#25

“Don’t mistake this for me working under you, Kaelen.”

Kaelen sneered, saying he hadn’t even hoped for that.

“When is the pardon coming out?”

In any case, Tennessee had more than enough money.

Tennessee was a man who bought nothing beyond what was necessary and had no preference for material goods. The astronomical remuneration he had received thus far was rotting away somewhere. Therefore, instead of haggling over pay, Tennessee had secured a pardon.

This was possible because the number of contract killings the FBI knew Tennessee had committed was small, and there were no acts of treason or espionage that caused significant harm to the state.

There had been a bit of noise.

‘Before that, I need to know how many jobs you took on.’

‘Are you telling me to confess everything I’ve done?’

‘I obviously know you aren’t a clean person. Just tell me.’

‘Tell me how much the FBI knows first.’

‘…….’

“Pardon? Soon? Maybe tomorrow?”

“No.”

Kaelen crossed his arms, looking at Tennessee, who was nitpicking the date despite being the one receiving a pardon. He was busy preparing something as if he had an important schedule.

“Give it to me in three days.”

It was a considerably ominous statement.

“Tennessee, you know a pardon isn’t a license to kill, right?”

Tennessee didn’t answer, and Kaelen became deeply anxious. Tennessee frowned at Kaelen’s persistent questioning.

“I’m not going to kill.”

That would be too easy.

“What’s the problem with taking care of some kids who need taking care of? I’m doing it because the FBI can’t clean up the trash. You should be paying me.”

Tennessee was half-serious.

“It’s a patriotic act. Suppose they are imprisoned through due process. Who do you think pays for their living expenses? It’s your taxes and mine.”

“……You don’t pay taxes.”

Kaelen muttered, as Tennessee, having done illegal work, naturally didn’t pay taxes, but Tennessee didn’t even listen.

And then, Tennessee left abruptly, carrying a sniper rifle.

“Where are you going?!”

When Kaelen shouted from behind him, Tennessee replied.

“Oregon.”

Oregon. The place where William Hurston lived.

* * *

Afghanistan now was not much different from the past. The work he received from the FBI was not dirtier than expected, nor was it particularly clean.

Tennessee felt as if he had moved from being a freelancer to a contract employee. From his perspective, the fundamental nature of the work was the same.

Kaelen had packaged it as ‘protection’ without blinking an eye.

‘To be honest, there might be occasional assassinations, but overall it’s protection. While original protection is based on the principle of blocking a threat when it arrives, our goal is usually to eliminate the threat factor before it arrives.’

Adding plenty of sugar doesn’t make the poison disappear. However, Kaelen seemed to take pride in this work as an FBI agent. When Tennessee asked if they had received congressional approval, her face crumpled instantly.

‘It’s classified, but.’

Then Kaelen raised her voice in an aggrieved tone.

‘My god, Tennessee. We aren’t the CIA.’

To Tennessee, it was all the same.

The child was adopted just before Tennessee left for Afghanistan. Considering the child was already at an age to enter middle school, it was an exceptional occurrence. It was thanks to Kaelen’s influence.

The place he was adopted into was a white middle-class family that already had two children, both of whom were adopted.

‘It’s a good home,’ Kaelen had said, and Tennessee had replied threateningly, ‘It better be.’ If not, he planned to tear the place down immediately.

The child was scheduled to enter a private foundation’s junior high school after a year of homeschooling. The structure was to spend 7th and 8th grade in junior high and then proceed to the same foundation’s private high school from 9th to 12th grade. It was a Catholic private school with a high college acceptance rate.

The other two children in the family that adopted Amber were already attending the foundation’s private elementary school. The adoptive mother was a doctor and the adoptive father was an accountant; it was a financially comfortable household.

Until he departed for Afghanistan, Tennessee occasionally contacted the child but did not visit. He was extremely busy, and he also worried that he might interfere with Amber’s adjustment.

Of course, Amber did not welcome this in the slightest. Every time they spoke on the phone, the air was thick with resentment.

‘Why did you buy me a phone if you aren’t going to give me your number and only call so rarely?’

Tennessee knew the child was speaking out of resentment because he felt neglected. Even so, it was difficult to call frequently.

Amber did not yet trust his new family and stayed holed up in his room instead of coming out to have dinner with them. Tennessee thought that if he approached now, the shaken child would be unable to bond further with the family.

He heard there were many conflicts, but perhaps because they had experience with adoption, Amber’s adoptive parents did not give in. In Tennessee’s eyes, they were warm-hearted and inclusive people.

