Ava was fighting for her life, for all their lives. She punched Suzanna three times in the face, stunning her opponent with the unrelenting violence of her attack. The damn woman didn’t drop the weapon though. Ava grabbed her clutch and kicked open the door, rolling to the ground as bullets sprayed where she’d been a split-second before.
Ava scrambled to her feet in the high heels, cursing the amount of material in the dress. She slipped on the gravel, finally finding her feet as the driver’s door opened. Ava dashed down the short embankment and dove between two large bushes that scratched and stabbed at her arms. She hurtled into the woods after Mallory and prayed they could both escape this nightmare.
Chapter Thirty-Three
Dominic stood on the sidewalk as an Audi sports car screeched to a halt beside him.
Alex Parker stepped out and looked around. “Where’s Mal?”
Dominic put his hands on his hips as he searched the empty street. “Apparently she and Ava went off together somewhere.”
“But she called me to come pick them up…?” Alex’s gaze dropped to a patch of wet concrete on the sidewalk, incongruous with the sun blazing overhead in the sky.
Dominic’s phone dinged with an incoming text and then it rang. Dominic answered when he saw it was from Ava but from the echoing silence on the other end it seemed like she’d called by mistake.
Then he heard her say, “Did you kill Van?”
He clenched his jaw as he heard the answer and put the call on speaker, turning the volume up to the max, muting his side of the conversation. He met Parker’s gaze. “I think the killer has Ava.”
A woman laughed on the line.
He felt lightheaded when he recognized the voice of the person talking to Ava. “Shit. That’s my neighbor, Suzanna Bernier.”
“Get in.” Parker slid into the driver’s seat of his car and was half way down the street before Dominic closed his door.
Alex fished his cell from his pocket and used his retina to unlock the screen before tossing it to Dominic. “Open the icon with Mallory’s image. Let’s see where she is first. If she’s at your father’s house or the hospital she’s safe.”
The app connected to a map and a red dot appeared on the screen, heading northwest out of the city at high speed.
GPS. “We have a signal. She’s on the move.”
Alex said nothing but turned on his car’s GPS screen which now mirrored his cell. It seemed likely that both Mallory and Ava were in the clutches of this evil woman and from the conversation he was overhearing on his cell, this was not good.
“Buckle up.” Alex accelerated and blew through a red light. A few seconds later a siren started in pursuit. Alex glanced in the mirror. “Get rid of him.”
Dominic called his father on his personal cell—thank God the FBI’s rules and bureaucracy meant he always carried two—and did something he had never done before. He used his connections for his own purposes. “Pop, don’t argue with me but put the president on the line, right now. We have a serious situation.”
It took a few seconds and then a few more before the background din of the party receded. Dominic imagined the men standing in the library.
A line up of traffic at another red light had Alex pulling up on the wide sidewalk and bypassing the queue. They bumped down the curb back onto the road with a bone-jarring bounce.
“Hello?”
“Mr. President,” Dominic said quickly.
“Dominic.” Hague sounded exasperated. “I keep telling you, call me Joshua or Uncle Josh the way you have done your entire life—”
“The thing is, sir, at this exact moment I need to talk to the president, not my godfather.”
“Okay,” Hague said slowly. “Go on.”
“I need you to contact capitol police. There is a woman going by the name of Suzanna Bernier who is a neighbor of mine. I have reason to believe she has been killing FBI agents.” He heard a gasp from the older man.
“She currently has Ava Kanas and Agent Mallory Rooney—who is heavily pregnant—in a vehicle heading northwest. I am assuming Bernier is armed. I need traffic units to let a black Audi through as we are in pursuit of a tracking signal, but we have a traffic cop on our tail.” Alex reeled off the plate number and Dominic repeated it. Then he told the man the location of the other car and road on which they were traveling.
