He walked back into the waiting area to find Sarah conversing with their father’s doctor. When he got closer, he picked up the last part. “. . . doing as well as can be expected right now, so that’s good.”
Relief swept over him and his knees went a little weak. He’d been more than worried his father would die. He’d been terrified. “When can we see him?”
“In a few hours.”
“Thank you,” Sarah said.
The man nodded and headed back down the hall. Caden took a moment to gather his strength, then clasped Sarah’s hand.
“What is it? What’s wrong?” she asked.
“I think . . . Ava’s . . . missing.”
Her eyes widened. “Missing? Missing how? What are you talking about?”
“Her friend John came to the hospital to talk to her, but she got a call that her mother was dying and she needed to head to the nursing home. So she left with him. But I’ve been calling and texting and she’s not answering. And she’s not with her mom.” He raked a hand over his head. “I don’t like it. She wouldn’t just drop off the radar, knowing how worried I’d be.”
“What about her friend? Can you call him?”
“He’s not answering either.”
“Well, maybe—” She stopped and shook her head. “No, you’re right. Ava wouldn’t turn off her phone or ignore your calls and texts. Sounds like she might be in trouble.”
Her words pierced him. “Yes. Unfortunately, that’s the only conclusion I’ve come up with.”
“Do you know where to start looking for her?”
“No.”
“Well . . . can you track her phone? Or does that take forever to get permission to do?”
He blinked and held his own device up. “Actually, I can do it from my phone. As long as hers is turned on.” He glanced at Sarah, then back to the screen, where he tapped through the sequence that would allow him to see Ava’s location. “It’s weird. Just a little bit ago, it was going straight to voice mail. Then it started ringing four times before hitting voice mail.”
“Like she’d turned it off, then back on?”
“Yes. Exactly.”
“You’re right. That’s weird. First of all, she wouldn’t turn her phone off. Second, she wouldn’t ignore you.” Fear flickered in her eyes. “For some reason, she can’t answer, and you need to find out why. Fast.”
Ava blinked, her pounding head pulling her from unconsciousness into a twilight awareness. Nausea swirled and she swallowed hard in order not to lose the contents of her stomach. It was only at that point she noticed she was seated on a hard chair and her wrists bound together. “Ugh.”
What had happened? The floor rocked beneath her—a sensation she was intimately familiar with—but it sure didn’t help the nausea. She was on a boat. Tied up. And felt wretched. Why?
She shoved aside the need to give in to the rising panic and focused.
John. She swung her head to the left and grimaced. Closed her eyes and took in a few breaths as the darkness threatened to engulf her once more.
No. Stay awake. She needed to . . .
What?
Find her father because he was alive. Right.
So . . .
With her eyes closed, she went through the list again, trying to process.
She was on a boat.
Her hands were tied.
She needed to puke but refused to do so.
And she smelled . . . a combination of body odor and . . . food?
“Ava?”
She blinked and the room came into focus. Somewhat. She squinted, the headache intensifying as the light hit her eyes. Another groan slipped from her and she slammed her eyes shut once more.
“Ava? Time to wake up.”
Someone nudged her shoulder.
“Leave her alone.”
The low voice jump-started her brain. She knew that voice. “Dad?” she croaked. No, she must still be asleep. Dreaming.
Another nudge. This one harder and more insistent.
Awareness finally hit her, and she remembered John, being hit by the other car, and running. Only she hadn’t run fast enough and he’d caught her. Nicolai. The man who’d killed so many. The man who wanted to kill her.
So, why was she still alive?
She kept her eyes closed for the moment.
“Look this way, Ava. Someone wants to see you.”
She didn’t recognize the voice, but it reminded her of . . . she couldn’t place it.
Wait. Yes, she could. It reminded her of the one from the old footage on the floppy disks. The voice that laughed while others screamed their agony.
Terror shot through her, but with effort, she rolled her head to see a man on the bed in the far corner. Cuffs encircled his wrists. Attached to the cuffs were chains that ran the length of the floor to the wall. A dark beard and mustache covered the lower portion of his face, but when his eyes met hers, she stifled a gasp.
“Dad,” she whispered.
His eyes drank in the sight of her, his gaze roaming over her from top to bottom. “Ava.”
“I found you.”
He sighed. “Yes. You did.” The sheer agony in his gaze said he knew what they were facing and it was killing him. The bruises on his face and torso said he’d already faced some of it.
“So,” Nicolai said, clasping his hands in front of him, “as much as I’d love to watch this little family reunion, we’ve got a lot to cover before the fun begins.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and glanced at the screen. “I’ve got a few things to take care of and then we’ll get started. Feel free to use this time to continue to get reacquainted.” He ran a finger down Ava’s cheek, and she clenched her jaw, refusing to outwardly react even though she wanted to lose her last meal. She chose to blame it on the residual side effects of whatever he’d knocked her out with, not the sheer terror clawing through her.
He grinned, his face handsome with his high cheekbones and white teeth. But his eyes gave him away. Darkened and dead, reflecting a soul that for much too long had received no nourishment except hatred and bitterness. Even while she was terrified of the man, a strange compassion hit her as well. “Your aunt did this to you,” she said, her voice soft. “Her desire for revenge twisted you into the person you are today. I’m sorry.”
He stepped back, frowned. Confusion flickered, then faded. He stomped to the door and swung it open. “Business calls,” he said, “but soon we’ll get to play.”
“Caden will find me,” she said.
“Why do you think he’ll have a clue as to where you are?”
She bit her lip. Her words had been more for herself than for Nicolai. She had no idea if Caden could find her or not. Nicolai reached into his pocket, pulled out her cell phone, and waved it at her. “You think he’ll find you by tracking your phone? So sorry. I turned that little ‘share my location’ feature off while you were sleeping. Fortunately for me, I found it at the dock. Like I said, I’ll be back soon.”
He left and Ava dragged in a shuddering breath. She looked at the man she’d thought dead and couldn’t process the emotions racing through her. She wanted to hug him and yell at him all at the same time. But . . . priorities. “We’ve got to get out of here. Fast.”