Page 124 of Only the Hunter

After passing through security, the receptionist recognizes my last name immediately. That tracks. I’d worn the gray skirt suit for exactly this reason—the kind of understated authority that plays well in a room like this.

We’re escorted into a corner office—high ceilings, heavy drapes, bookcases filled with leather-bound volumes, the faint scent of old paper and something citrus-polished. The man behind the desk stands slowly.

The senator is older than I expected. Not frail. But deeply wrinkled with slow, deliberate movements.

“Ms. Thompson,” he says, extending his hand. “Your father speaks very highly of you.”

That almost makes me laugh.

“Senator Ward. Thank you for seeing us.”

He gestures toward the seating area rather than the desk. That’s intentional. This is meant to feel collegial.

Brie remains slightly behind me.

“I understand you’ve been pursuing something the Department of Justice declined to move forward on,” he says, lowering himself into a leather chair with one arm on the armrest for balance.

“I was,” I say evenly. “The Safe Passage investigation.”

“Yes. Human trafficking allegations involving a private refugee resettlement group.”

He says it cleanly. No hesitation. No irritation.

“That’s right.”

“And you believe the DOJ’s decision to reallocate resources was improper?”

There it is. Framed as bureaucratic, not corrupt.

“I believe the case met prosecutorial thresholds and that the evidence warranted further subpoenas.” We had an air-tight case against the runners, and reason to believe we could climb the chain.

He folds his hands. “You’re aware the department has finite bandwidth.”

“I am.”

“And that sometimes decisions are strategic.”

“I am.”

He narrows his gaze, eyelids closing slightly, creases around his eyes deepening as if squinting. It’s deliberate.

“What I don’t understand,” I continue, “is why there appears to have been coordinated pressure from DHS to transfer certain individuals before our warrants were executed.”

There.

A beat.

He does not blink.

“DHS and DOJ communicate regularly,” he says. “Interagency cooperation is not unusual.”

“Of course,” I say. “But the transfer documents were signed within hours of the internal memo I circulated—the one flagging Lina Morozova’s cooperation and recommending expedited warrants against the individuals she’d identified.”

That’s new information to him.

Not shock.

Interest.