FBI Special Agent Amanda Sims exited the elevator to the third floor of the Field Office on Leon C. Simon Blvd. in New Orleans, allowing a small yawn to pass her freshly painted lips. Despite years and years of service in the FBI, she would never be a morning person. Taking a drink out of her large Starbucks coffee cup, soothed by the heat of the liquid, she looked for the offices she needed.

"Can I help you?" To her left, coming out of an office, was a young man whom she guessed must have just been assigned to a field office.

"Yes. I'm looking for Special Agent in Charge, Mike Stefon?"

"Agent Sims?" Inquired the young man, and Sims nodded, "Yes, they're expecting you. It's the briefing room two doors down on your left."

"Thank you." Sims gave the young man a smile as he turned down the hallway in the opposite direction, off to his own duties. Sims walked to the suggested door and opened it to a briefing already in progress. Shit! she thought, Am I late? and remembered the time zone was different here than in D.C. A stupid novice mistake.

Her arrival caught the attention of SAC Stefon, a gruff, stout man in his late forties with short, choppy black hair and a well-kept beard who was standing at a podium at the head of the room. A projector displaying case files for missing girls was on a white screen beside him. He gave Sims a stern look, "So glad you could join us this morning." He paused, adding in a question, "Agent Sims?"

"Sorry, and yes, sir." Sims nodded, closing the door behind her, "I forgot the time zone change. Won't happen again."

Stefon nodded, "Have a seat and try to keep up."

Cursing herself, Sims pulled up a chair at the table, wondering if all these missing child cases were starting to break her mind. She never forgot such simple details. Turning her eyes fully on Stefon, she listened as he continued.

"As I was saying," Stefon continued and filled out the details of the events over the past few weeks. Multiple girls had been kidnapped or gone missing in a frighteningly short period of time in a small region of Louisiana. Due to the nature of some of the reported kidnappings, all other missing child cases falling into that time range were added to the investigation. Very few credible eyewitness reports and tips had come in since the beginning, but one lead was very hopeful. Adding another sheet to the projector, Stefon pulled up a photo of a black van that had been seen in the area of a recent abduction of a teen girl named Chloe from a party up in Baton Rouge. Her friends had noticed her gone missing and thought they'd seen her pulled into the van in question. Unfortunately, they could not get the license plate, and by the time they'd tried to follow, it had disappeared onto the expressway.

"One other report on the van suggests it came south towards New Orleans, so this is where we're going to begin our hunt. Any questions?"

"Yes." Sims spoke up, catching Stefon's attention: "Do you think these kidnappings may be linked to the three other recent cases involving The Bible?"

"We don't have enough evidence to link them, no, but some of the M.O. is similar. We have agents on those cases, Agent Sims, and we're sharing all intel just in case."

Good, Thought Sims. There appeared to be no pissing contests going on. She had been involved in enough of those to see cases get messed up due to egos, and took a chance to see how far she could push the teamwork idea, saying, "I do have a suggestion as well."

Stefon held up his hand to stop her, "I know you, Agent Sims, and I know your connections and your fondness for a certain bounty hunter. We don't need any loose cannons on this mission."

So much for team-work, Sims sighed, speaking up, "Angel has been on a hot streak all summer. He's rescued more kids than we have in any given month."

"Because he breaks the rules, Sims, and doesn't follow protocol or call in the real authorities until after, which puts those kids at even more risk! I'm not going to entertain this idea anymore. Are we clear?"

With a defiant nod of forced agreement, Sims sat back in her chair, twisting her coffee cup in her hands and steaming internally. The others in the room chuckled quietly. It seemed her reputation had definitely preceded her. Standing up for Angel, debriefing him but never detaining him, and defending him to her boss at headquarters. A boss she was intimate with, thus why she's been allowed to let Angel go without incident each time. The guilt and shame ate at her, but she told herself each time that it was for the children. Besides, she knew any chance to rekindle anything with Angel had passed, so this was her way of staying close.

Stefon dismissed everyone in the room, but called on Sims to stay behind. That elicited even more mocking grins from the other agents as they left. Sims stood at attention as the Special Agent in Charge came around the podium. He sat at the table in a chair next to her and motioned for her to sit back down.

"Look, Agent Sims, I was not going to be on record with the others present. But, I do admit that—personally—I'm glad those kids are safe. Protocol aside, I know that sometimes the only way to save them is to do things that aren't 'by-the-book'. But this is far, far too serious to have anyone involved that I am not in command of."

Sims spoke up quickly, "Then let's deputize him. Sir, Angel has something—I don't know what it is—but his tactics are working far better than any I've ever seen. He's captured every criminal without violence, without any of the kids being harmed. His skill set from the special forces alone dictates we consider him."

"I read the reports, Sims, and some of those rescues have left those assholes mentally unstable. We had two already transferred to a mental facility, unable to stand trial. If I wanted Angel here, it wouldn't be to help this case but to demand what tactics he's using. Like I said, I'm glad the kids are safe, but he's off the reservation on how he's doing it, and I don't have time to debrief him, and we do not need him."

"Sir—"

Sims wanted to press, but Stefon cut her off, "My word is final, Agent Sims. Now go report to Deputy Tucker in room eight for your work assignments. We'll be out in the field after lunch, looking for leads and conducting interviews. By the book. Understood?"

"Understood, Sir." Standing, Sims nodded, "I'll report to Deputy Tucker after I freshen up."

"Good enough. You're dismissed, Special Agent Sims."

Sims opened the door and stepped out. Closing the door behind her, she turned towards the restrooms she'd seen as she'd gotten out of the elevator, her black dress shoes clicking on the gray vinyl flooring as she hurried. Pushing the door to the woman's bathroom open, she walked in and checked to see that it was empty. Going to the last of three stalls, she pushed the door open, stepped in, and locked it. She didn't need to freshen up. She needed to make a call. Pulling out her iPhone, she unlocked it with her print and clicked contacts. Angel's name was at the top, as it always had been, even though she never called him. She pushed the call button. Professionalism be damned, she cursed. I'm not putting those kid's lives at stake for some man's fucking ego. She only hoped that Angel was not too far away to help.