Two months into keeping regular office hours at Dr. Kim’s clinic, I was starting to realize something I hadn’t expected, witness protection wasn’t just about hiding anymore. It was starting to feel like… life. Like roots. I had my routine: Thursdays packed with returning patients, Tuesdays with new kids from the school, and once a month, the big workshop at the community center that kept drawing way more people than we ever thought it would. It had gotten so crowded, Rodriguez actually had to coordinate with local cops for crowd control.
That’s when I knew it was becoming too big. Too visible.
So when Williams sat across from me at the diner with his usual “bad news face,” I already had a pit in my stomach.
“Elena, we’ve got a problem,” he said, lowering his voice just enough that only
