Alanna was left in an utter daze after she hung up with Rogers that afternoon. She didn’t know how she would get past Darren, but she knew she needed help from Destiny. After all, Destiny was one of the few people who knew more about this case than she did. Maybe a little extra help from a veteran like her could solve the problem. She immediately picked up the phone again and dialed the number to the hotel that was written down on the coffee table.
“Destiny Harris, please,” she politely asked the receptionist. Alanna waited a few minutes as her call was connected to her friend’s room.
“Hello?” Destiny questioned when she picked up.
“I need your help,” Alanna said in a whisper.
“What? Why?” Destiny replied.
“Rogers just put a up a rescue team so we can try and get my brother. I need your help in giving me some direction. You know so much more than I do about this case. I wouldn’t be asking you otherwise, would I?” Alanna pleaded.
Destiny sat tensely on the bed in her suit as she contemplated whether or not she should do this. It had been nearly a year since she left, and it appeared that not much had changed in that timeframe. “Fine,” she finally replied.
“Thank you!” Alanna gleefully replied. “Um… One more thing. I don’t want you know who to get suspicious, so could you come and pick me up. I’ll tell him we’re going out to do some shopping and girl talk. Is that okay with you?”
“Alright, but you owe me big time,” Destiny answered. “Jeez, I wonder what Rogers is gonna say when he sees me for the first time in ages.”
“Don’t worry about Rogers now. That’s not important. I’ll see you in a little while. Be here in an hour. That’ll give me ample time to sweeten Darren up and get him to leave me alone. Alright? Bye.”
“Later,” Destiny said as she hung up.
“Alanna, who was on the phone?” Darren asked from the kitchen when she came into range.
“I just called Destiny. She wants us to hook up tonight so we can catch up and do some shopping. I just can’t go around in this anymore, can I?” she replied, pointing to the outfit she had been wearing since the day before.
“Alright, but what are you gonna do about money?” he said.
“Destiny’s got that covered. Don’t worry,” Alanna answered as she sat down on her stool and waited for her food.
* * *
“Alanna, I really hate you for dragging me into this,” Destiny said as she and her friend walked down the hall of the CIA building. Alanna had used her name for Destiny’s clearance, and the two were now heading towards Rogers’ spacious fifth floor office.
Alanna knocked on the thick wooden door and said, “Your top agent is here along with a surprise.”
“Come in,” Rogers yelled from inside. He sat at his desk facing the window and instantly turned around when he heard the door creak open. Behind Alanna he saw the last person he expected to see. “Destiny Harris,” he grumbled.
“Jim Rogers,” Destiny’s eyes narrowed as she stared at him.
“Okay, you two, not bickering,” Alanna mediated. “This is strictly business. I brought Destiny along because she knows a lot more about the case and she can help us. I don’t want you two fighting while I’m out in the field or I’m gonna lose this mission like I lost the last one.”
“Fine,” the two agreed.
“So, what’s the plan?” Alanna asked. “The usual, get a bunch of us together, storm into a building, shoot a few people, find my brother, then leave?”
“Basically,” Rogers answered. “There will be two teams, Alpha and Beta. You will be heading Alpha along with six other agents. Will Anderson will be heading up Beta. And since Destiny is here, she’ll take control of communications. I want you to report to her every half hour no matter what’s going on. And I want you to report when you find Dmitri and/or Vladimir. Then we’ll call in Beta to do the rest of the work while you get your brother out of that. Understood?”
“Yes sir,” Alanna sharply answered. She walked out of the room and headed for the lockers downstairs.
“So, where have you been this last year?” Rogers asked Destiny as she sat down in a chair beside his desk.
“In Australia,” she replied nonchalantly.
“There’s a ring on your finger,” he observed as he took her hand and looked at it. “Pretty big diamond. Is he rich?”
“Very,” Destiny simply answered.
“Is that why you left?”
“Nope. I didn’t meet him until about a month later.”
“Then why did you leave?”
“God, Jim! Is it really that hard to figure out? I didn’t wanna be anywhere near you! I was sick of your snide comments and sick humor. You could never shut up when I asked you to, and I got fed up with it. That’s why I left,” Destiny angrily yelled as she stood up to leave.
“Destiny, I’m sorry,” he yelled after her.
“Shut up, Jim. I should have filed for sexual harassment against you when I had the chance,” she retorted, walking out of the room and heading for the com counsel on the third floor.
Alanna, on the other hand, was already changed into a black military uniform with a bulletproof vest beneath her shirt. She was just walking out of the locker room when she ran into a very angry Destiny.
“Hey, honey, what’s wrong?” she asked, sympathetically putting her arm around her shoulders.
“Jim is an ass hole,” Destiny answered.
“Is he bugging you again?” Alanna replied, clenching her fists.
“No. Just his presence bugs me.”
“Is he bothering you about your engagement?”
“He started to, but then we switched the subject. He wanted to know why I left, and I gave him a piece of my mind.”
“Good for you. Are you still gonna stick around until we finish the mission?”
“Of course! I’m not gonna leave until you’re back safely,” Destiny said. “Besides, if I remember correctly, Will is a dumb ass, so if he screws up, I’m gonna need to be around to diffuse the situation.”
“Thank God we’re friends again, otherwise, I’d probably die by the end of this mission. I know that Vladimir really hates me for spoiling his plans and all he wants is revenge. Thanks for coming with me. I feel so much safer with you around,” Alanna replied.
“You’re welcome, hon. Just come back safe, okay?” Destiny asked as she and Alanna stopped at the com counsel.
“Okay,” Alanna answered as she started in the opposite direction towards the stairs to the garage. ‘This is going to be a long night,’ she thought as she began to descend them.