Kyla's eyes widened for a short moment, then she smiled, nearly bursting into proud laughter. 'Smart as ever, my Cookie!' She thought, cheering Ava on inwardly.
The rest of the group looked dumbstruck at Ava's confession. Coyle was the first to recover enough to speak. He leaned forward on his seat in interest.
"Hey, hey, are you serious?" He asked, genuinely curious.
Ava nodded without hesitation as if she was telling the absolute truth.
Kyla rolled her eyes, swinging her hand over Ava's shoulder. "Oh please…" She drawled. "Does my Cookie look like someone who would lie about something like this?"
Ava pressed her lips together as she clasped her hands together on her lap. Technically, she wasn't lying. Eitan had indeed told her to come see him, only it was under different circumstances…
Walter couldn't stop staring at her. "That's… that's insane…" He trailed off, then flinched as if he just came to a realization. "Was that what you meant when you said you could slip into his apartment?"
Coyle reasoned, nodding along. "You want to use his invitation as leverage... you should have explained better."
"That's brilliant!" Walter chimed. "We could easily figure things out without making him suspicious."
Vince clicked his tongue, staying away from the conversation. He might as well have burned a hole into a boulder with the kind of stare he was giving Ava.
"But that's strange…" Coyle mused, shooting her a piercing glare. "Why would he ask you to meet with him? He's not the type to invite women over. In fact, there are rumors that he's a celibate."
Kyla almost cursed out loud. 'Sometimes I wish he was just as stupid as Vince…' She thought.
Ava swallowed. "Well, the thing is… I… I asked him for a job..."
Walter and Coyle exchanged bewildered looks and even Kyla was taken aback at her bold lie.
Vince's brows furrowed. "You asked him for a… job?"
Coyle nearly sprang up from his seat. "Are you insane?! Why would you do such a thing?! You know–"
"I know!" Ava cut in before he could finish, feigning a pained look. "But what should I have done? He started finding me suspicious the moment he noticed I couldn't eat any of what was on the table…"
Walter nodded as if to support her argument. "Right… rich people eat strange stuff."
Coyle slumped back into his chair and sighed, rubbing his forehead. "What exactly happened that night?"
Ava began to pick at her nails. "Well, He noticed that I was out of place at the party and threatened to involve the authorities…" She swallowed. "I begged him not to. I told him I only snuck into the party to find a job because my mother was dying in the hospital… I tried to look as desperate as I could…"
Kyla pressed her lips together, silently encouraging her in her heart. 'You've always been very good at acting, Cookie… there's no way they won't believe you.'
Coyle stroked his chin. "I don't think Berger believed you fully, he couldn't have been that easy. He's probably trying to look into you a bit more."
Walter hummed. "But that'll have to work against him, right? Because we'll use that to our advantage."
"Right." Coyle agreed as he leaned forward in his chair. "So Ava, when do you think you'll go to see him? The sooner the better."
Ava stiffened. "I'm… I'm not sure. I don't think I'm ready yet…"
Coyle let out a breath. "You'd better make up your mind." He glanced at Vince from the corner of his eye and they both nodded. "We're supposed to finish this operation before friday and be at base early next week."
Ava's heart constricted. She only managed a nod. "I... I get it. I'll think about it and get back to you before tomorrow."
Coyle smiled lightly. "I'll be expecting a response by tomorrow morning."
Ava nodded. It was times like this that made him seem more like the leader of the group than Vince. Sometimes, She felt that Vince was just the figurehead only because he was stronger than the rest of them.
But unsurprisingly, Coyle influenced the majority of his decision.
It always made her wonder why they never tried to take advantage of her together… or at least, it would be easier for Vince to get a hold of her if Coyle moved first…
She quickly shook her head to get rid of the thought as a shiver went through her. Things like that were better left at the back of her mind.
*****
"What was that, Kyla?" Ava asked after a few minutes of silence on their way home on a public bus.
"What was what?"
Ava turned to her friend sharply. "Why did you tell them that Eitan asked me to meet with him?! You're the same person who said–"
Kyla merely shrugged. "Because he did and plus, I had to create an opportunity for you to go see him without making the guys suspicious."
"Kyla!" Ava yelled, drawing most of the passengers gazes to their direction. She lowered her voice. "You know I was never planning on meeting him so soon!"
"Then it seems like you're overjoyed to return to base then."
Ava froze, then she slumped in her seat, dejected. "You didn't have to do that. I… I was going to make up my mind."
"No, you weren't." Kyla told her flatly without looking at her. "I don't know about you, Ava, but the two years I was away from that place… away from that man… were the best two years of my miserable life."
Ava gulped, lowering her head. "I… don't want to go back either but–"
"You're being a coward." Kyla finished for her.
Ava flinched, pursing her lips. "You're… being mean to me today."
"Because I'm angry." Kyla stated plainly. "If I had such a chance, I wouldn't even waste time thinking about it."
"That's because you're strong, Kyla!" Ava croaked, visibly offended. "I'm not as strong as you, I've never been!"
Kyla's eyes widened for a second before she sighed. "I'm sorry, Cookie. My emotions got the better of me."
Tears began to drip from Ava's eyes. "I'm scared, Kyla…" she confessed. "What if he catches me or… or something happens to you? I won't be able to forgive myself…"
Kyla's expression softened amd she pulled her into a gentle hug, patting her quivering back gently.
She smiled. "Now, now, Cookie." She started softly. "There's always an easy fix for that."
Ava's ears perked up immediately. She wiped her eyes. "There is?"
Kyla looked her dead in the face. "Of course. You can always just hide me away."