“You should try to get some rest. It’ll take them at least thirty minutes to get to the airport,” Sebastian said as he settled into a chair next to Alex’s bed.
“Pass. I want to watch this.” He worked on hacking into the pharmaceutical facility’s security system until they reached the airport before his eyelids grew heavy, and he eventually slid them closed, drifting off to sleep.
When he opened them again, a variety of alarms sounded. He screwed up his face, glancing at his own monitors, but everything on them looked to be within normal range.
Alex’s stomach dropped when he saw the look of pure horror on Sebastian’s face as he stared at the monitor. Heart pounding in his chest, Alex turned to his laptop screen, and his breath stopped cold.
The plane was lurching violently, the cameras shaking as alarms blared in the cockpit. Kyle’s wide-eyed terror was clear as he clutched the seat beside Ava.
The pilot’s voice crackled over the intercom, chilling Alex to his core. “Brace for impact. We are going down.” The words echoed in his head, and for a moment, everything froze. He was helpless, a prisoner of his own sick body, watching in horror as the woman he loved hurtled toward death.
CHAPTER 16
AVA
Ava swallowed hard as she glanced behind her at the hospital building. It receded in the side mirror as Kyle headed toward the airport where the private plane sat ready.
With each mile that passed, Ava’s chest tightened as if an invisible cord was pulling her back to Alex. She hated leaving him behind, especially when he needed her most. Every instinct told her to stay by his side, but doing so could mean losing him forever. Her mind replayed the image of him lying pale and feverish in that hospital bed, a stark reminder that she had no other choice but to leave him in the hands of the medical staff—and hope she could return with a cure before it was too late.
She glances down at the pearl brooch on her hoodie, recalling that Alex was watching her every move.
“I miss you already, Ace,” she said. “I wish I had a pearl cam so I could watch you.”
Kyle slid his eyes sideways and mouthed the words, “You okay?”
She bobbed her head before she reached for his hand to squeeze it. “Thanks.”
“So, what do you think we’ll find down there?”
“I hope a cure,” Ava answered as she huffed out a sigh, rubbing her forehead. “Clearly marked and labeled the moment we enter the room.”
Her phone rang a second later. She dug it from her purse, spotting Sebastian’s name on the screen as she swiped to answer it and toggle on the speakerphone.
“I don’t think it’s going to be that easy, Ava,” Sebastian said.
“Too bad,” she lamented. “We don’t have a lot of time to waste searching the entire facility.”
“Uh, also, we are likely going to need access to restricted areas,” Kyle said as he navigated a tight curve. “Tell me the badges you scored will get us into the highest contagion levels of the lab.”
“I’m not sure about that. I only know it provides access to the facility itself.”
Kyle heaved a sigh, shaking his head. “That’s not going to be good enough. Alex, we may need your tech skills, bro. So, please don’t get sicker, okay?”
“I’m on it,” Alex said, his voice weak. “I’ll see if I can get into this facility’s security. If I can, I should be able to unlock any doors you need once you’re there.”
“Thanks, Mav,” Kyle answered.
“How are you feeling, babe?” Ava shifted in her seat with a wince. For some reason, the seat was making her back ache.
“Not terrible. Doc’s jello helped me.”
“Is that right? Doc’s jello, huh? My spray cheese wasn’t the magic cure?” She tried to giggle, but she didn’t have it in her.
“Your spray cheese was awesome, babe. But you know how I feel about jello.”
“I do,” she answered, stretching her neck as heat washed over her. Her heart rate ramped up as worry coursed through her. The stress of leaving Alex behind coupled with the high-stakes mission seemed to be causing enough tension that she worried about another blackout.
“Ava?” Kyle whispered as he leaned closer.
