An Unexpected Clue

“Wait.” Ben moved around the man, still pointing the gun at him. “Here, you hold this. If he so much as sneezes, kill him.”

He passed the gun to Ava and took the roll of tape. He quickly wrapped the woman’s ankles and reached for the man’s hands, yanking them behind his back. “If you ever point a gun at my wife or my baby again, I’ll kill you,” he said as he pulled the tape tight enough the man would be hurting. After he’d secured his feet and laid a strip of tape on the thugs’ mouths, he flung the roll of duct tape across the parking lot.

“Ready?” He hooked Ava’s arm and walked her to his rental car.

“I can’t leave my car here.”

“You can’t take it. They know what it looks like. You’re not safe in it.” He sucked in a deep breath and let it out. “Please, Ava, get in the car.”

“No.” She pulled out of his grip and marched across to her car.

Ben followed her. “Where are you going?”

“It’s none of your business.” She climbed in and would have shut the door if Ben hadn’t grabbed it and held it open.

“Maybe you don’t get it.” He leaned close enough to get right in her face. “Your life is in danger.”

“So, I’ll be careful.” Tears hovered on the edges of her eyelids as she jammed the key into the ignition and started the car.

The tears ate at Ben’s empty gut, twisting in it like a knife. “You can’t go alone. At least let me come with you.”

“I need time to think.” She rested her forehead on the steering wheel. “Time without you in it.”

Although she whispered, Ben heard every word. Her rejection hurt. More than he ever thought it would. His hand fell away from the door and he stepped back, his heart like a dead weight in his chest.

Ava shoved the shift into reverse, and slammed her foot to the floor. As she pulled out of the parking space, her tires squealed.

Ben stared after her in numb silence. After all the weeks he’d spent dreaming of his homecoming, he didn’t expect this. And it caused him more pain than all the wounds he’d received during Nicky Wayne’s torture sessions.

Before Ava cleared the theater parking lot, Ben came back to his senses with a jolt. He couldn’t let her get away. He had no idea where she’d go or when Wayne’s organization might strike again.

He ran to the rental car, climbed in and raced after Ava’s disappearing taillights. At the rate she was going, she’d kill herself if Wayne didn’t get her first.

AVA HATED that Ben had been right. She’d thought his warnings about the Wayne organization were all part of his ploy to get her back to Kenner City and the medal he wanted so badly.

The couple in the movie theater had taken her completely by surprise. But were they really part of the Wayne organization, or were they just a couple of crooks, looking to rob her or kidnap her for ransom?

Ava snorted. Like she had any money to steal. And who would pay a ransom to get her back?

She liked to think Ben would, but after the way she’d treated him…

Her chest tightened at the thought of him being held captive for the past couple months. What kind of torture had he endured? Was she being fair to push him away?

Her fists clenched around the steering wheel. She couldn’t fall for his lies. She’d be as bad as her mother, believing her father would come back any day. For years, she’d held on to the hope, like her mother did, that her father would return. But after so long, she’d finally come to the realization that men didn’t stay. They made big promises, but didn’t deliver. Or at least, the two most important men in Ava’s life hadn’t delivered. Both times she’d given her love unconditionally, risking her heart.

Both times she’d been disappointed. She’d be damned if her baby went through that.

She could understand why her mother had welcomed her father back each time. He was so charming, endearing and handsome, how could a woman resist?

If she’d been smart, she’d have recognized the same traits in Ben up front, before she’d fallen for him. But she’d been as bad as a besotted schoolgirl with her first crush. Willing to believe she could actually have that fairytale happily-ever-after end to her story.

Hadn’t her mother proven that wasn’t the case?

And her sister Emily had suffered through a divorce, also proving the same.

Was it fate for Ava to fall into the same trap?

With nowhere else to go, Ava headed back to her sister’s house. Maybe she’d pack her bags and head for a hotel. Or she could keep driving until she made it to California. She’d always wanted to visit San Francisco and never seemed to have time to get away from the Kenner County Crime Unit. With a month to go before the baby was due and out of work, by doctor’s orders, she had plenty of time now.

Yeah, like she’d drive across the state eight months pregnant with no plan, no place to stay and no desire to be alone.

She sat at a stoplight, her foot resting on the brake, thinking she should take the easy route, give in and let Ben take care of her…

The light turned green, her foot fell hard to the accelerator and she shot forward. What was she thinking? Had she become her mother?

When she turned onto the suburban street her sister lived on, she coasted into the driveway and switched the engine off. Tired beyond belief, she could barely stand the thought of packing and leaving. Maybe she’d just go in, take a shower and climb into bed. Tomorrow was another day. Her troubles could wait.

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