“I took a bullet. I’d be dead if it wasn’t for Ava finding me.”
Vivienne shot her a glance before returning her wide-eyed gaze to Sebastian, stroking his forehead. “Shot? Sebastian!”
“The Board came after Raven. They’ve infiltrated the FBI.”
His mother’s eyes slid closed as she tightened her grip on his hand. “Thank heavens the illustrious Ms. Collins found you–when she is supposed to be deceased.”
“Yeah, your son saved my life on that, so it’s the least I could do.” She shrugged as she offered Vivienne a smile. “And now, if you don’t mind, I really need to borrow your car.”
Vivienne cocked her head, her forehead creasing.
“She has to do a drop. I can’t be dead, Mom.”
Vivienne nodded before she twisted to face Ava. “I left the keys on the entry table.”
“Thanks,” Ava said as she took a step toward the door when Vivienne reached out to grab her arm.
“Thank you for saving him. He’s all I have.”
“Anytime,” Ava said with a nod.
She left the bedroom behind, descending the stairs and retrieving the loaded gun from the safe before she grabbed the keys from the table and climbed into Vivienne Bancroft’s car.
After a quick stop at a gas station, she used Alex’selectronic payment method to purchase a new hoodie, pulling the hood over her blonde hair before she exited and climbed into the car.
She spent the drive back to the Hamptons contemplating their next moves. If The Board had infiltrated the FBI, were they safe anywhere? Could they actually take these people down?
By the time she’d reached the Beach Comber resort, finding the lone van in the parking lot, she hadn’t come to any new conclusions. Unfortunately, they’d have to rely on Sebastian for most of their guidance through this process.
She found the USB drive under his front seat, and climbed back into Vivienne’s car, programming in the address Sebastian had given her for the warehouse.
Within twenty minutes, she slowly drove past the place, casing it for any signs of trouble. She found no cars and spotted no one lurking around.
On her second pass, Ava swung into the deserted parking lot, the crunch of gravel under her tires loud in the eerie quiet. The warehouse loomed ahead, its windows dark, the walls scarred by years of neglect. She slid the car around the side of the building, her heart pounding. The red dumpster, rusted and dented, sat under the second window, just like Sebastian said. She hesitated, scanning the shadows for any movement, before slipping out of the car to make the drop.
She considered waiting somewhere discreet to see who picked it up but decided it would likely be a pawn or lower who wouldn’t make or break The Board.
Instead, she left the flash drive behind and aimed for the cabin. No need to tempt fate. She couldn’t be discovered by anyone before they were ready for her to return.
Her mind buzzed with questions during her drive back. They needed to come up with a plan, fast.
As Ava turned onto the gravel drive, the peaceful silenceof the woods wrapped around her, but something felt off. Her grip on the steering wheel tightened, and she instinctively slowed the car. The cabin came into view, but instead of the usual solitude, a sleek black car with government plates was parked out front. Her breath caught in her throat. What was a government vehicle doing here? And who had found them?
CHAPTER 23
ALEX
Alex frowned, his heart aching as the cabin disappeared from sight in the side mirror of the van. He let his head fall back against the headrest with a deep sigh. Ava’s miraculous reappearance had been amazing, but it also came with fear.
Fear of leaving her and losing her again.
He’d lived through the harrowing twenty-four-hour period where he’d thought she was dead. He never wanted to go through that again.
And what he hated even more was Biceps Bancroft spending the time with her. He didn’t like the man or trust him. Not yet.
But Ava had insisted they go deal with Chris. He grumbled under his breath. The last thing he wanted to do was deal with Chris Maxwell.
The man had been the bane of his existence when he’d arrived ready to marry Ava. He’d gotten rid of him once, onlyfor the man to rear his ugly head again and this time, nearly cost Ava her life.
