“Good morning,” Blayne greeted as he did so. “You’re on speaker. Ethan is here with me, and we’ve been joined by Richardson.”
“Richardson? Are you there?”
“It’s me, Ms. Wilson.”
“We’ve been trying to find you.”
“I figured as much,” Richardson replied before sipping her coffee. “I went to ground. The boys have been catching me up on everything. What’s the status of The Complex?”
“It’s still under siege. Don’t worry. I’m coordinating efforts to put an end to that. It’s a game of Whac-A-Mole around here. I kill one CLA agent, and two pop up in his place.”
“What’s your body count so far?” Richardson asked, as if this was the most ordinary conversation.
“I lost count after the first dozen. I’ve had other things on my mind. There is also a trio of recruits doing a pretty good job of racking up their own body counts. I almost feel like a proud mother.”
Richardson let out a short laugh. “Can you direct me to the new safe house?”
“No,” Ms. Wilson replied. “Until Dr. Hennigan lays eyes on you herself, she’ll want to maintain distance. You know, standard protocol in these situations.”
“You think there’s a mole?”
“Most assuredly. Someone coached these CLA thugs on how to bypass our security systems. That requires intimate knowledge of how The Complex works.”
“How did they find Mesa—?”
“As much as Dr. Hennigan trusts the men with you,” Ms. Wilson said, cutting Richardson off, “she has not revealed where The Complex is located or its full name. I say we keep it that way.”
“Fine with me,” Ethan said. “The less I know, the better.”
“Besides catching up with Ms. Richardson, why did you call?” Blayne asked.
“Oh yes,” Ms. Wilson said. “Just a second.” There was the sound of three rapid gunshots. “Look at that. I have at least a baker’s dozen now. Anyway, Dr. Hennigan wanted you to know that she’ll be at Mr. Dickenson’s apartment tomorrow morning at nine a.m. for a meeting. Ms. Richardson, I would plan on being there then.”
“I have a burner,” Richardson stated before quickly providing the number, “just in case Dr. Hennigan wants to contact me before tomorrow morning.”
“Perfect.” They could hear the echoing sound of boots on a marble floor over the phone, followed by another burst of gunfire. “They make this too easy. Anyway, I will text the burner phone the address for a secondary safe house that has already been vetted. You’ll have access to everything you need there.” There was a sound of running. “Sorry. I really must go.”
With that, the phone went dead.
“Is she okay?” Ethan asked.
“Trust me,” Richardson said with a broad grin. “That woman will outlive us all.” Richardson stood and nodded her head toward Blayne and Ethan. “It’s been fun. Thanks for giving me free rein in your kitchen this morning. It’s always fun to flex those muscles for a change. I’ll be seeing you soon.”
Richardson picked up her coat and left the apartment.
“I don’t know if I can handle too much more of this,” Ethan admitted, shaking his head. “Wow, just wow.”
“Well, it looks like today will be a normal day.”
“Normal! Has any day in your life been remotely normal since you met me?” Ethan groused.
“Nope,” Blayne said as he kissed Ethan. “And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Now that she’s gone, I should head to school.”
“You’re not wearing that, are you?”
“I was planning on it.”
“Blayne, I swear you’re a hopeless case regarding your fashion. Let’s pick something out for you to wear. I don’t want you looking like a slob in front of your class.”
