Page 83 of Whistleblower

“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—”

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