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Ryan had Radford’s body brought to DC. They put it in a wrecked vehicle and set it on fire, to make his death look like an accident. This way, his wife could receive his pension. The arms deal would take place in ten days. The team would need to regroup at the compound to go over the next phase of the mission. Ryan would meet them back at the compound in two days. He had another meeting with the Vice President. He had worked alongside the Vice President for a long time, but this was the first time he was given Black Ops authority and the free reign to use it. Vice President Woods believed that what they were accomplishing here was perhaps the most instrumental strike there would ever be on terrorism.
Ryan sat down in his empty DC apartment and found himself missing the bustle of the compound, the activity of the team, and the chaos of the command center. The way they all took care of each other showed just how much of a family they had become. Suddenly, a knock at the door interrupted his thoughts. He put a hand to his gun as we approached the door, not expecting any guests.
“What the...” he said under his breath as he checked the peep hole. He opened the door and came face to face with Carly Hatch. She was an old flame of his, but also a CIA agent.
“You look surprised to see me. Can’t an old friend stop by to say hi?”
“Of course, but...how did you know that I was in town?”
“You must not have heard about my promotion.”
“No.”
“I’m the new assistant director of in-country relations. So, that means I’ll be in town a lot. I’m not sure what good that will do me though, because it seems like you are out of town even more. Anything I should know about?”
“Why does my travel itinerary mean anything to you?”
“Oh, you know how rumors fly in this town. I know that Carl Radford was hounding you about a missing agent.”
“Carly, you know better than to go around asking questions like that.”
“Are you going to invite me in? I could sure use a drink.”
“Alright, but just one. I have an early meeting at the White House.”
“Looks like we’re both moving up in the world.”
Carly left three hours later. He knew it was a bad idea, but if he had refused, she would have started digging around where she shouldn’t, and that could end both of their careers. Ryan was ready to get back to the compound. Home, he thought, not knowing exactly where the thought came from. Ryan looked at his watch. At least he could get a few hours of sleep.
Carly was determined to find out what Ryan was hiding. He wasn’t usually so evasive, especially in bed.
Back at the compound, Jake and the team had just landed on the helo pad. Shawn picked them up and told them that Ryan was due back in a couple of hours. Sarah said that she was headed to her room for a while. It was good to be back home where she didn’t feel like she was constantly being watched. Janie went up with her. Reese and the others went to command to check in with Jako. They gave him a brief on what happened while they were in New Orleans. Jako told them to get settled and that Ryan would call them all together when he got back.
Before heading up to shower, Jake went down to visit Kat. He turned the corner and was shocked to see her up walking around the hallway. He felt a surge of pride as he watched her. Her eyes met his and it was as if they were the only two in the room. Her therapist cleared his throat and asked Kat if she was ready to call it a day. She nodded, her eyes not leaving Jake’s. Jake followed them back to her room
“How did the mission go? From what I heard, things went well,” Kat said once the therapist was gone.
“It went well. From the looks of things, it won’t be long before you are out there with us.” They sat and talked for the longest time; Jake filling her in on all the details she had missed. Sarah came down and told them that Ryan was back and wanted everyone in the dining room in five minutes. Sarah told Kat that she looked great.
“Yeah and you should have seen her cruising up and down the hall a little while ago,” Jake announced proudly.
“Wow! Good for you!”
They made their way upstairs. Ryan stood quietly as his team assembled before him. It felt so good to be back. He filled them in on everything that had happened in DC—minus his meeting with Carly.
“I want you all to rest up the next few days. We will have to be on our A game if we are going to finish out this mission strong. Sarah, Janie, and Jake will be leaving for Paris, and Reese, Thomas, and BJ will return to New York. I need the rest of you hear to monitor and translate new intel. The shipment is ready to go. It was a little tricky getting all of those guns, especially knowing where they were going, but we knew it was necessary for this to work. We have plans to track them and get them back before they fall into the wrong hands.”