Her heart skipped a beat as she reached for the small device, her mind racing. How long had they been tracked? Did someone already know they were here? The realization sent a jolt of fear through her. If they were being tracked, it was only a matter of time before more enemies showed up.
CHAPTER 25
ALEX
Alex frantically climbed the stairs in search of Ava, his heart hammering against his ribs. He knew he shouldn’t have left Ava behind when he did. After almost losing her, he’d chalked up his fear to pure paranoia, but now he knew it had been more like a premonition.
How had Sebastian managed to kidnap her again? Had the weakness from the gunshot wound all been feigned? Did he overpower her?
Alex shook his head as he reached the top of the stairs, puffing for breath. Ava was a black belt going up against a wounded man. Even with his larger size, a gunshot to the abdomen should have leveled the playing field.
“What do you mean gone?” Kyle called as he raced behind him.
“I mean, she’s not here. He’s not here.” Alex shook his head at the ridiculous question, ducking into the first bedroom and called to Ava again.
“They can’t be gone,” Kyle argued. “How? Sebastian should be here, at least.”
“Well, he must be a heavy sleeper, because he’s not answering.”
Alex stormed down the hall to the next door, plowing through it and scanning the room before he left it behind. Each empty room felt like a punch to his gut. Every creak of the floorboards beneath his feet seemed louder, more ominous, echoing his fear that he’d failed her—again.
Kyle wrinkled his forehead. “I mean, how did she get him out of here?” There’s no way. He’s a big guy.”
“Maybe he walked,” Alex said, pulling open another door and finding a linen closet.
“He’d need help.”
Alex closed the closet and stared at Kyle. “You’re sure? Is there any way he could have overpowered Ava and taken her somewhere?”
“No,” Kyle said with an emphatic shake of his head. “No way. Not with the wound and blood loss. Could he knock her out with her favorite blend of knock-out spray? Yes. Could he carry her anywhere or even drive? No.”
Alex continued to another bedroom, peering inside. He stopped, his heart speeding as he stared at the mussed bedcovers.
He flipped on the light, calling to Ava despite it being obvious that she was not here. “Someone’s been in this room.”
“Or the Bancrofts don’t make their beds,” Kyle noted until Alex gave him a disapproving stare. “Sorry.”
Kyle crossed to the bed, eyeing the sheets. “Looks like there’s some blood here. I wonder if Ava moved Sebastian here and it was enough to open his wound.”
“Do you think she took him to the hospital?” Alex asked as he took another step inside, scanning the room. “Oh, no.”
“What?” Kyle asked, following the direction of Alex’s stare.
“Blood. A lot of blood,” Alex answered as he crouched next to a congealing pool of dark liquid. “Do you think it’s from Sebastian?”
“Could be,” Kyle said. “I wonder if she tried to move him and…wait, that doesn’t make sense. There’s blood on the sheets.”
“Maybe he wasn’t feeling good and tried to get up, fell and bled all over the floor.”
“Could be, but…where did she take him? She was supposed to call us,” Kyle answered. “How would she even get to the hospital. We just brought the car up to her.”
“Maybe they called an ambulance.”
Kyle shot Alex a skeptical glance. “The guy who had me remove a bullet on his dining room table called an ambulance?”
“Maybe Ava panicked,” Alex said. “He could have been unconscious, and she made the call.”
Kyle’s eyebrows shot up.
