“I know it’s short notice, darling, but I didn’t make this decision on a whim,” Ava said over her cell. She was riding in the back of one of her father’s many limousines. “And I won’t be gone forever.”
“I know but I will miss you,” Catherine said with a sad tone. Catherine was Ava’s best friend – from Ava’s side of things.
Ava laughed a little. “Are you sure you won’t miss having me under foot? You are a married woman now.”
“Of course, I’ll miss you. Cameron will, too. You know he’s grown fond of you.” Cameron Townsend was Catherine’s husband.
“That’s good to know,” Ava said with a smile. She glanced out the window. “Oh, I have to go. The driver is pulling into JFK now.”
“All right. Call me when you can.”
“I will. Kiss, kiss, hug, hug.” Ava clicked off.
Ava Bartholomew was twenty-seven-years-old and had no vision, purpose, prospects, or even a man in her life. Everyone she knew was either married or soon-to-be married or had a career. Ava had studied French at Vassar. There wasn’t much she could do with that degree. At the time, she didn’t think she needed to have a real career. Her – and her mother’s plan had been for Ava to get married to a man as wealthy as her father, have a child or two, be a socialite, and a supportive wife. Ava had the socialite thing down pat. It was the other things she struggled with. Under circumstances like this, she would have gone to her mother for advice. But Ava hadn’t spoken to her mother in a couple of years – not since Ava had caught her in bed with her now ex-boyfriend. And even he was married with a child now.
Ava was going to board one of her father’s two jets to go to Seattle to see one of her many siblings. Her father had been married five times, which resulted in him having twelve children – one was out of wedlock. Ava was the youngest daughter, but her little brother was the youngest of the whole pack at five-years-old.
Ava waited in the back of the limo as the driver and the flight attendant loaded her luggage on the plane. Once they were done, the driver opened the door for Ava. She smoothly got out, holding her Chanel purse and Louis Vuitton cosmetic case. She slowly walked up the stairs in her Louis Vuitton red bottom heels.
It didn’t take long for them to take off. She couldn’t wait to start her adventure. One of Catherine’s sisters, Caitlin, had gone on a sabbatical to find herself. Not only was Caitlin’s trip a success in discovering a new side of herself, she had also discovered a man – and married him. Granted, he was the son of the man she was dating at the time, but there was no doubt that Alexander Beaumont was the love of Caitlin’s life. Ava hoped for the same success on her trip.
Of course, Ava was going to explore Seattle with her sister by her side and find her true self, but it would be nice to meet a man who was interested in her - not wanting to use her for their own means. There had been two men who had hurt her more than anything.
The first was Trevor Hudson, vice president billionaire of The Hudson Group. Yes, he had been a playboy with a sleuth of women at his disposal, but Ava had been his favorite. Ava had thought Trevor was going to settle down one day and marry her. He had settled down all right but he did it with one of his maids. Joanna Yoder, now Hudson, had been one of the maids at the Hudson estate. Trevor had seen her at a ball she had crashed and practically fell in love with her at first sight. He didn’t even know who she was until she showed up at the charity ball. The star crossed lovers had eloped to Maine of all places. When they had returned, they found it fit to through themselves a surprise reception – the guests being the ones surprised, including Ava and her mother. Ava had been so humiliated she had rushed out of their all the while shoving her mother to the door.
The second man was Derek Dawson. A few months after she was made to feel like a fool at Trevor’s wedding reception, Derek had called her up. He had invited her to his club, The Oasis, for some fun. He had even offered to pay her tab while there. So, Ava had accepted his invitation. Derek had doted on her there, making sure she was having a good time and that she was comfortable. The next day he had called her and asked her out on a real date. They had gotten along so well it made Ava think they could have something serious down the road. Then the roof had caved in when Ava had shown up at The Oasis one afternoon. Since it was daytime, the club was closed, but Derek had a loft on the third floor of the building. He had invited Ava over for lunch that he was going to cook himself.
