Page 40 of Only the Hunter

“I understand. I wouldn’t want you to.”

“And you say you’re still with the DOJ?”

“I am. Yes.”

“The United States is no longer involved in this case.”

“Yes. I’m closing out the file.”

“It’s unfortunate when government partners withdraw support.”

That’s well-deserved censure if I’ve ever heard it.

Withdrawn support means no leverage. No accountability. No obligation to bring her home.

“Can you confirm she’s been relocated?”

Silence stretches. The kind that means she’s choosing her words carefully.

“She was my witness, Astrid. I need to know she’s safe.”

“I cannot confirm safe.” A pause. “Relocated? Yes. Expedited.”

The word sets off alarms. Expedited. You don’t expedite unless the threat is immediate. Unless time has already run out.

“When?”

“Three days ago.”

Three days. While I was chasing dead ends and dodging bullets, they were moving her.

There’s a hard rap on my office door, and Rebecca enters.

“Thank you so much for the information,” I say, rushing to end the call.

“We need to talk.” Rebecca doesn’t sit. Nor does she close the door. “I only have five minutes. How are you doing, Evie?”

The question is so out of character I hesitate to answer. Rebecca doesn’t do wellness checks.

“I’m fine.”

“HR flagged you yesterday. Working outside assignment scope, accessing closed cases, multiple after-hours logins.” She pauses. “I’ve requested a mandatory wellness evaluation.”

My stomach tightens. I glance past her, to the open door. “That’s not necessary⁠—”

“It’s not a punishment.” But her tone says otherwise. “You’ve been under significant stress. The incident yesterday, the brake failure before that. HR thinks you need support.”

Support. That’s code for reined in.

The pieces click together. HR monitoring. The wellness check. The timing.

They want me sidelined.

If I tell Rebecca that last night it wasn’t me on my computer, I’ll only make things worse. They used my login credentials. She won’t believe me.

I push up from my desk, meeting Rebecca’s eyes. “I need personal leave.”

Rebecca blinks. For once, I’ve actually surprised her.