In Pursuit Of ✔

Execute the Plan

Henley kept her hands around her cold, iced latte to keep them from shaking.

She and Agent Sessions had gone their separate ways around 6pm the previous night, with Henley continuing on to the small Mississippi town on her own. She checked into a hotel, ordered room service, and spent a sleepless night waiting for morning to come and the operation to begin.

Now, she sat at an outside table at the only Starbucks in town. Her jacket lay draped on the chair beside her; it was too hot out for her to wear it and not completely stick out as a crazy person. She had the tampons zipped safely in one of the side pockets.

Henley hated waiting under normal circumstances. This was pure torture.

After about a half an hour, panic began to bubble up inside of her. What if they had the wrong place for Tayson's base of operations? What if the assumption that Tayson still wanted to use her was wrong?

However, as soon as the doubts threatened to consume Henley's composure, she spotted a man getting out of a car that had just parked along the curb. Henley's churning insides calmed a bit. Now, the plan was falling into place.

"I have to say, Ms. Johnson, I did not expect to find you like this."

Harrison Tayson stood in front of Henley, blocking the sun and engulfing her in his shadow. Taking a sip of her latte, Henley tilted her head back to meet his eyes. She was thankful for her own sunglasses that allowed her to look much more impassive than she actually felt.

"I'm surprised you're here." Henley wasn't lying. "I thought you would think this is a trap."

"Oh, I definitely checked out everything before coming down myself. From what I can tell, there isn't a C.O.D.E. agent for miles. It's still a risk, sure, but one I'm willing to take to find out what you're up to."

"Why don't you sit down." Given Henley's last conversation with Tayson, C.O.D.E. thought it was best that she didn't directly tell him anything. She had to make him work for it.

"You spend weeks hiding from me." Tayson sat across from Henley. "And then, when I finally do get my hands on you, you escape in quite a spectacular fashion. I have to admit, I underestimated you."

"If you already know you underestimate me, then why are you so surprised that I'm here?"
"Ms. Johnson, you killed a man to escape me. I honestly didn't think I would ever see you again, but, I'm guessing, you've heard about your father?"

"Do you know that Lela made me an offer? She wanted me to join you little cause?" Henley steered the conversation away from the subject of her dad. That part would come later.

"She mentioned it to me, yes. I thought it was a lost cause from the moment I heard it, but I allowed her to try. It would be a lot easier to get your father on board if you were with us. I thought you made it perfectly clear that you'd rather die than join us, but," he raised an eyebrow slightly, "maybe I was wrong."

"Do you know what happened when I got back to C.O.D.E.?"

"Do tell."

"They treated me like a criminal. I was kidnapped and tortured, and they thought I was the enemy. I made the mistake of telling them that Lela offered me a place in your organization, and because my father disappeared at the same time, they assumed I accepted and helped you get to him. They wanted to keep me prisoner. And, well, you know how far I'll go to ensure my freedom."

"If they wanted to keep you prisoner, you'd be their prisoner. I highly doubt you'd be able to escape them."

"I escaped you. And, as I said, you know what I'm willing to do. If you've forgotten, then I suggest you look back at what happened to Eric Henshaw." The name left a bitter taste on Henley's tongue.