Chapter Twenty-Two

Noah stayed up all night, staring up at the moon. He decided to go to a bar. He had a strong feeling Ava would be there. He didn't know why he thought that, but he knew she would be.

He sat there, not moving from his chair. He had no idea it was already morning, for he was lost in his thoughts.

Pedro's voice brought him back to Earth. "Noah, have you been here all morning?" he asked the moment he came in. "They practically locked you up in the building."

"It's fine, Pedro. Do you have any information on the drug cartel?" he asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"We found something, but we need the team to confirm it before we do anything," he said as he unboxed the coffee he was holding and handed one out to Noah.

"Thanks, man. I don't know what I'd do without you," he said as he sipped the hot coffee. It burned his tongue, but he didn't care.

"I just need to find out who it is. I'm tired of this charade. He has been too quiet, and that is dangerous," he said before he stood up.

"Oh, I keep forgetting to ask. What about Louis? Have any information on him?" he asked, anticipating a positive response.

"Yes, we do have something, but we need confirmation first," Pedro said, a little tense.

"Fine, I'll book a room at the company's hotel. I need some rest. Tell my secretary to order something for me. If you have any information, call me. I'll visit you soon."

The girls kept gawking at him as he swam in the public pool to clear his mind. There were only three of them in the pool, and they watched his every movement. But he ignored them.

He had much on his mind, and the last thing he wanted to do was give them attention.

He heard them gossiping about him as he grabbed his towel and moved away from where they were.

His thoughts were filled with Ava. Even his dreams were filled with Ava. Why did she have to betray him like that?

Then, he received a phone call from Pedro.

"Noah, there's something you have to see. It's both good and bad news."

****

"You could always punch and scream at your teddy bear, you know? Nobody is too old for that. Besides, there is fun in shouting," Bella said as she cooked in the kitchen.

She always volunteered to cook so they didn't have to order unhealthy food from outside. Ava understood that she was a doctor. And she was having her first child. She wanted what was best for the child.

She watched as Bella stirred the hot pasta on the stove while she chopped fresh onions and garlic.

Bella had been craving pasta since last night, so she decided to cook it for lunch. She seized the pasta and placed a pan on the stove.

She added some virgin olive oil to the pan, and Ava handed over the chopped onions. She cooked the sauce, placed the hot pasta on a wide plate, and handed it to Ava to place on the dining table. They moved everything to the dining room, and Bella went upstairs to call Daniel.

"How are you feeling now, Ava?" Daniel asked as they settled at the table.

"I'm good. I think I'll just take the bus home, don't you think?" she suggested as she placed a fork of spaghetti in her mouth.

"That's not a bad idea, but I think you should still fly. I don't want what happened to you to happen again. We need to be cautious," he said as he took his first bite.

"Wow, you guys are awesome cooks. You need a reward for your cooking," he said as he took another full bite.

"You should give all the praise to Bella. She did all the cooking. I just helped," she said as she savored the taste in her mouth.

"They always give credit to the chef and the sous chef. If you weren't there, how would I have been able to finish cooking?" she said as she poured them some orange juice.

"Thanks," Ava said as she took the drink and sipped it.

"I want wine," Daniel said as he took the glass from her.

"Well, we're out of the kind you like, and it's too early for wine," she scolded.

"So my brother has a favorite wine? Wow, I'm ashamed of myself. I've known him all my life, yet I don't know his favorite artists," she said, and Bella giggled.

"Anyways, I need to get packing. I really enjoyed the meal, Bella. It's been a long time since I had such a nice meal," she said before she stood up and put away her plates.

She gave the couple some privacy. Today was Saturday, so they didn't go to work until night. For their night shift.

Instead of heading to her room, she went to the balcony and stared at the road. She saw Noah's car passing. She couldn't see who was inside, so she just stared at the car with a sad smile.

If they were still together, he would have sent her air kisses from the road. For a second, it felt as if he was also looking at her, but she brushed off the thought. Still, she stared at the car.

"I still love you, Noah, even if you won't listen to me. If you can hear me, I still love you," she said as she laughed. It felt like in the movies.

She watched as the car passed by, and she went back inside.

