FIFTEEN

The mid-day sun had come to be hidden by the overcast clouds, and brought with it an uncomfortable humidity. Despite the sweat on her invisible brow, Charlie moved with a purpose through the city, quickly checking off street after street in the center of the town, grateful to Cassie for providing her with a pair of comfortable cotton shoes that helped to muffle her quick, precise steps, especially since she was in her demon form and her cloven hooves would have clicked loudly on the cobblestone sidewalks and asphalt streets. Frustratingly, the tourists and vendors were everywhere and moving through them presented a challenge coupled with the fact that she could not use her increased sense of smell and hearing in the crowds, and had to rely solely on her eyesight. Yet again, she cursed the lack of wings. Why did so many human stories give those demons wings if it wasn't possible? She imagined soaring above the crowds, hunting her prey with better precision. Shaking the thought away, since it was useless and distracting, Charlie turned a corner and stopped short. Ahead of her, three FBI agents were scouting a couple of abandoned properties. Quietly stepping towards them, she listened in to their reports and frowned after deciding they'd reached a dead end in the area.

Sighing internally, she checked off this section as having been covered by the humans and moved East, heading towards the outskirts of the town and towards a warehouse district. As she found a spot she could stop and rest, she drew her arm across her forehead to wick away some of the sweat and clicked a button on her ear-peace, "Charlie to Angel, do you copy? Over"

A short bit of static preceded his calm, cool voice that she loved to listen to, "Go ahead. Over"

"I've cleared the grids in the middle of town. Some of them are already cleared by the FBI. I even saw Amanda in one of the North sections. She's very pretty, Angel. I listened in and they've not had any success. How's your research going? Over."

"It's frustrating," Came Angel's response, "We're hitting dead ends left and right when it comes to this Bible character. I'm thinking he has someone high up in the Government on his payroll, because the dead-ends I'm hitting are obviously erased data from the internet. Cassie is communing with The Frequencies, but has had as much luck as I have. What's your twenty? Over."

Charlie was down about the lack of leads Angel and Cassie had found. She looked around to size up where she was, "East of the French Quarter, along the river front by the rails. Over."

"Recommend you run the tracks East to North along the river. Those areas house industrial parks, warehouses and factories. Some of them could be abandoned and would be a good location for privacy. So far the FBI has been moving West and South, thinking Bible's gang may be in similar zones. Since they went one way, you take the other. Over."

"Roger that. Please hold" Charlie found herself enjoying the lingo he'd taught her, as well as it made this feel professional and she could put her emotions into check a bit easier, focusing on impressing to him how serious she could be. Pulling a map of the area out of her pocket that Angel had provided her with the grids marked, she conferred with it for a moment, "I'll report again after I clear to the Florida Avenue bridge. Over."

"Excellent." Angel's voice was full of pride and affection, and Charlie warmed a bit, "Be careful, Charlie. Over and out."

Folding the map back up and slipping into her pocket, Charlie took off in a sprint along the railroad tracks. Now that she was clear of the noises of the main city, she could open up all her senses to their full ability and she hoped she would pick something up, soon.

Back in Cassie's apartment, she and Angel sat in her bedroom, with Angel at the desk typing and searching Google while she sat cross legged on the floor in front of her alter with incense burning. Eyes closed, Cassie meditated and pulled on the power she knew, sending out silent pleas for help across the ley-lines connecting around the world and to other covens and mystical beings. She hoped that at least one or two would have insight into who Bible was. Meanwhile, Angel had over two dozen web pages up, looking up records of kidnapped children, both lost and rescued. He saw many of them were credited to him and it helped him feel a little better about his successes versus the ones he'd failed or never had the chance to help. Pushing his emotions into a box, his eyes darted over the various texts and files that he could pull up, trying to find any connection or lead. He also had multiple chat boxes up on Discord, searching crime and mystery sections to see what he could find that way.

"Ya know?" Angel said quietly, both to get Cassie's attention yet if she was too deep, it wouldn't bother her, and he heard her rustle behind him,

"Yes?" Cassie's soft voice sounded exhausted.

He turned, stretching his arms above his head, and let out a frustrating breath, "For all the world that the internet holds, I'm finding next to nothing about Bible. How about you?"

"Same. I was hoping my sisters around the world might have heard or known of anyone that was affected by Bible, but so far? Zip. Do you want me to take over at the radios? I do have contacts from my days in the service in communications."

