“That was very nice what you did right there,” Hennigan said. “I’m not what I would call the motherly type. My speech would have been more like, ‘Congrats on killing the fucker. He deserved to die. Go celebrate.’”
“Are you actually that heartless?” Murphy asked, pushing herself off the ground.
“Not at all. I just don’t lose sleep over killing someone who needed to stop existing on this planet.”
“You realize that makes you sound like a sociopath?”
“As a board-certified psychiatrist, I would probably agree with you. However, that would imply that every individual in the US military is a sociopath. Special forces have frequently been likened to high-functioning psychopaths. Many sociopaths find the military a welcoming environment, once they’ve ranked up.” Hennigan turned and looked at Murphy. “Join me for a walk.”
“I should be arresting you,” Murphy said.
“You could try, but we both know how that would go. My agents would stop you before you had a chance. Then there would be more bloodshed and bureaucratic nonsense. Take the win.”
“I don’t know what to make of you, Dr. Hennigan.”
“Don’t even bother, Agent Murphy. The more you dwell on me, the more your head will ache. Just know that I’m on your side. Although our methods may occasionally be more extreme, our objectives align.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
“Well, the President, the Director of the FBI and the Joint Chiefs of Staff, among others, believe it’s true. Trust me, numerous male politicians have attempted to dismantle The Foundation, yet it still stands firm.”
“How did things turn out for your people today?”
“We took back The Complex. There were approximately twenty deaths.”
“When we will get those bodies back so we can notify their families and perform follow-up investigations.”
“You won’t. Sadly, those families will think their loved ones ran off. So many people disappear across this country every day. What’s twenty more? But I emailed you a list of the bodies we identified. You can do with that list as you wish.”
“I should put you in handcuffs right now,” Murphy said.
“But you won’t,” Dr. Hennigan stated as she turned and walked away.
Chapter Nineteen
Ethan
The brief ride home in the SUV was faster and significantly quieter compared to their earlier journey that morning. Mr. J. sat in the driver’s seat and Ms. Z. sat on the passenger side. Zach, Ric and Orr had returned to the hotel in the other SUV to give Blayne and Ethan some space. Ethan sat on one side, staring out of the window, and Blayne sat on the other side doing the same. Ethan watched Blayne’s reflection through his window as the nighttime lights drifted by. Distance may have physically separated them, but they kept their hands clasped in the middle.
The SUV pulled into the parking lot at Blayne’s place and parked out in front. One sight wasn’t expected. Kira stood leaning against her car. Ethan opened the door and helped Blayne out. Blayne was looking better, but he still had this shell-shocked look that worried Ethan.
“I brought Chinese,” Kira said, gesturing toward the bags on the roof of her car. “And I couldn’t care less if you want to eat or not. If I have to shove an egg roll down your throat, I’ll do it.”
“We’re going to search Blayne’s apartment,” Mr. J. stated. “And we won’t accept ‘no’ as an answer. We’ll also upgrade the security system. Agent Murphy mentioned that the current provider has been underperforming. Apparently, anyone can easily gain access.” Mr. J. fixed his gaze on Ethan. You know, security only works when it keeps you secure.”
Blayne didn’t even protest. He reached into his pocket, pulled out his keys and handed them to Mr. J., who tossed them to Ms. Z., who walked to the front door.
“What’s the alarm code?” she asked.
“9, 2, 2, 4, 3, 8, 4, 2, 6, 7, 4, 2, 6, 7, 7,” Ethan said.
“Zach, Ethan, Ric, Orr… Cute,” Ms. Z. said. “Predictable, but cute.”
“It was easy to remember,” Blayne said. Blayne leaned against the bumper and stared up at the stars.
Ethan walked over to Kira. “How’s he really doing?” she asked, leaning once more against her car.
“He took a life today. I think that shook him more than he expected it to. Everyone keeps reassuring him he did the right thing—”
