There was a long pause at the other end of the phone, and Emma’s antennae went up. It was either Lisa or Miles. She knew it.
Sure enough, a guy cleared his throat and said, “Is Ryan McKay there?”
Emma would find Ryan if she had to pull him out from under Claire or smash all his gadgets. “Yes, he is. May I ask who’s calling?”
“Miles Parker.”
Yes. Emma pumped the air with her fist, while she kept her voice steady and professional. “Just a moment, Mr. Parker, while I track him down.”
The instant she put Miles on hold, Emma raced for the stairs, nearly tripping on her way down to the lair. Sending Ryan a text wouldn’t work, not if he was working.
“Ryan!” She flung open the door to his man cave and burst inside. Big surprise. He was leaning over his computer.
“Nothing yet, Emma,” he informed her. “And, in the future, please knock. I know you’re jumping out of your skin, but…”
“Miles Parker is on the phone,” she interrupted, practically vibrating as she spoke. “He’s asking to talk to you. And I’m sitting in on the call when you take it. So put it on speaker.”
Ryan’s head shot up. He looked like a kid in a candy store.
“Line three,” Emma instructed, planting herself on a chair next to his workstation. “The phone’s under there.” She pointed at a slew of papers that were strewn everywhere. “And remember, put it on speaker.”
Ryan was already clearing the pile, groping for the phone. “Only if you keep that mouth of yours shut,” he replied. “Miles is calling me. He doesn’t even know you exist.”
“Yet.”
“Right. Yet. But he’s scared shitless. Don’t make him run before we even get him through the door.”
“I won’t say a word. I won’t even breathe. I promise. Just please, take the call before he changes his mind and hangs up.”
With a nod, Ryan punched line three’s blinking light. “Hi, Miles,” he said calmly. “It’s Ryan.”
“Julie and I need to talk to you.” Miles wasted no time on niceties. “Things have happened since you were here. We’re in real trouble.”
Ryan leaned forward, frowning. “Are either of you hurt?”
“Not yet. Not in the way you mean.” Another pause. “Look, I didn’t want to make this call. I don’t even trust you. But our backs are up against the wall. And we’ve got nowhere to turn. So you’re it—at least if we can come close to meeting your fee. We invested everything in the gym. We can scrape together a few thousand dollars left from the trust, but we…”
“Don’t worry about it,” Ryan assured him. “We’ll work out a fair price later—one that won’t wipe you out. Right now, we need to hear your story and take whatever action we need to keep you safe.”
“Can you come back to the gym?”
“Bad idea.” Ryan shook his head at the phone. “From what you’re saying, I’d be willing to bet you’re under scrutiny. Let’s not give them something to scrutinize—like a big meeting in Julie’s office. All our resources are here at Forensic Instincts. That’s where you need to be. Take the train into Penn. I’ll give you directions from there.”
“I don’t need directions,” Miles responded. “I know where you are.”
“Sorry, Scooby.” Ryan tried to lighten up the conversation, since Miles sounded as if he were about to implode. “I forgot who I was talking to.”
Miles didn’t laugh. “Can you see us today?”
“Catch the next train. We’ll be waiting.”
“One more thing. I want your assurance that this isn’t a conflict of interest, that you’re not representing someone who’s potentially after us.”
“You have my word,” Ryan replied. “You’re it.”
“Okay. We’ll be there soon.”
Ryan disconnected the call and looked at Emma. “Seems we have a new case, huh?”