5. Eva
CHAPTER 5
EVA
“You can do this, Eva,” I whisper to myself, taking a deep breath before knocking on Mandy’s office door. If there’s one person who has the power to unnerve me, it’s her.
“Come in,” her voice calls, clipped and sharp. I push the door open and stop in my tracks. Mandy is buried in a pile of paperwork, her desk barely visible beneath the chaos. Folders are stacked haphazardly, and sheets of paper litter the floor like a blizzard passed through.
“Did a fucking tornado come through here or something?” I ask, glancing around at the mess. At the sound of my voice, Mandy’s head snaps up, her wide eyes locking onto me.
“Where the hell have you been, Eva?” she practically yells, slamming a folder shut. “I’ve been calling, texting—I was about to send Rob to track you down!” I step forward cautiously, hands raised as if approaching a wild animal. “Mandy, I’m fine, see? No blood, no scratches. Perfectly okay.”
She exhales deeply, her shoulders sagging with relief. “Relax, I’m not going to kill you. Stop creeping around like you’re about to be executed,” she huffs. “Now, sit.”
I do as I’m told and pull the chair out from the other side of her desk. She moved into her office just over a year ago, and ever since, it’s been filled with plants—lots and lots of plants. The walls are painted a soft forest green, creating a calming atmosphere. Her white desk and matching chair are positioned in the centre of the room. To the right, a floor-to-ceiling window offers a breathtaking view of the city. Mandy loves it here, often sending me photos of the city lights streaming through the glass during late nights, making me envious of her peaceful moments while I’m stuck in the archives.
“Let me guess,” I say, glancing at the chaos around her, “the plants didn’t ‘ground’ you this time?” She gives me a ‘Shut up’ look but doesn’t respond. Before I can explain where I’ve been, the door bursts open, and Rob strides in with urgency etched across his face.
“Emergency meeting. Now. Both of you,” he says abruptly.
I glance over at Mandy, who raises her eyebrows in confusion before quickly gathering her things. Rob pauses before leaving, turning back to me with a serious expression.
“Bring your file, Eva. You’re going to need it.”
Well Fuck.
I grab the folder from Mandy’s desk and follow them down the hallway. Something feels…off. The air is tense, and every passing colleague avoids eye contact, their heads down as if they know something I don’t.
Heart pounding, I quicken my pace to keep up with Mandy and Rob as we approach the boardroom at the end of the corridor. Inside, the long table is already half-filled with executives I’ve only ever seen pictures of. The air is thick with tension as they watch us enter the room. Mandy slips into the seat beside me reaching for my hand as soon as we both sit down. I squeeze her back letting her know I’m with her with whatever is about to happen next.
“Thank you, everyone, for coming in on such short notice,” Rob begins, his tone steady but urgent. “I apologise for the urgency, but this matter cannot wait.” I glance around the boardroom at the executives, all eyes fixed on Rob as he paces slowly around the table.
“It has come to my attention that one of our recent job targets has a history that wasn’t detected during our background checks,” Rob continues, his gaze sweeping across the room, his eyes lingering on me for a second more. “Please open the files in front of you.” He says.
There’s a collective rustle of paper as everyone picks up the identical folders. I notice Mandy staring intently at the photo of Carter clipped to the front of hers. My fingers fumble slightly as I open my own file. But as I flip it open, my breath catches in my throat—Carter’s photo is missing. Panic surges through me. Did I lose it? My hands tremble slightly as I frantically sift through the papers, a cold sweat forming on my forehead as I suddenly remember it tumbling into the footwell of the car.
“What history are we talking about exactly Robert?” One of the executives asks, his voice edged with concern. I try to remember his name, but my brain keeps circling back to the missing item. I quickly shuffle through the papers again, just in case I somehow misplaced the photo amongst the others. Feeling Mandy’s eyes on me, I glance up to see her giving me a puzzled look.
Nodding towards the photo on her folder and then to my own, her eyes widen in shock as she realises what’s missing. Sensing my anxiety, Mandy slips her hand under the table once more to mine, giving it a second reassuring squeeze. “It’s going to be okay” She whispers softly, though the worry in her eyes tells a different story.
Looking back to Rob I see the lines on his forehead starting to form as he tries to figure out how to break the news to everyone. It can’t possibly be that bad.
“We were requested by a private individual to follow a gentleman called Carter Ashford. Our own investigator Eva was assigned to this position four days ago.” Rob starts, nodding in my direction. All eyes in the room turn towards me the second my name is mentioned.
“Since then, we’ve had an intelligence report indicating that the individual who requested this information, did so with malicious intent.”
All movements around the room still at the mention of this. It’s as If a single noise will bring the walls around us crumbling down. I sit up straighter, giving him my full attention, my earlier worry quickly turning into fear.
“Malicious Intent? What do you mean?” I ask, my voice barely a whisper. Rob glances at me, a flicker of regret briefly passing in his eyes. “Out with it Robert. Stop speaking in riddles.” The executive from earlier interjects, his voice laced with annoyance.
Rob hesitates for a moment but clears his throat before continuing. “It seems that the request came from a high-ranking figure in the Chicago underworld. We’ve just learned that Carter Ashford was connected to a powerful family that once operated there.” The room falls deathly silent, sending a chill down my spine. I lean back in the seat, begging for it to swallow me whole while my heart hammers in my chest as fear seeps into my veins.
“Malicious intent?” I echo, my voice barely above a whisper. Rob sighs, his expression grim. “The individual who requested the surveillance intends to use the information against Carter—potentially to harm him.”
The room erupts in a roar of outrage, but I can’t hear them. My mind is spinning, replaying every detail of the past four days. Every report I filed, every movement I tracked. It was passed to them.
What the fuck have I done?
Once the meeting ends, Mandy and I rush back to her office. I step inside first while she checks to make sure we’re alone before closing the door, locking it behind us. This time, she’s the one walking slowly towards me.
“Eva, listen—” she starts, but I shake my head, motioning for her to stop.
“Mandy, please don’t.” I plead, knowing she’s about to pull me into a hug. I look up at the ceiling, willing the tears to stay put as I try to process what just happened in the meeting moments ago.
“This isn’t your fault, you didn’t know. We can sort this.” she says gently.
But her words don’t help. My chest tightens as I think about Carter. About how I’ve unknowingly handed over his life to someone who wants to destroy it. Blinking back tears, I meet her gaze, my voice trembling. “But what if I’ve made a mistake we can’t fix?”