“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“He’s been talking to Alex Stone. Now, why would he be doing that if he’s loyal to us?”
“Maybe…prepping him to come aboard,” Miranda suggested.
“You know what I think? I think he’s feeling a little guilty.Which means he’s useless to us if he starts feeding information to the enemy.”
Ava slid her eyes sideways to eye Sebastian as he effortlessly played his role as Board rook.
“I still think he’s valuable, but…you are the second person to disagree with me.”
“Who else?” he demanded.
“Malone,” she answered.
“He hasn’t liked him from the start,” Sebastian said.
“No, and he’s been pushing to cut ties with him, especially after the explosion. I still disagree, Mr. Bancroft. If you back me up on this, I promise to manage him personally. I think he’s still an asset for us.”
“I’ll think about it. If Malone hasn’t already taken steps to ensure we cut our ties. I’ll call you later.” Sebastian poked at the end call button. “That was not good news.”
Ava glanced sideways at him. “Malone isn’t a good guy?”
“He’s a loose cannon, and my guess is he’s already scrambled an assassin to take Chris out.”
“I’m going straight to his hotel. With any luck, we’ll grab him before he leaves for the funeral.”
She pushed the accelerator closer to the floor, urging more speed from the engine. Each passing mile became a battle to reach Chris before something happened to him. Her mind raced as she worked through scenario after scenario to ensure Chris was okay.
As his hotel came into sight, her heart hammered harder against her ribs. She slid into a parking space and killed the engine before she kicked the door open.
With Sebastian in tow and her hood pulled tight over her head, they followed someone to a side door.
Ava hurried through the halls, her head down as she headed for Chris’s room. After a quick knock and no answer, her heart sank. Were they too late?
A maid wondered past with a cart and Ava poked an angry finger at Sebastian. “I told you not to close the door.”
He screwed up his face at her, and she widened her eyes in a silent signal as she cocked her head toward the maid. He offered her a knowing glance before he played along. “You didn’t say that.”
“I did. I clearly said don’t close the door. And leave it to you to walk out without a key.”
“Oh, like you didn’t,” he retorted. “You walked out here without a key, too.”
“Because I…ugh, never mind, never mind.” With a heavy sigh, she twisted toward the maid and offered her a polite smile. “I’m so sorry, but could you let me back into our room. My loving husband forgot his key…again. And I left my phone inside, my wallet, everything.”
The woman smiled at her and nodded. “Sure.”
She pressed her master key against the card reader and swung the door open.
“Thank you,” Ava said, pressing a hand against her heart before she shot Sebastian a glare. “Tip her.”
Sebastian pulled a few bills from his money clip and thrust them toward the maid. “Thanks a lot.”
“No problem. Try to have a better day.”
As the door clicked shut behind them, Ava’s heart pounded in her ears. The room felt eerily quiet, and a cold sweat broke out on her neck. She scanned the room, each second feeling like an eternity. The unmade bed, the half-open closet door—every detail screamed at her that they were too late. She hurried to the bathroom, her hand trembling as she pushed the door open. It was empty. The sense of dread she’d been trying to suppress rose to a fever pitch.
“We missed him,” she whispered, the words tasting like defeat.
