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Chapter 16 - Chapter Fifteen - A Tense Debriefing

Pressing his knuckles against his lips to stifle a sudden yawn, Angel sighed and dragged his wrist across his eyes to clear them. The bright lights of WVU Princeton Community Hospital were a welcome sight as they appeared after the long forty-five-minute drive through the dark mountain roads.

Behind him, Charlotte kept whispering with the girls. She had managed to settle them down, and they were now giggling at her stories. He noticed a lightness in Charlotte's voice during the drive, something he knew she desperately needed after the ordeal.

Pulling into the first parking spot across from the emergency room, he shifted into park. Shuffling sounded behind him as Charlotte moved on her knees between the front captain's chairs.

She peered out at the harsh lights of the building. "Will they be safe here?"

He noted the concern in her voice. "Yes, the staff here know medicine and treatments. This will be the best place for their parents to find them."

"I understand what a hospital is," she whispered, "even if I don't know myself."

He'd spent the drive thinking about her memory problem. In the military, he'd made it his mission to learn as much as he could across other fields, including triage, so he could assist when and where possible. Head injuries were common, and he'd encountered more than a few confused soldiers during his tours.

"I think you may have retrograde amnesia, possibly with dissociative elements. You can't remember past events or who you are, likely due to whatever happened to you in the forest," he explained.

"How is it treated?"

He heard the hope in her voice but couldn't give Charlotte what she wanted. "Unfortunately, if it's unrelated to an underlying health issue, the only treatment is time. However, considering what you are and where you may come from, other factors are most likely involved."

"Time." Charlotte sighed sadly. "I understand. Until my memories return, I want to help you in any way I can, Angel."

He looked at Charlotte and gave her a reassuring smile. "Then, after I get them safely inside, we'll get some rest, and we can discuss what's next in the morning."

As he spoke, Angel noticed two police cars pull into the lot and head toward the back. Shifting in his seat, he addressed the girls. "I called ahead, and your parents are already on their way. You'll be safe inside the hospital until then, okay?" He glanced at Charlotte thoughtfully. "Do you two think you can do me a favor?"

"What is it?" Amy inquired.

"Don't tell anyone about Charlotte or her scary costume, okay? She's my secret weapon against the bad men I chase, and if anyone found out, she could be in danger. Deal?"

Jamie responded quickly, "I promise."

Touching Charlotte's shoulder trustingly, Amy agreed. "I promise, too."

Charlotte smiled warmly, covering the older girl's hand with her own. "Thank you, Amy."

"Good." Angel knew it was a risk—kids don't always keep secrets well—but it would have to suffice. He opened the driver's side door, slid out, and walked around. He pulled open the side panel and peeked in. "Come on."

The two girls jumped out and waved goodbye to Charlotte, who waved back before Angel stepped in front of them to block their view. He spoke quietly. "I need you to stay in the van and out of sight until we figure out a cover story."

Charlotte nodded quietly.

He flashed her a brief smile before closing the door.

As soon as it clicked shut, Charlotte wrapped herself in the blanket she had used earlier, pulling it tightly around her shoulders. The adrenaline had worn off, leaving her feeling drained. She tucked herself deeper into the blanket, using one of the garbage bags filled with clothes as an impromptu pillow, and quickly fell asleep.

Outside, Angel guided the children across the lot to the emergency entrance, ushering them inside to escape the cold, then tracked down a nurse to explain the situation. Immediately, the nurse called for help. He gave the girls an encouraging smile as three other nurses and a doctor moved in to take them for evaluation.

He waited until they were out of sight, then leaned against the white painted concrete walls by the entrance, feeling exhausted, and closed his eyes for a moment.

"Angel?" A feminine voice interrupted his brief respite.

With an exasperated sigh, he opened his eyes and offered her a wry smile. "I really hoped to avoid you tonight, Amanda."

Propped against the wall opposite him, FBI Special Agent Amanda Sims smiled back. She was a tall, lean woman in her mid-thirties, dressed in a standard deep blue FBI jacket and black slacks, her face bearing the marks of stress—wrinkles along her cheeks and under her eyes from smoking too much. Her black hair was pulled back into a sleek bun, and her piercing blue eyes scrutinized him. Her voice carried a mix of teasing and familiar undertones. "If you had it your way, you'd avoid me all the time."

"Paperwork slows me down." It wasn't the whole reason, but the other reason was well known and unspoken between them.

Amanda sighed. "Listen, Angel. I appreciate what you do, and you skirt the boundaries just on the right side to keep me from having to bust your balls, but for me to give you space to operate, I need to be kept in the loop. Plus, the brothers demanded a ransom, and you know that means FBI involvement every time."