They even refused Tennessee’s financial support. If it had been a home so lacking that they needed support, Tennessee would have opposed it while pointing a gun at them.

The adoptive parents’ words—that they wouldn’t have chosen adoption if they weren’t prepared to support the child—carried a sense of determination. So, Tennessee deposited ten thousand dollars every month. He wanted to support the college tuition. If that was also refused, he could just give it as pocket money.

The adoptive parents understood the attachment the child had toward Tennessee. It was a good home, enough to embrace the anxious heart that had not yet taken root with love. Even now in Afghanistan, Tennessee occasionally received photos. In most of the photos, Amber had a blank expression and didn’t smile, but he could see that he was gaining weight and his thin body was growing tall.

The doctor said Amber might grow up to 6 feet 8 inches (about 2 meters). Even Tennessee was only slightly over 6 feet.

Stepping out of the car, Tennessee approached the front door. It was larger than it looked in the photos. It was a three-story house located in a wealthy neighborhood with a low crime rate.

When he rang the doorbell, a child opened the door. After calming down the dogs that were barking loudly in her own way, the child looked up. Annie Dexley. She was the first to be adopted, but she was the youngest in age.

Tennessee stood still and waited for someone—Amber or Amber’s adoptive parents. Annie stared blankly at Tennessee while sucking her finger.

Should he greet her? As he stared at the youngest child, Annie suddenly reached out. Stretching both arms high, it seemed she wanted a hug. Tennessee stroked Annie’s curly hair.

“Tennessee!”

With a crashing sound, someone came down the stairs. He could tell just by the voice. It was Amber.

Tennessee picked up the running Amber and vividly felt the change in weight.

He hadn’t noticed it from the photos, but in just three months, it felt as if the weight had doubled, perhaps because he had gained muscle.

“It’s been a long time.”

Holding Amber in one arm, Tennessee shook hands with the adoptive parents. Simultaneously with the handshake, they immediately hugged Tennessee. He didn’t like physical contact, but he endured the unnecessary embrace.

“I’ve never seen the child this happy,” Amber’s adoptive father, David, said.

Tennessee had occasionally sent people to check on Amber’s status. In the photos they sent, the child was either screaming, fighting with his parents, or staying in his room the whole time.

There were no new scars or deep shadows, but he hadn’t seen any photos of him being purely happy.

If Tennessee hadn’t received such photos, he would have mistaken this excited version of Amber for his usual self.

“Amber has been waiting a lot.”

“I know. I was a bit late because of work.”

As they spoke, someone peeked their head out from behind. It was the second youngest, Cody. Annie and Cody already knew that Amber was going on a trip to Florida. Disneyland. It was a paradise for children, and Annie and Cody naturally wanted to join the trip.

Even though Tennessee didn’t mind, the reason the other two children couldn’t join the trip was because of Amber. Amber had been adamantly opposed to it.

For Tennessee, the cost was not an issue, and as long as Annie and Cody were out of diapers, that was enough. However, Amber discouraged Tennessee, citing various reasons, and since there was no reason to force the other children along if Amber disliked it, only the two of them went to Disneyland.

“Ry—no, Amber is excited.”

Although he had said he ‘fucking’ hated his name, Amber ultimately couldn’t completely discard it. He kept it as a middle name.

Taking the surname of the new family, the child’s name had now become Ryker Amber Dexley.

However, Tennessee thought Amber suited him better than the name Ryker. The child didn’t like that Tennessee insisted on ‘Amber,’ but he didn’t particularly oppose it. However, it seemed he introduced himself as Ryker to people around him.

“Let’s go, Tennessee.”

The adoptive mother, Elizabeth, offered a cup of coffee. Tennessee wanted to accept, but the child was not one to let things slide.

Asking if he knew how long he had waited for this day, and suggesting they could talk later, Amber pulled Tennessee outside. In the end, Tennessee had to say his goodbyes while being held by one sleeve.

“I thought you said Disneyland was only for kids?”

“The plane is taking off soon, so they told us to fasten our belts, Tennessee.”

The child worked hard to play innocent. Even though he had said those things before, now that it was time to leave, the child was visibly excited. While Tennessee had been in Afghanistan, the child had gone through various changes of heart. Part of it was that he had never been to Disneyland. However, since it was also hard to give up Universal Studios, they eventually decided to set aside one day during the Florida trip to visit there as well.