Finding The Edge

At the door, she eased it open and checked the administrator’s private lobby. Clear. She’d almost made it out of the secretary’s office when she heard hurried footfalls in the corridor. Renewed panic roared through her veins.

With nowhere else to go, she ducked under the secretary’s desk.

The footfalls moved across the carpeted floor. She heard the sound of Pierce’s office door opening. The man was popular tonight. Had the guy who’d written the note forgotten something?

A soft curse came from the general direction of Pierce’s office.

Eva hoped SWAT was ready to storm the place. She would hate to survive a bunch of crazed thugs or gangbangers or whatever they were and be murdered by a man wearing dress trousers and black leather shoes.

“Eva!”

For a moment she couldn’t breathe.

“Eva!”

Dr. Pierce. She scrambled out from under the desk. “Yes, sir. I’m here.”

Fury or outrage—something on that order—colored his face. “The police are here. They’ll need your statement.”

Thank God. “Is everyone okay? The gunmen have been contained?”

He nodded, then frowned. “I thought you were going to hide in my office.”

She shrugged and in that instant something about the expression on his face made her decide to keep what happened in his office to herself. “I heard someone coming. I freaked and hid under the secretary’s desk.”

“Someone came in here?”

He had to know someone had. He couldn’t have missed the disarray in his office or the note on his desk.

She nodded. “I couldn’t see what was happening, but I definitely heard footsteps and the door to your office opening and closing.”

“You didn’t get a look at who it was?”

She shook her head. Was that suspicion she heard in his voice?

When he continued to stare at her without saying more, she offered, “Is everything okay?”

“Yes.” He smiled, rearranging his face into the amiable expression he usually wore. “It is now. Come with me. We should get this police business squared away so we can return to the business of healing the sick.”

The walk back to the emergency department was the longest of her life. She could feel his tension in every step he took. She wanted to ask him again if everything was okay but she didn’t dare stir his suspicions.

Right now all she wanted was for this night to be over.

Chapter Two

Magnificent Mile Tuesday, May 8, 2:15 p.m.

Eva hurried up the sidewalk. She glanced over her shoulder repeatedly, checked the street over and over. She hated that her behavior no doubt looked entirely paranoid, but the truth was paranoia had been her constant companion for better than forty-eight hours. Since she received the first message.

Two men had swerved to the curb on her street as she walked home from the market on Saturday afternoon. She might have kept walking except the one hanging out the passenger window called her name.

Eva! Eva Bowman! He’s coming for you, la perra. You killed his hermano menor.

The man who’d tried to rape her—the one who’d fractured his skull in that damned bathroom and then died—was the younger brother of one of Chicago’s most notorious gang leaders.

Just her luck.

Eva walked faster. She hadn’t meant to kill anyone. She’d been fighting for her life. He’d fallen...his death was an accident. An accident that wouldn’t have happened had he not been trying to rape her.

The detectives on the scene had tried to make her feel better by telling her that Diego Robles—that was the dead man’s name, Diego Robles—and his gang of nearly a dozen thugs had murdered six men and two women on Friday before overtaking the ER where she worked.

Except it hadn’t made her feel better. Robles had been nineteen years old. Nineteen. He had an older brother, Miguel, who was thirty-five and the leader of the True Disciples, an extremely violent offshoot of the Latin Disciples. The brother had passed along his message to Eva on three occasions without ever leaving a single shred of evidence she could take to the police.

The first warning had come on Saturday afternoon via the two thugs in the car. Another had come when she walked out of the corner coffee shop near her apartment building on Sunday morning. Then, last night, another man had showed up at the ER asking for her. When she’d appeared at the registration desk, he’d waited until no one was looking and leaned forward to whisper for her ears only.

You will die this week.

With that he’d given her a nod and told her to enjoy her night.

She’d reported all three incidents to the police and all they could do was tell her to be careful. No one had touched her or damaged her property. She had no proof of the threats other than her word. But last night when she’d been too afraid to go to her car alone and then too terrified to go to her own apartment, she’d understood she had to do something. She worried the only evidence to back up her fears would come in the form of someone finding her body after it was too late.

