He closed his eyes, searching for strength. “Did anyone call to tell her that her mother was getting ready to die any minute and she needed to get there fast?”
“What! No, of course not. I just checked on Mrs. Jackson not ten minutes ago. She’s the same as when Ava was here a few nights ago.”
“Thank you, Petra.”
“What’s going on, Caden? Is Ava all right? I mean, she called to say she was dealing with something that would require her to be gone for a few days, but this sounds pretty serious.”
“It’s serious.”
“Does it have anything to do with the officer who keeps pacing in front of Mrs. Jackson’s room?”
The woman was sharp. “Yes. Just let him pace, okay?”
“Of course.” She hesitated. “Is anyone here at the facility in danger?”
“No. Not at all. The guard on Mrs. Jackson is just a precaution. I’ve talked to the director and he knows why the man is there.”
“That’s good enough for me then. I’ll be praying.”
“Please do.”
He hung up and tried Ava’s phone again.
Straight to voice mail. Great.
He went to find Gavin. He found him pacing in front of the vending machines. His friend gave it a light punch, then raked a hand over his beard.
“They don’t have your favorite candy bar?” Caden asked.
Gavin jerked to a stop. “Sorry. Just worried and needed a place to vent a little without letting Sarah see.”
“Yeah.”
Gavin’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
Caden told him. “I’d head over to the facility, but I have a feeling she’s won’t be there anytime soon.”
“But she left with this guy, John?”
“Yeah.”
“Let’s look at the footage.”
Ten minutes later, Caden stood in the hospital security office watching Ava walk out the door with a man he didn’t recognize. “Freeze it right there, will you?”
“Sure.” The officer complied and Caden pulled out his phone and did a Google search for a picture of the CIA director.
“Well, that’s him,” he muttered.
“Then maybe he had her turn off her phone so she couldn’t be tracked because . . .”
“Because?”
Gavin shook his head. “Sorry, I got nothing.”
“Yeah, me neither.”
“Let’s play it until they’re out of sight,” Caden told the officer.
He did. “Well,” Gavin said when it was done, “we know they’re heading south.”
“Which means we know nothing.” He paused. “But I know someone who might.”
“Who?”
“A woman named Julie. I’ve just got to get her number.”
Ava clutched the seat belt as John took an exit, leaving the highway behind. “Where are we going? At least tell me that.”
“To a little place your dad and I used to meet when we didn’t want anyone to find us. Where there weren’t any lies or fake identities. Just two guys hanging out and enjoying the scenery. Being ourselves without worrying about blown covers or protecting our families.”
“John, listen to me. I don’t want to be here. I need to find my father.”
“No!” He slapped the wheel and she jumped. “No,” he said in a lower voice, “you need to stay safe. If Nicolai gets his hands on you, you don’t understand the kind of pain and suffering you’ll experience before he finally kills you.”
Daria’s video from the floppy disks flashed in her head and she closed her eyes, swallowing against the nausea. “Yes,” she said, “I do know. But it’s a risk I’m willing to take. I’m an adult, capable of making my own decisions, and this is kidnapping! Now, take me back!”
He didn’t answer, didn’t look at her, didn’t do anything but drive.
Ava ground her teeth and racked her brain to come up with some way to get away from him. She’d have to, since he wasn’t going to listen to reason. And she’d have to find a way to take the car. She’d never been in this area before and wasn’t familiar with it, but she’d noted the twists and turns and was fairly confident she could find her way back as long as she was following the route he’d taken.
But first she had to make that happen.
“Hang on,” he said.
“What?”
“Someone’s behind us. He’s been behind us for a while.” John gunned the engine and the sedan shot forward.
Ava watched the mirrors and noted the car behind them do the same. John grabbed his phone and handed it to Ava. “Call 911.”
“How’d he know where we were? How did he find us?”
“I don’t know. Just call.” His jaw was tight enough to shatter his teeth and Ava realized just how worried he was.
She punched in the three numbers and hit dial. “He tracked us, didn’t he? Followed us from the hospital!”
“Probably.”
A hard hit from behind sent the phone flying. Ava cried out, grabbing for it, but the seat belt locked and slammed her back. Pain shot through her still-healing arm. She ignored it and released the seat belt to scramble for the phone.
Another ram sent her back against her seat and the air bag exploding. She bounced into the door and grabbed the handle above the window. The car spun off the road and into a tree before shuddering to a halt. Dust filled the interior and Ava gasped. She released her hold on the handle, pushed aside the air bag material, then reached for John. He had a nasty lump on his head, but his eyes flickered.
“John, come on, wake up.”
Panting, she sent up prayers for help and looked out the window to see the SUV that had been following them pull to a stop. “No. Come on, John, please.”
He groaned and looked up at her, his eyes finally focusing. “Run, Ava,” he rasped and pressed her cell phone into her hand. “Don’t let him catch you.”
“I can’t leave you.” She powered up the phone and the screen flickered to life.
“Go. I didn’t go to all this trouble to have you land in his hands. Please.”
Ava took another look out the window.
Nicolai was already hurrying toward them.
John gripped the pocket of her blazer. “Hurry,” he whispered. Blinked and shut his eyes.
A whimper escaped her, then with a low cry she pushed out of the sedan, flashes of being trapped in Caden’s truck coming back to haunt her. But the door had opened easily and she rushed toward the trees.
Heavy footsteps pounded behind her.
Harsh breathing pulled closer. She dared a glance back over her shoulder just as his hand shot out and punched her in the head. She went down, stars dancing in her vision. A wet spray hit her in the face. She gasped before she could stop herself and the world tilted.
He leaned over her . . . and smiled.
CHAPTER
TWENTY-THREE
Caden hung up the phone for the fifth time, but at least Ava’s phone wasn’t going straight to voice mail anymore. It was actually ringing four times first. He wasn’t sure what was worse—the acute anxiety when it didn’t ring, or the crashing letdown when she didn’t pick up.