Spies

Chapter 21

Alessandro's Point of View

"I guess I'll have to repeat myself," I shouted into the man's face. "Where is Callie?"

He sputtered before answering, losing consciousness from the wound I had given him. "We were... going to... m-muh-move her ...after t-t-the... explosion," he whispered, closing his eyes. "After-"

People were crowding us, agents and civilians alike. My boss even stepped forward to grab me off the guy, but I was not having it.

"WHERE IS SHE," I began shouting at him. "So help me God, I will put another bullet in you if I don't get an answer this second."

"Alessandro!" my boss said firmly.

"A couple miles...north of here... abandoned...cabin..." he muttered before slipping unconscious.

I dropped him into the hands of the surrounding agents, making a beeline for the cabin I am supposed to find. I hurried, as fast as the dirt path with bends, twists, turns and many uneven patches would let me.

After what felt like ages, I finally came across an old cabin that had probably seen better days. I raced in; my only motivation was to find my partner. My feet tripping on torn furniture and debris left from its owners or the culprits, my yes not catching the details of them as I frantically looked for an opening or space that would lead me to my Callie.

My Callie...huh...she would kill me if she knew I called her that.

Not finding anything immediately frustrated me to no end.

A couple minutes into checking the same small spaces over and over again, my ankle got hit a metal plate as I took a step back. I shifted the torn dirty carpeting and then saw a large metal door that may lead to another room.

I lifted it with no hesitation, going down the metal stairs as quickly as I could. There I was met with a long narrow hallway, multiple doors on either side, at least up until the point where the light could not go any further. Seeing the work that was cut out for me, I immediately set out to searching where each door led.

Minutes, countless doors and different unusual rooms all with one thing in common... No Callie. Where are you, Cals? Then, I came upon a heavy steel door. I tried to open it only to find it locked. Searching around for a key or anything that could help me, I found a ring of keys hanging by a hook further down. Getting them, I began testing each key, trying desperately to unlock the door.

Finally opening the door after what felt like hours, I peered into the dark room. No windows and I could not find a light switch or if light was even supposed to enter this part of the house. I reached for a pocket flashlight that I always kept on my person, whether I was on a case or not, and used it to illuminate the room.

Out of the corner of my eye, in one of the furthest corners of the room, I sensed movement. Shining the light in that direction, the figure moved slightly, showing its back to me, perhaps shielding itself from the light or from me.

Stepping closely, I observed the silhouette, vaguely remembering what Callie had on a couple hours ago, and comparing Callie to the person laying bare before me. The individual moved again, exposing more of her back towards me to shield her face and identity-revealing qualities from being shown. I stepped forward, confirming that this was indeed my partner, covered in dirt, grime and other substances that could be found all over the dark room.

"Cals?" I called out softly. "Callie?"

The person perked up at the name but did not respond or turn around. Seeing this, I immediately took off my jacket, ready to cover her.

"Callie, come on. We gotta get out of here," I said getting closer to her in order to cover her.

She shudders and scurries off into the nearest corner of the room on all fours, whimpering. I shine the light on her to see that she had tear streaks on her face and was shivering from her lack of clothes and the cold in the dark room.

I could not bear to see her like this. Vulnerable. Quiet. Afraid. Very unlike the strong, independent, the no-nonsense attitude bearing and captivating woman I have grown accustomed to knowing as my partner.

Wanting to get out of that place as quickly as possible, I started talking to her. "Hey Cals. It's me, Alex, your partner."

She froze for a second, then met my stare.

"Come on. I'll get you out of here," I said. Stretching out my hand for her to take it, I continued, "You just have to trust me. I'll never hurt you."

She hesitated, and for once, I did not blame her. Over the last few hours, I blamed myself for her capture. I was the reason she ended up in this situation in the first place. If I had only... My train of thought was interrupted when she grabbed onto my hand, gently at first and stepped out towards me. I wrapped my coat around her, ensuring that she was covered enough to go outside and to meet the entourage I know was waiting for us.

I picked her up bridal style for a few reasons that seemed logical to me before I did it. One, she had no shoes on. Two, the terrain to get here could cause minor injuries to her feet, and knowing how particular she was, I did not want her to feel overwhelmed because of it. And three, with how she reacted to me earlier, I was sure she was in no condition to walk anywhere.

Picking her up into my arms reminded me of the night I had spent at her place not too long ago. The only difference now was the danger and negativity in the current situation and the change in the state of my partner. What could they have done to her in a couple hours? Why is she like this now?

I carefully climbed up the stairs and made my way out of the cabin. The uneven terrain of the journey out of the forested area proved to be difficult with me carrying my now unconscious partner compared to when I had entered it. Nevertheless, I strived onwards, determined to get Callie somewhere safe and comfortable.

As soon as I entered the parking lot, just as suspected, there were more company vehicles as well as personnel. Seeing me, my boss started, "Diakos, where have you been? Wha-?" He froze, seeing Callie in the state she was in. "What happened?"

I ignored his question, and pushed through the newly formed crowd who wanted to see what was going on. He called after me, but my mind and heart encouraged me to think about my partner's needs first.

I got to my car and placed her in the front passenger seat next to me. Getting into the driver's side, I started the car, lowering my window to see the confused, worried and emotional faces of my colleagues. Those who were aware of my driving record and directly behind the car quickly stepped away, pulling the others who were none the wiser.

Barely glancing at my boss who had followed me to the car and was at my window, I said, "I'll talk to you later, sir."

"You better," I barely got from him as I let my windows back up and drove off.