The man shuddered and swiped a hand over his wet cheeks. “I don’t know.” He shook his head. “I truly don’t know. Unless—”
“Yes?”
“Unless it has to do with the fact that when his father left Russia, he left his family.”
“Left them for Yvonne?” Ava asked.
“Yes. Irena, Max’s first wife, came to me one day shortly after he defected and asked me if I’d known what he’d planned. I denied everything, of course. I had to.”
“How would Nicolai know the connection to my father?” Ava asked.
Jesse frowned. “I don’t know that either.”
“It has to be the picture,” Caden said to Ava. “Somehow, someone connected your father to the picture.”
“Of course he was connected to it,” Jesse said. “He’s the one who took it.”
Ava gasped. “Why would he take a picture of men he was helping defect?”
“Simple. So we wouldn’t back out. We were a package deal. If one of us backed out, then we would all pay the price for it.”
“He was blackmailing you?” Ava paled and swallowed hard.
“No, no,” Jesse said. “We all agreed to do what he asked us to do, but he wanted to make sure we understood that changing our mind wasn’t an option.”
“Who else had this picture?”
“We each had one.”
“Including Max?” Ava asked.
“Of course.”
“Well,” Caden said, “I guess we know where Nicolai got his information.”
Ava’s head pounded. Her cheek had started to itch as it healed from their dash through the woods, and her arm ached every time she moved it. She was tired. Tired of being attacked every time she turned around. Tired of running. Tired of being unable to see her mother or brother. Tired of a lot of things. But pity parties would have to wait. She could fall apart later.
While Jesse and Caden continued to talk, she stepped out of the conference room and looked up to see John at the nurses’ station, his forehead creased, lips turned down. Watching her.
She walked over to him. “Hi.”
“Hi.”
“What are you doing here?”
“Looking for you. I heard about the attempt to grab Nicolai going sideways, the explosion. And your part in all of it.” He shoved his hands into his pockets. “Can we talk?”
Of course he’d heard about it. “About?”
He huffed a short, humorless laugh. “Life.”
“My father’s?”
His jaw tightened, but he jerked a nod. “I guess it’s time I gave you some answers.”
She studied him. John had been her father’s friend for years. Her friend. Julie’s husband. How could she have thought he’d had anything to do with the attempts on her life? The guilt nearly suffocated her. “Okay, that would be great.” Then again, would he believe her if she told him her dad was alive?
Or did he already know?
Her heart hammered at the thought. If he’d known all this time—
“Can we grab some coffee from the cafeteria,” he said, “then find a quiet spot away from any listening ears?”
“Fine. I just need to let Caden know where I’m going.”
He nodded. “You sure you want to interrupt that?”
Ava shot a glance at the conference room’s window. Caden and Jesse were still deep in conversation. She noted the intense look on the men’s faces and hesitated. “No, I guess not.” She pulled her phone from her pocket and sent Caden a text.
Heading to the cafeteria with John. He said he wanted to talk about my father. I’ll keep you updated.
She followed John to the elevator and stepped inside. Neither spoke as they descended to the first level. John led the way to the cafeteria and ordered two coffees. She loaded hers with sugar, then faced John. “Where do you want to go?”
He looked around. “It’s kind of crowded in here. How about my car? At least that way, I know no one’s listening in.”
Ava frowned. “I really don’t want to leave the hospital.”
“Why not? You have your phone. I’m parked in a law enforcement spot right outside the door. You can be back inside in seconds if you need to.”
She sighed and rubbed her eyes. So tired. “No, let’s find an empty room or something.”
A muscle jumped in his cheek, but he shrugged. “Fine.”
He led the way out of the cafeteria, checking his phone as he walked.
Her phone buzzed and she stopped to check it. John hovered nearby. It was Caden’s return text, asking her to please not leave the hospital and to let him know where she was at all times. She smiled—and enabled her location services for him. He could now track her. She should have done that ages ago.
Her phone rang, flashing her mother’s facility number. “John?”
He looked up. “Yeah?”
“Hold on. I need to take this.”
“Of course.”
Ava slid the bar at the bottom of the screen and pressed the phone to her ear. “Hello?”
“Is this Ava Jackson?”
“Yes.”
“I need to let you know that your mother’s taken a turn for the worse, and if you want to tell her goodbye, you need to get here pretty quickly.”
Ava closed her eyes and drew in a deep breath. “I see. All right. I’m on my way.” She looked at John. “I need a ride to the nursing home. We can talk on the way.”
“Your mom?”
“Yes.”
He pulled his keys from his pocket. “Then let’s go.”
Nicolai stood at the information desk outside the cafeteria, watching Ava. Would he never find her alone? Or with someone who didn’t look like they could defend her? He had to bide his time, wait this out. He couldn’t afford another mistake.
He’d checked on his aunt and learned she’d been released to police custody. They’d question her, but she wouldn’t tell them anything. In fact, she’d do her best to buy him the time he needed to complete the mission. Once he was finished, he’d find a way to get to her and then they could disappear.
And if he couldn’t, then, as much as it pained him, he’d leave her behind for a short while.
You can do this, Nicolai, she’d said only days after his mother and sisters had been killed. Tears streaked her cheeks, but her eyes burned with a strange light. One he’d finally identified as pure rage. It’s your duty to avenge our family. For too many years, our enemies have gotten away with their traitorous acts. And now your mother died because your father betrayed his country. But worse, he betrayed his family. So, what are we going to do to make sure they pay?
I will kill them, I will kill them all. I promise.
That’s a good boy.
He blinked back into the present as he climbed into his vehicle. He had two more families to finish off, but not until Ava and her father were wiped from this earth. If he didn’t act now, he could lose his chance. And that wasn’t an option. His breathing had quickened and sweat dripped into his eyes. He swiped it away, swept the police parking placard from the dash, and fell in behind them.