Angel turned a corner away from Amanda and stopped. Tapping his earpiece, he quietly spoke, "Angel to Charlie, come in."

To his surprise, her response didn't come from the earpiece. "She still loves you, doesn't she?" Her voice carried from the shadows cast by an old awning over a shop closed for renovations. 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 for seeing Amanda kiss his cheek.

"Yes. I trust you." Charlie's voice was soft and lacked any sense of jealousy. But it then turned serious, "Angel. I found the girls."

Angel's body tensed, "Are you sure?" he asked.

"Yes, a black van pulled into a warehouse near the Florida Avenue bridge, 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." There was a pause, and Charlie's next words sounded worried, "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 bravery. He 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 architect'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 blew 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 have admitted it, nor perhaps felt it consciously, but he knew she was jealous of Amanda. Her sudden confession of 'I love you' both startled and warmed him at the same time. He also knew it held an air of possessiveness, which caused Angel to worry that if the moment came, she would reveal herself to Amanda for all the wrong reasons. With a sigh, Angel moved out into the crowd towards Cassie's shop, tucking those emotions into a pocket inside his heart. Now, all that mattered was saving the children.

—

Reaching the apartment, Angel walked in to find Charlie already organizing their equipment. Cassie was pulling up information on the web, looking for floor plans for the warehouse, and gave Angel a nod when he entered, who returned it in kind. He excused himself and went to the bathroom to take care of business and freshen up. Once he was done, he joined the ladies in the living room.

"Cassie? Are you okay with us using your car tonight?"

"It's yours as long as you need it. Charlie filled me in on everything. I'm gathering the floor plans as we speak."

"Didn't leave me with anything to do, did you, Charlie?" Angel went and sat in the chair next to the couch, which was covered in their usual supplies.

"Cassie gathers intel; I arrange supplies; you make the plan." Charlie sat down in another chair, close to Angel, looking refreshed in the cool A/C of the apartment, "And two out of three are just about done."

"Just about." Angel gave her a mysterious smirk, and she raised her eyebrows in return, watching him reach under the chair he was in and pull out a duffel bag she had not seen before. Her interest was piqued. She continued to watch as he unzipped the bag and reached inside. "I figured it was time you had your own means of taking out the bad guys." Angel announced.

When Charlie saw what Angel presented to her, her eyes sparkled, and new ideas started to pour into her imagination on how to use it. Angel smiled at her reaction and showed her how it worked before Cassie called them over to the computer. She showed them the plans, Angel pointed out the best options, and Charlie absorbed it all. As the hour ended and the new one began, the sun had tucked in behind the clouds, and dusk took hold.

Angel checked his watch, and with everything as set as could be, he looked at Charlie, "Are you ready?"

"Fuck, yes!" Charlie nodded firmly, her eyes pulsing with a crimson shine. Her power vibrated through the apartment, announcing to the siblings that those assholes stood no chance in hell. Time to go to work.