“Leave me alone, Raven,” she called over her shoulder.
“No, Ava.” He clamped a hand down on her shoulder.
She twisted around and yanked him forward, using her black belt skills to fend him off. He anticipated her move and countered, tugging her back toward him.
She fell into his chest, and he looped a tight arm around her waist.
“Let me go,” she growled.
“I can’t. Ava Collins needs to die.”
Her head swam at the words, nausea sweeping over her. Was he about to kill her?
She fought him, trying to escape. “So you got me off that plane just to kill me?”
“Of course not,” Raven said, his robotic voice chilling despite the denial. Before she could resist again, he dragged her to the van, shoving her into the back. She hit the floor hard, wincing, as he fished her phone from her pocket. “Butthe world thinks you’re dead, and so does The Board. We need to play along.”
She opened her mouth to answer, but he slammed the door in her face. The sound of her phone dropping to the ground and being stomped on came next before the engine fired up a few seconds later, and the van lurched forward.
Ava lunged toward the front, pounding against the wall. “Open up.”
This time, he didn’t bother giving her the courtesy of opening the small window.
She banged her fists against the wall again, shouting, but to no avail. With a growl, she crossed to the side door and tugged on the handle. It wouldn’t open.
She tried to memorize the turns they were taking, but she wasn’t certain it would matter. This wasn’t like finding Alex after returning home. She’d be trapped wherever he took her.
She’d never escaped him before.
And this time he was determined to make certain she didn’t get away.Ava Collins needs to die.
His ominous words echoed in her mind as the van’s engine roared and they started to climb. Where were they going?
As the road turned rougher, she wondered if they were headed to the cabin. Would she be able find any clues to his identity?
She needed information. How had Raven known the plane was going to explode?
Questions plagued her, and she wasn’t certain she’d ever have answers. But she was determined to do whatever it took to find them.
After what seemed like an eternity, the van finally came to a stop. The engine died, and the front door slammed.
Her heartbeat ramped up higher as she heard a set offootsteps circling the van. The door opened a moment later, soft moonlight streaming into the van. Ava backed away as Raven reached for her.
He managed to grab hold of her foot and drag her out of the van.
She spotted a cabin, assuming it was the one he had brought her to before.
She fought as he pushed her to it. Once she was inside, she had no power at all.
With a hard flail, she yanked herself free of him. “Who are you?”
“That’s not important.”
She tilted her head, her features taut. “I think it is. You somehow knew The Board put an explosive on that plane. Who are you?”
He shook his head. “You can’t know that–”
She lunged for him, reaching to remove the mask when he blocked her, grabbing her wrist with his left hand.