"Yeah. I need to get a bite to eat and refuel my thoughts before meeting Amanda in a bit. But, I was thinking. I am getting a gut feeling that Bible has connections high up, and that's why we can't find anything on the net. It's getting erased."

"Shit," Cassie nodded, "If so, then this is way, way more serious than anything you've ever tackled before. Are you going to bring this up to Amanda?"

"Yes. If she can get me into the system another way, maybe I can dig things up from inside."

"Okay, go and get us both something to eat. I'll call up some contacts."

Angel stood and stepped aside for Cassie to plop into the chair and flick some switches on her radios, warming them up. He walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen when his earpiece buzzed, "Charlie to Angel. Do you copy? Over."

Angel allowed himself a small smile at Charlie's enthusiasm to use proper lingo. Pressing the talk button on his radio, he answered, "Go ahead. Over."

Charlie explained her current status and he advised her on what to do next and to be careful. When they'd finished, Angel felt very proud for Charlie's professionalism. She'd come such a long way from the first night. Going to the fridge, he pulled it open and scooped up a bowl of leftover jambalaya and placed it on the kitchen counter. Fixing up a plate for himself, he sat at the table and ate while searching on his cell phone for any leads he could think of while he waited for six o'clock to roll around.

Special agent Amanda Sims leaned against the door to her rented car and took a drag of her cigarette, inhaling slowly and letting the hit take hold before blowing the smoke out. They'd been at it for five hours, and it was nearing the time that the searches would be called for the evening and they'd found nothing, not a single lead, in the city on any of their completed grids. She wasn't surprised, honestly, since she figured Bible would be too smart to have his operations in a busy part of the city, but the director insisted they work from a pattern starting in the center of the city and move outwards, focusing on any black vans they came across. They only found a couple, and one of them she had recognized and taken the lead to 'investigate' the plate, so as to not let it leak that Angel was in the city. When they met soon she would tell him to switch up his mode of transportation while in town, so as to not get pulled over at any point while they were actively searching. Checking her watch, she saw it was about a quarter to six. Taking one more hit of her cigarette, she dropped it and crushed the butt under her boot and looked for Agent Tucker, who was leading her group. She saw him talking to another agent two cars down and whistled, catching his attention and waved him over.

"Yes, Sims?" Tucker approached, adjusting the collar on his jacket. She looked him up and down, and his short stout frame, thinning black hair and scruffy beard made him look older than the young forties that he was, likely from the decades of stress in the job.

"Since it's about time to call things off, I wanted to go check into my hotel before it got too late. I never got a chance this morning and really would hate to lose my room due to a no-show."

Tucker checked his watch and confirmed how late it was, "Sure. I lost track of time. Mid summer in New Orleans always seems to drag on, especially in this heat. We'll wrap up for now. I will be going back to the office to check in on any new intel and plan tomorrow's search grid."

"You don't take many breaks, do you?" His older look making sense to her now.

"Not when lives are at stake. Go get your room and some rest, so you're fresh for tomorrow. We're going to be starting about 8am."

"Yes, Sir." Sims nodded and opened her car door. She had lied about the hotel, as she did have a chance to check in right after her flight. Her room hadn't been ready but she was able to leave her luggage there and had let them know it may be late before she got back. No, she fibbed because she only had ten minutes left to go meet Angel at their per-arranged spot and she knew he would be itching to get out to do his own scouting. She was grateful he'd been in town, and that he worked best on the off hours so he didn't have to clash as often with the local authorities. She knew he'd go all night if he had too, and this was what she was counting on. Settling into the hot, sticky leather seat, she turned the ignition and rolled all four windows down while turning the A/C on to full blast and grimaced as the hot air blew out from the vents, before it started to finally switch to cold Freon. Letting the car run for a couple of minutes, she pulled out her phone and clicked on the text icon and entered a short message; 'Be at the coffee shop in five.'

A moment later, she got a reply; 'Already on my way. See you soon.' Tucking the phone back in her pocket, she firmed up her feelings. This would be the first time in over six months she'd sit with Angel, and while it was all business, it didn't mean there wasn't still feelings to keep in check. Putting the car in gear, she slowly pulled out into traffic and made her way to their meeting.

