Rink rushes to Mexico Beach after Hunter reports seeing Jason Mercer alive. Standing on the only recognizable remnant of Hunter's storm-damaged home, the two men go over the sighting in detail. Hunter explains that he saw Mercer's scars and that Mercer appeared surprised, not confrontational, when their eyes met in a Panama City elevator. Because Mercer did not seem to be openly hunting them, Hunter thinks the encounter was accidental, but both men agree Mercer is too dangerous to ignore if he truly survived.

They debate their next move. Hunter briefly suggests doing nothing, but both men understand that a man like Mercer would not have become harmless after escaping death. Rink reluctantly agrees that they may eventually need to call Walter, their old controller, but first wants to confirm Mercer's survival with his own eyes. They decide to drive to Panama City and start with the red-haired woman Hunter saw with Mercer.

At the woman's suburban house, they find no lights and no Mercedes in the driveway, so Rink parks under a tree to wait. While they sit on surveillance, Hunter calls Raul Velasquez and asks him to run the address and identify the homeowners. Soon the woman's silver Mercedes returns, but Mercer is not with her. The woman's behavior immediately stands out: she scans the area before entering, later watches their car from an upstairs room, and appears more wary and observant than an ordinary civilian.

Hunter and Rink reason that Mercer may have warned the woman after spotting Hunter earlier, which would mean she knows enough about Mercer's past to treat them as threats. A short time later, the woman comes back outside wearing a jacket and carrying her large bag again. Instead of leaving normally, she drives directly up beside their Ford and studies them through the tinted window. Then she speaks Rink's full name, "Jared Rington," confirming that she has identified him personally rather than merely noticing a suspicious car.

The encounter turns violent at once. The woman raises a handgun fitted with a suppressor and aims at Rink's head. Rink floors the accelerator just as she fires, and the bullet slams into the headrest instead of killing him. She speeds away, and although Rink is tempted to chase her, he stops. The failed assassination convinces both men that Hunter was right: Mercer is alive, and he is connected to a dangerous ally who knows who Rink is and is willing to kill on sight.