OMG Nora thought she was hiding from her ex for five minutes, until the mafia boss beneath her quietly asked, "Do you want to go with him?"

The formal charge came at 6:17 that evening.

Nora was in a conference room at the DA's office when Fowler's assistant came in and set a printed sheet on the table.

Fowler read it, nodded once, and slid it across to Nora.

*Misconduct in office.

Misappropriation of seized assets.

Unauthorized access to protected records.

Obstruction of justice.*

Four counts.

More to follow pending the USB drive analysis.

Nora read the page twice.

Then she set it down.

"Dana Marsh," she said.

Fowler folded his hands.

"That investigation is ongoing.

The team handling it has been informed of today's developments.

I can't tell you more than that right now."

"But it's connected."

"Everything we've found today suggests it is," Fowler said carefully.

"Cameron Hale was not operating alone.

There are other names in those documents.

Other people who will be asked questions." He paused.

"This is going to take time.

But it is moving."

Nora nodded.

She was still sitting there an hour later when Reyes came in and sat across from her.

"He asked to see you," Reyes said.

Nora looked up.

"Cameron?"

"His lawyer made the request.

Said he had something to tell you directly.

Said it was important." Reyes's expression was neutral.

"You are under absolutely no obligation.

I'd advise against it personally."

Nora thought about it for exactly four seconds.

"I'll go," she said.

Cameron was in a holding room with his lawyer — a man in an expensive suit who stood when Nora entered and immediately said, "My client wishes to speak to Ms.

Bennett privately."

"That's not happening," Reyes said from the doorway.

The lawyer looked at Cameron.

Cameron nodded slightly.

The lawyer sat back down.

Cameron looked at Nora across the table.

He looked smaller than he had last night.

Not physically — he was the same size, same suit, same face.

But something had gone out of him.

The performance was over.

There was no room to perform for.

"I need you to understand something," he said.

"All right."

"I never wanted it to go this far." His voice was quiet.

Almost reasonable.

"I got into something I couldn't get out of.

The people I was working with — they don't let you just walk away.

I was protecting myself."

"By building a file to destroy my credibility."

"By making sure I had options." He leaned forward slightly.

"Nora.

You were never in danger from me.

I want you to know that."

She looked at him.

"You grabbed my arm," she said.

"You followed me across the city.

You filed a missing person report to send officers to find me.

You stored evidence in my apartment without telling me, which means if any of this had gone wrong, I would have been the one holding it." She paused.

"Which part of that was me not being in danger?"

Cameron's jaw tightened.

"That's not—"

"And Dana Marsh," Nora said.

"Was she in danger from you?"

The lawyer put a hand on Cameron's arm.

"Don't."

Cameron stopped.

He looked at Nora for a long moment.

The calculation was still there behind his eyes — she could see it, the rapid assessment of what could be salvaged, what could be traded, what version of this story still served him.

Then something in his face went flat.

"I did what I had to do," he said.

"You wouldn't understand."

"No," Nora said.

"I wouldn't."

She stood up.

"Nora." His voice followed her to the door.

"Volkov is not what you think he is.

Whatever he told you, whatever he did last night — he has his own reasons.

You're useful to him right now.

When you stop being useful—"

"Cameron," she said, without turning around.