A few days later Daryl and Carol were in their houses enjoying the pleasant weather with their windows wide open welcoming in the nice breeze. Daryl was laying in his recliner watching tv when all of a sudden he heard a scream come from Carol's house. Launching himself out of his chair he grabbed his pistol and took off out the back door. He rounded the side of his place and crouched down below her kitchen windows.
He didn't hear anything for a moment, so he peeked over the ledge and didn't see anything in the kitchen. "No! Get away from me!," came from inside the house which caused Daryl to jump up, run to the kitchen door and open it with silent efficiency. He stepped noiselessly past the kitchen table and glanced down the hall. He could see Carol standing in the living room holding Sophia in her arms. Carol's attention was focused on someone or something that was blocked by the wall.
Wanting to get Carol's attention without putting her in further danger, he went to the smoke detector in the kitchen and hit the test button. As soon as the noise pierced the air, Carol jumped and the same time Sophia let out a scream. Catching Carol's attention she focused her eyes on him and said, "Daryl? What in the world are you doing in here!?"
"I heard you scream and thought you were in danger," he replied as he clicked the safety back on his gun and holstered it. Walking towards them he continued, "What's wrong?"
"Gosh, I feel like an idiot. Soph and I were watching TV and a mouse went scurrying along the wall."
Trying to hide his smirk, Daryl responded, "A mouse…I see."
"Don't you mock, me, Daryl! It was a big mouse! I had to protect Sophia!"
Snickering, he answered, "Oh, I am not mocking you. A mouse can be a very scary thing. You did a great job keeping her safe. Hi, Sophia!"
"Hi, Arro!"
"Are you ok?," he said as he began to walk towards the both of them.
"Yep," she said as she put her head on Carol's shoulder.
"I am happy to hear that, peanut." Looking up at Carol he asked, "Ok, what direction did you see the mouse last?"
"Over there behind that plant," Carol pointed as she began to walk towards the kitchen. "I am going to make Sophia a snack before bed. Good luck."
"You do realize that I probably won't be able to catch it. We may have to set traps."
Her face filled with disgust as she her response was filled with sarcasm. "Yeah. That sounds great."
He smiled as she turned towards the kitchen and he made his way over to the plant. Gathering his thoughts, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Taking it out, he swiped the lock and saw the text from work which simply said, "Big trouble in the nest." He knew this meant there was a sudden issue with Carol's case and he needed to call in.
He walked swiftly back into the kitchen and said, "Hey, Carol. Issue at work and I gotta go. I will bring traps over in the morning."
"Oh, ok, sorry I disrupted your evening. Thanks for coming over."
"No problem, night."
"Night, Daryl."
After he got back to his place, he closed the windows and called work. "Hey Shane, Dixon here. Rick told me to call in immediately."
"Good thing you did, Daryl. Hold on."
"Daryl, thanks for getting back to me so quickly," said Rick as he shuffled through a stack of papers. "We have an issue with Carol's case."
"Are you kidding me? After two years!?"
"Apparently they stayed quiet for a while in hopes of easier access to who did it. One of the field agents back in her hometown was killed in his office. Prior to his death, information in regards to her case had been accessed. Her safehouse address is not listed there, but we know it won't take long to figure it out. We are going to move her in the morning as it is too late to move her tonight. There are already agents covering your places, but you are also up. Got me?"
"I understand. I will watch our places from the inside."
"You will get change of location information in the next hour or so. Vigilance, Dixon."
"Yes, sir. Got it."
After he got off the phone, he grabbed some mouse traps and went back over to Carol's and knocked on the back door. She peeked out the curtain and then unlocked it. Opening it, she said, "Hey, Daryl. Back so soon?"
"I knew you were freaked out, so I thought I better lay the traps tonight. If there is one in a trap, just let me know in the morning."
"Oh, thanks! I appreciate that."
He made his way through her house as she finished cleaning Sophia up from her snack. As he went along, he made sure the windows and front door were secure.
He walked back into the kitchen and said, "All set. Have a good night and don't forget to lock up behind me."
"Thanks for everything. I will certainly make sure to lock everything and set the alarm. Have a great night."
"Night."
After he locked his own back door, he began preparations to hunker down and monitor from his place. Shane sent him the details for the transfer and he packed a bag for himself. Turning off the light, he settled in his recliner to wait it out.
Later that evening a black Escalade drove slowly down the street as the occupants found the townhomes they were looking for.
"This should be an easy hit. This lady is on her own with no one watching over her. Waiting a while before pursuing this was a brilliant idea Merle had," said Merle's second in command, Philip.
Gareth answered, "That's why he's the boss, dude."
They chuckled as they drove away.