"I know. It's nothing personal, Amanda. I'm not trying to argue with you. I'm just tired."

"When's the last time you got any sleep?"

"Tuesday?" It had been a while, to be sure.

"Christ. This isn't a military assignment; you're no longer a sergeant. You are not solely responsible for every child who goes missing or gets kidnapped. What happened—"

"Isn't open to discussion." Cutting her off with a sharp glare, he glowered. "I don't want to hear it from you, Amanda. Just because you know me and what happened doesn't mean I want or need any of your psychological bullshit. Okay?"

She raised her hands in surrender and sighed. "No, you're right. It's not my place anymore, if it ever was. But I'm worried about you. You go headfirst into every missing person's case that comes up, and if children are involved, you're almost out of control."

"I'm always in control." It was somewhat truthful.

"Well, enough that I can cover for you, yeah. It isn't easy, though. I'm constantly reminding my superior that because of you, we've reunited nearly two dozen children with their families over the past few years."

Angel turned his head away. The ones saved served as a harsh reminder of those he'd lost, and there was no balancing that ledger in his mind. He wondered just how long he would be haunted by what he had done.

Amanda continued, unaware of his inner turmoil. "It keeps them off my case, so I stay off yours. But sometimes I have to poke my nose into your business. Like tonight."

Her tone caught his attention. "What about tonight?"

"It's really strange, but the report I received over the radio from the arresting officers at the site says the Pry brothers were white as sheets and rambling about a monster attacking them. Now, I've read every report from your operations and never heard of anything like this. Care to explain?"

He shrugged. He had anticipated having to cover for Charlotte's actions, just not so soon or with Amanda. "I've been watching a lot of horror movies in my downtime and wanted to test a few theories on scare tactics. That's all."

She studied him. Something in his tone triggered her instincts, sharpened from years of experience as an agent. She had known him long before he joined the military, and she remembered his carefree attitude, his sense of humor, and how big his heart was; however, she never suspected him of being a liar. She also knew that the direct approach wouldn't work and would only put him on the defensive. This was something she'd need to figure out later.

"Well," she conceded, "whatever you did, it certainly did a number on the brothers. They're scared out of their minds and incoherent. We've moved them to a facility for evaluation before transferring them to the state jail."

"Good!" He pushed away from the wall. "It's the least those bastards deserved. If you'd seen what that one did to that little girl… what I wanted to do to him? Being scared shitless is mercy."

Amanda frowned hard. "Kevin—"

"It's. Angel." He reprimanded her in a clipped tone.

"Angel," she sighed. "I'm not disagreeing with you. Regardless of your new tactics, please don't give them any possible defense with an insanity plea."

She was right, and he knew it. However, after witnessing Charlotte in action and recognizing the advantage it could provide him, he was willing to continue taking that risk if it meant saving more lives and protecting more children.

Aloud, he placated. "No, you're right. I'll work on my tactics, as long as it doesn't put any innocents at risk."

"It's the best I can ask." She accepted, but added with a smirk, "Except, I'd love to see your new tricks."

"Not likely." His body was near its limit, exhaustion overtaking him. "If that's all, Agent Sims?"

Short and addressing her by title, Amanda knew she wouldn't get any further with him tonight. She frowned but nodded in dismissal. "That's all, Mr. Collins. Get some sleep. You did great tonight."

He deserved the terse response, but he lacked the energy to continue, so he inclined his head, turned, and walked out of the ER entrance into the early morning chill. He glanced back to see Amanda being called over to the doctors and quickly moved to the van.

Opening the driver's side door, he jumped in and slammed it shut angrily. It was louder than he intended and was accompanied by a mumble from the darkness in the back of the van.

"Angel?"

Charlotte's soft, questioning voice had a calming effect on him, and he felt bad for waking her. "It's okay, Charlotte. We're done here."

"What now?"

"We need rest. I have a room booked a bit back the way we came. Go back to sleep until we get there."

"Okay." She wanted to talk with him, but his tone sounded as tired as she felt. So, she settled back into her makeshift nest as he started the engine and pulled away from the facility. The white noise of the road lulled her back to sleep quickly.

Up front, Angel drove into the night, his mind racing through everything that had happened in the last few hours. Every time he found an answer, two more questions replaced it. His eyes flicked to the rearview mirror and caught a glimpse of Charlotte sleeping.

Was he making the right decision by letting her stay with him? And who would she become if she regained her memories? Was she a hero in the making, or was she the harbinger of death?

Only time would tell.

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