by Cynthia Eden
“Uh, yes, about that...” Ava cleared her throat as she closed in on the other woman. “Why did you hire me?”
Kristin’s smile slipped a notch.
And Ava’s stomach knotted.
“Well, because of your credentials, of course!” Kristin told her, that smile appearing again, only it wasn’t quite so full this time. “You graduated at the top of your class. You have a keen eye—” she waved her hand around the gallery “—obviously! You know your work and—”
“How much influence did the museum board have on your decision?” Because as she’d worked, she’d had time—too much time—to think about things. About the perfect job that had opened up and brought her right back home. A job that had been arranged for her...courtesy of Mark?
“The board?” Guilt sparked in Kristin’s eyes. “They can make recommendations, certainly, but the final call is mine.”
And Ava knew her suspicions were dead-on. “A board member told you to hire me.”
“I simply went over the list of applicants, and you were personally recommended—”
“Who recommended me?” She kept her tone polite, curious, when she wanted to demand. But she couldn’t demand. This was her boss, after all, and she needed the job. With everything else in her life going to hell, this position was important.
Kristin appeared hesitant.
“I have to thank him...or her,” Ava said, forcing a smile of her own. One that felt incredibly stiff on her lips. “I’d hoped to get a job at a museum like this one, and that recommendation...it made my dream come true.” And that was the truth.
Kristin’s shoulders relaxed. “I knew you’d love this place! After our interview, I thought for certain you’d fit perfectly here! And they were both so adamant that you were the right choice—”
“Both?” Ava asked her carefully.
“Why, yes, two board members were very supportive of you. Alan Channing and Mark Montgomery. They both vouched for you, and with references like those, I wasn’t about to turn you away.”
Right. Ava’s gaze fell to the canvas near her.
“Is everything okay?” Kristin asked as she edged closer. “You are enjoying the job here, aren’t you?”
Ava nodded and smiled again. She hoped the smile didn’t look as fake as it felt. “Of course.” But...she wished Mark had told her that he’d pushed to get her the position. There were a lot of things that she wished Mark had told her.
“Wonderful.” Kristin clapped excitedly. The woman really had a lot of excess energy. “And I think we’re done for the day. I owe you a million thanks for coming in and helping today. You are a phenomenal addition to the museum, and I know we’re going to be doing great things together.”
Then Kristin was hurrying away, her high heels echoing in the museum. Ava glanced down at her watch. It was nearly five o’clock. Another night was closing in, and she still didn’t have any clue who that jerk out there was.
Grant had called her twice—checking in with his usual big brother style. She’d assured him that she was fine.
I can’t be afraid every moment.
Ava hurried back to her office and reached for her bag. As she’d told Grant, she couldn’t let this guy control her life. She couldn’t stay with a guard every moment—that was no way to live. I won’t let him win.
Winning and losing—as if this were all some sort of sick game. Unfortunately, Ava had started to think of this whole mess as a cat-and-mouse game. She was the mouse, and the guy was just playing with her.
A few of the other workers called out to Ava as they left. She waved to them and quickly finished organizing her office. When she was satisfied, she reached for her keys. The parking garage was on the level right below the lobby, so she headed for the elevator.
“Wait for me!” Kristin called.
Ava held the elevator door for her. Kristin hurried in, carrying a big briefcase. “Late-night work,” Kristin told her with a light laugh. “I’ve really got to learn how to leave this stuff here. Working all night doesn’t give me much of a social life.”
The elevator dinged when it reached the parking garage.
“Got big plans for the night?” Kristin asked her. “I know you’ve got family here—”
The elevator opened.
“—so I’m sure they’re glad to have you back—aah!” Kristin’s words ended in a scream because she’d just stepped out of the elevator and run right into a man wearing a black ski mask. A man armed with a knife.
He struck out with the knife, but Kristin lifted her briefcase. The blade sank into the case, and Ava grabbed Kristin, hauling her back while the man in the mask tried to yank his knife out of the leather. When Kristin was safely out of the way, Ava leapt forward. She shoved into the case, into the attacker, and he fell to the floor.
“Ava!”
At Kristin’s cry, Ava jumped back into the elevator. Her hand slammed into the elevator’s control panel. “Shut, shut, shut,” she screamed. The doors started to slide closed.
The attacker was on his feet again. He had the knife in his hand.
He could have lunged forward—could have gotten in there with them.
He didn’t move.
The elevator doors slid closed, and the elevator rose up to the next floor.
Kristin had a death grip on Ava’s arm. “We have to call the cops!”
They had to get someplace safe first. The elevator doors were already opening. “We have to get out of this building.” Ava shot out of the elevator. “Because he could be coming up the stairs.” And the stairwell was just a few feet away. Was it her imagination? Or did she hear him in that stairwell right then?
They ran. They raced through the museum. Everyone else seemed to have gone, but Ava knew the security guard would still be at the front desk. They just had to get to Frank Minnow. He’d help them. He’d—
The lights flashed off.
And Ava knew that her stalker was hunting them.
* * *
“SO...YOU’VE BEEN honest with me, haven’t you, Mark?”
