Page 125 of Only the Hunter

“Do you have evidence of wrongdoing, Ms. Thompson?” he asks calmly.

“I have timing.”

“And timing can imply many things.”

He isn’t defensive.

He isn’t overexplaining.

He’s careful.

Brie leans forward. “Senator, you’ve publicly opposed expanding FBI trafficking task force funding,” she says. “Yet your voting record supports increased border enforcement grants that route through private contractors—including Alpine Refuge Network, the same organization that coordinated Lina Morozova’s transfer to Switzerland."

He exhales through his nose. Slight irritation.

“I oppose expanding bureaucracy without oversight,” he says. “And I support border security. That does not equate to endorsing criminal conduct.”

“Do you have any financial ties to Meridian Risk Solutions?” I ask directly.

That one earns a small smile.

“No.”

Clean.

No deflection. No joke. Just no.

“And Elena Vasquez?” Brie asks. “You were close.”

His jaw tightens. Not guilt.

Grief.

“She was brilliant,” he says quietly. “And troubled. Whatever mistakes she made, she paid for them.”

“That wasn’t my question,” Brie says evenly.

“I had no involvement in her extracurricular activities,” he replies. “If that is what you’re implying.”

He leans forward slightly.

“Ms. Thompson. If there is corruption within federal agencies shielding trafficking operations, I would like to know. But you are implying something broader.”

“I’m not implying,” I say. “I’m asking whether anyone approached you regarding Safe Passage. Lobbyists. Donors. Contractors.”

His expression shifts there.

Annoyance—not fear.

“Do you know how many advocacy groups contact my office weekly regarding immigration policy?”

“Ballpark?” I ask.

“Hundreds.”

“Any that pushed for the Safe Passage case to be deprioritized?”

“No.”