Charlie glided alongside the railroad tracks, her cotton shoes kicking up the rocks strewn about on each side of the rails as she ran from building to building. It was only about three and a half miles to cover, and with her speed she could have covered all of it in under six minutes if not for stopping at each building to investigate. Honing all of her senses, she focused on each structure in turn. So far all she'd picked up, aside from the ones that were actively open, was animal or dirty human smells from vagrants and homeless people sheltered in some of the structures, and her ears heard mostly animal sounds, or if it was human it wasn't anything she found concerning. Due to taking the time she felt each stop needed, it was close to an hour when she reached the last part of the distance she'd told Angel she would cover. Looking at her watch that Angel had gifted her during one of their many shopping trips, she saw it was a little past six o'clock. Angel would be with Sims right now. A tiny pang of jealousy pricked at her and she shut it down, hard. No, she wasn't jealous of Sims and she wasn't going to let that type of emotion rule her, but she missed Angel and wished he was here with her, now, as they'd been on so many previous missions. She knew he trusted her and had been extremely complimentary at how she'd improved in her haunting and tracking over the months spent together, and now she was in the field, on her own on a solo mission and in full control of her choices. It felt good but also lonely. Refocusing her thoughts, Charlie followed the tracks as they made a ninety degree left turn heading away from the river and picked up her speed to reach the next turn that came around to a large warehouse with a sign for Kloeckner Metals, which was in full swing, so she knew that wouldn't be it. As she slowed her pace to catch her breath, she heard the sound of an old engine approaching from up ahead, and saw a black van turning onto a side road just up the way next to a cement company. Remembering a time when Angel commented about the types of vehicles often used in kidnappings, including his own van which he admitted to a bit of irony, Charlie's senses perked up and she broke into a sprint. Reaching the turn, she slipped a little with her sharp turn and caught herself with a curse and raced to catch up to the van. As the van splashed through dirty water puddles and past a few shipping containers abandoned against a boarded up factory, it turned left and out of sight of any prying eyes from the main road. She stopped at the corner of the warehouse, and despite being invisible, chose to keep a bit of distance for the moment. She watched the van stop, and switch to reverse as it backed up towards a set of metal stairs leading to a rusty brown door.

Closing her eyes, Charlie concentrated on listening and almost immediately her eyes snapped open. She heard the sniffles and cries of girls, and her demon eyes glowed and she turned her head realizing those could be seen, if she didn't pull back her power creep. A moment to calm herself and she turned back as the doors to both sides of the van opened and out poured four large men, dressed in dark clothing and carrying semi-automatic guns. She watched in anger as they ripped open the rear doors and cruelly dragged four girls. Charlie guessed between seven and fourteen and she felt her teeth grind. Instinct said to attack now, save them, but she knew there could be more inside and if she didn't follow Angel's request, she could risk all their lives. Instead, she let herself feel a sense of relief. She found them, and that was the first step, now she needed to call Angel. She watched the children being pushed through the brown door and she burned the images of those assholes into her mind. When the time came, she would frighten the shit out of each and every one of them, and didn't care how badly they suffered.

Stepping back from the corner of the structure, and letting her human form return, she quietly walked about fifty yards back and checked her watch again. Six-thirty. If she called now, Sims would hear and she knew she had to stay in the dark. Since Angel had not yet set her up with a phone, her only option was the earpiece. What would Angel want her to do? What did she want to do? She knew the second answer but that was out of the question for the moment. Stress was starting to cause her physical pain. Looking towards where the girls were being held, she had to control herself and decided she would go find Angel so that the moment Sims left she could tell him what she discovered. Before she could move, she heard the van start up and watched it come down the pathway, with only one human in the van, driving. She figured they didn't want it near the building should any copters be used in future searches. Angel had already told her that this operation was something different than anything she'd experienced, and these men were definitely professionals. That thought only heightened her fear for the girls and releasing her full demon form once again, took off at full speed back towards home.

Angel looked up from his drink as Amanda Sims entered the coffee shop. He raised his hand up to catch her attention and she smiled, making her way past the tables to the booth he'd taken up in the corner, taking the seat opposite him, she shakes her head with a single snort.

"I still can't believe you were already in town when I called you."

"Cassie would tease its the magics, but in truth I came to visit her because I needed time to recharge. Did you hear about the murder-suicide of the father and daughter up in ADD IN LATER?"

"Yes." Amanda nodded solemnly, "Was that your last case?"

