“So, I need to watch my back.”
“You need to do more than that.” Raven strode to his computer, eyeing the deletion process. “This is nearly complete. We need to move.”
“Oh, come on…I don’t want another shot of that stuff. In fact, just knock me out.” She tapped the butt of the gun.
“I would never hurt you, Ava,” he answered.
“Oh, right, you’ll just drug me over and over. Oh, and drag me literally kicking and screaming back to be locked in a bedroom at your creepy cabin.”
“That was for your own protection,” Raven said as the last of the files disappeared as the program ended.
“Oh, right, like this is. So…what? Another drugging?”
Raven twisted to face her as the monitors died, their screens going dim and plunging the already darkened space into near blackness.
“Can I trust you, Ava?”
“Define trust?” she answered. “Are we talking about betrayal to The Board or merely using whatever I learn to determine your identity?”
He sighed as he yanked open a drawer, pulling out a canister.
“Okay, okay…you can trust me.”
“Really?”
Ava tugged her lips into a wince. “I really don’t want to deal with another knock out. I’ll forget the address as soon as I leave.”
He tossed the canister into the drawer, removing a hood. “I’d like an insurance policy.”
“Wow, you’re completely equipped with all the creepy stuff, aren’t you?”
“Better safe than sorry.” He pulled the hood over her head, plunging her into darkness before he twisted her around. “Now, let’s go.”
Her heart pounded as she wondered if she’d earn any clues toward his identity. If she did, she may consider giving it to the DHS. She needed this nightmare to end. Fast.
CHAPTER 7
ALEX
Alex slammed his fists against the desk, frustration boiling over as he hit another wall. How had Raven gotten a hold of his program for blocking phone tracking? Without it, he’d never find Ava. She was completely at the mercy of their aviary ally.
He swallowed hard, the fear of never seeing her again gnawing at his heart. Raven had always returned her before, but what if this time he decided to keep her?
The mysterious man had set his sights on Ava. And while he’d returned her every other time, what if this time, he decided to keep her for himself.
His heart ached every moment they were apart.
Kyle paced back and forth in front of Alex. “Are you sure you didn’t create a master passcode for this thing? Something only you know that could let you bypass the block?”
Alex frowned. “What?”
“You know, like a special Alex Stone passcode?”
“No, I…wait a minute,” Alex said, leaning closer to the screen. “That’s actually a good idea.”
“Really? So, there is a secret master code that’ll let you into this?”
“No, not really, but…I may be able to reverse engineer a backdoor into it.”