“I don’t know what make or model of car Suzanna Bernier is driving, but the cops can probably figure it out. Order police to put up roadblocks in a twenty-mile radius but don’t try to stop our Audi. I have the horrible feeling if we don’t catch up with them soon, they’re all dead.” Dominic couldn’t even grasp that idea.
More traffic had Alex cursing and laying on the horn to force his way through.
The president was shouting instructions to his staff. The traffic cop was still in hot pursuit, the siren giving an appropriately urgent soundtrack to Dominic’s already hammering heart.
“I have to go, sir.”
“Take care, Dominic. Don’t go rushing in without backup.”
“Let’s hope I don’t need to.” Dominic hung up and held on as Alex took a shortcut going in the wrong direction down a side street, then taking a corner on two wheels to get them ahead of the traffic. Dominic tried not to remember the wreck that had almost killed him last week. His entire world had been turned upside down since that moment and part of that turmoil had been caused by falling in love with Ava Kanas. Ava was the most important thing in his life, and he had the horrible feeling that because he hadn’t held on tight to her hand when she’d needed him most, he was about to lose her forever.
And it was all his fault. He should have defended her faster and more vehemently. He should have tossed in his shield and left when she left. He’d been so damn sure he could talk them out of the situation but had failed. So maybe he wasn’t as shit-hot as he liked to think. Maybe he really had got where he had because of who his father was.
The traffic cop abruptly turned off the siren and fell away from the chase.
Thank God.
They were catching up to them. Dominic didn’t think he’d ever traveled at this speed before, and he was praying Alex could squeeze even more out of the sports car. He thought he heard Mallory speak, and then he heard the sound of retching and an exclamation. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Alex tense.
The red dot on Alex’s screen stopped moving. Suzanna had halted the car. Then the signal that presumably represented Mallory’s cell was moving into the forest, and the sound of gunshots came distinctly through Dominic’s phone.
* * *
Ava cursed her heels as she ran into the woods, heading for the dense undergrowth. She heard Suzanna getting out of the car and dared not stop.
Ava instinctively reached for her weapon and silently swore when she remembered she’d handed it in to the fricking director and hadn’t worn a backup to the party.
Where was Mallory? Ava scanned the area and saw the other woman pressed against a large oak. Their eyes connected. Ava’s lavender gown was a neon freaking sign in the forest. At least Mallory wore black. Ava turned and ran in the opposite direction.
Going to Mallory would get them both killed. She needed to lead Suzanna as far from the other woman as possible.
She remembered the phone in her purse as she sprinted flat out, hiking up her train to stop herself falling and praying the heels didn’t twist. She hid behind a big oak and pulled out the cell, tossing the bag. “Dominic?”
A bullet striking the tree above her head had her darting away again. She tripped and sprawled in the dirt, and the phone went flying. She couldn’t go after it though. Running was the only way she could hope to escape this nightmare.
Another bullet, feet to the right. Thank god Suzanna was a lousy shot.
Draw her away from Mallory.
Draw the killer into the woods until the cavalry arrived. Ava’s pulse pounded, but a strange calm settled over her. As if this was happening to someone else. As if she was i
n a training exercise and someone would yell “stop” at any moment.
Another bullet hit close enough to make her yelp, and she rolled and scrambled back to her feet, dodging through the trees.
How many shots was that? Seven? Eight? The weapon held fifteen bullets plus one in the chamber, assuming it was fully loaded. Ava paused behind a tree and undid the buckles on the heels, kicking them off. She contemplated stripping out of the dress, but the idea of being found naked didn’t sit right. Plus, her skin was equally bright in this environment. No, right now she was a decoy. She needed to keep going.
Sweat drenched her brow, and she wiped it away impatiently. Dammit. So much for training.
She eyed the next biggest tree and ran again, trying not to feel the sharp stones and sticks that bit into the soft soles of her feet. This time the bullet seared her upper arm, and she cried out in pain but did not stop dodging and weaving. Her left arm hung numbly at her side. Blood dripped off the ends of her fingers, soaking into the pretty dress, a dress that was now going to get her killed.
