Special agent Amanda Sims leaned against the door to her rented Chevy Suburban 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. They'd found nothing, not a single lead, in the city or 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 SAC insisted they work in a pattern starting in the center of the city and moving outwards. Part of the canvas was investigating suspicious vehicles and focusing on any black vans they came across. They only found a couple, and one of them she immediately recognized and took the lead to 'investigate' the license plate so as not to let it leak that Angel was in the city. When they'd meet later, she'd suggest he switch up his mode of transportation while in town, so he would 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, 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.
"Since it's about time to call things off, I wanted to go check into my hotel. 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, anyway. Late August in New Orleans always seems to drag on, especially in this heat. We'll wrap up for now. The next shift starts at 7 p.m., continuing south. I will be going back to the office to check in on any new information and plan tomorrow's search grid for our shift."
"You don't take many breaks, do you?" His older look made 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 at about 8 a.m."
"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. 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 back out to do his own scouting. 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, rolled all four windows down, and turned the A/C on to full blast. Amanda grimaced as hot air blew out from the vents before it finally switched to cold Freon. Letting the car run for a couple of minutes, she pulled out her phone, 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 weren'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.
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