“Cover your ears,” Bruno instructed herHe then took out his shot.Heidy pressed her palms against her ears as best she could with the limited mobility of the chains. Bruno aimed at the link of chain furthest from Heidy’s body. I stepped back.And then he took a shot through the chains at her ankles as well. Each crack of the gun made me jump, but thankfully the chain broke and he tucked the gun away and helped Heidy to her feet.“Can you walk?” he asked.Heidy tried to stand on her own but swayed weakly. Her legs were obviously weak from being restrained for a while.“I don’t know,” she admitted, her voice small.Bruno supported her weight against his side and helped bed. When we got out of the basement, I was shocked to see Heidy’s parents zip-tied to dining chairs in the living room. They glared at us and protested behind the kitchen towels Bruno had used to gag them.Bruno saw my surprised expression.“They weren’t cooperating, he said.”I urged us towards the door. “Come on. Let'
AVAHe drove past the house and parked about a quarter mile down the road, where a copse of trees provided cover. We got out silently, and I followed Bruno’s lead as he moved through the woods with surprising stealth for a man his size.“Stay close,” he said as we approached the rear of the property.We crept along the tree line until we had a view of the back of the house. A small deck led off what appeared to be a kitchen, and below it, a set of basement windows peeked just above ground level.One of them was cracked open slightly, probably for ventilation.“There,” I whispered, pointing.We moved closer and hunched low, until we were near enough to hear voices from inside.The sound was clearer now, like a man shouting.“I don’t care what you have to do, Margaret. Keep her in there until Wilson arrives! We’re ending this nonsense once and for all!”“John, I understand you but at least let me loosen it up. Look at her arm—“I felt sick to my stomach listening to them argue, definite
AVA“I think that’s it,” I said to Bruno, who had parked our rental car a discreet distance from a house that looked to be in the same address as what we were looking for.Bruno surveyed the property with eyes from afar.“There aren’t many neighbors, the closest house looks to be about half a mile down the road.”I continued to stare at the building, remembering the cold fear in Heidy’s voice that I heard back then and now that the house looked to be in isolation it made my skin prickle with unease.I got out of the car, and Bruno was about to as well.“I'd like you to come with me, but maybe hang back a bit? I don't want to seem threatening right away,” I said, still holding the door handle.Bruno nodded as his body unfolded from the driver's seat.“I’ll stay two steps behind you.”We headed for the house. There were vehicles in sight by there was a detached garage to the side with its doors closed. The curtains were drawn across all the front windows, giving no hint of life inside.
AVAThe sound that came through my phone wasn’t Heidy’s usual energetic greeting but a choked sob that immediately sent my heart racing.“Heidy? Are you okay?” I pressed the phone harder against my ear.“Ava…” Her voice was barely audible, trembling with what sounded like genuine fear.“I—I need your help.”I glanced back at the bathroom where I could now hear Alexander showering and then I rushed to the other side of the bed and reached for my robe, draping it on.“Talk to me, Heidy. Did something happen to Grandma?”My mind immediately began to think of the worst possibilitiesHeidy hiccuped with sobs. “No, it’s my parents…”I suddenly heard muffled noises in the background that sounded like voices being raised and something heavy falling, then a sharp cry that might have been Heidy’s. Then the call was disconnected.“Hello? Heidy? Hello?” I stared at my phone in disbelief, my pulse pounding in my ears.My fingers were already dialing grandma’s number, The phone rang four, five, six
AVAThe moment we stepped out of the hotel, I remembered I still had a wireless microphone clipped to the lining of my jacket.“Hold on,” I said, touching Alexander’s arm. “I still have the mic on me. I should return it to the tech team before we leave.”Alexander nodded, glancing at his watch. “No problem. Want me to come with you?”“It’ll just take a minute,” I assured him and he nodded again, leaning against a marble column.I retraced my steps back to the event space. Most attendees had moved to the demonstration stations or were networking over champagne and canapés.Spotting the audio technician near the stage, I made my way over and returned the microphone, thanking her for her work on the presentation. She assured me everything had gone perfectly from a technical standpoint.With that final responsibility discharged, I turned to rejoin Alexander.That was when someone bumped hard into me…hard enough to knock me slightly off balance. I felt a jolt shoot through my shoulder.“I’
AVA“Ready?”Annalise appeared at my side, my second-in-command and the technical genius behind much of what we were about to reveal.“Yep,” I replied, taking the presentation remote she handed me.“Is Lily set with the demonstration units?” I asked.“Everything’s green. She's standing by at station two.”The lights in the hall slowly went dim and it sent the audience into an automatic hush. The opening video began playing on the screens. It was about the evolution of home technology, ending with our tagline, “Intelligent Living, Intuitive Design.”The coordinator gave me the signal, and I took a deep breath before walking up the stage. The spotlight found me as the applause began.“Good morning, thank you all for joining us today, both here in Chicago and to those watching online around the world.”I looked out at the assembled crowd, searching involuntarily for Alexander despite knowing he texted earlier that he might be late.“At Ledge Enterprises, we believe that the future of sma