The Hunter Who Couldn't Stay Away

KOAN sent me to assess the threat against Evie Thompson after her brother Scott raised the alarm, and I expected to treat the job like any other.

For years I had kept Scott's little sister at a distance—five years younger, already making her name in federal court—while I asked after her through him and pretended that was all I needed.

Instead I found her running a buried human trafficking investigation off the books, aware of my surveillance within weeks, and ready to confront me rather than let me stay in the shadows.

Now I am in her space and inside her case, and the longer I stay, the harder it is to recall why I ever refused to want her, even as her missing witness, the bolder sabotage, and a cover-up with reach inside federal agencies prove the danger is real.

I will stop anyone who comes for her, but Evie is not asking to be shielded; she wants a partner, and giving her that could undo every defense I have spent years holding in place.