Page 97 of Whistleblower

Pound! Pound!

Two loud knocks at my front door makes me jump.

“Did you order breakfast?” Linc asks me. When I shake my head, his face flattens. “Are you expecting anyone?” When I shake my head again, his eyes narrow. “Stay here,” he commands, before he heads to the front door.

After a short silent pause, I hear my front door open and close, and Linc returns to the kitchen with Vesper in tow.

“Good morning, Eden.”

Looking at Vesper’s neat ensemble—her navy pantsuit, slick ponytail and subtle, yet clean makeup, I immediately feel embarrassed at the sloppy, just-rolled-out-of-bed-after-a-marathon-of-sex look I’m sporting. I hastily smooth my loose hair and tuck it behind my ears.

“Good morning, Vesper.”

“Please pardon me, I didn’t mean to interrupt. I figured Linc would be here. We have a work emergency.”

I almost ask her why she knows where here is, but how stupid of me to assume that the real commander of PALADIN doesn’t know exactly where we all sleep, eat…and fuck. Vesper has an ethereal, all-knowing presence.

“Do you guys want a private word?” Not that I can really oblige. My apartment is quaint. The only way they are getting a truly private word is if I shut the bathroom door, turn on the shower full force, and blast some music.

“No need, and no time,” Vesper says calmly. She turns to Linc. “Your coordinates panned out, we’ve got your guy. We found out a private jet was chartered right after the shipment was intercepted.”

“Mhm,” Linc says, understanding the context I clearly don’t. “I bet he wants to know what happened to over a million dollars worth of ammo and other”—Linc eyes dart quickly in my direction—“valuables.”

“I’m assuming he thinks he’s being toyed with. He’s coming into town to deal with the arms dealers himself. There’s no better way to send a message than a bloodbath. Money’s gone, meaning—”

“Someone has to pay,” Linc finishes for Vesper.

“Right.”

It’s uncomfortable how they continue to talk shop as if I’m not even in the room. I down half my mug of coffee just to have something to do.

“If he has no idea he’s being watched and now he’s crossing country borders, why wouldn’t the FBI just arrest him?”

“They intend to,” Vesper says, giving Linc a knowing look. “But you asked for the head of the snake—I’m giving it to you on a silver platter. We need to go, now. Oh, and we’re driving. If we board a flight, Callen will know you’re headed back to New York and he’ll intervene.”

Linc wraps his arm around my shoulder and roughly yanks me into his chest. “I’m sorry, I have to take a quick trip.” He adds in a whisper against my ear, “When I get back, we’ll move your pillows, okay?”

“Okay.”

“Bye, Bambi.” Linc presses his lips against mine, distractedly. He’s saying goodbye, but his mind is already long gone, thinking about…work.

“Goodbye, Eden. We’ll be back soon,” Vesper adds politely.

I hold my palm in the air in a stoic wave.

“Drive safe,” I say, immediately wishing I could suck the words back in. Damn, that sounded stupid. But what’s the alternative? Don’t die!

The front door shuts with a loud bang. I’m suddenly alone and very aware of how quickly my boyfriend jumped at the command of another woman. I thought this weekend would be full of all the cliché couple crap I’ve been craving. Linc just got back and now he’s gone again. It seems life with Linc is very similar to the lifestyle I had growing up. My dad was gone constantly at the drop of a hat with no explanation—Linc is much the same. The only question is whether or not that means I’m well-prepared for this relationship…or if this is my early red flag to go running in the opposite direction.

THIRTY-FIVE

LINC

With perfect timing, Eden texts me right before I have to shut my phone off. We’re close to the tarmac and expecting the flight to land in less than ten minutes. We can’t risk giving off any accidental signals that will tip off our target.

Eden

Here’s your peace of mind text. And in case you’re wondering…

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