Page 28 of Whistleblower

“Law enforcement? Military?”

Gripping the ledge of the sink, I look at myself in the mirror. My hair is in disarray—frayed, and frizzy. My mascara and eyeliner are smudged to the point I look like Harley Quinn on a bad day. There’s no salvaging this. I need a makeup wipe and to start over.

In fact, that’s a profound statement. I need to start all the way the fuck over.

“Never. I used to work in Silicon Valley, mostly for tech companies. The most serious crimes I’ve ever dealt with are sexual harassment accusations and fudging numbers on company reimbursement claims. Bottom line”—I turn to face Cricket—“where I come from, nobody bleeds.” Or loses their head.

“Not to sound rude, love, but what the fuck are you doing here? Does Callen know all this?”

Glancing around the bathroom, I can’t help but notice how new everything looks. The fixture lights are fresh and bright. The dark tile floor hasn’t had a chance to become grimy. Even the toilet looked sparkly clean when my head was half-ducked into it. Come to think of it, the faint musky smell of piss and rusty pipes is nonexistent. This place smells lemony-fresh.

“I did the FBI a pretty big favor a little over a year ago. In helping them, I basically ruined my life. I guess… Maybe they felt they owed me a favor. They offered me this job for some financial stability.”

“Okay.” Cricket’s eyes are filled with lots of questions, but she settles for only one. “Am I supposed to call you ‘boss’ now?”

“Only if you want me not to answer.”

She chuckles. “I think we’re going to be fast friends, Bambi.”

My face twists. “Bambi?”

“Oh, yes. Everyone gets an ops name. Vesper loves a good James Bond movie. Lance is because he’s Linc’s first recruit—he’s the Lancelot to Linc’s King Arthur. One day Linc will give you his annoyingly dramatic speech on Abraham Lincoln and accidental heroism. And last but not least—”

“Yeah…why do they call you Cricket?”

“I used to keep pet crickets.” Her light green eyes glaze over and for the briefest moment, they look eerily dark and cold. But she composes herself just as fast. “They were the closest thing I had to companionship for a long time… Until Vesper found me.”

“Oh, well that’s sweet.”

“Well, that’s my version anyway,” Cricket says as she rises, brushing off her hands against her hips. “Lance will tell you it’s because I’m chirpy in the sack.”

Huh? “Wait, so are you guys?”

“Nah.” She shakes her head, but she winks playfully, casting doubt on my prior philosophy. “Come on, love, let’s get out of here. Maybe replace some of the breakfast you lost.”

I wait until her hand is on the bathroom door handle before I’m brave enough to ask. “Cricket, why did you guys all freak out when Linc took off his gun earlier?”

Planting her hand on her hip, she pinches one eye shut and gives me an impish smile. “Why?”

“No reason,” I mutter.

“The last time Linc put his gun away was for his mother…at her funeral. That’s the only time in my life I’ve seen Linc unarmed.”

“Oh.” The nervous butterflies return to my stomach, but it’s not nausea this time. I close my eyes briefly and am relieved when it’s Linc’s light blue eyes and that piercing stare that takes center stage over that awful image. “Well then, that was awfully considerate of him this morning.”

“Sure was,” Cricket says with a smirk on her face. “You know, I’m sure Callen has already filled your head with stories, but I promise you, Linc is more man than beast. He’s the angriest out of all of us because he has the biggest heart. It’s just been broken by this world…a lot.”

“Oh, Callen didn’t…” I trail off, shaking my head—mortified that Cricket can read me so easily.

“Course not.” She shrugs with an innocent smile. “Well come on, Bambi, let’s get you some water at least. There are cold bottles in the break room.”

I actually already feel better. Is this friendship? It’s been a while since I’ve had a friend. This is nice. I walked in here in ruins, and now I’m leaving the bathroom with only two thoughts in my head…

Big, bad, beautiful wolf, Linc, has been broken by this world… A lot.

And also, I really hope the nickname Bambi doesn’t stick.

TEN

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