At Davis’s slow words, Mark glanced up at the guy. They were in Mark’s barn, and Dr. Myers had finally gotten Legacy stable. She’d had to give the horse several injections, but he seemed calm now.
When he glanced over at Davis, Mark saw that the other man’s eyes were on the pretty doctor.
“I don’t like it when people lie to me,” Davis continued softly.
Right. So while the guy might appear to be staring at the doc, Mark knew Davis’s attention was wholly on him. “If you’re going to accuse me of something, then do it.” He wasn’t in the mood to play games.
“You told me that my dad was still alive when you got to the ranch that night.”
Mark locked his jaw. “He was.” But he hadn’t lived long. When he’d first seen him, Mark had thought he was already dead. There had been so much blood.
Then he’d caught the faintest sound—a whisper. He’d rushed forward and tried to stop that massive blood flow, but it had done no good.
“What did he say to you?”
Surprise pushed through Mark.
Davis turned away from the stall and focused his assessing stare fully on Mark. “Before he died, what did my father tell you?”
Mark shook his head.
“He did say something to you, didn’t he?”
“How do you know this?” Because he hadn’t thought anyone knew. Those last few moments had been so chaotic. He’d barely heard the man’s rasping words.
“That psycho who is stalking Ava called her today. He told her that Dad was still alive when you got to the ranch.”
Mark squeezed his eyes closed. Now he’d have to explain to Ava why he hadn’t revealed that to her before. Because I didn’t want to hurt her. I didn’t want Ava to know her d
ad was in agony until the very end. Choking on his own blood and struggling for every single breath.
“I tried to trace the number, but it didn’t work. The jerk probably was using a burner phone that he ditched right after he made the call to her.”
Mark’s hands were clenched into fists.
“He knew my dad was alive, and he knew that my father spoke to you before he died.” Davis took a step toward Mark. His voice dropped even more as he said, “You never told me that, man. We’ve spent years trying to find out who killed him, and you’ve been holding out on me, haven’t you? You have! I can see it in your eyes.”
Mark didn’t speak.
Davis lunged forward. He grabbed Mark by the shirtfront. “What were you keeping from us?” Now his voice was a snarl.
Mark didn’t speak.
“Stop it!” Jamie Myers yelled as she hurried toward them. “What are you two doing?” She pushed between them. Put a hand on each of their chests. “What is happening here?”
So much that the lady didn’t understand.
“It didn’t matter,” Mark finally gritted out to Davis.
“It matters to me.” Davis’s breath heaved out. “What did he say to you?”
Mark looked away.
Jamie just stood there. “Please tell me that you two aren’t about to start fighting. Because if that happens, someone is going to the hospital. I patch up animals, not people.”
He wasn’t going to fight Davis. He wouldn’t do anything to hurt the guy, because then Ava would just get hurt. Wasn’t that why he’d kept silent for so long? Because he didn’t want to hurt her? Everything he did...it was all for Ava.
“Tell me,” Davis demanded.
Mark raked a hand over his face. “He said...‘I’m sorry.’ That’s all he was saying, all right? Over and over, he was trying to say he was sorry. Like it was his fault that he and his wife had been murdered.”
Davis blanched.
Mark lunged forward, pushing past Jamie. He grabbed his friend’s arm. “He didn’t know what was even happening then. He was out of his head. Your father wasn’t to blame. No matter what—”
“He said something else.” Davis’s face was stark. “Tell me.”
Jaw locking, Mark told him, “He...he said, ‘My fault.’ That was the last thing, okay? He was saying, ‘My fault that she—’” Mark stopped because Ava’s father had stopped. “He never finished that sentence.”
Because he hadn’t taken another breath.
Davis turned away from him.
“You were all hurt enough!” Mark yelled. “That wasn’t going to help you!”
Davis kept walking.
* * *
THE MUSEUM’S ALARM was sounding. A long, desperate shriek. Kristin and Ava were running for the front doors. They rounded a corner.
“Freeze!” It was Frank, holding up his gun and flashlight.
They froze.
“Ms. McGuire? Ms. Lang?” He started to lower his weapon. “I thought everyone had already left!”
Ava shook her head. That alarm was still shrieking. “There’s a man in the parking garage. He’s got a knife.”
Frank surged forward.
“He tried to stab me,” Kristin said, her words and her body shaking. “He nearly killed me!”
Frank’s light shone behind them. No one was there. But that guy in the ski mask could be anywhere right then.
“The police are already on the way. They were contacted the minute the alarm sounded,” Frank said. “Let’s get you two someplace safe.”
But at this point, Ava was starting to wonder if any safe place existed.
He’s always playing his games. And tonight, Kristin was almost caught in the crossfire.
They hurried down the hall. Frank stayed close, and he kept his weapon at the ready.
When they made it to the front of the museum, Ava saw the blue swirl of police lights. Frank opened the door for her and Kristin. As they rushed out, the cops rushed in. Ava glanced back—and saw all of the lights in the museum flash back on.
Cat and mouse. How long would it be until the cat decided to eat that mouse and end the game?
