Beyond His Control

by Stephanie Tyler

  But Ava’s fingers were cool against his skin, calming, almost. Grounding. And if he stared into her eyes long enough, he could almost believe that this could be real, the way Turk had told him all those years ago…

  “What’s up?” Justin asked as soon as he slammed the passenger-side door shut. It was a little after two in the morning, which didn’t bother Justin as much as being forced to climb out of his warm bed and come out in the freezing cold of another crappy Virginia winter.

  Turk put his foot heavily on the gas and shot the old Buick down the stretch of icy, deserted highway. “It’s about Ava.”

  “When is it not?” Justin asked as Turk took a curve at high speed. Justin finally noticed his friend’s tense posture. “Look, is she all right? Did someone hurt her?”

  “She thinks she loves you.”

  Justin stared at Turk’s profile, unable to speak for a moment. “She told you that?”

  “She didn’t have to tell me. I just know.”

  “Last I checked, you weren’t an expert on women and their feelings.”

  “My sister’s in love with you. I don’t know how I didn’t notice it until yesterday.” Turk shook his head as he pulled the car, with its now overheating engine, off to the side of the highway. Turk cursed and let himself out of the car, Justin following at his heels.

  “You’re wrong,” Justin insisted as Turk opened the hood and steam billowed into the freezing air. Justin shoved his hands into his pockets—he’d forgotten gloves in his haste to meet up with his friend, and he hoped there was a blanket in this car as well.

  “Not about this. Grab the water and antifreeze from the trunk, will you.”

  “Turk, she doesn’t love me. She doesn’t even know what love is,” he called out as he opened the battered trunk and hauled out the two bottles. He handed the antifreeze to Turk and held on to the water.

  “Yeah, you say that to her so you can sound like every single adult asshole we’ve ever met.” Turk stared at him. “She’s got it bad for you. I could tell by the way she was watching you tell that stupid story last night about the time you pulled the fire alarm at your old boarding school to get out of your suspension.”

  “How exactly was she looking at me?”

  “Like your stupid story was interesting. Like you were some superhero.” Turk paused. “I’m not pissed at you. I know you wouldn’t take advantage of her or hurt her. Not intentionally.”

  Justin shuffled his feet in the snow. White flakes had started to come down hard as Turk went underneath the hood. “She’s just got a crush,” he said to Turk’s back.

  “Whatever it is, she’s got it bad.”

  “It’ll pass.”

  Turk came out from under the hood and paused for a long second while staring at Justin. “She’s going out with the quarterback this weekend, you know.”

  Justin didn’t say anything, instead he gripped the bottle of water so tightly that the plastic crumpled in his hand.

  Turk chuckled softly. “As long as you feel the same way, I guess it’s all right.”

  Justin hadn’t bothered to argue then, either.

  “The DEA wants me to turn you in to them. For protection. Karen will be waiting for you at the safe house,” he told Ava now, barely able to speak over the lump in his throat.

  She shook her head, nearly imperceptibly. But he saw it, got it. It was all he needed to make him jerk the wheel, stopping the car along the side of the road.

  “There’s someplace else we could go,” he said. “A place the team and I use that we keep secret.” Even though Rev had secured Justin’s own house earlier, once the DEA got involved that was no longer an option—his own house was obviously the first place they’d look. He’d originally picked that location because he’d have the home turf advantage—because he’d have Rev and Cash and his other teammates close by for support. Now, he wasn’t going to get them tangled up in all of this. Besides, the cabin was far more high tech than his own house could ever be.

  “Go there,” she said.

  “You’ve got to think this through—”

  “I’m not going into protective custody. Leo will take care of what he needs to. In the meantime, I’m staying with you.”

  He didn’t ask her again as he prepared to break every freakin’ rule in the book and rewrite them his own way.

  He knew Ava all too well, knew himself, too. One night wasn’t too much to ask. One night and he’d make sure that she was placed where she should be. She’d hate him for it, no doubt, but in order to keep her safe he was going to have to let her go.

  “It’ll be okay,” she offered.

  He nodded, not believing that at all. “We’ll be there soon.”

  “Yesterday I was getting ready for the biggest case of my career.”

  A little while ago, you were in my arms…

  “I know,” he said quietly, and this time he dropped one hand off the steering wheel.

  She held on to it tightly.

  LEO AND CALLIE ended up at an all-night gas station and rest stop that was nearly deserted, save for a lone man behind the counter and a few weary truckers.

  He wasn’t sure anymore whom he could trust in the DEA, but he did know there was always one person in the entire world he could trust with his life. Hands down, no questions asked.

  He put the change into the pay phone and dialed. When the phone on the other end rang once, he put the receiver back in the cradle. Then he dialed the same number again, let the phone ring three times before hanging up. An old signal, but one that Justin would recognize.

  Now it was time to put some more distance between him and the O’Rourke gang.

  “See that old Chevy?” He didn’t point, motioned with a small tilt of his head that almost made him fall over in pain.

  “Yes.”

  “Just walk over to the passenger’s side, like you’re waiting for me to open the door.”

