Chapter 15
Everyone at headquarters was shocked as they watched a screen that hang from the wall broadcast the news feed from Manhattan, New York. The headlines were concerning a shooting that took place the previous day almost eight hours before the CIA strike team had planned to engage. That only meant one thing.
There was another person out there who was looking forward to getting their hands on the package that Harriet and her team had retrieved. Nobody knew what that package was but they knew that if it fell in the wrong hands, the consequences would be disastrous.
Kate's hands were trembling as she tried to drink her Expresso. She was imagining the worst. Her best friend was probably hauled up somewhere being tortured or worse…she could already be dead.
'God I hope I'm wrong,' she thought as she got back to her desk.
She had already tried Harriet's cell but it kept going to voicemail mail. She looked at her phone and stared intently at the blank screen as if willing the phone to bright up with Harriet's number but all she got was her a reflection of a totally bummed out Kate who had bags under her eyes. She shook her head and placed the phone on her desktop.
Suddenly it rang but with no caller ID. She picked it up and brought it to her ear.
"This is Kate," she said with a tired tone.
"Kate? Kate it's Harriet"
She instantly became alert.
"Are you okay?" Kate asked while looking around to make sure no one was listening in on her call.
"Yeah I'm good"
"I've been trying to teach you girl how come you weren't picking up?" Kate asked sternly.
"It's a long story but I had to ditch it when we were attacked at Jake's house"
Kate nodded in with understanding, "So what are you going to do now?" Kate asked
"The best we can do"
"Be careful okay?" Kate pleaded
"When am I never careful?"
They both laughed and Harriet cut the call.
Kate heaved a sigh of relief as she set her phone down and she couldn't help the smile that made its way on her lips.
'At least she's safe…for now,' Kate thought.
"She good?" Jake asked from behind the telephone receiver as Harriet placed the phone down. Harriet and Jake had worn hoods to disguise themselves they didn't draw that much attention since the teenagers are wearing hoods nowadays.
She then placed another coin in the pay phone and dialed the code she needed to make the call.
She heard the a female voice come from the receiver.
"Clearance code please," the voice said
"0000555500395," she said and the phone patched through.
"So the old man never changed his code huh," Jake said and she shushed him.
"Vince Harold speaking," the CHIEF said. If he was surprised then she couldn't tell. Jake had placed his ear on the back of the phone such that the heads were side by side.
"CHIEF this is Harriet," she said and she shut her eyes preparing for him to yell but she only got silence. The call was still patched through and she could hear CHIEF's breathing so she knew the call wasn't cut.
After a few moments of silence the CHIEF finally spoke.
"Alright we're on a secure line," he said before he went on, "whst the hell took you so long to contact me?"
"We had a run in with Will," she said
"Will?"
"Yes sir Will he was in Cuba for the exchange with Randolph," Harriet explained everything that happened from there to how she ended up hiding at my place before the attack from unknown assailants and when she was finished.
CHIEF asked, "So what do you need?"
"We need to get the case back and to do that we'll need some supplies," Harriet said
"Wait did you say 'get the case back?'" CHIEF clarified.
"Yes sir," Harriet bit her lower lip nervously
"You didn't mention anything about losing the case?" CHIEF said sternly and it seemed Harriet had no response so Jake stepped in.
"Yes sir we lost the case but it's not in the enemy's hands," Jake jumped in.
"Jake is that you?" CHIEF asked
"Yes sir it is," Jake grinned. The CHIEF sighed.
"Alright fine…what do you need?" he asked.
Harriet and Jake stared at each other with gleaming smiles.