Whistleblower (PALADIN Book 1)

When I wake up, the first thing I see is the view from my home office window—I recognize it immediately. Looking around, I see my cranberry-colored drapes, the clean white executive desk, and my matching built-in bookshelves. I used to love this room. It’s a little dusty, seeing as my home in California hasn’t been occupied in over a month. It’s so dusty in fact, my throat catches as I inhale, and I fall victim to a coughing fit. Instinctively, I try to cover my mouth, and that’s when I remember I’m tied down.

The zip ties cut into my skin as I try to lift my arms, but the arm supports of my office chair don’t budge. My feet are free, and I can roll and shuffle around, but between Harmon, Ravi, and two guns pointed at me, I find it safer to sit still. Escape isn’t an option—I’d be dead before I made it to the door.

Coughing, sputtering, and gasping for breath, Harmon finally approaches me with a bottle of water. He tilts my chin back and pours a little sip into my mouth which calms my irritated throat.

He can’t even look me in the eye.

Clearly, he’s having a hard time stomaching what he did to me. My mouth is hot and swollen. Running my tongue over my bottom lip, I taste the open wound. He wiped the blood from my chin at least. He hit me three times before my ears were ringing so loud, I couldn’t count any more. I remember Ravi screaming at both of us in the background. She screamed at me to give up the information. She screamed at Harmon to hit me harder.

Harmon was holding back, I know that for sure. He’s quite large. He could have broken my jaw or my nose if he wanted to, but he still had to follow orders. I don’t know what Ravi is holding over him, but I imagine beating me to a pulp is the safer alternative to seeing his wife and kids in the same condition.

But still, his attack was shocking. My intruder from the other day struck me with an open palm. Harmon…did not. Eventually I just succumbed to the stars swirling in my head, welcoming the darkness that eventually cloaked me. I thought it was death, apparently it was just a nap. I shudder realizing the bastards probably let me sleep it off so I’d be alert enough to really feel round two.

“How long have I been out?” I ask when I glance around the room and notice Ravi is missing.

“A couple hours. Eden—please just tell her what she wants to know. How much more of this can you take?”

I clear my throat. “What she’s after, I don’t have. You’re hurting me for no reason.”

As I shift, I feel a twinge in my ribs, where earlier Harmon’s fist collided with my midsection so hard, I was certain one of my internal organs busted. Opening my mouth, I wordlessly ask for another sip of water. This time he gives me enough to gulp. The cool liquid washes over my empty stomach, making it growl.

Funny. Dad was right…the hunger hurts. My face is numb. My headache is dull. My ribs ache, but it’s not too bad if I don’t move. Even the stinging from my wrists rubbed raw against the ties is starting to fade, but the hunger is loud. It’s been over twenty-four hours since I’ve eaten, and there’s no one here to rescue me and feed me Doritos.

Harmon opens his mouth to say something but shuts it quickly when Ravi reenters the room. I hang my head in defeat when I see the small silver tube in her hand.

“It took me a minute to realize what this was when I found it in your purse.” I simply blink at her cold, angular face that’s twisted up in a wicked smile. “Are you going to talk, Eden, or are we about to figure out what this does?”

My entire body preemptively braces. My tone is more pleading than I intend it to be, but at this point what’s left to hide? Yes, I’m scared. Yes, I want to live. Should I be ashamed of that?

No, Eden. We’re going to get through this. Keep her talking.

My rational brain wakes up and I suppress the urge to ask her, out loud, where the fuck she’s been for the past few hours.

“Ravi, for a moment, humor me. What if I really don’t know what you’re talking about? Have you considered that? How can I give you what you want if I don’t know what it is? Please.”

She angles her head and blinks at me a few times. “I don’t like my time wasted.”

“I’m not trying to waste your time.”

“Pierre Corky, or Porky as you call him, already told us that there’s only one remaining copy of the data Empress collected for us. The user names, the categories, the groups—all of it. The entire digital marketplace was backed up, and we know you have it. He told us you have it.”

Dammit, Porky. Liar.

“Why?”

“You want to know why I’m looking for the resource I commissioned? Are you that fucking stupid?” Ravi snarls at me.

“Why did you want the data in the first place? I keep thinking about it and thinking about it and I can’t figure it out. The marketplace would’ve allowed known terrorists to recruit a lot of impressionable social media users to do awful, evil things. There would’ve been mobs storming the streets. They would’ve called on law enforcement, the FBI, and DIA, to clean up the mess. Why would you want to create such chaos in our country? I don’t understand.”

