Grey’s eyes narrow, his voice cold and deliberate. “You had a choice! But you handed over Amelia’s safety because of a threat. Do you have any idea what you’ve done?”
Hendricks flinches at Grey’s words, the guilt and regret etched deeply into his features. “I know. I know I made a horrible mistake, and I’m so sorry. But at that moment, I felt trapped. I was scared for Willow, and I didn’t know what else to do.”
Oliver shakes his head, disbelief mingling with anger. “So you thought the best course of action was to put Amelia in harm’s way instead?”
Hendricks’ voice shakes with emotion as he speaks. “I was desperate. I didn’t want to do it. Hell, I would have never thought that he would hurt her. And I couldn’t let Willow lose her education. So we compromised. I gave him your key. He promised he’d only go in for a few minutes, just to look around. I told him you were out on a date that night, thinking you’d be gone for a while…” He trails off as tears well up in his eyes. “When I saw you lying there… when I realized he’d hurt you… all because of me… I couldn’t live with that. I got the key back from him, but only because I threatened to go to the police. After that, I couldn’t stay at Elysium. I didn’t want to be part of any of it anymore, so I quit. Now, I’m stuck in this crappy apartment, barely getting by to keep paying for Willows’s school, but soon, I won’t even be able to do that anymore, and she’ll have to go to a public school after all. Everything I did… it was all for nothing.”
Grey’s expression hardens as he presses further. “So why didn’t you go to the police when you had nothing left to lose?”
Hendricks looks down, shame and fear etched into his features. “Because Langley threatened to frame me as an accomplice if I did. He said he’d make it look like I was in onit from the start, that I was the one with the key, and that I willingly gave it to him. He has emails, proof that I knew what was happening… I was terrified. If he went through with it, I’d be ruined. And then what would happen to Willow? We don’t have anyone else. If something happened to me, there’d be no one left to take care of her. I couldn’t risk it.”
Hendricks looks at me, his eyes filled with desperation. “I can’t sleep, I can’t eat. My conscience is tearing me apart. I knew I had to come clean, but every time I tried, I thought about what it would mean for Willow. I couldn’t bring myself to take that step.”
The room falls into a heavy silence, the weight of Hendricks’ confession hanging over us all. I feel the shock and anger radiating from the guys beside me, but more than anything, I feel an overwhelming sadness. Hendricks wasn’t just trying to protect Willow—he was trying to protect me too.
And in the process, everything fell apart.
Grey’s voice is low and controlled, but there’s an edge to it that makes me wince. “You put Amelia in danger. You gave Langley access to her home, and he hurt her. You stole from her, even if you didn’t do it directly. We should call the police on you right now.”
Hendricks just nods, his gaze flickering toward the closed door where Willow had disappeared.
If something happens to Hendricks, what will happen to Willow?
She’s already struggling, and the thought of her being left alone makes my stomach churn.
“You never wanted to hurt me, right?” I ask softly, and his eyes snap back to me, filled with a mixture of guilt and desperation.
He shakes his head vehemently, tears brimming in his eyes. “No, Stanley, I swear I didn’t. I genuinely thought I was helpingyou, protecting you. I was worried about you. But when I realized I was the one bringing you harm and that they were the good ones… it was too late. I was trapped in my own mess.”
I glance at Misha and Oliver. They’re both still tense, but there’s a flicker of something else in their expressions—conflict, maybe. They’re angry, but they also understand what it’s like to be driven by fear and desperation. I take a deep breath and turn back to Hendricks.
“I’m willing to forgive you,” I say, keeping my tone steady. “But only if you’re willing to speak up and testify against Langley… with Elysium, with the police, with whoever needs to hear the truth so I can get my work back. And if you do, we’ll make sure nothing bad happens to you or Willow. We’ll protect you.”
Hendricks looks up at me, hope flickering in his tired eyes, but he quickly shakes his head. “You can’t promise that. The law is the law. What I did… there are consequences.”
I smile at him, a small, reassuring smile, and then look over at Grey.
The guy who can hack himself into everything.
The guy who can lie his way out of the Pentagon.
“We can, Hendricks. I promise you, we can.”
Grey meets my gaze, and after a moment, he nods. “If you cooperate fully, we’ll make sure the authorities understand the full context of what happened. But you have to be all in. No half measures.”
Hendricks looks like he might collapse from relief, nodding vigorously. “I will. I’ll… I’ll do anything to make amends. A-anything,” he stammers, his hands trembling slightly.
Just then, the door to Willows’s room creaks open, and she comes back into the living area. “Dad, I’m hungry,” she says, her voice still tinged with that sharp edge, but there’s a vulnerability there too.
Hendricks immediately pulls her to a side hug, holding her close as if she’s the most precious thing in the world. His eyes meet mine, filled with a silent plea. “As long as Willow will be okay… I’ll help with whatever you need, Stanley.”
Willow looks up at me, curiosity flickering in her eyes before she rolls them dramatically, crossing her arms over her chest. “For the hundredth time, it’s so weird that you guys are friends and still call each other by your last names.”
I smirk, grateful for the break in the tension.
Misha chuckles, nodding in agreement. “Yeah, seriously. I’ve been wondering about that too. What’s the deal with the last names?”
I shrug, glancing at Hendricks with a small smile. “Honestly? I’m not sure. I think I just went along with it because he started it.”
