“Ten and a half or eleven, depending on the brand. Why?”
“So do I. What if I played you for the morning?”
“We don’t look alike,” Ethan said.
“True, but we had similar hair before you dyed it. We’re basically the same build,” Blayne said before adding, “with our clothes on. I mean, you’re all dancer, hot muscles, and I’m all lithe, thin runner.”
“Do you realize how cute you are when you get all flustered?” Ethan asked.
“I… Well, I’m not…” Blayne sat there, unsure what to say.
“I think I see where you’re going with this idea of yours,” Ethan said. “It could work. I doubt it, though. Paparazzi aren’t stupid. You’re a good three inches taller than me.”
“True, but if I was with Kira, would they tell the difference from afar?”
“Depends on how well they saw the grainy photograph from the cell phone, I guess.”
“If you dressed me up in your best Ethan Bond look, could it be enough of a similarity to make them think twice?”
Ethan eyed him up and down. “I don’t think it will work, but it’s worth a shot.”
“Let me call Kira and get her in on the plan. Might as well give it the good old college try.”
“Hold up,” Ethan said. “I hate putting the brakes on your enthusiasm, but you realize if the paparazzi see through this, you’re setting yourself up for being followed.”
“What if we had them follow me on purpose?” Blayne asked. A mischievous smile broke across his face. “What if we sent the paparazzi around in circles onourterms?”
Blayne spent the next ten minutes laying out a plan that could bore the paparazzi to death, causing them to leave Pennington and keep Ethan safe. The excitement in Ethan’s eyes became obvious. It was time to play the parent trap.
“I need to go get showered,” Ethan said, standing up. “This plan is so ridiculous, it’s brilliant.”
“Sometimes crazy works because no one’s expecting it,” Blayne said, standing up. “I should get ready, too.”
Blayne stood almost toe-to-toe with Ethan when Ethan said, “Your plan might work.”
* * * *
Dr. Hennigan
Dr. Hennigan exited the Osprey after returning from Washington, DC. She slept a bit on the plane, but hardly enough to feel rested. Even with the sleeping cabin in the private jet, Dr. Hennigan never quite slept when she was flying. Thankfully, the onboard shower had allowed her to put herself together before boarding the Osprey and heading out to The Complex. She had many moving parts on the board that day, so she needed to ensure she was ready for anything.
Ms. Wilson greeted her at the door with her tablet in hand. “We have operatives on the ground in New Orleans to complete the Target S project.”
“Who do we have on it?”
“Agents Fox and Kramer,” Ms. Wilson said as she checked the information on her tablet. “They were trained in the last batch, so this is their first major assignment.”
“Are these placed agents or full-time?”
“Both of them are full-time. Agent Fox is ex-CIA, and Agent Kramer is ex-NYPD.”
Dr. Hennigan nodded as she and Ms. Wilson meandered through the facility, heading toward Dr. Hennigan’s office. Ms. Wilson entered the smaller office next door. Dr. Hennigan went over to her computer and pulled up her internal email. Most of the information she received that morning was after-action reports from various operations currently underway. She scrolled through the list to see if anything needed her immediate attention. She responded to a recruitment question. An operative in London had been working on a new member of the House of Lords. So far, the deep dive research showed nothing troubling, so Dr. Hennigan gave the operative permission to broach the idea with the potential recruit.
Over the years, The Foundation had created a seamless script, making recruitment straightforward and relatively risk free.
There was a sudden knock on her door. “Come in.”
“Dr. Hennigan,” Ms. Wilson started as she entered the office, “I have Agents Fox and Kramer for you.”
