While Eyal took a shower, which of course he had wanted her to join him in, Annie blushed at the memory, Annie decided she would search the flight manifests for 5 adult males traveling together with one young boy. She knew that they would want to all sit together on the flight.
As Annie turned on her computer she decided to make a long shot phone call. She carefully moved across the room and retrieved her cell from the night stand, placing the battery back in. Annie knew there was a person who could get this information much faster than her, and they were on the clock after all.
"Hey Walker! I thought you were taking the day off? What can I do for you?" Auggie's voice came through the phone. Annie thought for a moment. How much did she want to tell Auggie? She trusted him completely and was sure that Eyal trusted him to some extent but it really wasn't her place to decide.
"Okay, Auggie this is going to sound a bit odd, but could you run a search for me?" Annie inquired. She decided just to give him the facts he needed and talk to Eyal before filling him in completely.
Auggie sighed, he should have known better than to think that Annie taking a day off was for relaxation. "I'm going to regret this aren't I?" Auggie smiled. He couldn't refuse her in anything.
Annie smiled. She knew Auggie would help. "Alright I need you to check the flight manifests for 5 men and one boy arriving in the United States from Israel within the last 24 hours. I don't have any names for you but we're probably looking for either military, ex-military, or mercenaries."
Auggie was already running the search. Israel had peaked his attention. This was going to get interesting; he could pretty much guess who was already involved. He was almost afraid to ask. "Annie, is Eyal with you?"
Annie was startled although she realized she shouldn't have been surprised by Auggie's logic chain. "No, why", she tried to answer nonchalantly, guessing that she probably failed.
Auggie smiled. He could see right through her, well at least figuratively he supposed. "It's just that you said Israel and I have confirmation that one George Yackos entered the country within the last 24 hours."
Annie sighed; she should have known Auggie would figure it out. "Okay, let me clarify. I am not with Eyal at this present moment but I have seen him. Auggie will you please help me?" Annie was getting worried that since Auggie knew Eyal was involved he wouldn't help.
"Annie, you should know better than to ask that. I just wanted to know what I was getting myself into, generally when you two are in collusion things can get very messy very fast. I just want to be prepared." He smiled. He knew Annie had never really believed that Eyal doctored those photos. And he also knew that she would forgive him for the scar in their friendship and move forward. He just didn't think it would be so fast.
Annie sighed. "Okay, great. I will have to give you the details later, but right now I need the results of that search."
Auggie's computer started to come up with results. "Alright Annie, I have two possibles, actually both generally in this area. Both groups are 5 men and one child traveling together. And all ten men are either current or discharged military."
"What else can you give me Auggie?" Annie said as she took notes.
"The first flight was a commercial into BWI about 6 hours ago. The second was a cargo into Dover Air Force Base about 5." Auggie kept working to see what else he could dig up.
"Annie any other info you can give me?" Auggie asked. He knew if she was keeping info from him it for a good reason but he couldn't stop himself from voicing his qualms.
Annie knew this was coming, but she still wasn't prepared to not tell Auggie everything she knew. "Just that the boy likes to play soccer. So if you hear anything on the police radio or whatever…" Annie trailed off.
"The boy plays soccer? That doesn't give me much to work with. Annie what's going on?" Auggie was getting nervous. She hadn't give Auggie the age of the child. This was headed into dangerous territory.
"Look Auggie I don't have time to explain and it's not my place, just know that this is a kidnapping and I have", Annie checked her watch, "less than 5 hours to get this kid back".
Auggie lamented. Okay she was just helping Eyal with something he couldn't handle on his own. Probably the kid of a friend. That was it. Wait, but what spies have friends? Present company excluded of course. Well Auggie trusted Annie and if she needed his help in getting a kidnapped child back he was going to help.
"Alright, let's do this then. I will let you know if I come up with anything else from here" Auggie answered.
"Thanks" Annie replied before hanging up.
Annie started to think. She needed Eyal to agree to read Auggie in. These were the only two men that she trusted wholeheartedly and they had worked together before right? This couldn't be that hard…
Annie made her way to the bathroom door. She could still hear the shower running so she knocked. "Eyal, I have some information."
"Come in Neshama, why don't you join me" Eyal tried to bring his voice to the same level of composure it usually was but he knew he fell short. He knew Annie would see right through it.
"Eyal, it's about Avi" Annie yelled, still outside the door. Why did he have to try to be his normal self even when his son was missing? Try, being the key word, because he didn't quite succeed.
At hearing Annie's words, Eyal was to the door in a flash. He had turned the water off and wrapped a towel around his waist in under five seconds. He was still dripping as he opened the door to face Annie.
"Ah, Okay" Annie said looking at Eyal standing in the doorway soaking wet.
Annie regained her composure, smiling slightly at Eyal's hair in complete disarray. "There are two possibles. One in D.C. and one in Delaware. I will take the Delaware one since you don't have military base access." Annie watched Eyal's face, his eyes tightened slightly.