She should have worn a tux. She grimaced at the thought. If she died, Dominic was going to take it so hard. The fact she loved him seemed so obvious now. Like the blinders had been violently torn away. And if she hadn’t walked away from him the way she had, neither she nor Mallory would be in this nightmarish situation.
Pride before the fall…
Hell of a fall.
She cut deep into the woods, her injured arm hot and numb and useless. Suzanna had said she’d die for Peter. Ava realized as she dodged bullets in the woods, that she’d die for Dominic too. And, more importantly, without a doubt, Dominic would die for her.
And if she was strong enough to take a bullet for someone, she was damn sure strong enough to stop hiding from her feelings and pouncing on every excuse not to trust a guy. She was worth loving. She was worthy of Dominic’s love. She didn’t need to prove anything to anyone.
She just had to stay alive.
Ava darted down a short, sharp escarpment and cut back, pressing herself into the dirt and roots of an undercut rock face. Her heart beat so fast and strong she thought it might explode and flood her insides with blood.
She trembled, fear and despair rushing through her. She wished she could tell Dominic she was sorry for not having his back at the party. Of course, he was pissed at the situation. Of course, he was pissed with the director. And he might even be pissed with her. That was okay. It had been a crappy position to find himself in, and he’d been trying to figure his way out of it by using his strengths when she’d stopped giving him a chance.
If she got out of this alive, she needed to tell him all this. That he loved her. And that she loved him right back. And she wouldn’t leave him again no matter how terrifying it got.
They just both needed to survive.
And it wasn’t Ava putting him in danger although she should never have left his side, it was this mad woman determined to get her twisted revenge.
Was Mallory safe?
Ava didn’t know. She wanted to scream with frustration but held her breath. Danger was close by. She could sense it.
A footstep sounded above her. Dirt trickled down into her hair and over her bare shoulders. Ava closed her eyes. Didn’t move. Didn’t make a sound. She didn’t want to die.
With luck Mallory was safe and far away. Ava prayed fervently and wished she’d worn her evil eye bracelet.
A laugh rang out, raising gooseflesh in its wake.
The tinkling whisper above her head made her freeze. “Caught you.”
Chapter Thirty-Four
Mallory concealed herself behind a large maple, back pressed against the rough bark, and prayed. A contraction hit, and the pain was almost unbearable, a giant slice of sensation that cut her slowly in half. She didn’t move and didn’t make a sound. She endured.
The best thing about the dress she was wearing was the fact it had pockets. In those pockets was her cell, and she knew Alex would be tracking her. She knew it as well as she knew her own face in the mirror. They just had to stay alive until he got here.
She gritted her teeth and tried to breathe. All her planning. The birthing classes. The private medical professionals she’d lined up. The nightshirt she’d chosen. The comfy pillows. She’d even booked a freaking birthing pool.
Birth plan—ha!
The contraction eased, and Mal could inhale again.
She listened intently, not daring to move, knowing this crazy bitch wanted her baby more than anything else. But Mal had no intention of letting her get her hands on their little bean. Even if that meant sacrificing Ava in the short-term. Alex would find them, and he would deal with Suzanna and save them all.
Hold on, Ava.
The other agent was deliberately drawing her away, Mal realized with a rush of love so huge it almost made her sob. As soon as Suzanna headed off after Ava, Mallory went back up to the road. She contemplated getting behind the wheel of Suzanna’s car, but Alex would be here soon and if she had a contraction she couldn’t drive anyway, and the contractions were coming fast and furious.
Instead Mal shuffled across the highway as quickly as she could and disappeared into the forest on the other side of the road.
Guilt ripped through her, as powerful as any contraction, but she forced herself to keep moving. Away from Ava, away from the danger. She cupped her hands around her distended stomach. No way was that psycho getting hold of her baby. Suzanna would kill Mal as soon as the baby was born. She knew how these lunatics worked.
