Chapter 446
Jacob now understood her point.
“Ms. Hansen, is this your first time in this country p>
Eva considered for a moment before shaking her head.
“Not exactly the first, but the last time I was here alone, I only stayed for two days p>
Back then, her accommodation was a hotel. She and Michael Cooper certainly didn’t have some ‘old place’ to speak of. Not during her last visit, nor did she feel there was an ‘old place’ this time around, aside from the villa they had taken her to. After all, that was where she had stayed the longest.
After hearing her out, Jacob found himself pondering too.
“Could it be that the ‘old place’ he mentioned isn’t in this city, or maybe even this country p>
At first, Eva did believe she was where she needed to be, but with Michael Cooper’s temper, she doubted he’d simply let her end up in the wrong place. Had she actually been off course, he would’ve mentioned it during their call, especially since he’d been the one wanting to see her. Plus, he coincidentally knew her flight number.
“There’s no place else, we’ll just have to go there,” she mused, acknowledging that if she were to seek him out, that was her only option.
Jacob was momentarily at a loss, but it was clear there was no alternative at the moment.
“Ms. Hansen, why not rest up tonight and head out tomorrow?” he suggested tentatively.
A sense of urgency was gnawing at him, but it was not his place to insist that Eva drop everything to save Mr. Blackwood now, even though deep down, Jacob felt that with their resources, they should be able to rescue Adrian Blackwood. They hadn’t even found the guy yet, let alone figured out how Mr. Blackwood could have fallen into his foe’s trap. As one of Adrian Blackwood’s subordinates, Jacob’s loyalty naturally lay with him, believing if Blackwood had been outmaneuvered by Michael Cooper, it had to be due to Cooper’s sneaky, malicious tactics.
“Let’s go now p>
Eva’s voice snapped Jacob back to reality. He checked her gaze, she was looking at him with a serene expression.
It took Jacob a moment to register her decision. “Our people he stammered.
A heavy sigh escaped Eva. “If he’s aware of my movements, that means he knows my itinerary and exactly who’s with me,” she stated, indicating her intent to go alone.
“Wait, but how can we justify that? Ms. Hansen, if you go by yourself, and something happens, how am I supposed to explain it to Mr. Blackwood when he returns p>
Eva had been on edge these past few days, and Jacob’s objections were the last thing she needed. Even though she wanted to snap at him, she realized he was concerned for her well-being and managed to suppress her anger, though her tone was far from friendly.
“Stop beating around the bush,” she chastised. “Do you want to save him or not p>
Chastened by her rebuke, Jacob recognized he had been fussing unnecessarily.
Rubbing her temples, Eva voiced her fatigue, “Point them in the right direction. When we’re close, I’ll make my own way p>
Jacob opened his mouth to object, but seeing Eva already leaning back with her eyes closed, ready to shut out any further discussion, he understood the conversation was over.
He had to swallow his mounting worries, knowing Ms. Hansen didn’t want to discuss Adrian Blackwood anymore. How long had they been disconnected, yet they still hadn’t found him?
Jacob muttered instructions to himself, formulating plans in his head. With Mr. Blackwood absent, the responsibility of protecting Ms. Hansen had fallen on his shoulders.
The drive to the villa was still rough, and though Eva Shen managed to rest with her eyes closed against the seat at first, her complexion turned pale after a while.
She probably hadn’t eaten properly the past few days, leaving her with an unsettled stomach, and the bumpy ride wasn’t helping.
Nausea swelled up in her mind, and she was fighting hard to keep it down.
When the car finally stopped, Eva’s first action after getting out was to rush to the side of the road and vomit.
“Ms. Hansen!” Jacob called out, startled by her reaction. He quickly opened the car door and dashed out after her.
“Are you alright, Ms. Hansen p>
Eva was crouching by the road, shivering as the wind picked up. Jacob didn’t think twice; he took off his coat and draped it over her, then helped her, pale-faced, to stand. “I’m fine,” she asserted.
Only then did Jacob notice Eva’s pallor, as pale as paper. He had been preoccupied with thoughts and instructions during the drive and hadn’t paid attention to her condition. Seeing her now, he suspected the turbulent ride had caused her motion sickness.
At the same time as his suspicions formed, Eva admitted, “Just mild car sickness. I’ll feel better after a moment.” “Sorry about that, Ms. Hansen. I should’ve told them to go slower on such a rough road,” Jacob apologized. Ms. Hansen was impressively stoic, enduring the motion sickness in silence the whole way.
Eva just gave him a reassuring smile, indicating she was okay.
After standing still for a while to recover, she started to hand back Jacob’s coat.
“No, keep it on, Ms. Hansen. Looking after you is part of my job. It’s just a coat, after all,” Jacob insisted.
After being carsick, she was covered in cold sweat. Standing outside in the chilly wind made her shiver uncontrollably.
Reluctant to keep his clothing but relieved after hearing Jacob, Eva thanked him and wrapped the coat around herself.
She glanced at the path ahead and then said, “This is the place. Wait here for me; I’ll go inside and check p>
Jacob hesitated, wanting to voice his concerns.
“It’s okay, don’t worry about me. He wouldn’t dare hurt me, and I have to bring Adrian Blackwood back, don’t I? That’s my only chance to get out of this mess,” she reassured him. Hearing this, Jacob bit his lower lip with worry, “But what if he doesn’t keep his promise p>
Eva chuckled softly, “If he decides to break his word, rest assured, I have ways to deal with him p>
Without further hesitation, she turned and walked away.
Jacob stood motionless, watching the slender figure disappear into the chilly wind, her steps firm, betraying no sign of doubt.
The car was parked a fair distance from the villa.
All alone, Eva took some time to reach the front of the villa. The gate was closed. After glancing around, she looked up straight into the security camera.
“Tell Michael Cooper, I’m here,” she said, confident he was expecting her. Then she sat down on a bench near the entrance, drawing her coat tighter around her.
Had the bench been added just for her visit?
While mentally preparing for what was to come, Eva waited.
After a couple of minutes, the gates opened.
Eva turned and, upon seeing who it was, her eyes narrowed momentarily.
She’d considered the possibility of not meeting Michael Cooper here, or that perhaps he wouldn’t even be present. But what she hadn’t anticipated was meeting him p>