Whistleblower (PALADIN Book 1)

The entire weekend was a haze. A sexy, satiating, blur of orgasmic overload. I more than made up for my dry spell. Linc has more endurance than any man should, so when he got called away Sunday afternoon for a job, I was slightly relieved. I returned to my own apartment, took a scalding shower, and slept for twelve hours straight.

I’ve been in enough relationships to know to really lean into the honeymoon phase because it’s fleeting. You need all the sweet memories to survive the bullshit that follows. At least with Linc, I have a lot of material. It’s more than a honeymoon, it’s the entire beehive and the whole fucking cosmos.

This man… I couldn’t have conjured him up any better in a dream. He’s thoughtful, patient, so intelligent, and so gruff exactly when I need him to be. I like him so much in fact that I’m trying very hard to ignore what he’s out in the world doing at the present moment.

I don’t want to know. It’s easier that way.

Walking into my office on Monday, I make my way to my desk and pull out my gifted copy of War and Peace from the desk drawer. I return it to its rightful place on the top of my desk, front and center—my favorite souvenir.

“Knock, knock,” Callen says instead of actually knocking, seeing my door, as usual, is wide open.

“Hey, Callen, come on in. How was your—Oh. Hello.” I greet the woman in a smart suit trailing right behind. She’s wearing a badge, identical to Callen’s, but I immediately recognize the extra authority in her. It’s in the way she walks—directive, with a purpose and no tolerance for distractions. She sidesteps Callen and makes her way across the office, her hand outstretched and aimed at me.

She shakes my hand firmly as she introduces herself. “Dr. Abbott, it is an absolute pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard so many impressive things.”

I correct almost everyone who calls me “Doctor.” But for some reason, I don’t correct her. Maybe because she’s already wildly intimidating with her thick manicured brows, angled features, and thin lips pressed firmly together that still somehow scream, “I don’t have time to fuck around.”

“I’m Director Mierna Ravshervesky, but that’s a mouthful so everyone just calls me Ravi.”

“This is my boss,” Callen adds, plopping into a chair by my desk. He looks a little shrunken, like his suit is a size too big and he’s playing dress up. His demeanor is docile today.

“Actually,” Ravi says with a playful smile, “I’m his boss’s boss.” That was a blatant power move if I’ve ever seen one.

“It’s very nice to meet you.”

Use her name, it shows you’re paying attention.

“Director Ravi,” I continue, “Would you like to sit down?” I look at the only other movable chair in my office right in front of my computer. “It rolls, I can pull it around.”

She shakes her head. “No thank you. I had a long flight and I’d prefer to stand.”

“Did you just get in?” I ask, eyeing her wrinkle-free suit.

“A half hour ago. Callen has been showing me around the compound. So, you’re the one who insisted on the very expensive in-house doctor?”

Her tone feels accusing, so I nod sheepishly.

It was justified, Eden. Speak up. Explain yourself.

“Sometimes preventative medicine can save companies in the way of insurance long term, and I just figured—”

I abruptly stop speaking when she holds up her hand. “Dr. Abbott, it was a good suggestion. Last week the doctor identified early onset cancer in one of our agents due to a mandatory physical. He has a good chance at total remission because of you.”

My jaw drops. “Wow. That’s incredible…um…and also a HIPAA violation, I believe?” My brows cinch in disbelief. This woman is not a killer. She’s in a suit, obviously a major authority at the FBI. I’m sure her concern is more politics than logistics. She should know the rules.

“I didn’t give you the agent’s name,” she smoothly replies. “At any rate, I like what you’re doing around here and I also wanted to personally thank you for cracking Roman Broder. That little shit has been giving us problems for weeks.”

“Hector,” Callen clarifies for me. Yes, I remember the informant you and Linc had tied up and tortured a couple days ago. I have sex fatigue…not amnesia.

“How is Roman?” My overly enthusiastic tone triggers Ravi to raise her eyebrows at my nosey question. I immediately backtrack. “Sorry, I probably don’t have clearance for that.”

She lets out a harsh, breathy laugh. “You don’t. But you also didn’t have clearance to be in that interrogation room. In fact, this entire compound, including PALADIN, doesn’t have clearance because it technically doesn’t exist. Therefore, I don’t think it’s problematic to inform you that Roman Broder agreed to a plea for unlawful possession of a deadly firearm. He’ll serve a minimum sentence and be offered parole with mandatory rehabilitation counseling. He was indoctrinated into a gang—apparently against his will—so prosecutors have agreed to be lenient.”

