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“Sorry to interrupt,” Aiden chirped, “but we have loads of bad news for our favorite actress.”
“That doesn’t sound good.” He turned to Eva. She stood from the barstool, her eyes wary. He pushed the speaker button. “Eva’s right here.”
“Eva.” Aiden’s cultured voice sounded heavy. “We don’t have any definite answers for you, but we have discovered that throughout his FBI career Ryken Henderson has been reprimanded for withholding evidence, prosecuted for taking a bribe, though that charge didn’t stick, and passed over for promotions. His file is thick, and not because of successful cases. The eeriest thing is he’s not even a field agent any longer. He’s been relegated to research and he definitely isn’t assigned to your case. In fact, no one is.”
“So he shouldn’t even have contacted me?” Eva asked.
“Correct. He must’ve seen the concerns with Jorge in a police report and gotten the idea to use it to get close to you. From what we can gather, he told the police he was taking over and nobody even questioned him or checked with his superiors.”
Eva’s throat bobbed. “Dang.”
“The good news is we can blow the whistle on Ryken and Eva can go back to her life,” Miles said.
The look she gave him was chilly. Did she not want to go back to her life?
“I don’t believe that is possible,” Aiden said.
“Why not?” Eva asked.
“When my people were digging on information about Jorge, Ryken, and you, they found some very concerning bounties on the dark web.”
“Bounties? For what?” Eva asked.
Miles instinctively edged closer to Eva. He wasn’t making a move; he was trying to support her.
“There were seven different requests from a variety of shadow corporations,” Aiden said. “Every one had at least a million dollar payment attached to it. Every one was centered around kidnapping Eva Chevron.”
Eva’s face blanched. She stepped back, to sit on the barstool possibly, but she missed and stumbled.
Miles caught her around the waist and hauled her against his chest. He held her close and whispered, “It’s all right. I’m here. I’ve got you.”
Her deep-brown eyes focused on him, and he knew he’d do anything for her.
“I apologize, Eva,” Aiden said on the phone. “I know this is shocking.”
“Horrifying,” she admitted, leaning into Miles.
“I’m sorry.” Aiden’s voice was sincere. Though he dealt with issues like this, or worse, multiple times a day, he wasn’t the type to make light of someone’s fears or suffering.
“Do you think I’ve had requests on the dark web before?” Eva asked.
“Yes, you have,” Aiden said calmly.
“Excuse me?” Eva straightened and looked at Miles with wide eyes.
“My tech people, Sutton Smith’s team, and various government agencies keep their eyes out for requests like these and will pass the information on to law enforcement, and to the target if necessary. But they have to honestly evaluate the risk versus the person’s emotional well-being. Do you want to live your life fearing you’re a target, or do you recognize that you are a public figure and may have depraved fans or people looking to make money from you or your fame? Most celebrities have decent security, are prepared for such things, and most hits on the dark web don’t get fulfilled.”
“But you think whoever is after me will get their request fulfilled?”
“I don’t like the coincidence of you being attacked, an FBI agent who isn’t on the up and up trying to gain your trust, Jorge sending you all these notes, and most disturbing of all, seven separate requests, all with high-dollar figures appearing within the hour. There have been no police reports of you being attacked tonight and your house is clean, locked up, no lights on, no sign of the attacker or the struggle on the patio. It’s disturbing. If I rated clients in danger from one to ten, your risk profile would be eight point two, and that is only because Lieutenant Miles Coleville is standing next to you. Without Miles, your chances of making it through the night without being abducted are at about zero point four.”
Miles appreciated the endorsement, but not the fear in Eva’s eyes. Did Aiden need to come on so strong? Maybe he’d learned he had to, or people in danger wouldn’t listen and unwittingly put themselves in more danger. Miles had experienced that in foreign countries on diplomatic missions.
Eva’s mouth opened, but nothing came out. She stepped away from Miles and balled her hands into fists. “What am I supposed to do? Hire your company?” She looked from Miles to the phone. “How do I know you didn’t set this all up to make money off me or brag about your latest celebrity security detail?”
It was similar to when she’d been reluctant to step into Aiden’s house, but much more confrontational. She was scared and defensive. Miles didn’t blame her. He didn’t fear much, but seven separate million-dollar hits on the dark web? That would be unsettling to anyone.
“I feel my reputation can speak for itself.” Aiden didn’t sound offended at all. Probably because he recognized what Miles could see. Eva was terrified and maybe in shock. “I pray you will listen to me, Eva, and disappear until my people can research, track down leads, and get to the bottom of these requests. We’ll figure out what Jorge Augilar and Ryken Henderson are all about.”
