The moment Cassie entered her apartment, she leaned against the wall and covered her face with her hands, fighting off an impending breakdown. She had accepted that what she and Kevin did carried considerable risk, but Davis was not supposed to be collateral damage. And now that Bible had Kevin, she felt more dread than at any point in her life. Taking a deep breath, she forced herself to focus on the now. Grief would come in spades later, but she had a mission to complete.
Unsteady, she headed to her bedroom, her face tight with determination. Sitting at her desk with her radio gear, she put on her headset and dialed the necessary frequency. As she worked, she heard the apartment door open.
"Cassie?" Charlie's voice drifted into the bedroom.
"I'm in here." She called out. "Would you be a dear and make us some tea? I need it!" She figured Charlie would welcome the distraction.
"On it!" Seconds later, she heard Charlie rummaging in the kitchen.
Refocusing on her own task, Cassie flipped a few more switches, took a deep breath, and made the call. It was midday, so Brute should be in his repair shop. "Chatterbug calling Brute. Come in, Brute. Over."
Leaning back, she closed her eyes and tried to meditate, hoping to keep her emotions from overwhelming her. Static filled her headset for several tense seconds before the line connected, and a deep, resonant voice greeted her warmly.
"Hey, Chatterbug. It's been a while. How are you? Over."
"Angel's in trouble. Over." Cassie loved Brute, but there was no time for pleasantries.
His casual voice disappeared, replaced by a crisp military command. "Report!"
No 'over'. He didn't need it.
She went into details: "You've heard of Bible, right? The crime lord running rampant over the East Coast for the last few years? Over."
"He deals in drugs and contraband, correct? Over."
"He used to, but he's expanded." Her voice sounded bitter, as if she was tasting something foul, "and in recent years, he shifted to child trafficking. The area Angel focuses on. Over."
"Shit." Brute cursed and guessed the next question. "He has Angel? Over."
"Yes. He's been taken to Libya. I have at most forty-eight hours to complete the trade. Over."
"What does he want you for?" Brute asked, perplexed. There was a pause before he added, "Over."
"Look, it's a story best told in person. But Brute, it's not just Angel. Bible has children at his stronghold. He's using them as leverage."
"That motherfucker!" he swore.
Silence filled the air for a moment. She understood the pause and took over. "Can I count on you and the others? Over."
"I'm going to speak for them and say yes. I'll call them immediately. Panther may be the hardest to get, though. Over."
"I know she has children of her own. Tell her I'll understand if she can't come. Over."
"Honestly, once I tell her about Bible and the kids, I don't think I could stop her even if I wanted to. Over."
"Do you still have your pilot's license and jet?" She bit her lip hopefully. "Over."
"It's how we're going to get to you as fast as possible." Brute allowed a small laugh, despite the seriousness. "I promise I'll call you in the morning with an update and ETA. We owe you. We owe Angel. Over."
"He never faulted any of you for staying, Brute; you know that, right?" She choked softly, forgetting protocol.
After a brief pause, his voice returned—quieter and filled with regret. "We know. We—I fault myself. I have calls to make. I will call you with our ETA, once I can, and Cassandra?"
"Yes?"
"Don't lose hope. You're not alone. You never were."
A sob escaped her lips. "Thank you…Francis."
"Call you soon. Over and out."
The line went dead, and she pulled the headset off, leaning back in her chair, drained. She opened her eyes as Charlie entered the room and placed a hot cup of tea on the desk for her.
The princess sat on the bed with her own cup in hand. "I hope you don't mind that I listened in."
"Of course not." She lifted her cup, inhaled the scent of chamomile, and sighed as her shoulders slumped.
"I like Brute—his voice is soothing and commanding," Charlie commented, as she tasted her tea.
"He was second in command of their team and the one who supported Kevin's promotion ahead of him." Explaining, she continued, "He always admired my brother for his skillful planning. Called it '4D Chess' once, and it stuck."
"Angel shared some details about those days with me, but not much. It was always so painful for him to remember, but he'd do it if it helped with a mission we were on. So I only know a little bit about his team."
"Soon, you'll know a lot more about them." Cassie sighed. She sipped her tea before continuing. "And Brute was also why he and the others stayed in service after we left. They wanted to make sure what happened that day never happened again."
"Angel said Tag disappeared after the tragedy?"
Yeah, and it was complete bullshit! He needed to pay for his crimes, but the military had too much other shit going on to go after one rogue Colonel. Then, General Eckhart tried to promote my brother to Colonel, but he'd already decided to go private. He promised Eckhart not to chase Tag, but what he was going to do, he couldn't be under the thumb of the military." She let out a shuddering breath. "What happened broke my brother. He couldn't trust the system anymore.
"What he does now is a far greater destiny." Charlie declared. "Angel never mentioned anything, so I'm guessing Tag was never caught?"
"I don't know what happened to that asshole, but I hope he's rotting somewhere for the rest of his days."
Charlie sipped her hot tea, silently agreeing.
Cassie stared into her cup intensely for a minute, her mind adrift. The sound of Charlie clearing her throat broke her reverie, causing her to set the cup down and offer a lopsided, humorless smile. "I don't want to do the next part."
"What's the next part?" Charlie asked, biting her lip.
"Calling the police about Davis and the store and—" Her voice shook. "Calling his mother."
"Cassie?" Charlie's voice pulled her eyes her way.
"Hmm?"
"I don't know if this is the right thing to say." Charlie paused.
Cassie gently gestured for her to continue.
Charlie ventured, "But… I truly and firmly believe Davis is in Heaven and at peace."