Lena had demanded, to no avail, protection from the police for Eva. Kim Levy, her friend and another nurse at the Edge, had urged her to speak to Dr. Pierce. Kim had been in the ER on Friday night. She understood how terrified Eva had every right to be. But Eva couldn’t stop thinking about the way Dr. Pierce had looked at her after the strange happenings in his office. She’d decided not to discuss that odd moment with Kim or anyone else. And she had no desire to discuss her personal dilemma with her boss. Still, Kim being Kim, she had gone to Dr. Pierce and told him what was going on. He had insisted on sending Eva to the Colby Agency. Eva had heard of the Colby Agency. Who hadn’t? She’d certainly never expected to need a private investigations firm. Yet, here she was. She had an appointment at two thirty. Five minutes from now.

Almost there. The Magnificent Mile was always busy, even on a Tuesday afternoon with hours to go before the evening rush of commuters headed home. She looked at each face she met...wondering when one of them would appear.

She walked faster, pushing against the wind that seemed to want to blow her right back to where she’d parked her car.

No turning back now.

A shiver chilled her skin. It didn’t feel very much like spring today. Barely sixty degrees and overcast. Just in case it started to rain again, she’d tucked her umbrella into the beige leather bag she carried. Her pepper spray was in there, too. She carried her life around in one of two bags: a well-used brown one for fall and winter and this tawny beige one her mother had given her for spring and summer. Life was complicated enough without changing the purse she carried more than twice a year. Eva went out of her way to keep life simple. She’d had enough complications her freshman year in college. She’d made a decision all those years ago never to allow those sorts of complications ever again.

Life was better when she stuck to enjoying the simpler pleasures. Like all the gorgeous tulips still in bloom and the trees that had gone from their stark winter limbs to lush and green already.

That was the ticket. Focus on the mundane...the normal.

The deep timbre of male voices was suddenly behind her. Fear crept up her spine like a cluster of spiders and her heart swelled into her throat. Her gait wavered, causing her to nearly stumble. A group of four men moved around and ahead of her. Despite the glaring facts that they paid her absolutely no notice, were dressed in business suits and kept moving at a brisk pace, her heart refused to slide back down into her chest where it belonged. The pepper spray in her bag felt wholly inadequate.

Damn, she was a mess.

It wasn’t until she spotted the wide glass front bearing the address of her destination that she was able to breathe easy again. Her hands settled on the door and, despite her best efforts, she hesitated. Calm was the necessary watchword. If she went into this meeting shaken and panicky, she might very well meet with the same reception she’d received from the two Chicago PD detectives working the investigation.

Investigation. There were several aspects of the ongoing investigation. The clash between the True Disciples and another well-known gang with the resulting multiple homicides. The taking of an entire ER hostage. And the deemed justified homicide of Diego Robles. Both detectives, their captain and the DA had told her the events that happened in that bathroom were self-defense, completely justified. She had not intended to kill anyone. She’d only been trying to get away from him. The man’s death was an accidental consequence of his actions.

But dead was dead.

Calm. Collected. Not your fault.

Eva squared her shoulders and pushed through the door. A wide, gleaming metal security desk curved around the center of the enormous lobby. Enough greenery to rival a small jungle softened all the glass and glossy metal.

“Afternoon, ma’am,” the security guard said as she approached the counter. “You have an appointment?”

“The Colby Agency.” She drew her wallet from her bag and produced her driver’s license. “Eva Bowman.”

The guard checked the computer screen, scanned her license into his system, then handed the license as well as a visitor’s badge to her. “The elevators are to your right. Fourteenth floor is where you’re headed. Your code for the elevator is on the back of the badge. Just drop the badge off here as you leave, Ms. Bowman.”

“Thank you.” As she moved toward the bank of elevators, she checked the back of the badge. Eight-two-six-seven. She clipped the badge onto the lapel of her sweater and tapped the call button.