"I didn't get there in time. It just got to me more than usual and felt a little time to recharge would do me some good." Angel realized that twice now he almost said 'we' and not "I' because of Charlie. Changing subjects so she would do the talking, he asked, "Did you find anything, today?"

"No, but the more we didn't find is the less we have to look for, tomorrow. We're going to be searching grids along the wharf and tracks leading south I think, and a second group will head north and west. What I do know is that a black van was seen leaving a party with a girl and headed this way from Baton Rouge. Which reminds me, I saw yours today when my group canvassed around Cassie's shop. I had to take the lead to run your plate so I could lie about you. So, for the time being don't drive it around, okay? It's off our list but the local police will still pull every black van over while the search is active."

"Good idea. I'll see about borrowing Cassie's car for the time being. Sorry about that. I've chided myself for my choice of transportation, but it serves a good purpose as well."

"I know, but I wanted to let you know. I remember telling you once before it would give you trouble." Amanda smirked as a waitress came over to ask for her order. Amanda asked for a simple black coffee so the waitress would move off quicker. Once they were alone again, Amanda shared the rest that she knew, "Ironically, while we know what to look for, they've been pretty good at avoiding our searches."

"It means they are coming in from a different direction." Angel scratched his chin, "Probably taking back roads and holding up out of sight when traffics busy, or they've switched transportation all together."

"That's what frustrated me with the director and the by-the-book procedures he had us run, today. I had tried to get him to ask you to come on in an official capacity, as well, but the damned pissing contest is in full swing out here."

"You? Complaining about by-the-book? After busting my balls so many times about FBI procedure?" Angel leaned back against the booth and shook his head, a small smile showing he was teasing her.

"You get results, Angel. That is all that has ever mattered to me. I just have to follow those procedures. There's a lot I do for you that you don't know about. That's why I called you. Those kids need you. I need you."

"Then let me do things my way, okay?" Angel leaned forward, "My tricks have been getting results, and they work better when I'm alone."

"Look, Angel. I still don't get how those scare tactics work on these types of people, but so far you've only had to deal with one, maybe two individuals and they've been amateurs and attacks of convenience, usually. This is different. I trust you, and your amazing ability to think out all the options. It's why our team dubbed you the 4-D chess king, but we don't know much about Bible and this isn't some random pervert out to fuck a kid. You need to call me if you find anything. Please?"

Angel knew she was right, but with Charlie the stakes were far too high and he wasn't going to let her be found out, but yet again he had to lie to Amanda, which he always hated, "Okay, I promise whatever I discover, I will call you. If I don't need to act and the FBI can take credit, I am fine with it."

No, he wasn't and she knew it, but she had to trust him for the sake of the kids, "Okay, good."

She stopped as the waitress returned with her coffee. Amanda was short with a 'No' when asked if there was anything else she wanted and thankfully the waitress got the hint and walked off.

"Gonna have to tip extra." Amanda sighed, not intending to let her frustration bleed out like that. Angel took a sip of his own coffee while Amanda fixed hers up with cream and sugar.

"Amanda. Listen. Someday I want to tell you about everything, I really do. I have always trusted you, but for the moment what's going on with me is something I need to resolve on my own, okay?"

"I accept that you're wanting to share, someday. I won't push. As long as you call me, okay? Don't go in on your own. If this is as big as we think it is, Bible has stepped up his game big time. He used to focus on weapons, drugs, merchandise across the seas. Whatever changed to bring him the the States and focus on children, it's serious. And what's worse is how well connected he is, and how he's able to stay completely off the radar. He has power, and while you're capable."

She trailed off, a bit of worry coloring her voice that Angel picked up, "I've not had to deal with anything like this since the service. I know. We dealt with crime bosses during our tours, but it wasn't until….until the incident, that I witnessed anything as cruel as what Tag did. What he tricked me into being a part of."

"Don't." Amanda reached her hand out and gripped his, "Don't think about that. Stay focused in the now."

"Don't worry, I am." Angel squeezed her hand back, grateful that she was still in his life in some way. Yes, he was taking advantage of her position in the FBI and he had an idea about what she said about her connections above. He knew she wasn't above using her womanly wiles to get what she wanted. He appreciated it, and hoped someday he could repay her for standing with him through everything.

Amanda took a long drink of her hot coffee so she could let her mind think and Angel took a sip of his while they both monologued in their minds. Angel broke the silence, "You said the grids would be along the tracks tomorrow?"