Breathing in deeply, Cassie released a sigh, sounding mournful. "I hope you're right. I truly hope you're right." Resigned to what she needed to do next, Cassie turned her attention to the desk to make the call when her police scanner's static buzzed.
"Dispatch to all units. Respond to the Hyatt Regency at 601 Loyola St. Reports of two FBI agents down. FBI en route. Proceed with caution. Suspect's location is unknown."
"No." Cassie tensed and shook her head. "Please, no."
Charlie stood, spilling hot tea on her wrist. She ignored the sting. "They're talking about Amanda, aren't they?"
"That's why she never showed up. Rygen got to her first." Cassie slammed her fist down on the desk, rattling the radio equipment and spilling some of her tea. "God-Fucking-Dammit! I'm going to kill the motherfucking bastard!"
Fresh outrage seeped into Charlie, but she pooled it into a ball and turned Cassie in her chair to face her. "Sis! You told me to get a hold of myself. You need to do the same. We have to save Angel. Focus!"
For a moment, it seemed to Charlie that her sister had been broken. She was so close to breaking herself, but knew they would never be able to save Angel if they didn't have control of their feelings. "Remember the training, sis. You taught me to use Taiji to find my focus and center. You need to do it too, now! Or Angel dies!"
Swallowing tightly, Cassie shifted her gaze to Charlie. She nodded slowly, taking the princess's hand. "Thank you, sweetie."
Charlie squeezed back, her lips rising slightly. "My master taught me well."
Wiping away her tears, Cassie silently let go of Charlie's hands and turned in her seat to the desk. Moving her cup aside, she picked up the headset and made the call to the police.
As Charlie sat silently sipping her tea, Cassie filed the report, stating every detail she could with her mind all jumbled, and pleaded with them to hurry. Dispatch assured her a unit would be routed to her immediately.
Once she'd hung up, she took a long, deep breath and reached for her cup. Downing the cooling liquid in two swallows, she set it aside and stood. Charlie stood with her.
Cassie looked sad as she made her next request to Charlie, "You'll need to go invisible while they're here. They may want to check out the apartment or the roof, and I can't explain who you are right now."
"I understand." She solemly nodded. "I'm used to it."
Charlie's voice was calm, but Cassie understood the pain her sister felt, while still having to be isolated from the world. "One day, you'll never have to hide again. I promise."
"I'm not angry, sis. I just wish I could stand by your side."
"I know you'll be near. It'll be enough. For now." She embraced Charlie, who reciprocated in kind.
Twenty-five minutes later, Cassie stood outside her shop, watching as two cruisers and an ambulance arrived, their flashing lights casting alternating red and blue reflections on the building facades. A crowd of onlookers gathered, necks craning over cars and barriers, eager for a better view.
Cassie greeted the officers and directed the medics inside, but couldn't bring herself to go back in just yet. Instead, she stayed just outside the door and answered all the questions she was asked.
Meanwhile, Charlie watched from the hallway and listened as Cassie talked to the police. Her heart ached at the retelling of events, which only further fueled her anger. She hated this moment for so many reasons: losing Davis, her sister's pain, and that they had to wait on Brute's call before they could take action to rescue Kevin. For all the powers she had, Charlie had never felt more useless and inept than she did right now.
For the next ninety minutes, the police cordoned off sections, placed markers around Davis's body, and took photos. As the investigation continued, a detective approached Cassie and asked her to come into the shop to discuss what had happened. He noted that the attacks resembled those at the Hyatt Regency. Cassie pretended not to know about the incident, but she tactfully confirmed that one of the agents was female.
He asked why she believed the store would also be targeted, and Cassie had to give a convincing performance to lie and say she had no idea. It seemed believable enough for the detective, at least for now. After the usual questions of 'where were you at this time' and 'how did you know the deceased,' among others, he thanked her for her help and offered sincere condolences for the loss of her friend.
Cassie sniffled and thanked him, and he added that he would be in touch once they had more information. She knew the detective would never know any more than he did now. She stepped back and turned her head away as the medics lifted Davis, placed him into a body bag, and then onto a stretcher.
It was another thirty minutes before the final officers told her they needed to tape off the entrances and advised her not to enter until the investigation was finished. She assured them she didn't plan to go back to the store anytime soon, and deep down, she wondered if she ever would.
Finally, the last officer climbed into the only remaining squad car and drove away from the scene as dozens of curious onlookers whispered and stared, wondering what had happened. Their voices blended into a dull murmur. She ignored them, pushed roughly through the crowd, and entered the side door to the hallway outside the shop.
Charlie's disembodied voice whispered close by. "Are you okay?"
"No." Moving to the side door, which was now padlocked and sealed off, she gazed at the frosted window.
"Come," Charlie urged. "Let's go upstairs."
Before Cassie could reply, her cell phone rang, startling her. Checking the screen, she whispered, "It's Brute."
"Already? He said he'd call in the morning."
She didn't address Charlie and clicked the answer button. "Brute." She clipped; no other words felt safe to say.
"I'm en route to the airport to fly out to D.C." Brute knew precisely what she needed to hear. "I reached the others quicker than expected, and they're in. They're making arrangements to meet me by mid-morning, and we'll be in New Orleans by early evening." He changed his tone from business to personal. "We got you, Bug."
"Thank you." Her voice cracked.
"Anything for our angels." Brute stated firmly, then hung up.
Struggling not to break down, Cassie held her breath, but her efforts were futile when she felt invisible arms wrap around her from behind. Charlie's warmth surrounded her, and once again, tears streamed down her face as they wept together.