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“Hi, Max.” When I hear her friendly voice, I picture her smile. “It’s been a while.”
“It has. Quick thing, is Ava around?”
A whoosh sounds down the line. “No. Ava has been working from home. I think she’s coming in tomorrow, though. She has a meeting with the designers. Why?”
“No reason, really. Just wanted to show her some samples. Since she’s busy, I’ll email them to her.”
“I can tell her you called. Or maybe I could squeeze you in tomorrow? She’s only here in the morning for a few hours.”
“Don’t worry about it. There’s no need. I’ll give her a call and set something up.”
“Okay. By the way, you still owe me drinks,” Rosie tells me.
Her flirty behavior isn’t shocking. Whenever I want to know something about Ava, I flirt with Rosie to get information. I feel bad about deceiving her, but Ava is more important.
“Soon, I promise. Once this issue comes out, my schedule will slow down.”
“I’ll hold you to it.” She pauses before announcing, “I have to go. The other line is ringing.”
“Okay. Have a great day.”
“Thanks. You too.”
Now I have a when. I just need to work on the how.
How can I get Ava alone? Marco follows her everywhere.
I suppose the only plan is to be spontaneous and use whatever opportunity I see tomorrow.
* * *
The Next Day…
I get up before my alarm. As I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, I consider my preliminary plan. Diana texted me last night asking if I’d had a chance to put our plan in motion. I told her about my in-progress plan. She thought it was brilliant and raved about the element of surprise.
If Ava doesn’t know I’m coming, neither will Viktor or Marco. Ava is a creature of habit. She’ll be at the office by eight, and have her usual coffee, which she gets herself, so my best chance will be at the coffee house. There’s a parking lot next door and at the back. I can take her without being detected.
I roll out of bed. If I leave early, I might see Ava when she arrives at House of Beauty, maybe even intercept her before she gets her coffee. Diana suggested I use ketamine to get her in the car. I was surprised when she had it sent over. It is creepy that she knows where I live. She knows more about me than I know about her. But that isn’t important at the moment.
I think drugging Ava is extreme. Still, Diana cautioned that Ava might be suffering from Stockholm syndrome, leading her to confuse her relationship with Viktor for love.
Finally, it’s time to leave. The ketamine Diana sent over is sitting on my kitchen counter. I’m still undecided about using it, so I leave it there.
At the last minute, I double back and snatch up the box. It won’t hurt to have it. My watch reads six-thirty in the morning. I have more than enough time to spot Ava when she arrives and take her safely.
* * *
One hour later…
I sit in my car and wait for Ava. As I do, I wonder if I will need to use the ketamine. There was a note inside the box with a syringe. Diana said the quickest way to incapacitate Ava would be by injecting the ketamine. I find it crude, but this might be my only opportunity. Still, I can’t do that to Ava, so I place the syringe back in the box. I won’t harm her. Finally, I spot her getting out of an SUV. She doesn’t have the kids with her, which is perfect. I’m surprised when she enters the coffee house alone.
This is my chance.
I wait until the SUV leaves to activate my plan. The coffee house parking lot doesn’t appear crowded from my vantage point. This will be my one and only shot. I drive into the lot and park. As I survey the area, there’s no sign of Marco, or anyone else for that matter. It’s a sign that I’m doing the right thing. Knowing I can’t risk Ava screaming for help since Marco is always near, I once again take the syringe and place it in my breast pocket.
I slip out of my car and enter the coffee house. Ava is ordering her coffee.
I wait until she’s standing to the side before I approach her. “Good morning sunshine, funny to run into you here.”