  “You’re not going to be able to drive,” she told him. “How about you walk over to the passenger’s side?”

  “Because I’m the one who needs to start the car, unless you’ve got keys to it I don’t know about,” he said, but she’d already started walking toward the car, obviously opting for her own plan.

  The doors were unlocked, which was the reason he’d picked that particular car in the first place. She was already in the driver’s seat, the panel below the steering wheel yanked out and wires exposed by the time he’d gotten in himself.

  Within seconds, the engine rolled over. She didn’t bother to replace the panel, instead, just pulled out of the parking lot as if she was in no hurry at all.

  Once they got onto the highway, she gunned it.

  “What the hell did you do before you became a social worker?” he asked.

  Callie didn’t answer him. His thoughts were spinning and he heard himself pulling hard for a breath. Still, he grabbed for the gun and held it on her.

  “You’re going to shoot the only chance we’ve got of getting out of all of this?” she asked calmly.

  “You’re cool under pressure. You know your way around injuries. You can hot-wire a car. Did you pick all of this up from your street kid clients, Callie?”

  “Maybe.” She stared at him with a look in her eyes similar to that of a caged lion’s.

  He didn’t doubt that some major self-defense moves came in this pretty, defiant package, as well. “What you’re not telling me could get us both killed.”

  “You can hot-wire a car, too,” she started. “You worked for the O’Rourke family. You handle a gun, you almost killed a man in front of me. And you’re obviously wanted. So, you first. Because I don’t even know your name.”

  He opened his mouth to tell her that he wasn’t satisfied with her answer, that none of this was a joke, that she was in a lot of danger, but the adrenaline that had gotten him this far suddenly disappeared.

  He was vaguely aware of Callie calling his name, touching his cheek and his chest, slipping the gun from his hand, but
dammit, he didn’t care about anything except the heaviness that overtook him.

  9

  AVA DOZED for most of the two-hour drive to the cabin. She’d reclined the seat at Justin’s suggestion and exhaustion overtook her. When she woke, she found herself staring up at him, her head resting on her arm.She could barely make out his profile—stoic, staring straight ahead—but she didn’t doubt for a second that he knew she was awake.

  “Good timing,” he said after a few seconds. “We’re here.”

  She pushed the seat upright and stared out at the dark cabin he’d parked next to. It looked solidly built, a one-floor job with a large, wraparound porch covering three sides. “What is this place?”

  “A couple of my teammates and I built it a few years back. The land belongs to our CO. It’s kind of an experiment.”

  “An experiment?” she asked sleepily.

  “It’s a prototype, actually.” He stared up at the nondescript cabin. “Rev is using this place to develop the ultimate in high-tech security.”

  “So this has nothing to do with your SEAL work, then?”

  “No. It’s about preparing for the future,” he said. “Come on, let’s get settled inside.”

  He opened his door and grabbed his bag from the back seat. She followed suit in her bare feet and caught up with him on the porch. “Your team’s going to worry about you soon, aren’t they?”

  “I’m on leave, but yeah. They’ll start wondering soon.”

  “Probably worried enough to come looking for you.”

  “We’ve still got a while before that would happen. I won’t be UA for another six days.” He punched some numbers into a small black device attached to a ring of keys he’d pulled from his pocket, and she watched in amazement as the heavy door slid open.

  “It’s solid steel,” he explained as he motioned her into the cabin. The door closed quietly behind them with a solid thunk. Justin punched in some more buttons to the device. “We’re okay for now.”

  The main room was furnished casually, with a couple of beige couches that looked comfortable enough, a few bookcases and a TV, and the kitchen was toward the back of the cabin.

  There were also lots of windows.

  “They’re tinted,” he said when he saw her looking. “You can see out, no one can see in. They’re also bulletproof.”

  “Good. That’s…good.”

  “I know you’re worried about Leo and Callie, but the best thing we can do for him now is to keep you safe. Out of harm’s way. That’s what he asked me to do and that’s what I’m going to do.”

  “Whether I like it or not, right?”

  “Right,” he agreed sincerely, and that got a small snort from her.

  She sighed. “It’s just that…I could be doing something. Maybe we can figure out where Leo’s being held—”

  “If he’s being held.”

  “They know he’s my brother. They know who he is.”

  “Not necessarily. His cover could’ve included an A.D.A. sister named Ava. Sometimes, when you’re telling a lie, you have to have a lot of the truth in there to pull it off.”

  Still, she wasn’t all that satisfied. “There’s got to be something we can do.”

  “If there is, we’ll do it,” he promised. “Let me show you around here some more.”

  He explained the alarm system, the secret basement bunker that was filled with cameras and its own bedroom and bathroom. And weapons. He told her, “If anyone comes, go down here and lock yourself in. Don’t wait for me if I’m not around.”

  She didn’t bother to protest. His eyes held that dangerous glitter that let her know it was better not to argue.

  This place, with its high-tech security, was unbelievable. “Is all of this expensive?”

  “As a whole, it would be marketed to wealthy clientele. But bits and pieces could easily be adapted by just about anyone.”

  She thought about the peace of mind some of this equipment could bring women who lived life looking over their shoulder and her stomach clenched with fear. Callie.