The front door was open so Ava walked in. She had called out but no answer. That’s when she had taken into consideration that she was almost an hour early. So, Ava had ventured upstairs, thinking he was up there. And he was – naked and in bed with her very own mother. Between Ava’s hysterically screaming and crying, she had learned her mother had arranged for Derek to ask Ava out. In return, Derek had received impromptu favors from her mother. That had been the second most humiliating thing that had ever happened to Ava. She hadn’t spoken to her mother since.
It took five and a half hours to get to Seattle from New York. The flight attendant had just informed Ava that they just entered Montana air space. It shouldn’t be much longer.
All of a sudden there was a loud clanking noise.
Ava stilled. “Oh, god. Is that coming from the plane?”
Ava got her answer when a loud boom echoed around the jet and the flight attendant screamed from the next room.
“Ms. Bartholomew, put on your seatbelt now,” the pilot ordered urgently over. “There has been a malfunction in the engine. We have to land immediately.”
Ava did what the pilot said. Next thing she knew, there was a long and loud noise that sounded like the mother of all horseflies had taken over the plane as it tilted forward by the nose.
My god! Are we going to crash?
She woke up to the smell of smoke and ash. The sound of a million pieces of paper being crinkled up echoed around her. She opened her eyes to see charred items around her. Her head thumped and her eyes felt crossed. She was in the middle of a fire – or the beginnings of a fire. It didn’t look like she had long. She did her best to stand, unsteady on her feet. She hissed as pain shot through her lower arm. A loud banging got her attention. It appeared the fire was spreading to some crunched medal to her right. She grunted as she looked around, trying to find a safe path to get away from what appeared to be a disaster area. Luckily, one was to her left. She limped as fast as she could. A brown case with intricate patterns got her attention on the way. She didn’t know what was in it but grabbed it just in case it would be useful. She continued to limp away from the wreckage. She coughed from the smoke. Once she got some distance from the fire, she turned around and looked.
A few hours later . . . She was admitted through the Billings Clinic Hospital emergency room. She explained what had happened – or what she thought might have happened. The staff was efficient and fast. They had taken X-rays, done a CT Scan, and an MRI. Once that was done, the ER doctor admitted her as an inpatient. All of her tests results weren’t back yet but what they could tell so far was she had a concussion, her left arm was broken, and she had a sprained ankle. Bruises and cuts were on her arms and legs. There was even a large red bruise on the side of her abdomen that she didn’t know she had. Apparently, she had a few cracked ribs as well. Pssh, all she really knew was she was sore all over her body. The Tylenol Redd had given her only took forty percent of the pain away for a few hours. Once they got her a room and settled in, Redd came to visit her for an hour and then said he had to go. “I’m always on the road, but if you nee
Three days later . . . Lester Bartholomew, billionaire publicist and investor, paced the carpeted floor in his study. His wife, Lisa, was watching him as he did. “Don’t fret. I’m sure the police will find her soon,” Lisa said with soothing in her tone. Lester stopped dead in his tracks. “It’s been three days. Ava couldn’t have wondered off in a haze that far from the crash.” “I’m starting to think my original assumption was right, Lester,” she said. “Ava got to the main road to flag someone down for help. Like you said, it has been three days.” “Yes. Maybe so . . . dear, god. Do you think someone who meant her harm could have taken her?” “I hope not, but Ava can be pretty feisty sometimes. She can get away from someone like that.” “Not if she was injured, and she had to have sustained some sort of injury in a crash like that.” The pilot and the flight attendant’s bodies had been found in
Eighteen months earlier . . . Ray was tired of being in the dark. He wanted to know what was going on with his wife and he wanted to know now. For the past six months, Lillian has been acting strangely and out of character. She was more argumentative and unsatisfied. No matter what Ray did it wasn’t enough or what she wanted. It was like she was a totally different person. Also, Lillian would disappear hours at a time with no believable explanation to where she had been. Recently, Lillian had expressed aspirations of being a professional country singer. Ray didn’t have a problem with it per se but it was hard to make it in the music business no matter how good a person could sing. And they had two children that needed to be cared for. He had tried telling Lillian that, but she had taken it the wrong way. She accused him of trying to stifle her dreams. “Why are you trying to keep me in a box? I’m a great singer and you know it. And the b