”
“I’m just glad we’re both fine, and it seems like whatever meds Doc is giving you are working. You haven’t had any weird episodes, right?”
“Not so far,” she answered. “And I’m feeling less and less anxious about them with every passing day. I think Doc has a handle on this.”
“He’s a pretty smart guy. We should probably get him something nice for taking such good care of us.”
Ava bobbed her head. “Definitely. Maybe a classy wine basket or something.”
“Oh, babe, that’s nice,” he said with a grin before he set his coffee down and picked up the two game controllers. “Game sesh?”
She set her mug on the coffee table and grabbed the controller from him. “Absolutely.”
He toggled on the game and as they waited for it to load, he leaned closer to steal a kiss from her. “I’m really glad we’re home. And together.”
“Me too,” she answered with a grin. “I love being home with you.”
“Oh, yeah?” He pressed his forehead against hers.
“Yeah,” she purred.
“Hey, what–ohhhh,” Sierra said as she stomped into the room and arched an eyebrow as she crossed her arms.
“You have guests,” Sierra’s sharp voice cut through the room, making both Alex and Ava jerk apart slightly.
Alex let out a small sigh, his fingers instinctively tightening around Ava’s.
He wasn't ready to let go of this moment, not after everything they had just survived.
But Sierra, with her designer heels clicking loudly against the floor, wasn't the kind of person to wait around for romantic pleasantries.
“You shouldn’t canoodle on the couch,” she added.
“We’re hardly canoodling,” Alex said as he pulled back slightly from Ava. “We were just…being thankful that we’re still alive.”
“Great. I’m so glad you are thankful. Meanwhile, yours truly is dealing with a PR nightmare over PharmaTech. Despite us having those internal documents, they’re trying to spin this that one of their employees went rogue. Anything else we can use to nail them on this before they slip the noose?”
Alex let his head fall back against the cushion behind him as he dropped the controller in his lap. “You’re kidding, right? You can’t spin this on your own?”
Sierra’s eyes went wide, and she set her hands on her hips. “Are you joking? What do you want me to do? Pull evidence out of my designer handbag?”
“If you could,” Alex said with a crinkled nose. “Because Ava and I were just about to do a gaming session that is long overdue.”
“Oh, were you?” Sierra crossed her arms, stamping a high-heeled foot on the floor. “Well, if you two could stop reliving your college days and actually help out that would be super appreciated.”
“Fine, fine, I’ll find you something,” Alex said. “While I was in their system, I went ahead and downloaded a copy of their email servers. There has to be something on them we can use to make sure the big wigs at PharmaTech go down for this.”
Alex reached for his laptop, pulling it onto his lap and opening the top.
He let his fingers fly across the keyboard.
“I’ll just write a little program that will search the emails for anything to do with Hemlock Falls, Project Reaper, or anything tangentially related to that, and then we’ll see what we’ve got. ”
He dramatically slapped the enter key before he set the laptop aside. “That’ll take a bit to run. Why don’t you relax, Peak Princess? Maybe take a walk on the beach or have a coffee poolside?’
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Do I look like I have time for a walk on the beach? I’m a busy executive juggling a dozen things. I will be upstairs wheeling and dealing. Call me when you have something.”
She stormed out of the room with a frustrated sigh.
“Wow, she’s intense,” Alex said as he frowned at her departing form.
Ava rubbed his shoulder. “Good thing grabbing those emails, though, Ace. Hopefully we’ll find what we need in them to take PharmaTech down.”
He grinned at her as he picked up his controller. “Ready?”
“Always,” she said with a grin as they started their game, battling against each other in a road race.
As their cars skidded around the bend on the split screen, Alex slid his eyes sideways to Ava. She intensely studied the screen, the crease between her eyebrows deeper as she concentrated.
They’d been through so much already, and they hadn’t even defeated The Board fully. But when he’d been lying in that hospital bed wondering if he’d ever get out of it and Ava’s plane had been in trouble, all he’d wanted was a quiet moment like this.
A moment reflective of where they’d started, and hopefully where they’d end.
He’d spent far too much time second-guessing their relationship, waiting for the other shoe to drop.
But he couldn’t continue to do that. He’d drive himself and Ava crazy. And this gaming session, so similar to the easy times they’d shared in college, those moments when he’d fallen in love with her despite her feelings for him, was all he’d dreamt of.
He wanted this for the rest of their lives. They just needed to get through the barrage from The Board.
Would they be able to? The constant attacks weren’t any closer to stopping. In fact, they’d likely ramp up. The Board would set their sights on them, assuming they’d been the ones to dig up those emails.
The deceased Miranda Vale, who had led them to this discovery, couldn’t be held accountable.
As Ava crossed the finish line moments before him, she pumped a fist in the air with a grin.
“Beaten again,” he said as he set his controller aside in favor of a sip of coffee.
“I swear you let me win.”
“I’d love for you to keep thinking that because it makes me a really great husband instead of a really bad racer.”
“I like you either way,” she said with a grin before she planted a soft kiss on his lips.
“You know,” he said as she pulled away, “I did a lot of thinking while I was stuck in that hospital bed.”
“And?” Her forehead creased as she stared at him.
“I have really been an idiot for a lot of my life.”
She chuckled. “You have so not been, Ace. You have been amazing for most of your life. And that’s why I’m in love with you.”
“But I spent so long not telling you how I felt—"
“Alex, that’s over now. We’re together.”
He bobbed his head. “And then for the first part of our real marriage, I’ve done nothing but worry about when this was going to end, when you were going to realize you preferred the alpha males of the world.”
She opened her mouth to respond, but he pressed a hand over her mouth, stopping her.
“Just let me get this out.”
“Okay,” she said, her voice soft.
“Ava,” Alex began, his voice cracking slightly.
“I love you. And I need you to know that I’m done with all the doubts and fears that I carried for so long.
I’ve spent years convinced that any moment you’d wake up and realize I wasn’t enough—that someone stronger, better, more ‘alpha’ would be what you needed.
” He paused, taking in a shaky breath. “But being in that hospital bed, thinking I might never see you again, it made me realize how much time I’ve wasted being afraid.
I want to be here, by your side, without those fears.
I want to love you without any reservations. You’re everything to me.”
He sucked in a sharp breath, his heart hammering against his ribs.
“And I am determined to be the only man you’ll ever need for the rest of your life.
And I’m over second-guessing and expecting that you’ll realize you don’t love me.
I want this with you always. And I’m going to make sure you know how much I love you every single day.
” He threaded his fingers through hers, squeezing her hand.
She smiled at him, her eyes turning glassy. “Alex…I love you, too. And you have already shown me every day since that day I met you. I know how important I am to you. And I don’t want anything different than what we have in this exact moment.”
He cupped her cheeks in his hands and pulled her closer into a long kiss.
As they parted, he smiled at her until his laptop chimed. Alex’s heart skipped a beat, his eyes scanning the screen in front of him. A list of emails appeared, each one a potential piece of the puzzle they needed.
They’d faced death, deceit, and betrayal—all for this moment.
His fingers trembled as he scrolled through the first few lines of the emails.
Were these the smoking gun they needed, or just another dead end?
He swallowed hard, determination blazing in his eyes.
They were going to bring down PharmaTech, and hopefully, dismantle The Board. One way or another.