“But you understand how performance and funding works, right? Isn’t that part of HR?” I level a blank stare at her. I’m going to die today, and the worst part is that HR will be carved on my tombstone because still—nobody understands what my actual job is. Good grief.

Ravi ignores my reaction and continues, “Corporate and government agencies are much the same. You give funding to your most successful departments.”

“Okay,” I say. Just keep her talking, Eden. “I still don’t understand.”

“Between the war, election, international threats, and cyber warfare, the CIA, DIA, and homeland security are the highest priority. The FBI is starving. Our recruits are lackluster. We’re being picked to the bones. I was tasked to demonstrate the true value of the FBI. We needed more cases—easy cases. It’s as simple as that.”

I let out a deep breath, understanding finally washing over me.

It’s clever. It’s fucking evil, but it’s clever.

And scary. Because it would’ve worked.

Never underestimate the influence of social media. You can take a perfectly sane person and drive them to extremes by anonymous bullying, public humiliation, and harassment. But starting with someone who already craves chaos and violence and feeding them the most enticing bait—we would’ve been in a state of war… In need of heroes.

“You were trying to provoke crimes, so you could be the first to stop them. All to build your number of successful cases closed… That’s what this is all about, isn’t it? That’s also why you wanted PALADIN under your command. You were basically raising pigs for the slaughter, and they were your suicide squad. You wouldn’t even have to lift a finger.”

Ravi chuckles. “It’s not that wicked. The wretched lowlifes that Empress singled out are bound to do something stupid in their lifetime. Why not draw them out now and put them in the ground? Let’s call it, preventative justice.”

I glance at Harmon, whose jaw is dropped. Apparently, we’re both just learning of Ravi’s malicious overarching plan for agency dominance.

“Eden, I’ll let you go,” Ravi says, softening her demeanor. “Just hand it over and walk away—it’s that simple.”

“I don’t have it. Why do you—”

“You are wearing my patience thin,” she says, cutting me off while uncapping the silver tube. “You said yourself it was in your office. I checked all the drawers. Where is it?”

I shouldn’t be surprised that Ravi was behind my intruder, too, but it still makes my stomach churn. How long has she been watching me? Stalking me? This only ends one way…

“You’re not going to let me go,” I say softly.

“Excuse me?” Ravi asks.

“Porky lied to you. The data was wiped.” There’s only one reason Porky would throw me under the bus like this. I was the only one who could fight back. The only one who could get to the bottom of the truth… Because I have no family, and no friends for Ravi to threaten. Her normal manipulation tactics won’t work on me.

I was alone and somehow that made me powerful.

She underestimated the whistleblower.

“I don’t believe you.”

I sniffle, as the tears paint my cheeks. “Then beat me to death and keep searching for the rest of your life.”

“You’re a fucking idiot,” she growls as she taps the taser twice, just like Linc showed me. The sound of electricity buzzes and my heart begins to pound. I brace myself for more pain.

I close my eyes as she lunges, but I don’t feel the searing sting of an electric shock. Instead, I hear a thud and Ravi shouting profanities. Opening my eyes, I see Harmon on top of Ravi trying to wrestle the taser out of her hand.

“Run!” he yells. “Eden, go now!”

“I can’t!” I shriek, tugging against the zip ties.

“Shit,” he grumbles before he shouts in pain. He jerks and writhes on the floor, like his entire body is vibrating. Ravi pulls the taser from his neck and kicks him in the side. His eyes look blank and his mouth begins to foam. As far as I can tell, now it’s just me and Ravi alone in this room. She smiles as she pulls her gun from its holster.

“Ah,” I wail in agony when the butt of her gun finds my cheekbone. I can almost feel the crack as hot pressure balloons on the right side of my face.

“Last chance, Eden,” she says, cocking her gun and pressing it against my fractured cheek bone.

“Ravi, I told you—”

The door kicks open and of course the first thing I see is the barrel of yet another gun. “Jesus, Callen,” Ravi says, relieved. “Call first, hm?”

I feel nauseous when I see him smile. Fuck. Now, it’s over. No wonder Ravi knew where I was. No wonder he picked Harmon to accompany me. It’s really over.

“You alone?” she asks.

“Of course. Tweedle-dee and dumbass are searching for her at the correctional facility. But it won’t be long before they clue in. Let’s hurry this up.”

How could I be so wrong? There’s no way.

“Check Harmon’s pulse. He lost his fucking mind a moment ago.”

Callen does as he’s instructed. “He’s fine. Let him sleep it off.” He nods in my direction but doesn’t look at me. “Do you have what you need?”

