Page 101 of Whistleblower
“Starving?” he asks with his mouth full.
I cringe. What’s worse, is this time we’re not at a backwoods diner on the outskirts of town. This is a fancy brunch restaurant, the kind where they lay a cloth napkin in your lap.
“Sorry,” he mumbles. “My wife used to complain about it all the time. Residuals from the military. I’m used to eating in a hurry.”
“You’re married?”
“Sorry—ex-wife. We were married very briefly,” he grumbles, wiping his mouth with the napkin.
“Good to know,” I say, sipping my second blood orange mimosa. These things are so tasty, I’m relieved my apartment is within walking distance from this downtown restaurant.
“Why is that good to know? Is this supposed to be a date that you’ve asked me on?”
I raise my brows at him. “Seriously? A date? Would you like Linc to actually break your hand this time?” Or worse. I don’t get the impression Linc would be comfortable with me dating anyone else behind his back. I also don’t think I’d be the one to pay the consequences.
Callen chuckles before taking a long sip from his orange juice. “I’m kidding, Eden. I’m almost ten years your senior. I didn’t think you were asking me out. But since we’re on the subject, to what do I owe the pleasure of your company this lovely Saturday morning?”
“Ah, yes—well, Director Ravi emailed me like she said she would,” I explain.
“I’m not surprised. She’s one to follow through with her word.”
“She offered me an interview. Something akin to an organizational strategist…at Pennsylvania Avenue.”
“I see,” Callen says, folding his arms and leaning back in his chair. “You’d get a badge and everything." There’s something peculiar about his expression.
“What’s that look for? Tell me, what’s your honest impression of her?”
He shrugs noncommittally. “She’s a very powerful person.”
“Callen.” I flatten a stare. “Come on. I’m asking you as a friend. I’d be working for her, directly. What’s she like as a boss? As a person?”
He lets out an exasperated breath. “She’s got better stats than anyone in the bureau. She’s a legend. The first in the office, the last to leave. Nobody is dedicated like Ravi is. She’s a tough boss, but you can learn a lot.”
“And as a person?”
He pops his empty fork back into his mouth and shrugs. “She’s a mean bitch. I avoid her like the plague.”
I cross my arms and scowl. “Whenever a woman holds a powerful position and has expectations for her subordinates, she’s always marked as a bitch. It’s not right.”
“I agree, it’s not right. But this isn’t sexism. There are plenty of respectable women in the FBI who don’t breathe fire when they speak. Director Ravi is mean because she wants to be. She was on her best behavior with you the other day. She must’ve really wanted you to take this interview.”
“Oh, I see.” I figured Ravi’s clipped tone in her email was because she was busy, not because she was less than friendly.
“Are you going to take it?”
Tilting my glass to the ceiling, I steal a moment to debate internally. “I’m used to being a bit nomadic with my work. PALADIN never really needed me to begin with. You certainly don’t need me now. I’m not trying to be self-important here, but once upon a time, I was doing big things. I used to make a significant difference in a lot of powerful companies. I miss…mattering.”
“Eden,” Callen says, clicking his tongue. “You matter. Maybe not in the way you expected. But you’re making a huge difference, here. With us.”
I squint one eye. “Because I’m sleeping with Linc and he’s being nice to you now?”
“I wouldn’t say he’s being nice,” Callen says with a nervous chuckle. “He’s tolerating me at best. But no, what I mean is you are bringing a sense of normalcy to PALADIN. Think about your past roles, how did people feel if they were treated like shit because they were feared and hated? Even assassins have feelings. You’re the first person to treat them with kindness and not because you’re afraid or have a hidden agenda. You’re a good person, Eden. Never underestimate what a big difference a good person can make.”
Warmth spreads from the top of my head all the way to my toes as Callen smiles at me. It reminds me of how Dad used to smile at me when he was proud and I’m lost in the past, remembering what having a family feels like—it’s the best feeling in the world. The best people I’ve ever known, even if Callen inhales waffles and eggs like a ravenous hyena.
I think about Lance’s cackle when he nudges my shoulder after laughing at his own pervy jokes. The afghan in my office always smells like Cricket these days from her daily couch naps and our daily chats. Even Vesper’s been kind to me at every turn. Every time she looks my way, there’s a comforting smile or an assuring shoulder squeeze. And Linc…
Linc lit my world up, so bright, so fast, I feel blinded by it all. But didn’t I pray for a new beginning? A fresh start. And didn’t I get it? Why am I so eager to start over, again, when this place is starting to feel a whole lot like home?