With a sigh, she returned to her work but soon slammed the laptop lid closed. She’d never made progress when the only thing on her mind was the reunion with Alex.
Her stomach twisted into a knot. What if Sebastian just told Alex that she was alive but didn’t bring him here.
Her nose wrinkled. “Ugh, I should have beenreallyexplicit with him about what I expected.”
She paced around the living room floor, her eyes falling onto the picture of Sebastian and Vivienne together.
Her fingers lingered on the frame as she studied it. Did his parents know he was trying to dig out from under The Board’s influence, or was he working on this alone?
She puffed out her cheeks as she added it to the list of questions she’d have to ask him when he returned. After he revealed his identity to Alex, and they picked him up off of the floor.
“I really need to make sure he’s sitting down when Sebastian takes that mask off,” she murmured as she made another pass through the living room.
With a sigh, she checked the clock again. How long had it been since Sebastian had left? She really should have made a much more careful note of the time.
It had to have been at least an hour already. Her heart sank as she slumped into the chair. Which meant she had another hour to go.
She pulled the laptop onto her lap and toggled open a browser page, searching her own name.
A variety of articles spilled onto the screen, bringing tears to her eyes as she imagined Alex dealing with these reports.
She scanned a few headlines announcing her death before clicking into an article to read about how the DHS had confirmed she’d been aboard the plane when it took off.
She glanced through the comments, many of which poured out condolences, a few of which were mean-spirited enough to suggest this wasn’t a problem given Alex’s money because he could buy a new wife.
With a frown, she closed the article and slammed the laptop lid down. “Jerk.”
Ava pulled her legs up under her, finally letting the stillnessof the cabin settle around her. The quiet was both comforting and unsettling. She usually didn’t mind solitude, but now, it felt oppressive. She longed to see Alex, to feel his arms around her and hear his voice assuring her that everything would be all right. The ticking clock in the background seemed to amplify her anxiety, every tick a reminder of the time slipping away.
Everything about this seemed surreal. Thinking of him believing she was dead made a wave of nausea wash over her. She hoped Julia and Kyle had taken good care of him, but he shouldn’t have had to live through that.
And all thanks to Chris Wright. Her fingers curled into fists as she considered Chris’s about-face, his sudden urge to stick it to her. He’d nearly gotten her killed. If she hadn’t listened to the note from Raven, she’d be gone by now.
She let her head rest against the wing of the chair as she sighed. Why hadn’t she insisted Sebastian give her a phone to keep her updated.
The clock ticked more time away before she finally heard the crunch of tires on the gravel driveway.
Ava leapt from her seat, setting the laptop on the cushion as she peered at the window. Through the sheer curtains, she could make out the form of a vehicle approaching, lights shining toward the house.
Her brow furrowed. That wasn’t the van.
She peered out the window for another second before she crept to the door and inched it open.
The car slowed to a stop and sat in the driveway. She squinted at it. Was that Alex’s SUV?
She pulled the door open further and stepped onto the porch. If it was, where was Sebastian’s van? Had Alex insisted on driving? Why weren’t they getting out of the car?
She imagined Raven telling Alex to get into the van, and Alex nervously refusing him flat out. It brought a smile toher face as she descended the stairs and stepped into the moonlight, her eyes trained on the car.
Her heart ramped up, thudding harder against her ribs as she spotted no movement inside the vehicle. What if it wasn’t Alex?
Had The Board found her? Had Raven betrayed her?
She took a tentative step closer, her muscles tensing as her instincts kicked in.
Finally, the driver door opened, and she froze, her eyes narrowing in the dim light to spot the driver.
“Ace?” she called, her voice meeker than she’d expected.
