Page 46 of The Attraction File

NINETEEN

Edgar

So, I lied.

Just a tiny bit. I know there was no such thing as lying a small amount, but how else would I get Evaleen to speak to me? Wait another five years until she trusted me enough to open up? No, not going to happen. I’m patient, but not that patient.

The way she acted last week when I showed her the picture of Damien Rosen was like going back fifteen years and watching a girl break in half.

Evaleen got upset, not just at the picture but of what I told her. Her reaction, kicking me out of her apartment, shouldn’t have surprised me. That was Evaleen. To say the woman had trust issues was an understatement.

That was why I told her Jacob said she had to be in on the interview process. Well, I made it sound like that was what he meant. I confused her enough that she bought it.

Then I told her he said we should deal with the hiring while we were in London. He never said that.

In fact, he said we should deal with it when we came back. I don’t think he meant for Evaleen to go on the trip. Why would an HR manager need to be on a trip about distribution regulations in Europe and Great Britain?

But she didn’t need to know that. If Jacob asks, I’ll just tell him what I told Evaleen. That we were thinking of interviewing a few candidates in London.

“How about your friend. Have you told her yet?” Mr. Marks was sitting across from me in one of three booths in Best Mornings. It’s the Friday before the Mimir execs leave for London. I wanted to get all the information Mr. Marks had before I left the country.

“No. I tried but something came up.”

I glanced over to the counter. A tall, lanky guy with dreads looking bored stood behind the cash register.

“She needs to know. This concerns her. Is she going to London with you?”

I nodded and he relaxed. “Good.”

“Why good?”

He chewed on his lower lip before shaking his head. “Edgar, I found out a few things. Based on the information you gave me about the hacking and Ashton. It seems Damien has moved up in the world.”

I shrugged my shoulders. “What does that even mean?”

“One Napa salad with toasted almonds.” The guy with dreadlocks popped up out of nowhere and placed the plate in front of Mr. Marks before he turned to leave. I never knew they served salad at this coffee shop.

“It means he isn’t just hitting up rich widows anymore. He has hooked up with some dangerous people. If Ashton is dealing with Damien and he tells him about you or your friend. Don’t think for a moment that Damien isn’t going to see that as an opportunity.”

“Why? We are old news as far as he’s concerned.”

Mr. Marks shook his head and finished chewing before he spoke. “Your friend’s father. Remember?”

Realization dawned on me. She didn’t even know. I just had to make sure he never found Evaleen.

“Is he still in Chicago?”

Mr. Marks picked at something stuck in his teeth and put down his plastic fork. “Yeah. As far as I know, this is the main location of operations. It’s not like he’s in charge. This goes up, way up.”

“What do you mean, way up?”

He wiped away some dressing from his face with a napkin. “I’m surprised it was only Chicago Police detectives that contacted you a few weeks ago. From what I know, it should have been the CIA.”

My eyes widened. I made a mental note to hire some security to watch out for my mom in Florida.

“That’s why you need to talk to your friend. Keep an eye on her. This guy dated her mom. Make sure her mom hasn’t been in contact with anyone from her past. He could even reach out through an old friend or make it look like that. Gain their confidence.”

I nodded with fear. Not just for the company or myself, but the people I loved. The people I cared about. I needed to do everything I could to protect them.

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