Page 10 of Whistleblower

Instinctually, my fists ball up. “Vesper, what the fuck? Why would you—"

“Frankie—”

“One rogue operative, and you spiral? There’s always a risk with people who are willing to kill for a living. You know this. You’re going to roll over and drown in a pity party just because—”

Whack.

Her fist lands with a thud on the table in anger. I must’ve gone a step too far. “I brought in Frankie. I missed the signs. So every single mistake he made is mine.” Her eyes fall to the table and she twirls her thumbs slowly. “You know, I never asked…”

It’s Vesper’s only weakness. She’s a superb leader—smart, capable, focused, whips our asses in shape whenever we need it, but her empathy… It’s either her biggest weakness or her greatest strength. I don’t know. Vesper trained me, she taught me to be cold and detached, however, she cries for the world and all her recruits. Frankie was the most recent addition to our team. He turned out to be a bad apple. He started taking lives on his own accord and acting like a midnight vigilante, except not all of his targets deserved death, and he certainly didn’t have Vesper’s approval. He was out of control, so Vesper told me to put him down.

“He didn’t fight or flinch. He smiled as he watched me pull the trigger.”

He knew the consequences…and he paid them. Vesper blamed herself, calling it a bad recruit, but on paper, Frankie was a perfect fit for PALADIN—former specialized military, no family—but he grew angry.

I understand that part at least.

The more terrorists, murderers, abusers, and traffickers you encounter, the more you lose faith in humanity. We’re all angry, depressed…worn down. PALADIN takes down a target and then ten more pop up in its wake. Evil in this world knows no ends and the good people are outnumbered. It’s soul-crushing. At the end, I think Frankie wanted me to end him—he wanted to be put out of his misery.

She nods her head solemnly. “My point is, maybe there’s a need for checks and balances. I can’t keep playing God.”

“Why not? You’re better at it than Callen.”

She scoffs, burying her face in her hands. “Linc, we’re scattered, we’re divided, we’re being picked off left and right. I thought Morely went off the grid…” She shakes her head. “It took me three weeks to figure out his brains were splattered on a wall in Dubai. Jooney and Brady—dead. Fenway—dead. I just found out that Cricket’s in Morocco when she’s supposed to be in Prague. Did you know that?”

“No. Why?”

Her dark eyes bulge. “I don’t fucking know. My operatives are spread across the globe, doing God knows what right under my nose. I can’t reach them. I can’t control them… I can’t protect them. We need—”

“Discipline?”

“Structure,” she offers instead.

She closes her eyes, maybe an attempt to hide her vulnerability. I hate seeing her like this. When Vesper feels weak, I feel weak. She’s my leader, my friend, and the closest thing I have to a mother. She should know by now that we bear the burden of PALADIN’s shortcomings, together.

She should’ve talked to me before running to the FBI.

“I won’t put down another one of mine, Linc. Hear me? Frankie was the first and last.” Her tone is low and menacing. It’s a solemn vow. I didn’t realize how much it was tormenting her. I know Vesper takes responsibility for all her operatives, but this pain is from a maternal place. And judging by the look in her eyes, there’s no point in arguing—she’s made up her mind.

I now answer to motherfucking Jeff Callen which kind of makes me want to choose early retirement.

“All right,” I murmur, leaning against the wall of whiteboards. “Whatever you want. But no matter where you’re sitting at the table, our loyalty is to you, not Callen. Clear?”

She doesn’t lift her head and instead glares at me from the corner of her eyes. “Then show your loyalty now and do what I say is best. Don’t give Callen, or his new management, trouble. We’re safe under his command and I need my family safe.”

“Fine, I—wait…what is ‘new management?’”

A mischievous smile creeps across Vesper’s face. At least she’s smiling. “PALADIN is now legitimate. Callen says we’re getting a human resources department.”

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I exhale making my irritation clear. “Human resources, Vesper? For a bunch of fucking assassins?”

Vesper stands, clasping my shoulder before making her way out of the meeting room. “Behave. And call what’s left of our family home. Now.”

“Awfully bossy for someone who is taking a step down.” Vesper simply shrugs on her way out of the door. “Where are you going?” I call after her.

“Break room, Linc. We have a break room now, and it has snacks.”

THREE

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