"Both north and south of the quarter, yes. We have other units scouring other cities but I'm certain we're in the right area. We're focusing along the river and barges and ships move in and out all the time. If Bible is transporting girls across the sea, this is a good place to gather the girls."

"I will search those areas tonight, then. I will let you know what I clear so you can expedite those in the morning and cover more ground."

"Good idea. I'll take point and clear the buildings quicker that way, knowing you already did and we'll get as much done as possible. We expect that Bible will want to move the girls soon, and we're only going to be able to stall only so many ships without any warrants."

"Understood." Angel checked his watch and saw it was half past six. Time had moved quick with Amanda. It always seemed to. It also meant that Charlie was likely finishing up her grid search and would want to check in, likely avoiding it since she knew he was with Amanda. He needed to get her a phone so she could text him in a subtle matter. With a last swallow of coffee, Angel shuffled out of the booth, and Amanda raised her brow in question, which he answered, "I need to go back to the shop, pull the van into the back and ask Cassie for her car, gather my equipment and start my search. It's less than two hours before sundown, and that's when I will head out on my search."

"Right." Amanda chided herself for losing the moment, her own monologue focused on getting to spend time with Angel, like in the old days. She took a long drink of her hot coffee, wishing she'd asked for it in a to-go cup. Pulling out a twenty, she placed it under the cup and hoped the waitress will see it as an apology for her shortness a few minutes ago., "Let me walk you out, at least."

Together, they exited the shop. The humidity hit them both in the face and they turned to stand under the awning for some shade, away from the entrance. Angel looked around at the crowds, "Your director's by-the-book wasted time, you know?"

"A lot of the shit that we have to follow isn't condusive to saving lives. Too much fucking beauracracy."

"That's what I'm for."

Amanda smiled and leaned over and kissed Angel on the cheek, "Go. Do your thing. Let's take this asshole down!"

Angel took Amanda's hand and gave it a last squeeze, "We will."

He took off in a sprint, leaving Amanda standing there, thinking suspiciously that the 'we' he said didn't mean her and him. Shaking her head, she headed to her car to go back to the hotel. A shower was much needed.

Angel turned a corner away from Amanda and stopped. Slipping out his earpiece he'd pocketed before Amanda showed up, he placed in his ear and clicked the call button, "Angel to Charlie, come in."

To his surprise, her response didn't come from the earpiece, but from his right side in the shadow of an awming to shop that was closed for repairs, "She still loves you, doesn't she?"

Startled, Angel stepped under the awning and felt Charlie's heat against his shoulder as she laid her invisible head on it, and she added, "It's very sweet, really. She believes in you."

"You okay?" Angel sensed her worry and mistook it as seeing Amanda kiss his cheek.

"Yes. I trust you." Charlie's voice turned serious, "Angel. I found the girls."

She felt Angel's body tense, "You sure?" He asked

"Yes, a black van pulled into a warehouse and four men took some girls out from the back. I wanted so badly to save them, but you said there are others who may already be inside, so I came to get you."

"Good job, Charlie! Come on, we need to go get our supplies."

Angel started to move but felt her hand on his arm, "Did you lie to Amanda about calling her?"

"You heard everything, didn't you?"

"Yes. I got here a few minutes ago, and caught the promise you made to her. Angel, I don't know if I'm enough for you on this one. The girls come first. I'm scared for them more than I am of being discovered."

Angel fully appreciated her dedication and choice, and nodded, "Let's go get our stuff. I want you to show me the warehouse on Google Maps so I can see if I can pull up the architech;s plans for it. We have almost two hours before dark and if the girls were just dropped off, I think we have time to organize. I'll call Amanda after, so she has time to rest, "He paused, "And if she sees you, she sees you."

"Thank you, Angel. Since it's too crowded, I'm going to run ahead and let Cassie know so she can help with the research. I'll see you in a few."

He felt her lips brush the same cheek Amanda had just kissed, and the heat of her breath blow into his ear, "I love you."

He felt her presence disappear as she moved off through the oblivious crowd. He stood for a moment, and let his fingers touch his cheek. She may not admit it, but he knew inside she was jealous of Amanda and even though she'd told him that their relationship would have to wait, he worried it would cause her to reveal herself for the wrong reasons. With a sigh, Angel moved out into the crowd towards Cassie's shop, tucking those emotions into a pocket insid his heart. Now, all that mattered was saving the children.