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Ava couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe at the way Derek and the others looked out for each other. The bond they shared was unshakable, and it made her feel safer knowing Aussie was part of it.
“Thank you, Derek,” she said.
Derek smiled, “No thanks needed, honey. We always have each other’s back. You guys drive safe,” he said, stepping back. “And Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas,” they echoed as they climbed into the truck.
As they pulled out of the parking lot and onto the highway, heading toward Indiana, Ava glanced at Aussie and Christian. Despite the tension and uncertainty, she felt a glimmer of hope. They were together, and that was what mattered most.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
Ezekiel adjusted his tie as he sat at the long mahogany table in the City Hall meeting room, nodding along to the monotonous droning of the city manager. The room was packed with local business owners and community leaders, their polite smiles masking their impatience. Ezekiel’s carefully cultivated public image as the owner of the largest furniture shop in town required him to attend these meetings, but his mind was elsewhere tonight.
For the third time, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He resisted the urge to pull it out, though his curiosity was piqued. Few people had his number, and even fewer would dare interrupt him during a city function.
When the meeting finally adjourned, Ezekiel was the first to stand, muttering a curt excuse to the mayor as he slipped past the crowd.He strode out of City Hall, ignoring the familiar faces who were trying to catch his attention for small talk. The chill of the night air hit him as he stepped onto the pavement, but he barely noticed.
By the time he reached his car, he had his phone out, looking through the missed calls. Jarod’s name was at the top—three missed calls from him, all within the last hour.
He quickly called him back.
“Jarod,” Ezekiel barked as soon as the line connected.
“Ezekiel,” Jarod replied, his voice tight with unease. “We’ve got a problem.”
Ezekiel leaned against his car, his knuckles whitening as he gripped the roof. “What kind of problem?”
Jarod sighed. The hesitation in his voice was making Ezekiel’s blood boil. “It’s about Christian and Ava.”
Ezekiel’s eyes narrowed. “Go on.”
“Apparently, your little talk with Barrett and Chase about backing off of Christian went unheard.”
“What do you mean? What happened?”
“It appears the two dumbasses royally fucked up and confronted Christian the other day and threatened him that if he didn’t cooperate, they would take things further and go after Ava.”
Ezekiel felt his blood pressure rising with each passing second.
“But that isn’t all. Apparently, Christian told some people what happened, and now the FBI is looking for Barrett and Chase. As for Christian and Ava, they left town earlier today.”
“Left town? Where did they go?”
“No clue. They left with the guy that she was dating. According to my source, he’s a Navy SEAL, and his personal information is sealed tight.”
Ezekiel’s eyebrows shot up upon hearing that detail. But he didn’t have time to waste worrying about who the woman was dating. Suddenly, the anger surging through his body returned in full force. He needed to cut off the lead that the police had.
Ezekiel sneered, pacing beside his car.He had noticed that Barrett and Chase had been getting a little too comfortable in their roles. Now, their stupidity has put everything that Ezekiel has worked for at risk.
“Barrett and Chase are going to pay for this.”
“The FBI is tracking them,” Jarod reminded him.
Ezekiel’s lip curled. “Doesn’t matter. I’ll handle it. They won’t be an issue for long.”
Jardo hesitated before asking, “What about Ava and Christian? We don’t know for sure if Barrett or Chase mentionedanything else to Christian that could potentially lead the authorities to us.”
Ezekiel’s mind churned. He would deal with Ava and the boy, too. Christian was a liability. He was nothing more than a loose end to be tied up. And Ava. She was an annoyance. Beautiful, but still an annoyance. Perhaps she could serve a temporary purpose before her usefulness ran out.
