“Race…oh come on, Avs. This is so juvenile.”
Ava opened her driver door. “Says the man who’s going to lose because he drives so slow.”
She slid into the driver’s seat and fired the engine, revving it.
He rolled his eyes at her as he climbed behind the wheel of his own car. “I’m not racing you, Ava, just go.”
She peeled from the space before she sped from the lot. He tapped his hands-free button. “Call Ava’s phone.”
She picked up a second later. “Where you at, slow poke?”
“Still in the parking lot. I’m not racing you. This isn’t high school, Avs.”
“You’re not racing me because you can’t keep up. Come on, old man. The gas is on the right.”
He pulled onto the street. “I know where it is.”
“Hey, you’re the one who said our conversation was urgent enough to need to break into Homeland Security. Now, you’re lollygagging somewhere back there like we have all the time in the world.”
He pressed his accelerator a little harder. “Good point. Maybe we should talk now.”
“You’re not going to drop a bombshell big enough that I’ll wreck the car, are you?”
“No,” Alex said, hesitating. “Oh wait, are you going to drop any bombshells from whole DHS interview?”
“No, but there is something we need to talk about. You first.”
He ran a shaky hand through his hair. “I really hate those words anymore.”
“Sorry, babe, but we have some decisions to make.”
He swallowed hard, his stomach clenching. “Okay, well, before we make those, Raven is…ravening again.”
“What does he want?” she asked.
“You to deliver the flash drive. Apparently, he texted you while you were with the DHS, but you didn’t answer.”
“He wasn’t happy about that,” Kyle chimed in.
“I think that’s Raven’s default setting,” Ava answered. “Why didn’t you take it to him?”
“He wouldn’t let us,” Kyle answered. “Apparently, we’re not as cute as you, though, I think he’s wrong about that. I am pretty cute.”
“You’re such a doll. I can’t believe he didn’t go for it.”
“Hey, hey, real husband on the line,” Alex said, a smile playing on his lips at their banter despite the tension at his temples.
“Well, if I’m being fair,” Ava answered, “Kyle is super cute. But you are even cuter. And the pair of you…wow, what was Raven thinking?”
“Pretty sure he was thinking a cute blonde girl was way better than the pair of us,” Alex said. “And he wouldn’t take no for an answer. He’s kind of a pain like that.”
“So…I need to take this flash drive to him.”
“You’re so smart, Sparky. Yep, he wants it by three. And I wasn’t about to tell our aviary ally that you were meeting with the DHS.”
“Good call, babe. I’m at home and running in to grab the drive. If you ever get here, we can all go together.”
“Ohhh,” Alex said as he turned onto their street, “triple threat with all of us.”
