Kyle stared at him. “What’s really going on?”
“I just told you,” Alex said.
“I know what you said but…Mav, I’m a little concerned. You just lost your wife. You’re out driving around in the middle of nowhere…”
“Okay, okay,” Alex said, running a hand through his hair. “Look, you can’t say anything at all, okay? Sworn to secrecy. Do you promise?”
Kyle bobbed his head. “Of course. We’re bros. You can confide in me.”
“There are…things happening here that are…big.”
“Care to elaborate on that?” Kyle asked.
Alex shifted in his seat. “There’s so much, I don’t know where to start, but I guess with the biggest bombshell.”
“Okay,” Kyle said as he pulled the car onto the road, aiming for Alex’s. “Sure. What’s the big bombshell?”
Alex rubbed his sweaty palms against his pants. “You’re not going to believe this, Doc, but…Ava’s alive.”
Kyle didn’t miss a beat as he continued down the road, one hand clutching the wheel, the other rubbing his chin. “Uh-huh.”
Alex slid his eyes sideways. “No, I’m serious. I’m not…this isn’t like me being insane or losing my mind and pretending Ava’s alive because I’ve cracked under the grief. I’m literally serious, she’s alive. I couldn’t believe it either.”
“Okaaaay,” Kyle said as he slowly nodded. “And how did she survive the explosion?”
“Well, here’s where it gets interesting…Raven told her to get off the plane. And she did.”
Kyle pressed his lips together, his features scrunching as he bobbed his head. “Uh-huh. Okay. Right. Well, that makes sense. And you found her out here? In the wilderness.”
“Yep. At Raven’s cabin. Which…you aren’t going to believe this…Raven…is Sebastian Bancroft. Talk about a plot twist, huh?” Alex chuckled, pleased to have shared the news with someone so he didn’t have to second guess that he was crazy and imagining things.
“And did he tell you that or did suddenly alive Ava?” Kyle asked.
Alex opened his mouth to answer when he froze, cutting his gaze to Kyle. “You don’t believe me.”
“No, I do, Mav, I really do. I think you believe every word you say.”
Alex shook his head, digging into his pocket for his cell phone. “I’ll prove it.”
With trembling hands, Alex dialed the number for the burner phone, toggling it onto speaker. It rang. Once, twice–
“Ace?” Ava’s voice came through, tentative but clear. “You got something already?”
Kyle’s jaw dropped. His foot slammed the brake, the car jerking to a stop. “Ava?” His voice was thick with disbelief, his eyes wide with shock.
“Hey, Doc. I see he told you.”
“Oh my goodness! Ava!” Kyle grabbed the phone, staring at the display. “Is that really you?”
She chuckled on the other end. “It’s really me. I’m not dead. Thanks to Raven.”
Kyle stared at Alex, his features a mix of shock and disbelief. “She’s alive.”
“I know,” Alex said with a grin. “Oh, but no one else can know but us. She needs to stay ‘dead’ for a little bit until we sort this out, okay?”
“Yeah, okay, yes. Oh my gosh. Oh, Ava. You really scared me.”
“Sorry.” She hesitated before she spoke again. “Did you tell him the big news? About Raven.”