Kristin was talking quickly beside her. The other woman’s words were tumbling out as she spoke with the uniformed cops. Ava stood there, and she just felt...cold.
I want this to end.
A car braked nearby, the squeal of its tires jarring Ava enough that she glanced to the right. She saw Alan jump out of a Jaguar. He hurried toward her. “Ava! Kristin! What’s happening?” Worry darkened his face. “Was there a break-in at the museum?”
Ava shook her head. The attacker hadn’t been trying to steal anything. He’d just been after her. And he was willing to hurt Kristin because she was in his way.
“A man tried to attack me!” Kristin said. “He was waiting in the parking garage with a knife. He—”
“It’s my fault.” Ava knew her voice was too low. She cleared her throat and tried again. “I’m...I’m sorry, Kristin.”
Kristin’s lips parted in surprise.
A young uniformed cop stepped closer. “Ma’am? You want to explain that a little bit more to me?”
She shivered. Alan took off his jacket and wrapped it around her shoulders.
“I...a man has been stalking me.” Her temples were pounding. Kristin could have died. Just like Mark could have died when the stalker went after him! “I’ve already spoken with some detectives at the station. They know...he’s been following me. A man in a black ski mask. A guy about six-foot-two, maybe one hundred eighty pounds.”
“Ski mask,” Kristin repeated, and she wrapped her arms around her stomach.
“He shot at a...friend of mine last night.” Her gaze fell to the ground. “He’s not stopping,” she said, voice breaking a bit. “I don’t think he’s ever going to stop until he gets what he wants.”
“And he wants...?” The cop stared at her, his eyes suspicious.
“Me.”
* * *
MARK CAUGHT DAVIS right before the guy climbed into his vehicle. “Wait, man, wait!”
Davis looked back at him.
“Your father was a good man. We both know that. He was out of his head at the end. He was just talking crazy. I wasn’t going to repeat what he said because I knew the gossips would run wild with all kinds of stories.” Just like they’d done with Ava. “I didn’t want your family hearing or seeing stories about your father being in on the attack...or him doing something to get your mother killed.”
Davis’s eyes were angry slits of green fire.
“You saw what they did to Ava!” Mark shook his head. “I was trying to protect you all. I didn’t want you to hurt anymore.” And they’d all been suffering through hell.
“What else aren’t you telling me?”
Mark stilled.
“Because you see, Mark, I’m wondering...maybe I shouldn’t be trusting you quite so much.” He stepped closer. “I know what you’re capable of doing. I saw you in the field. No hesitations. Anything necessary to get the job done.”
Mark’s back teeth had clenched. “You were the same way.”
“I know.” Davis eased out a breath. “That’s what scares me.”
Before he could speak, Mark’s phone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, then frowned at the number there. According to the name on the screen, Davis was calling him.
Only Davis was standing there, glaring at him.
Mark took the call, turning it on speaker. “Hello.”
“Mark.” Ava said his name in a quick rush. He could hear her fear, and every single muscle in his body locked down. “He was here, at the museum.”
“Are you all right?” he immediately demanded. “Ava—”
“The alarm
went off, and the police are here now. They’re looking for him.” Her breath whispered over the line on a soft sigh. “He had a knife.”
Bastard.
“My boss, Kristin, was with me. He tried to stab her.”
Davis swore.
“We’re both okay,” Ava told them. There was no emotion in her voice, and that scared Mark. Everything about this messed up situation scared him. “The security guard was still here. The guy after us—he turned off all the lights in the museum. He was hunting us.”
But they’d gotten out. This time.
He looked up and saw the same fear and fury he felt reflected in Davis’s eyes. “Stay with the cops,” Mark said. “We’re on our way.”
* * *
HE DROVE SCARY fast to get to Ava. Mark hadn’t been able to find Ty before he’d left the ranch, but Jamie had been there, still keeping watch on Legacy. He’d given orders to a few of his other ranch hands to help her—and to keep an eye on the place.
Davis was in the car with him. With every second that passed, Mark’s fury grew. Why couldn’t they seem to catch this guy? Why was he always a step ahead—a step that put him far too close to Ava?
When he got to the museum, he counted five police cars at the scene. The area looked like chaos, with the uniformed cops all running around. He knew the system must have automatically sent an alert to the authorities when the museum’s alarm had triggered.
I hope you left a trail behind this time.
He jumped from his vehicle and hurried toward the building. Then he saw Ava. She was standing to the side, talking with two cops. Alan Channing was with her. As Mark watched, Alan wrapped his arm around Ava and gave her a hug.
Mark hurried toward them.
“I’ll take Ava home,” Alan was saying. “Until this bastard is caught, I feel like she needs someone to stay close to her.”
Ava rubbed her left temple. “I don’t want anyone else getting pulled into this mess. I’m fine on my own.”
But Alan shook his head. “You need—”
“Ava.” Mark slid past the police officers.
Alan stiffened. His arm dropped from Ava’s shoulders.
Mark reached out to her. His hand skimmed down her cheek even as his eyes searched every inch of her for any sign of injury. “Did he hurt you?”