  “I need to make a call.”

  Justin shook his head. “Not now. Not for a while.”

  “It’s a really important call.”

  “Ava—” He ran a hand through his hair. “I’ll make it for you.”

  “You can’t. She won’t accept a call from you. Only from me, from my number. And I barely have any charge left.”

  “You’re being impossible. Don’t you realize that anyone you call…”

  “Anyone I call could be my enemy? Could turn me in to the O’Rourkes?” She marched to grab her cell phone and flipped it open, daring him to stop her.

  He didn’t. Instead he crossed his arms and watched her as Callie’s message began to play. She forced herself to stare at Justin in that defiant way he’d expect. And then she closed the phone without leaving a message.

  “Why are you shaking?” he asked, his drawl thickening, the way it did when he was angry. “Don’t play games with me now. Tell me everything you know.”

  “It’s nothing that could help the DEA find Leo. Callie is a social worker who was on the Susie Mercer case—she’s also my good friend. I met her last year when I started doing some volunteer work for her.”

  He narrowed his eyes. “What kind of work?”

  “Helping abused women.”

  “Like Susie Mercer.”

  “Yes.”

  “How?”

  She shifted from foot to foot under the interrogation in a way she never did with anyone. “I can’t tell you that.”

  He took a step forward, stood less than an inch from her. “You have to tell me. You will tell me.”

  “Don’t push me, Justin.”

  “What? The way you didn’t push me in the car? The way you didn’t force me to spill my deepest secrets to you? The ones that won’t help to save your brother’s life.”

  “I don’t know where Susie is! Neither does Callie.” She shoved him hard against the chest. He, of course, didn’t move an inch, but rather grabbed her arms and held her easily. Gently. More gently than she would’ve expected.

  “Let me in, Ava. Maybe we can piece all of this together.”

  “Callie helps abused women leave their husbands,” she started. “If a woman’s husband doesn’t get convicted, or she’s too scared to press charges but still wants to leave, Callie helps them disappear. A kind of witness protection program, run for women, by women.”

  “Who funds it?”

  “It doesn’t take much, really. You’d be surprised how many people are willing to help. It’s an entire network of people throughout the country…a lot of them are the women we’ve helped. It’s all done anonymously.”

  “So Callie really doesn’t know where Susie is?”

  She shook her head. “There are only two people at all times who follow the chain. Susie’s gone through the system and she’s free. On her own. Neither of us know now…only the last woman in the chain typically knows the whereabouts of the woman who’s escaping, and this time, even that last woman doesn’t know. Couldn’t know. Susie refused to put anyone in more danger than necessary. She’s so brave, Justin.”

  “So the men who are after Susie don’t know anything about your system?”

  “I don’t think so. I think they’re just using Callie and me as the last-known links to Susie.”

  “So how the hell did they figure out who Leo is?” he asked, letting go of her so he could walk a short distance, trying to problem solve the situation. He stopped, stared at the wall. “Does Callie know what your brother does for a living?”

  “Yes. But she didn’t know what case he was working on. Even I didn’t know that.”

  He turned. “You have pictures of Leo. In your house.”

  “Yes. Of course.”

  He nodded. “That’s how they must have made the connection, since they were following you and Callie, looking for clues on Susie.”

  “I really did blow his cover.”

 
“Maybe. But it wasn’t on purpose. Just a case of really, really bad luck. Still, you should have told me this. All of this.”

  “I’m not supposed to tell anyone about what Callie does.”

  “And I’m not just anyone,” he told her, his face a cross between hurt and anger right before his phone beeped to distract him.

  She saw him take it out of his pocket and stare hard at the number instead of answering.

  It was the same thing he’d done twice on the ride to the cabin. She’d heard the phone ring in her sleep, opened her eyes briefly, then watched him watch the number and wait for the phone to stop ringing.

  All three times, it stopped after three rings.

  “Your phone—why does it keep doing that?” she asked.

  He stared at the screen quickly, then shut it. “Yeah, it’s just a wrong number.”

  “I don’t believe you.”

  “Right now I don’t really care what you believe. I’m going to shore things up outside and hide the car. Stay in here and stay off the phone,” he ordered. The door slid open, then closed and she heard the click of the locks. He’d most definitely locked her inside. She picked up the bowl from a table nearby and was prepared to throw it at the door. Ava imagined it breaking with a satisfying crack.

  She realized that would solve nothing, placed it back down on the table and took some deep breaths.

  Her father always said that you got angriest at the people you love the most—those you knew who wouldn’t run away from a fight.

  Justin left the cabin, but he wasn’t running, not away from her. He’d run away with her. And as angry as they were with each other, the deeper feelings were there. Undeniably there. Whether he’d admit them was another story. And in those moments, watching the door, she decided that she needed to try to get through to him.

  AFTER A NICE warm shower, something that would forever remind her of Justin, Ava changed into a U.S. Navy T-shirt and shorts and went back to the kitchen, her hair still wet and dripping. Justin was nowhere in sight, but she felt his presence as surely as if he was next to her. His presence and his anger.