“Nope. You two are chummy, want to take a stab at it?”

He snorts. “Is a pawn chummy with the chess player?” Now his cocky smile spreads, and his slanted eyes meet mine. “She’s more of a honey than vinegar girl though. Put that down.”

Ravi rolls her eyes and lowers the gun. As soon as the metal is no longer touching my face, Callen lunges. Ripping the gun from her hand, it goes off amidst the struggle putting a hole in my ceiling fan.

“Linc! She’s alive!” Callen shouts right before he groans and shrivels when Ravi knees him hard between the legs.

Oh, thank God.

Linc storms in and the entire room drops a few degrees. I shouldn’t be so relieved when I see the malice in his eyes. I have never seen such putrid hate before. It’s pouring out of his expression as he assesses the scene and then sets his sights on Ravi. She makes a feeble attempt to grab her gun, but she’s no match. Surpassing her in speed and agility, Linc slides the gun away and wraps his hand around her neck.

He picks her up by the throat and I watch her entire face turn purple as she gasps futilely for air. “I have never killed a woman or a cop before,” he snarls. “Clearly today is a day for exceptions.”

He chucks her with such force that she hurtles into my desk before crumpling on the ground. There’s a loud crack. Maybe my desk, maybe her back, but all I know is that the only man who makes me feel safe is scaring the shit out of me at the present moment.

“Linc, please.”

Hearing my voice breaks the rageful spell. He stops his attack immediately, crosses the room, and squats down in front of me. He doesn’t bother turning around as Vesper enters, he’s busy examining me head to toe.

“Oh, Eden,” she murmurs, then proceeds to collect the gun on the ground, Harmon’s weapon, and helps Callen stand. “Do you need an ambulance?”

I shake my head.

“Your cheek…your lip…your wrists.” Linc names off body parts softly as he pulls a pocketknife from his pants and cuts the zip ties. I moan in relief as I rub my freed wrists. “Does anything else hurt?”

“My stomach,” I say. Helping me stand, he yanks up my shirt and grits his teeth. Perhaps my ribs look a bit worse than they feel at the moment. Pulling my shirt back down, I smile, ignoring my aching lip. “I mean I’m hungry.”

He begins to laugh and then tears well in his eyes.

Holy shit. Is he crying?

He’s so silent and still, I reach up to touch his tears, just to ensure they’re real. “You can’t do this to me again,” he says softly. He nuzzles into my hand before grabbing it and kissing all over the marks on my wrists. “You have to be careful, Eden, because you’re responsible for both of our lives now. Do you understand? I can’t live without you.”

Sucking in a deep breath, I nod, before I fumble for his holster and free his gun. Linc lets me take his weapon, knowing exactly where I’m headed. He doesn’t intervene. Standing over Ravi, I nudge her shoulder with my toe. She rolls over and looks up at me. I’m sure she’d lunge if she could, but it’s quite apparent her back is broken.

“I said I didn’t have it.” I cock the gun. “You should’ve listened.” She looks scared. The same way the last prisoner in the photo did. The same way Roman did. The same way I must’ve for the past year of my life. But for some reason, I don’t feel sympathy for Ravi, just rage. For the first time in my life, I want to pull this trigger.

I want to hurt her.

I want to kill her.

Extending my arms, I hold the gun closer to her face.

“Watch the recoil, Eden. The force on my pistol could snap your wrists,” Linc says from behind me.

“Does it change you?” I ask, briefly looking over my shoulder before I return to Ravi’s twitching eyes. “Killing someone?”

“Yes,” Vesper answers. “Forever.”

“From the moment you pull the trigger,” Callen adds.

Linc takes a few paces and puts his hand against the small of my back. “Do what you need to do to be free. I’ll love you either way.”

My lips spread wide as I look into his steely light blue eyes. It’s not the time or place, but I can’t help but smile. “Love?” I ask him.

“Yes,” he says. “Love.”

“Fucking do it already,” Ravi growls from the ground, but her angry bravado comes out shaky and unconvincing. For someone who was so willing to inflict death and destruction, she sure is terrified to meet her end.

“You’re a special kind of evil, do you know that? The cowardly kind. The kind that hides behind a smokescreen while you invoke terror on the unsuspecting. You risked other people’s lives for work accolades. You’re careless with consequences, as long as they aren’t yours. People are numbers to you—to be manipulated and cheated. What you’ve put me through over the past year should’ve changed me for the worse.”

My hands begin to tremble, causing the gun to shake in my hands. Linc notices.