The doors opened to a vacant car. Deep breath. She stepped inside and selected floor fourteen. The keypad warned that a code was required so she entered the necessary digits. When the doors closed she stared at her reflection in the mirrored walls of the elevator interior. She’d taken care to dress professionally. The soft blush color of her pants and sweater set complemented her too-pale skin. Matching leather ballet flats were easy on the feet. Her first month as an ER nurse had taught her to appreciate good shoes made for comfort. She’d swept her blond hair into a loose bun at the nape of her neck and she’d gone easy on the makeup. Just a touch of lip gloss and a swipe of mascara.

Calm. Collected.

The car bumped to a stop and the doors slid open to another lobby. A receptionist looked up from behind an opaque glass desk and smiled. “Good morning. Welcome to the Colby Agency, Ms. Bowman.”

The next five or so minutes passed in a blur. After the offer of refreshments, which she declined, another receptionist appeared and escorted her to Victoria Colby-Camp’s office, a large, elegant space with a wall of windows that overlooked the city from a prestigious Michigan Avenue address.

Eva had done an internet search on Victoria and her agency, but she hadn’t been adequately prepared for the sophisticated woman standing behind the beautiful mahogany desk, the wall of windows a stunning backdrop. She wore her salt-and-pepper hair in a French twist. The turquoise suit fit as if it had been tailored just for her. Probably had been. Though she was no taller than Eva, her presence was commanding. The most surprising part was how incredibly youthful and fit she looked. According to Google, Victoria Colby-Camp was nearing seventy. Eva could only hope she would look that good in another forty years.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Eva.” Victoria smiled. “Please sit. Let’s take a moment to get acquainted.”

“Thank you.” Eva settled into one of the two champagne-colored upholstered chairs in front of Victoria’s desk.

“My intern, Jamie, will be joining us shortly,” Victoria said. “I’ve reviewed your file. You’re a nurse at the Edge. Dr. Pierce and I serve on Chicago’s civic committee together. The Edge is an incredible step toward elevating emergency care to the highest level. We’re all very proud and duly impressed by his advances in the field.”

Eva nodded. “Dr. Pierce is an amazing man. His methods are changing the landscape of emergency medicine.” The Edge was his brainchild. Whether it was a heart attack, a stroke or some sort of physical injury, the Edge was where everyone wanted to end up when an emergency occurred.

“You have family in the city?”

Eva smiled. Her first of the day. “An older sister, Lena. You may know her. She’s an investigative journalist at Channel 7.”

Victoria nodded. “I do, indeed. Lena Bowman is a household name in the city of Chicago.”

Eva nodded. “She was determined to become one for as long as I can remember.”

Victoria tilted her head ever so slightly, her expression turning somber. “I’ve also had an opportunity to review the Chicago PD’s file on what happened Friday night. It’s an outright miracle no hostages were killed. You and the others at the Edge handled yourselves extraordinarily well.”

Eva nodded in acknowledgment of her kind words. “Since you read the file you must know about Diego Robles’s death.”

“Captain Cyrus explained what happened. He’s very concerned that you’ve been approached and threatened. Dr. Pierce is immensely concerned as well. Why don’t you start at the beginning and tell me what’s happening.”

As much as Eva had dreaded this part, somehow Victoria made her feel relaxed and comfortable—at least as comfortable as she could be under the circumstances. Eva started with what the second man who came into the bathroom on Friday night said to her. She moved on to the ones who’d shouted at her on the street on Saturday, the confrontation on Sunday, the visit at the ER last night and then to the carful of thugs who had followed her to the parking garage three blocks from here. Thankfully, they hadn’t yelled more threats at her...they’d only watched her. Their hateful eyes on her had been equally threatening.

Victoria studied Eva for a moment after she finished recounting the events of the past three days. “I have full confidence the police are watching Robles’s men, but they can’t watch every move each of his hundreds of followers make—not with the budget cuts they’ve suffered recently. You haven’t been assigned a protection detail for the same reason. Until a law is broken, the police can’t afford to shift the resources.”

“I might be dead by then.” Eva hated to say the words aloud but they were true.

“Which is why we’re here. We can fill that void.” Victoria folded her hands atop her desk. “Since Dr. Pierce and I are well acquainted, he asked that I assign the very best to your security and he insisted that I send the bill to him.”

“What?” Eva shook her head. She couldn’t have heard correctly. “I’m prepared to pay for the services I need.”