If only she had a gun, but this stupid dress and lack of a waist meant she hadn’t worn one. Plus, she’d been going to an engagement party for a governor for heaven’s sake. She should have been safe. She walked through the woods, parallel to the road, each gunshot behind her making desperation crawl along her nerves.
Alex would come. Mal needed to have faith and hold on to that knowledge and pray her baby, and Ava, survived.
Another contraction hit, dropping her to her knees. Agony ripped through her, and she bit down on a scream. Any noise and Suzanna would find her and kill her and steal her baby.
Not happening.
Another gunshot.
She jolted. Damn. But a distraction might save Ava…
Mallory felt as if she were being torn in two both physically and mentally. But this baby was coming, ready or not, and Mallory could only fight one battle at a time.
She spotted an upturned tree, its jagged roots towering into the air. She staggered onwards barely able to move more than a couple of inches per step because of the pressure growing between her legs. Hidden behind the massive roots was a grassy area where she lay down out of sight.
Her improvised birthing plan involved less pillows, more insects and a whole lot less pain medication.
Another contraction pressed down on her, and she lay there panting, forcing herself not to push as it couldn’t be time yet. Her fingers closed around a short piece of wood in the grass beside her, and Mal clamped it between her teeth and bit down on the whimpers that wanted to emerge from her throat.
The baby wasn’t here yet, but it wouldn’t be long. If Suzanna found her before Alex did, she was dead.
Chapter Thirty-Five
Dominic and Alex pulled up beside a black sedan abandoned on the side of the road with three doors thrown wide open. They both had their guns drawn.
A gunshot off to the right told Dominic Suzanna Bernier was nearby. Alex checked his phone. “Mallory is that way.” He pointed in the opposite direction, looking torn.
“Go. Make sure Mallory and the baby are okay. I’m going to get Suzanna’s attention. Cavalry is on the way.” He’d spoken to agents from the WFO. Their SWAT team was fifteen minutes behind them. They’d discovered Suzanna Bernier owned her own private jet at a nearby airstrip and agents were also en route to make sure it stayed grounded.
Dominic didn’t think about Ava being hurt or dead. If he fell into that train of thought he’d never survive. Never hav
e a second chance at fully living his life rather than this highly controlled, emotionally stunted effort he’d been deluding himself with.
Alex jogged off in the opposite direction. Dominic prayed Rooney was alive and their baby safe.
“Suzanna!” he cried as he pushed into the woods. A crow took off from a nearby branch, and Dominic’s heart screeched in his chest. Fuck.
The sound of movement drew him east, keeping close to the road. He scanned the forest for some sign of them, spotted a trail where the grass had been flattened, possibly by the heavy material of a formal gown. The bright lavender color should be easy to spot in this environment. Too easy.
He moved swiftly, using trees for cover as much as possible. Ava’s high heels were tossed behind a tree. Then the glittery evening purse she’d been carrying.
The incongruousness of sequins and tuxedos in a woodland setting was not lost on him. How could a glitzy party turn into his worst nightmare in the space of thirty minutes?
That’s what evil people did. Destroy things. Destroy happiness, destroy people. Although he’d done some destroying of his own when he’d let Ava leave, and he’d never forgive himself for getting her into this mess. For letting her down when she’d needed him most.
If only Ava had had her gun…but who knew what Suzanna had done to gain control of the women. If she’d threatened Rooney then Ava would have gotten rid of the gun anyway. The director was still an asshole. The women must have heard him shout when he arrived, surely, so where were they? He saw a flash of movement in his peripheral vision to the left. He headed swiftly in that direction, probing the woods for any sign of Ava in her pale purple dress. He sucked in a harsh breath when he saw blood on the ground. It had to be Ava’s. She’d been hit. He took a fraction of a second to reassure himself that if she wasn’t lying here dead then she was okay.
“I’m the one you want, Suzanna. Get back here and finish what you started. Revenge for me killing that asshole Peter.”
Cold & Deadly Page 32