“Eden, you don’t have to do this. Let me,” he says, reaching for the gun. I jerk away from his grip.

“No. She’ll live,” I say firmly. I look into Linc’s eyes so he registers my command clearly. “Do not kill her.”

Looking back down at Ravi, she looks confused. I’m still glaring at her but I feel the relief in my chest. The tight hold that fear and shame has had over me for far too long releases as I realize the truth. I’m not violent, cruel, hateful—but that doesn’t mean I’m not strong.

“I take a lot of pride in being your opposite,” I say the words while looking down at her, rightfully so. “I’m good, merciful, kind…sensitive.” I chuckle as I say the word I once thought was an insult. “The world needs more of me and less of you. And I won’t let you go to your grave not knowing what you really are. I have a feeling that, for a coward like you, exposure is worse than death.”

Callen laughs, still cupping his balls through his slacks. “Prison for a dirty agent is worse than hell.”

“That’s your business,” I say with a shrug. I look at Ravi for, what I promise, will be the last time. It ends here. It stops now. Yes, I was afraid, there’s no shame in that. I know fear because I have a lot to live for—I have a lot to be proud of. “You may not deserve my mercy, but I deserve to keep my hands clean. I won’t change because of you.”

I nod my head, confident in my resolve as I toss Linc’s gun to the ground.

Bang!

I jump as everyone else freezes as the bullet lodges into the wall. Grimacing, I wince when I feel the agony of my injured cheek. Holding my face, I mumble, “I’m sorry.”

Linc presses his lips together and tries to find a safe place to kiss me. Come to think of it, even my eyes are throbbing. I’m so glad I don’t have a mirror right now. I don’t want to see whatever is making his face pull in pity like that. He settles for lightly kissing the top of my head as he gently pulls me into his body and rubs my aching back.

“Oh, Bambi,” he murmurs as I breathe in his familiar scent, feeling like I’m home. “You’re not getting a gun, but you’re definitely getting a run down on gun safety.”

“I love you too, by the way,” I mumble. “I really do.”

“Yeah? Not too soon for me to say it?”

“Mmm,” I mumble into his chest, not even caring that we have an audience. I’m so cozy and safe now. I did it. I survived. I more than survived. I overcame. “I’ve nearly been killed twice in one week…so in my mind, you’re actually a little late in saying it.”

He chuckles. “I love you, Eden. I never thought I’d say that to anyone, but I love you. Now, I want to take you home and take care of you, but I think we should go to the hospital.”

“Okay,” I agree. I feel a sharp pain with every breath I take in. I most definitely have a cracked rib. At this point, there are too many broken pieces. A doctor is necessary and I’ll probably need something stronger than Motrin when the pain really begins to register. But first…

“I’m starving. I need to eat something before going to the emergency room. I just know the bastards will admit me and then put me on a liquid diet.”

“Can you even chew?” Linc asks, worry lines painting his expression as he examines my injured face.

“Oh, believe me, I’ll make it work,” I say, trying to keep a straight face.

He laughs and looks over my shoulder to Callen and Vesper. “Can you believe this woman? Chirpy as usual.” He returns his gaze to me. “You’re so fucking brave, Eden. You blow me away—everything is going to be okay.”

Little does he know, in his arms like this, everything is already okay.

Callen steps on Ravi’s shoulder before cuffing her, clearly holding a grudge about her assault on his manhood. “I’ll make some calls to pick up the trash, then we can get out of here.”

“Harmon was under duress. In the end, he did try to save me,” I say to Callen, a little relieved my rage has calmed and my more empathetic attitude has returned.

“Did he help do this?” Linc asks, his eyes narrowing at the sleeping heap on the floor.

I grab his chin and pull his eyes to mine. “I don’t want your vengeance.” I widen my eyes. “I want you to feed me. Now.”

“What do you want to eat, Bambi? We’ll all go,” he says, with Vesper and Callen nodding over his shoulder.

I slump in Linc’s arms, letting him support my weight. I’m bold with my request because looking this pitiful, there’s no way he could turn me down.

I smile at him innocently. “Waffles—”

“Ah, fuck.”

“Muffins…donuts—”

“Mhm.”

“Eggs, bacon, pancakes…basically anything a diner serves for breakfast.”

Linc scoops me up in his arms with ease, holding me so carefully, like I’m his precious treasure. I snuggle into his arms as we leave my office with my new friends…no, family, in tow.

“Come on, Bambi,” Linc says. “Breakfast doesn’t sound too bad.”