“We need a plan, Mav,” Kyle said from the driver seat as he navigated back to the Hamptons.
“Tell me about it,” Alex said with a groan. “It’s normal that I can’t stop wishing I didn’t have to leave Ava at that cabin, right?”
Kyle glanced at him before he clapped him on the shoulder. “I think it’s understandable. You thought she was dead. It was a shock.”
Alex bobbed his head. “And I feel like every time I leave her now, she may not come back.”
“I get it. It’s still pretty raw. And we have to pretend she’s dead to everyone else.”
Alex scrubbed his face, fidgeting in his seat. “I’m going to have to lay it on thick with Chris. How can I do that when I know she’s alive? Ava has way too much faith in me. She could do this. She has a game face like you wouldn’t believe. Me? No.”
“You have it way worse than me. You’re the grieving spouse. I’m just the grieving backup spouse.”
“And the bad cop,” Alex pointed out, poking a finger at the man. “You’ve got wall slamming to do.”
Kyle sucked in a sharp breath. “I know. I’ve got to bring my game face, although, I think I can do it. I really haven’t liked that guy from the first time he showed up at the house, and I punched him in the face.”
“Right, you did. I forgot about that.”
“Not that Ava needed my help. She’s pretty bad ass.”
“She is. Although, I still hate leaving her with Biceps. Even if he has a gaping hole in his gut.”
Kyle patted his shoulder again. “Don’t sweat it. He’s not going to be moving around anytime soon.”
“Still don’t like,” Alex said as he glanced out the window at the scenery zipping by.
“So, tell me more about Chris. I’ve only had a few brief encounters with him, so I don’t know how to go for the kill. What drives this guy?”
Alex shrugged as he shifted his gaze back to Kyle. “I don’t know him that well either except to know I don’t like him…at all. When I was trying to win Ava back, he literally had her in tears constantly.”
“Win her back? Wait…you were married to her. Shouldn’t it have been him trying to steal her?”
Alex shook his head. “Fake marriage, remember? We were fake married. And Ava was asking for a divorce so she could marry Chris. And then I realized I couldn’t live without her and asked her to come to the Hamptons to sort it out. And then I told her I loved her.”
“And she dumped Chris, so now he hates both of you.”
“Incorrect,” Alex said with a shake of his head. “She dumped him first,thenI told her I loved her. So, he hates her for dumping him and also hates me because he knew I loved her and blames me for the reason she dumped him.”
“Ohhh,” Kyle said, lifting his chin, “wow, nice. She dumped him first even without knowing you loved her.”
“Right? That makes me feel pretty good. Anyway, this joker only liked the idea of Ava. As soon as he showed up at the house, he started bossing her around. Don’t wear that onesie,” Alex said in a deep voice. “Don’t wear your hair up like that.”
“What’s this guy’s problem? Ava’s hot no matter what,” Kyle said, flinging a hand in the air.
“Right? Well, he only liked a certain version of Ava. Apparently, Ava had never been any other version with him. She’s a kind of a chameleon,” Alex said with a shrug. “Anyway, he was super mad that she wasn’t his version of hot Ava. He also accused her of being too attached to me.”
“Heaven forbid she be too attached to her husband of nearly two decades.” Kyle scoffed, shaking his head. “Okay, so I say we go in with accusing him of killing her because he couldn’t have her.”
Alex wrinkled his nose. “Ehhh, that may not go because when I was being held hostage at The Board stronghold, he kind of said Sebastian was after her and that we’d both lost Ava.”
“So…he was resigned to losing Ava at that point. Well, shoot.”
“Yes, but…wait…” Alex snapped his fingers. “You may be on to something. We could go in asking if he wanted Ava dead or if he just very stupidly caused her death. That’s two things he wouldn’t like. Being accused of killing Ava or being completely stupid. Chris is arrogant. He likes to think he knows way more than everyone else.”
“Attack his pride, I like it,” Kyle said as buildings filled in around them. “When are we doing this?”
Alex’s phone chimed, and he tugged it from his pocket, finding a message from Ava.Hey, I need you and Doc to bring a car up for me. You know, when you’re not busy guilting Chris for killing me.
