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I know he’s right. I’ve just got to get over myself. My thumbs furiously peck out another message. Has Aaron contacted you?
I’m managing things on this side of the planet. You handle things over there.
He’s managing things… He’s heard from Aaron, meaning Aaron is getting his messages. I just don’t know how since he’d have his phone off to keep it from being traced.
I turn the phone over in my hand a few times before opening the encrypted messaging app and calling up Aaron’s thread to test my theory. You should be here. We should be working together. My phone clicks with each letter entered, but in the end, I clear out every word. The message I end up sending is a simple one. I miss my friend.
Expecting Maxen to return any minute, I go back inside, securing the balcony door and turning the lights back on. I’m perched on the bed with my knees drawn up when a knock sounds at the door. After confirming it’s Maxen, I unlatch the chain and let him in.
He produces two plates of Persian kebabs and rice that we both scarf down like it’s our last meal. Conversation is nil during dinner, and afterward, Maxen goes to take a shower.
I check my phone one last time in case Aaron replied to my message. My text still shows as sent. Not delivered or read, just sent. Sighing, I set the phone down and burrow under the covers.
I must doze off, as I’m startled awake when Maxen slides into bed. I’m stunned when Maxen slips his arm around my waist and pulls me against his chest.
“You haven’t written me off for making a wrong decision?”
Maxen’s five o’clock shadow scrubs against my shoulder. “Me being pissed about losing our target doesn’t mean that I think you made a wrong decision. As much as I hate to admit it, had we gone after the guy first, his killer might have gotten to his phone. The phone would be an easier nut to crack than a terrorist.”
He leans up to turn off the lamp and presses his lips to the top of my head. “Now, get some sleep.”
During the night, I dream of gunfire, dark caves, and watching Brock die all over again. It’s only Aaron’s voice that pulls me from the nightmare. I’ve got you, Mein Engel.
My eyes fly open to stare at the wall, pulling me from the dream world. Aaron’s words are unfamiliar to me. I don’t recall hearing them in that cave. All I remember is the screaming in my head. Being held tight by someone seems right, as if it might have happened, but I can’t be sure. Not that any of it matters now.
Maxen shifts, rolling over to face away from me. With his arm no longer wrapped around me, I climb out of bed, grab my phone, and sit on the only chair in the room. I still haven’t received a reply from Aaron, not that I expected to get one.
The murmured words from my dream seem more real now that I’m awake, as though they were more of a memory surfacing in my sleep. Aaron had never called me that before. I’m pretty sure it’s German, a language I don’t speak. I could look up the translation, but I’d rather wait and ask Aaron.
With Aaron on my mind, I open the messaging app for another futile attempt at reaching out. Are you safe, at least?
Over the next few minutes, I send him several messages outlining our progress on the Iranian side of the investigation. Even though Aaron isn’t here, imagining him somehow reading this calms the rage in my mind.
After sending one final message, I place my phone face down on my bare leg and lean against the chair to stare out the window at the dying moon. I’m working out our next move when my phone vibrates an alert. Expecting the message to be from Birdie with an update, I open messages to see an incoming text from an unknown number.
The text reads I miss my friend.
My heart swells at hearing from him. We’ve never gone this long without speaking, even when one of us was away visiting family. Being separated is harder than I could have imagined.
Aaron’s message lights a fire under my ass. For the next little while, I surf US news sites, relieved that his manhunt hasn’t gone mainstream yet. I won’t even bother wondering why. Next, I message Birdie for any news on the phone we retrieved.
The phone was a great find. I found a long message thread with one contact. I’ve been translating the texts for hours. The dead guy was in logistics. Our new target installed lights. Most recent messages revolve around scouting for a new location. They need something out of their network because of the raids.
This is the break we needed. I message back. Great work. Keep me posted.
I get up and walk back to the bed, waking Maxen when I climb back in. “Any news?”
“Yeah. Birdie’s got a lead on a new target and their plans. She’ll let us know as soon as she’s got something more concrete.”
“Sadie, I don’t know what finding these guys will accomplish. It’s not like we have the manpower to invade and capture them. Even if we managed to get our hands on this new target, we probably wouldn’t get anything out of him. You said that yourself.”
“I owe it to Aaron to try. No one else is going to. Besides, I’m not above asking the Army for help. I’d gladly turn over our intel and our target if it means someone will collar these assholes. At least then, we could use it as leverage to get the feds to look for evidence to clear Aaron.”
“All right. Let’s get a few more hours of sleep, and hopefully, Birdie will have more information by the time we get up.”
Maxen’s hand goes to my hip, and I let him pull me against him as he did earlier. Sleep doesn’t come as easily this time, but Aaron’s whispered words eventually pull me back under.
I’ve got you, Mein Engel.
