“No, you’re in shock. Shock can do strange things to your body,” Kyle said.
Alex sat in silence, numb to what was happening. How could they be worried about his pulse rate when Ava was…
His mind couldn’t finish the sentence. The room spun around him as he tried to follow the conversation.
“It may be a good idea to head upstairs…maybe try to lie down,” Kyle said.
“Lie down?” he asked incredulously.
He leapt from his seat. “Lie down? Are you serious? Ava is dead!”
The words poured out of his mouth before he could stop them, stunning him. His features scrunched as he plopped down onto the couch between Kyle and Julia. “Ava is dead…”
This time the words came out slowly and breathlessly. “Ava…no…”
Julia pulled him closer to her as she rubbed his shoulder gently. “Alex, we’re all so sorry.”
“Sorry…” He huffed out a harsh laugh. “Sorry? Sorry that my wife is dead? That everyone else gets their happy ending, but mine just exploded midair?”
“Okay, I really think maybe you should try to get some rest after a blow like this,” Kyle answered.
“Kyle’s right. This is for your own good, Alex,” Julia said.
Alex twisted to protest when a sharp pinch in his arm stopped him. He glanced down as Kyle depressed the plunger on a syringe.
“You can hate me,” Kyle said as he withdrew the needle, “but you’re going to thank me later.”
“What the hell?” Whatever he’d injected hit Alex hard. His mind swam and his limbs started to feel heavy.
“Let’s get him upstairs,” Kyle said to Grant.
With one man on either side of him, they half-carried, half-dragged Alex up to his bed, dumping him on top of the covers.
Alex stared at the other side of the bed, the empty pillow starkly reminding him of the mornings he’d awoken to her gentle smile. The cold space beside him now felt like an unbearable chasm. Ava’s head would never touch that pillow again. He would never wake up to see her face ever again. Ava was gone forever.
The sedative Kyle had injected made his eyelids heavy.
He started to let his eyes slide closed when his phone buzzed in his pocket. With a yawn, he tugged it from his pocket, staring with bleary eyes at the display.
No number appeared, only the word RESTRICTED. He swiped to answer, his voice slurred. “Hello?”
Barely conscious, a single word echoed in his ear, making him question everything. As the sedative dragged him under, a familiar, almost ethereal voice whispered, “Ace?”
CHAPTER 12
AVA
Ava wrenched herself free from Raven’s grasp, her heart still thudding dully against her ribs as she stared in disbelief at the face that had hidden behind the mask. “I can’t believe this.”
“Ava, please…” He tilted his head, his jaw clenching.
She clapped her hands onto the top of her head as she paced in a small circle. “This isn’t happening.”
“Come on,” he answered.
She shook her head, disbelief tightening her jaw as she took in the familiar yet shocking face of Sebastian Bancroft. The truth hit her like a tidal wave. “No. No!”
“You can’t tell me you didn’t suspect.”