Victoria held up a hand. “I’m certain you are, Eva. But Dr. Pierce feels responsible. He would like to handle this and, frankly, he can easily afford to do so. Trust me, you should take him up on his generous offer.”

Eva wanted to argue, but Victoria was right. She had scratched together the retainer but she would be hard-pressed to come up with more than a week’s worth of the required fees. She wanted to be upset that Dr. Pierce had been brought into the financial aspect of this arrangement but she supposed it was the right thing to do. I know what you did. The note someone had left on his desk blotter flickered across her mind. She had no idea what the message meant or who left it. She had wanted to ask Dr. Pierce but with all that had happened that night and then the threats, she’d forgotten. In truth, she didn’t feel comfortable discussing it with him after his reaction that night. She wasn’t worried that he somehow felt she was involved or aware of who went into his office, but she couldn’t quite dispel the idea that he’d looked at her with doubt for just a moment.

“I suppose I can do that.”

Maybe when this business with Robles was behind her she would come clean and tell Dr. Pierce she’d lied about being in his office. God, Eva, you’re such an idiot. It would have been so much easier if she’d told the truth in the first place, but it had felt so awkward in that instant. As badly as she felt about that decision, she had far more serious issues with which to deal at present.

“Good.” Victoria picked up a manila folder on her desk and opened it. “When I assign one of my people to a case, I do all within my power to ensure I’m covering every possible need a client might have.”

The door opened and a woman walked in. Blond hair, blue eyes. She was tall and thin. Very young. High school, maybe a college freshman. As young as she was, she held herself in a regal manner that reminded Eva of Victoria.

“I apologize for the delay.” The girl smiled first at Victoria then at Eva. “I’m Jamie Colby.” She offered her hand to Eva.

Eva shook Jamie’s hand, noting the firm confidence in her grip.

“Eva, this is my granddaughter,” Victoria said, pride brimming in her tone. “She’s a sophomore at the University of Chicago and my intern two days a week.”

“You look so young,” Eva blurted before she could stop herself, “to have accomplished so much.”

“Jamie is quite special,” Victoria agreed.

Jamie smiled. “I took freshman classes my senior year of high school. It’s not so unusual that I’m eighteen and a sophomore and certainly not special.”

Her humility was refreshing. Eva said, “I’m certain your parents are very pleased.”

“They certainly are.” Victoria turned to Jamie. “All is in order?”

“It is,” Jamie assured her.

“As I was saying—” Victoria turned to Eva “—I take great pride in assigning the best person for the job. Since your bodyguard—”

“Bodyguard?” Eva expected an investigator to help with the Miguel Robles situation, not a bodyguard.

Victoria and Jamie shared a look before Victoria’s gaze settled on Eva once more. “We need to take this situation very seriously, Eva. Frankly, I’m surprised you’re not already dead.”

Eva’s breath caught. She put her hand over her mouth too late to catch the sound.

“Ms. Bowman,” Jamie said, turning in her chair to face Eva, “I’ve done extensive research on the True Disciples. Miguel Robles raised his younger brother since their parents were murdered fifteen years ago. He thought of Diego as more of a son than a brother. Typically when crossed, Miguel wields vengeance far more quickly and concisely. The idea that you’re alive three days later tells us that he is planning to make some sort of example out of you. He wants you to know it’s coming. He wants to watch your fear build. He wants a large audience and rumor on the street is that all eyes are on you right now.”

Eva blinked repeatedly to hold back the rush of tears. “Wait, this is crazy. I didn’t mean to kill his brother. He attacked me... I...”

When Eva’s voice failed her, Victoria said, “I’m afraid it only gets worse. Chicago PD has a unit called Gang Intelligence. Though they cannot provide any measure of security for you, they are watching. If you want my honest opinion, they’re hoping Robles will come after you. If they can catch Miguel Robles in the act of trying to harm you, they can bring down a man who has slipped through their fingers repeatedly over the past two decades.”

Oh God. “I think I see the whole picture now.” Eve swallowed at the lump still lodged in her throat. “I’m bait. The police won’t protect me—not because of budget cuts—but because they want to get this guy.”

