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Chapter
Eighteen
Miles waited impatiently until finally it was five-forty and he could drive to the nearby Vietnamese place he’d found good reviews for on Google. The food was ready. He paid and was on his way to Eva’s.
He pulled up front and hurried to her door, carrying the food. He rapped on the door and waited and waited. His gut churned. Was she going to ignore him? Was she even home? Had they made any progress, or was he dealing with more setbacks in her trusting him and his loyalty to her?
Loud footsteps pounded toward him from the street. Turning, he saw two of Aiden’s guys running his direction.
“Lieutenant Miles,” one of them shouted. “Lake Eastwood is rushing Eva away from her back patio.”
Lake Eastwood? What? Why?
Miles didn’t waste time asking questions. He dropped the food, rushed around the side of the house, vaulted over the fence, and ran to the back patio. One glance around confirmed she wasn’t there. He hurried down the sand, looking around. The two guards were only a few steps behind him, guns drawn.
There! Lake was shoving Eva onto a WaveRunner. She was fighting him, but he gunned up and over a wave.
“Stop!” Miles roared.
“I don’t dare shoot,” he heard one of the guards yell. They were a moving target and with Eva trying to fight, she could easily get in the way of the shot.
“Get help,” Miles hollered. “Coast Guard and police.”
He kicked off his shoes, flung his shirt over his head, and hit the water at a run. He pushed through with high steps until he could dive under the first wave. Then he was in his element, swimming powerful strokes out through the ocean. But even he couldn’t catch a WaveRunner gunning away from him.
He swam with every ounce of strength, determination, and skill he possessed. He could hear the WaveRunner moving farther away from him, out into the deeper ocean waves. Where was Lake taking her? Was her ex-boyfriend somehow involved in the last forty-eight hours and the hits on the dark web?
If they were meeting up with a boat, Eva’s chances of survival or rescue were dwindling.
Miles had always believed he could triumph and protect. Eva was the most important protection detail he’d ever had, and he was failing her.
He swam harder, faster, but his arms were fatiguing. The WaveRunner was pulling farther away. No!
Please, Father above, please help Eva. I can’t get to her. Please save her.
Despair filled him. Bitterness coated his throat. A wave broke over his head as he was turning for a breath. His mouth and lungs filled with salt water instead of oxygen. He sputtered. He’d never made a mistake like that in the ocean. Not normally.
Please. I need help. More importantly, Eva needs help.
Miles had been labeled a ‘humble hero’ many times, but he’d never been truly humble like this. He coughed and coughed. He didn’t care if he drank the ocean. A Navy SEAL drowning was actually kind of comical.
He would be fine. The ocean wouldn’t consume him. But Eva … she was in desperate danger. All he cared about was her safety.
The high whine of the motor disappeared. Miles popped to the surface, focusing on the Waverunner as he caught a breath and expelled salt water.
Nobody was on the machine. It was turning in a circle, a safety feature that happened when the rider fell off with the safety key attached to their wrist. He searched nearby and could see Eva’s dark hair as she swam desperately his direction.
A boat was approaching from the south. It was pale blue, a brand-new cabin cruiser. Definitely not the Coast Guard’s distinctive white with a red stripe down the bow.
“Miles,” Eva cried out.
Lake’s dark blond head was behind her. The sun framed them from the west, but Miles swore he could see fury in Lake’s blue eyes.
“Eva!” Miles hollered, plowing through the water. He didn’t feel fatigue. The water strengthened and buoyed him as he sliced through it toward Eva.
“Mi—” Eva’s call was closer but ended in a garbled scream.
Miles looked up to see Lake shoving Eva under the water, his face distorted in an ugly glower.
