Page 115 of Whistleblower

My hand is around his throat, squeezing as hard as I can.

“Linc!” Vesper screams in my ear as Callen’s eyes begin to bulge. “So help me God,” she says, her tone dropping so low and cold that it snaps me out of my rage-induced blackout of a reaction. “Let. Him. Go.”

Releasing him, I step away as Callen paws at his throat, coughing and choking. “Jesus!” he sputters.

Slumping into the closest office chair, I hold my head in anguish. There’s a pressure between my ears, thumping at my temples—maybe panic and worry. Maybe paranoia. But all I know is it’s not going to go away until I see Eden’s okay.

“She said twenty-four hours. It’s been more than thirty-six.”

Glaring at me, Callen taps his phone. “She was at Hanesville. But she’s back. Her flight landed ten minutes ago. I bet she’s still on the tarmac now,” he seethes. “Your temper tantrum is highly unnecessary.”

“Why is her phone off, then?”

“She probably forgot to turn it back on,” Callen explains. “I talked to Harmon a few hours ago. They were just about to board their flight. I have the itinerary on my phone.” He taps his phone, pulls up an app, then slides it my way. “See? Landed.”

The green checkmark and “on time” symbol mean nothing to me. Why haven’t I heard from her? I called. I texted. I begged. I told her I wasn’t upset but to please just let me know she was okay.

“You shouldn’t have been this careless, Callen,” I say. “It was too risky.”

“Linc,” Vesper chimes in, shuffling around the table to sit right next to me. “Eden is not a doll that you can dress up and put on a shelf. She’s haunted and hurting. You can’t protect her from her own mind. She needs closure and you need to give her the space to find it, otherwise, you’re trapping her in her own trauma. Do you understand that?”

I hang my head, unable to answer because my more primitive side disagrees. When you find something so precious to you, you lock it in a box and protect it with your life. On the other hand, Eden has a strength that escapes me. An unfamiliar force to reckon with—so powerful. It’s her kindness and forgiveness, and it’s why I fell in love with her so fast in the first—

Oh.

The tightening in my chest. The pounding in my head. Sick with worry, desperate for the relief of knowing she’s okay. Rageful at anyone who stands in my way. This out of sorts feeling of trying to balance on a rolling ball… Is this love?

“I’m sorry,” I say to Callen, barely above a whisper, “for putting my hands on you.”

Callen’s jaw drops open and he turns to Vesper with a stupid smile on his face. “Did you hear that?” Vesper chuckles. “Seriously? Did I imagine that or did Linc just apologize to me?”

“I could choke you again if you need to hear the apology once more,” I threaten, unamused at his playfulness.

He laughs and shakes his head. “I’ll pass. But look, let me give you peace of mind. I’ll call Harmon right now on speakerphone.”

The phone rings three times before he answers. “Callen.”

“Hey, what’s your ETA? I saw your flight landed.”

“Ah, we missed it. Got caught up going through airport security. We’re on standby right now waiting for another flight.”

I roll my eyes, but Callen places his finger to his lips.

“Where’s Eden?”

“She went to the restroom.”

“Where are you?”

“In the food court. I’ve got eyes on her. Surely you didn’t expect me to follow her into a public ladies’ room did you?” He laughs awkwardly.

“Can you put her on? I’ll wait.”

“Ehhh,” Harmon grumbles, “it’s a long line. It’s wrapping outside the door. I’ll have her call you when she’s back.”

Callen’s face falls. He opens his mouth, then shuts it. “Okay, no worries. Don’t bother her. Just let me know when you get another flight, okay?”

“Yeah, I will. Hey, uh—did Linc ever figure out where she is?”

---