Her attorney, Barry, was on site in case she wanted to consult with him, but according to the agents, he would not be permitted in the interview.
They hid their reasoning behind the Patriot Act, barring the attorney from her interview. And apparently, they could do that.
Ava drummed her fingers on the table, the inescapable urge to run from the room rising inside her.
She rose, the metal legs of the chair scraping against the concrete floor in an offensive sound that echoed off the cold walls.
Before she could take a step, the door opened and the two agents who had approached her last night stepped inside.
“Ms. Collins…did you need something?” Agent Sanderson said as she eyed Ava.
Ava narrowed her eyes. “Coffee?”
Agent Sanderson glanced at her partner who bobbed his head. “I’ll grab one for you,” he answered before he ducked from the room.
Ava regained her seat, clearing her throat as Agent Sanderson settled into one of the chairs across from her with a sigh.
She tugged a thick folder closer to her, flipping through it until Agent Sullivan hurried into the room with a small foam cup.
Ava offered him a tight-lipped smile as she accepted it and took a sip. It turned her stomach more than the thought of the interview.
She grimaced. “This is what you call coffee?”
“I’ll bet it’s nothing compared to the gourmet stuff you drink every morning,” Agent Sanderson said.
“That’s a big assumption to make.” Ava leaned back in her seat.
“Are you saying your billionaire husband doesn’t spring for the good stuff?” Agent Sullivan asked.
Ava’s lips curled into a smirk. “I’m saying this coffee stinks. That’s it.”
“Sorry we’re not up to your standards,” the female agent answered as she leaned closer to Ava. “But let’s cut the small talk and get down to business. You’ve recently been spending a lot of time with some pretty high-ranking members of The Board, namely the Bancrofts, and I’d like to hear more about that.”
Ava shrugged, her fingers tracing the top of the foam cup. “There really isn’t much to tell.”
“Why don’t you let us be the judge of that?”
Ava clicked her tongue, her eyebrows raising. “All right. I went to a charity fundraiser–”
“Which one?” Agent Sanderson uncapped her pen and pressed it against her notepad.
“Hamptons Art Charity Luncheon,” Ava answered.
Agent Sanderson bobbed her head as she jotted it down. “The one hosted by Vivienne Bancroft?”
Ava bobbed her head. “One and the same. Can I ask you a question in return?”
Agent Sanderson tugged her chin back to her chest. “Go ahead.”
“What is the deal with The Board? Who are these people and why is the DHS interested in them?”
The agent played it off as nothing. “I told you last night. These people are dangerous. They’ve got a lot of money behind them and a lot of powerful people involved.”
“Dangerous how?”
“That’s beyond the scope of what I can tell you.”
Ava arched an eyebrow. “Really? That’s beyond the scope. You drag me in here for information on this organization, but you can’t tell me why they’re dangerous? For all I know, you could be asking for inside information on people just to personally go after them.”