"Annie I was only in the shower for less than 10 minutes. How did you find this so fast?" Eyal inquired, hoping to any higher being that would listen, that she hadn't called Langley.
"Well.." Annie sputtered. She was hoping this would go better than the direction it seemed to be headed in.
"Neshama you didn't…" Eyal slide down the wall to sit on the floor. Everything he had worked so hard for, to protect Avi, to keep his son a secret, she had blown while he was in the shower. He wanted to kick himself. How could she do this to him?
"Eyal, let me explain." Annie tried futility to get through to Eyal. She went over and sat in front of him.
"Don't. Just don't." Eyal replied quietly. "Do you realize what you have just done? You have put him on the hit list of every intelligence agency on the planet. He will never be safe. This will not be his last kidnapping." Eyal moaned at the thought, burying his head in his hands.
"Eyal, we do not have time for you to feel sorry for yourself." Annie snapped. She had had enough of his jumping to conclusions. She tried to pry his hands from his face yet again. Again it didn't work. She pushed his legs to the floor, stretched out in front of him as she got up.
Annie more frustrated than ever, looked down at Eyal. What was wrong with him today? She couldn't make him see reason. And if she couldn't do that, he was going to get her or himself killed in their attempt to rescue Avi.
Finally she just reached out and put her hands on his shoulders. He still wouldn't look at her. "Eyal!" Annie screamed. His head snapped up.
"Eyal" Annie tried again in a more soothing tone. She also sat herself on top of his legs again, in her straddled position. "Look, yes I called Langley." She watched his face tighten at her words. "But I only spoke to Auggie. He knows only the bare details and has agreed to keep this strictly between the three of us. He doesn't even know that the kidnapped boy is your son."
Eyal looked up at Annie. The fact that she was once again straddling his lap and that this time he was wearing nothing but a towel was not lost on him. He thought through what she just said. Okay, so she had called Auggie. That wasn't the worst thing she could have done. Auggie could probably help them and speed things along. Eyal knew he trusted Auggie just as Annie did but was still uneasy about the fact that she had called Langley.
"What did you tell him?" Eyal finally asked. Unsure he wanted to hear the answer.
Annie recounted what she had told Auggie and noticed that Eyal began to relax. "Look you know you can trust Auggie right?" she inquired of Eyal. "After all, it was his idea that saved your sorry ass in Zurich a month back."
Eyal sighed. He knew that calling Auggie was probably the smart play but didn't like that Annie had done it without talking to him first. "Yes, I trust Auggie. I just wished you'd asked me before you made the decision to read him in." Eyal put a hand up to Annie's cheek.
Annie looked down at Eyal. "Eyal, I am. What do you think I'm trying to do here? You are acting so erratically today. So I'm going to give you the same line you gave me in Russia. If you have lost the will to fight and don't want to go and save Avi I swear to God I will leave you right here and go and do it myself."
Eyal stared back at Annie. How did he deserve her? How could he possibly be the broken man he was and get to have someone like Annie be a part of his life? Not just be a part of his life but be friends and even have the possibility of more. He suddenly reached the hand he had been using to stroke her cheek behind her head and brought her into a kiss. She was surprised but not unopposed as she let him deepen the kiss. When they finally broke apart she looked at him.
"Better?" Annie asked. She hoped that Eyal was beginning to come around to his normal self after that move.
"Yes" Eyal replied. "And I'm sorry. And yes I want to go and save Avi. And although I have misgivings about the CIA, you're right I think we should read Auggie in. If you trust him, then I trust him." Eyal smiled at Annie.
Thank God, Annie thought. He is starting to see some sense.
"Then it's decided then. I will go make that call and fill Auggie in while you put some clothes on. We only have about 4 hours and 45 minutes to find Avi and I have about a two and a half hour drive to Dover." Annie noted looking at her watch. She moved to get up to be stopped by Eyal.
Eyal was looking at Annie in amazement. She was really willing to risk her career, and more importantly, her life to go and try to save his son. He loved this woman. He quickly pulled her into a hug and gave her another quick kiss.
"Eyal, it's not that this isn't nice but you're all wet and we have to get moving. Avi, remember?" Annie's voice brought Eyal back from his revere.
"Right", he pulled them both to their feet. "Call me if you find out anything, okay?" Eyal didn't like the idea of them separated but he knew it had to happen.
"Yeah, I will and I'm going to give Auggie your number so he can talk to you directly as well, okay?" Annie was already picking up her stuff and heading for the door. She had to get moving so she could question some people on the base…
"Okay. And Annie one more thing?" Eyal called as Annie turned back from the door.
"Be careful okay? I don't want to lose you." Eyal said seriously.
"I will. You too." Annie replied as she closed the door behind her.
Eyal sighed turning back to the bathroom to get dressed. He might have had misgivings about Annie when they first met but he couldn't feel more strongly about her now. Eyal loved that woman.
Now, if Annie and Eyal could get Avi back unharmed everything in his world would be right.