I nod while closing my eyes and picturing Roman’s tears when he finally gave up the address. I promised him hope and I’m so glad I didn’t lie.

“Good.”

The conversation is at what I feel is a natural close, but Ravi crosses her arms and very unsubtly examines me, up and down.

She’s sizing you up, Eden. Stand tall. Straighten your shoulders.

“What exactly is your role here, Dr. Abbott?”

By the third time I’ve heard it, it’s enough. “I prefer Eden, please.”

“Okay, Eden—what exactly do you do?”

I look at Callen for an assist but he sits silently. “In the past, I’d help mostly tech companies in their early infancy scale by training their leadership teams and guiding them in the establishment of employee-centric corporate directives.”

She narrows her eyes. “How long does that usually take?”

“Three to six months, depending on the shape of the company. I usually need a few weeks of evaluation, a few more for personnel interviews, and then I build a training program based on the information I gather. After implementation, I usually stick around for an evaluation period.”

“And you’ve been at PALADIN for about a month now?”

“Correct…but…well PALADIN is a much smaller team, and additionally…” I trail off glancing at Callen again but he’s staring at his shoes. I blow out a deep breath. “Director Ravi, I’ll just be honest, I’m making this up as I go. I’m doing what I can and applying what I know, but yes… It does seem a little farfetched to complete performance evaluations on undercover assassins. So, I completely understand if you feel my salary is overly generous, but in my defense, I was offered this position and I’m adapting as I go. I’m open to discussion—”

“Eden.” Ravi holds up both hands as if in surrender, with a tongue-in-cheek smile. “Who do you think told Callen to offer you a job?”

“Pardon?”

Ravi clasps her hands together and the hollow clapping sound echoes off the walls. “I was in charge of the Empress case. There were so many moving pieces that dragged out over almost a year. We were so busy building an iron clad case that we foolishly overlooked the sacrifice you made. You were dealing with repercussions we weren’t even aware of until long after the fact, and for that—on behalf of the entire FBI—I want to apologize. We should’ve done more, sooner, to make you feel safe.”

My eyes widen to the point they begin to feel dry. “Thank you,” I choke out.

She continues, “When I got word that you were seeking employment and couldn’t find anything, I instructed Callen to create a position for you. I figured a decent salary and being under the protection of the FBI moving forward might be the first step to making amends.”

Amends? Too little, too late.

But I tell my brain to shut up because I truly appreciate the sentiment. After all this time…an apology is welcome.

“Thank you,” I say again. “I really do appreciate it.”

“If you’re interested, we could use your insight at headquarters.”

“Headquarters?” My question comes out as a squeak. Even Callen raises his eyebrows in surprise.

“Keep an eye on your email. Once this place is in order, I have some bigger fish for you to fry.” She winks before tossing her head over her shoulder. “Callen, let’s finish the tour. I have exactly forty minutes before I’m needed on the tarmac.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Callen hops out of his chair and waits until Ravi is a few paces down the hallway. He turns to me and presses his hands together in prayer and mouths, “Thank you,” dramatically, before disappearing down the hallway.

A job with the actual FBI…not tucked underground and hiding all these illegalities. Fidelity, bravery and integrity are all along the things I already teach, so it wouldn’t be a bad match.

I’m here supposedly to get PALADIN in line, but the joke is on Callen. I’ve studied enough companies to know there are kings, queens, and pawns. Right now, Callen thinks he’s in control but it’s only because Vesper allows him to think so. PALADIN is already in line and it has nothing to do with me or my so-called “magic touch.”

Graceful, calculating and patient… Vesper is the king, queen, knight, and bishop of this entire operation.

Now alone in my office, I run my fingers over War and Peace, reflecting on Linc’s words from the other night. My stomach flits at Vesper’s warning to Linc, telling him not to get invested. At the present moment, I’m not worried about Empress or break-ins. I’m worried about the only woman who Linc is more loyal to than me…

Vesper doesn’t need me, soon, she’ll realize that. At the end of the day, when she, Linc and PALADIN are done with me, where will I go? What will I do?

Maybe Ravi’s introduction is in perfect timing.