****

It was just a few minutes' drive from the hotel to Ava's house. But he was sure he wasn't going to see Ava because it was on the backside of the house.

As the car approached the house, he saw how she stood there, and she noticed the car too. She squinted and tried to see who was inside, but the tinted windows didn't give her a chance. Then she gave the most heartbreaking smile ever. She said something and mouthed 'I love you' twice before a tear dropped down her face.

He wanted to go up there and hug her. He didn't even know if it was a mirage or really her. Her face was as pale, and her lips were as dry as a burnt leaf.

She placed her hair behind her ear, and he watched as she left.

He felt the urge to come down and speak to her. But he held his peace. He felt that if he spoke to her, she would feed him with more lies.

He settled in his seat and looked out the window. Then they passed a white Camry. The girl inside looked like Kendra Wilkinson. He looked out the back window, but she had already disappeared. Kendra was in Paris. How could she be in Colorado?

His thoughts started racing more than the last time, and he opened the top two buttons of his shirt.

He started feeling uncomfortable. He wasn't at ease. He felt like something was going to happen.

But he brushed it off. He figured it was probably his mind.

But what were they doing just a few meters away from Ava's house? He hoped she was safe in the house.

His face was as pale as someone who'd just seen a ghost.

"Are you okay, Noah? You look like you saw a ghost," Pedro asked, handing him a glass of water.

"I'm fine. What is it you wanted to tell me, Pedro?" Noah said as he finished the water.

"Right, boss, I might need you to sit down cause it's connected to a lot of people you know," he said, and Noah glared at him before he sat in his chair.

"Here," he handed him a white file. Noah opened it and checked it. "That is the man you asked me to get information about. And here, take a look at this file," he said and handed another file to him. Noah's eyes widened as he looked at the face of the drug cartel.

"Turns out Edmund had two younger siblings. A boy and a girl. My men did their research, and one of them said the girl's name is Bella. She was seen with Daniel," he said as he handed him a picture of Daniel and Bella outside the hospital. "This shows how close they are. She's his girlfriend. But don't be alarmed, she's not a threat because she's already broken all ties with her younger brother," he said, and he handed him a picture of Kendra. "This girl isn't your stalker, is she?" he asked.

"Yes, she is. What's with her?" he asked with his heart already in his throat.

"Well, she's the girlfriend of our enemy, and she has joined forces with them with the help of her father's connections," he concluded, and Noah immediately grabbed his phone.

He dialed Daniel's number, and he answered immediately.

"Where is Ava?" he asked, not giving him a chance to say hello.

"She just left for her flight home. What do you want from her?" he asked.

"I'll tell you later," he said before he hung up the call.

He tried Ava's number, but it went to voicemail.

He immediately ran to his car and left for the airport. He had to know whether she was safe. They were going to harm her.

He checked the time, and it was already 7 pm.

All flights within the country had already left. He rushed to the check-out counter and the receptionist that stood there.

"Noah, what brings you here?" she asked. Noah knew her because she was one of his one-night stands.

"Could you do me a favor and look up the names of people that few out by 6:40?"

"Domestic flights?" she asked, and he nodded his head in acknowledgment.

"Why don't you come and check yourself?" she turned the laptop to him.

He scrolled three times, but he couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't on the list.

He checked his phone and tried her number again, but it went to voicemail.

"Did you see this lady?" he asked as he showed her a picture of Ava.

"I haven't seen her. You should ask security at the door," she said with a smile.

"Thanks for your help. I owe you," he said.

"Good luck finding her," she said as he walked out of the airport.

He showed the security men her picture.

"Have you seen her?" he asked desperately.

"Yes, we saw her. She came and then left that way," they said as they pointed to the left side of the airport.

"Thanks," he said, and he ran in the direction they'd pointed.

He asked the people there if they'd seen her, and they said no. Then, he met one of the men that sold gifts in the souvenir shop.

"Yes, I did see her, and I have this," he said as he brought out her phone.

"How did you get this?" he asked in a shaky voice.

"Travelers always forget their stuff. I saw her in a car asleep, so I picked it up. I tried calling the man that messaged her, but he kept on cutting out, so I held on to it."

Noah looked at his phone and saw a message from an unknown number:

ENJOY YOUR NIGHT ;)