A moment later, his lanky form stepped out of the vehicle, his wide eyes locking onto hers, shock carved into his features. “Sparky?”
His voice broke a little when he said the word that sent her racing toward him.
He skirted the still-open car door, his features still registering disbelief as he hurried toward her. They collided together, wrapping their arms around one another in a tight embrace.
Alex’s shoulders shook with sobs as he held her tight to his chest before he leaned back, cupping her face in his hands. “You’re real, right?”
“I’m real,” she promised as she pulled him closer for a soft kiss.
His breath caught in his throat as they parted, and she wiped at a tear that had stained his cheek. “Next time answer your phone.”
His features pinched. “Wait…you called me…last night. That was real?”
“Yes, it was real. But the call dropped or something.”
He shook his head. “No, Kyle gave me a sedative. Ava, I was beside myself with grief after that news report.”
“Understandable,” she answered. “And I’m sorry. I tried to get to you as soon as I could, but…”
“Avs, what is going on here? How did you survive that explosion?”
She shook her head, her fingers lacing through his, anchoring herself in the reality of the moment. “I didn’t. When I got on the plane, I found a rose and a note on my seat. Raven told me to get off of the flight. If he hadn’t warned me…” Her voice broke, and she took a shaky breath. “I’d be gone, Alex.”
Alex’s jaw hung open for a second before he pulled Ava tight against him again. “Okay, I guess I owe him a thank you next time I see him.”
“Where is he?” Ava asked, glancing at the car to see if he was inside. “You met with him, right?”
“Yeah, I did,” Alex said with a nod as they parted.
She grinned at him. “The two ships thing did the trick, huh?”
Alex heaved a shaky sigh. “So, that was a clue from you.”
She nodded.
He let his head drop back, exhaling hard. “We really need a code word or something for when this happens again.”
“Happens again?” Ava asked. “I hope thisneverhappens again. We were lucky that Raven got wind of this and saved my life.”
“I’m going to send him the really nice cheese sampler for this,” Alex said with a nod as he tugged Ava toward his car.
She pulled back with a shake of her head. “I can’t go back yet, Alex. I need to stay for a little while.”
He furrowed his brow at her. “What?”
“The Board knows I went to DHS, okay? They planted that bomb to kill me. I need to take a few people out of the mix before we move forward with the bigger players.”
“Who?” Alex asked.
She crossed her arms, her fingers curling into fists. “Chris is the one responsible. He told them about the DHS flight.”
Alex growled as he tensed. “I told you not to give him the benefit of the doubt.”
“I know, I know. You were right. But it’s too late now. We need to get Chris out of the picture, and then I can make my triumphant return to life. At least I think that’s Raven’s plan. Where is he?”
“Uhhh,” Alex said with a scratch of his head. “Yeah, about that…”
Ava slid her head forward. “Please tell me you didn’t kill him.”
