“Thanks for ruining my plans, Doc. I was totally going to get Alex to feed my caffeine addiction, but now you’ve ruined it.”
Kyle chuckled at her comment. “Don’t be bad, Ava.”
Alex’s nose scrunched at the playful exchange grated on his nerves.
Ava patted his thigh a second later. “So, what’s up with PharmaTech? And why am I imperative in this fight?”
Sebastian collapsed into the armchair near Kyle. “Because we’re going to need to do a few on-site visits, I think. And you’re pretty good at getting in and out of places undetected.”
“While Ava has cat burglar skills like no one else, I’m still not convinced this is necessary or a good plan.” Alex shook his head, his lips puckering.
“You concerned my cat burgling skills have slipped?” Ava asked.
He slid an arm around her. “No, but I am concerned about everything you’ve been through lately, Avs. I mean, what if…”
He couldn’t bring himself to finish the statement. He hated calling more attention to her blackouts because hedidn’t want her to feel uncomfortable, like she couldn’t come to him with anything or that he was judging her.
“What if I have another blackout?” she said with a bob of her head. “A valid concern. I share it, too.”
“Sparky,” he said with a click of his tongue, “I’m not impugning your excellent skills…”
“You’re just worried,” she said with a soft smile as she patted his cheek.
The way she did it reminded him of the moment she’d just shared with Kyle, fanning the flames of his jealousy all over again.
Ava’s touch, once a source of calm and comfort, had suddenly morphed into a source of worry.
“Ace?” Ava asked.
He pulled himself from his rumination, offering her a forced smile. “Yeah. I’m worried. I mean, I could do it.”
“You need to be behind that keyboard, that’s where you’re best,” Sebastian said. “Look at what happened in Monaco. We need to work as a team. You used your tech skills, and I–”
“What?” Alex shot back, his voice sharp as he leapt to his feet and paced the floor. “You’re awesome caped crusader skills?”
“That’s not what I was going to say.”
“Yeah, right. I’m sure it wasn’t,” Alex answered, running a shaky hand through his hair.
“Ace, calm down,” Ava said. “You’re getting upset for no reason.”
“You’re right, your life in danger is no reason to be upset, right?”
Ava’s brow furrowed as she climbed from her cross-legged seat and stopped him from pacing. “Alex, easy.”
He licked his lips, his insides twisting tighter and tighter as worry swelled.
“Hey, Doc, can you refill my tea?”
“Sure,” he answered far too quickly, bouncing from his seat and grabbing the cup.
“Thanks. Shadow, can you–”
Sebastian held a hand up in the air, standing. “Don’t be too long stroking his ego, Ava. We have work to do.”
Alex set his jaw, his nostrils flaring at the words as Sebastian strode toward the sliding door and let himself out onto the patio.
Ava flicked her seafoam green eyes up to his face. “What’s up, babe?”
