Page 141 of Only the Hunter

She glances around the park again, then back to me.

“If you’re going after Meridian’s clients, you need to watch the people who have access, Gabe. DOJ, DHS, anyone with clearance to sealed operations. That’s where you’ll find your leak. Not in some offshore bank account. In someone’s secure email. In someone’s office after hours.”

I process that. The scope of this is bigger than I thought. Not just corruption—infrastructure. Built to last. Built to protect. Built specifically for people with enough money to never face consequences.

“Why are you telling me this?”

Her expression softens, just slightly. “Because your father was investigating something similar before he was taken. Financial corruption tied to intelligence operations. Shell companies laundering money through defense contracts. He was getting close to something that scared people.”

My throat tightens. “You think that’s why the deal fell through.”

“I think someone decided he was more dangerous alive than dead. And they didn’t want him back in the US.” She stands, brushing invisible dust from her coat. “Your dad wouldn’t have wanted you in the middle of this, Gabe. He’d have told you to walk away. To pick a different path.”

I stand too, with a degree of reluctance. “But you know I won’t.”

“No.” A ghost of a smile crosses her face. “You’re too much like him for that.”

She lifts her sunglasses and slides them back on. “This is the last time we speak. Don’t contact me again. If anyone asks, we talked about your father and nothing else. I offered my condolences. That’s it.”

“Understood.”

She starts to walk away, then pauses, glancing back over her shoulder.

“One more thing. The people Meridian protects? They don’t like exposure. They don’t like prosecutors who won’t stay bought. If your prosecutor is still pushing—if she’s still digging—they’ll escalate. They’ll make her the problem instead of the case.”

“Too late,” I say quietly. “They’ve already targeted her.”

Dahlia’s mouth tightens. “Then you’d better find the leak before they decide she’s not worth the trouble of scaring. Because the next step after intimidation is elimination.”

She walks away without another word.

I sit back down on the bench, watching her disappear down the path toward the parking lot. The wind picks up, cutting through my jacket. The sky has darkened—rain coming sooner than forecast.

I sit there for another five minutes, letting it all settle.

Dad was investigating financial corruption. He died for it—or because of it. And now Evie’s chasing the same kind of people. People who see human lives as line items. Who hire firms like Meridian to make problems vanish.

The scope is staggering. It’s not just a rogue DOJ official or a dirty senator. It’s a system. A network designed specifically to insulate wealth from consequence.

And Evie walked into the middle of it.

My phone buzzes. A text from Jake: All clear here. She’s upstairs working.

I stand, heading back toward my car. The rain starts as I reach it—light at first, then heavier. I sit behind the wheel for a moment before starting the engine, staring at the icy rain streaking down the windshield.

I’m going to tell Evie everything Dahlia said. Not tomorrow. Not when it’s “safe.” Tonight. As soon as I walk through her door.

Because if my father taught me anything, it’s that secrets get people killed.

And I’m not losing her the way my mother lost him.

I put the car in drive and head back toward Capitol Hill.

Chapter 28

Evie

The streetlights outside cast an eerie glow through the front window. Jake sits in the dim light on the sofa, facing the street, phone in hand, scrolling. One ankle rests on his knee. As I descend the stairs, his fingers still and he glances over his shoulder.