“In all fairness,” Victoria reminded her, “no law has been broken—more or less tying their hands. At this time all anyone has are rumors and suspicions, and resources are stretched too thin already. I fully believe the police are doing all they legally can.”

Jamie placed a warm hand over Eva’s ice-cold one. “But we can take up that slack.”

“Dr. Pierce has granted us full access to his facility,” Victoria explained. “We’d like to provide around-the-clock protection until this situation is neutralized.”

Round-the-clock? “Is that really necessary?” The moment the words left her lips she felt foolish for having said them.

Eva hadn’t expected this insanity to consume her life. Her sister had told her it was bad. She’d spent the past two nights with Eva. If all that Victoria said was true, Lena being close put her in danger as well. Eva suddenly felt immensely grateful that Lena’s boss had called about a hot-button issue in DC and wanted her there ASAP. Lena had nearly refused to go but Eva had promised she would be fine with the Colby Agency taking care of her. After considerable persuasion, her sister had reluctantly accepted the assignment. Eva now completely understood how important it was to keep Lena as far from this as possible...and to end this as quickly as possible.

“Okay,” Eva heard herself say. “When do I meet this bodyguard?”

“As Victoria explained,” Jamie cut in, “we take every precaution when making the selection. Your situation requires extensive training. The man we’ve chosen spent eight years in the military, six in the Army’s Special Forces. He is an expert in all manner of defense and protection. His extensive emergency medical training will allow a smooth transition into your workplace. He’s the perfect choice.”

Victoria nodded her agreement. “You couldn’t be in better hands.”

Eva’s head was still spinning. She could do this. It was necessary. Her boss understood. Lena would come unglued if Eva even thought of backing out of hiring the Colby Agency. This was the right step. Just do this. “All right. I’m ready to do whatever I have to.”

“Before we ask him in,” Victoria began.

Eva instinctively understood that something bad was coming.

“We’ve been made aware that there may be a stumbling block of sorts. Under normal circumstances,” Victoria went on, “I never make assignments when there are personal connections. Emotions can often get in the way.”

Eva shook her head. “I’m sorry. This is my first time here and I’m fairly confident I don’t know anyone at your agency.”

“Todd Christian.”

Eva’s head turned so quickly toward the woman seated next to her that her neck almost snapped. “Todd Christian?”

Impossible. Even as the word filtered through her, Eva comprehended it was not. Todd had gone straight from college into the military. She’d heard at some point later that he was in some sort of special something but she couldn’t remember what. She had spent the past nine years blocking every single thing about him from her brain. Todd Christian no longer existed as far as Eva was concerned. She had worked extremely hard to make that happen.

Jamie nodded. “He is the perfect choice.”

Eva shook her head. “No. Absolutely not.” She could not—would not—spend one minute much less 24/7 with him. No damned way.

Another of those looks passed between Victoria and her granddaughter.

“Todd thought you might feel that way,” Victoria offered. “Eva, let me just say that I’ve been doing this for a very long time.”

“A seriously long time,” Jamie echoed.

“I do not make a suggestion such as this lightly,” Victoria continued. “I ask that you put your personal feelings aside for a moment before you request an alternate choice. Toward that end, Todd has asked if he might speak with you privately before you make your final decision.”

“He’s here?” Stupid question. He worked here. Of course he would be somewhere on the floor. Eva felt the heat rise in her face and then, just as suddenly, the color drain away, leaving her as weak as a kitten. How could she face him? He was the last person on Earth she wanted to hear about her personal issues.

“With your permission, Jamie and I will wait in my private lobby while the two of you talk for a moment.”

“There must be someone else.” Eva shook her head again. This would never do. “You mentioned an alternate choice.”

Victoria set her hands palms down on her desk and stood. “I pride myself in hiring only the best, Eva. Of course, there are others, but no one who would fit as seamlessly into your world. To make sure you are protected in such a way that the enemy will not simply lay low until that protection ceases, we must ensure they are taken by surprise. The last thing we want is for Robles to step back and wait out your resources. This is the only way to guarantee the outcome you desire in the quickest manner.”