Argylle - The last chance

Chapter XV

"Okay, are you ready?" Rachel asked Tam.
They were sitting in a white van in the West Loop near Union Park. It was around ten in the morning, and they had just been going over the plan once again.
"I don't really have an alternative, have I?"
"No, not at all," Aidan answered with a slight smile on his face, to prevent the girls from seeing how uncomfortable he was with the situation.
Aidan didn't like the plan.
He didn't like it one bit and he knew that neither Tam nor Rach liked it either. But as he himself had pointed out two days ago; it was the only possible thing to do.
Since they had worked out the plan some time had passed. While Aidan had organized a van with enough space to kidnap an adult, Alfie had shared the information that Tam was in Chicago in the most irresponsible way, so that even someone who was not actively looking for her could find her. That was the reason why Tam hadn't been allowed to leave the house for the last two days, because it was too risky that someone would kidnap her before the trap was set. 
But today was the day. Today, the trap was set and the three of them knew their part. They knew each of them was important and each of their talents was of use.
"Then I'll better get going," she said, opened the van door and left for no particular destination. After a couple of minutes, Rachel left the van, too, and followed her in some distance.
The plan was simple. Tam would walk the streets of Chicago, as if she knew of nothing. Of course, the agents would be connected via ear buds and Rachel and Aidan would both be close enough to interfere if something went wrong. He was in the van, and she would be in the streets with Tamara. The only reason for this was that Alfie had been afraid that Aidan would get jumpy as soon as there was the slightest sign of danger for Tam. So, Rachel would be closer, and he had to stay in the van, controlling video cameras in the streets.
And basically, that was the whole plan. Tam would walk around as long as it would take for the bad guys to find her. The only thing that had to be planned out better was the trap. But there were a few things no one could calculate, and so the risk was indeed high.
Aidan hated that it had to be his sister who had to walk around. If at least he could do it, then the risk would be lower. Not because he was better than her but only because he had done missions like that before. He knew what to expect. And he was an adult male. The risk for him was per se lower.
Not often before he had thought about it, but now he started to hate mankind for the fact that a woman had to fear going outside just because she was a woman. He knew he couldn't change the world but now, sitting in a car and watching his sister walking into the arms of their enemies, he wished nothing more than being able to do so.
"I feel like a damn fish bait," Tam grumbled. She had been out of sight for a long time, but he could still follow her every move via the surveillance system, which at least took away some of his worries.
"Well, you are some kind of a fish bait..." Rachel said, and Aidan switched the camera to have look at his girlfriend.
Of course, he was worried for her too. Rachel Kylle was one of the best spies he had ever worked with but for the last five years she had been Elly Conway. And seeing both of his girls (he didn't really care that Tam would probably never identify as one of his girls – for him she would always be his little sister of whom he had to take care of) out on the streets, in potentially great danger, made him feel more than just a bit uncomfortable.
"Let's hope I'm worth more than a worm," Tam mumbled. For her the whole thing was stressful as well. She had participated in the planning of the mission and only then had she realized how risky it actually was. Rachel and Aidan only had to be a few seconds too late, and her life could be set to an end.
"Hey, girls," she suddenly heard Aidan's voice inside her ear, "You might want to look out for the three men in front of you."
"Here are no men," she snapped. It was not even Aidan himself who made her act out in this moment it was more of the fact that he pointed out danger where there was no danger.
"No, they are around the next corner."
"Oh, holy fourth of July weenie roast," she sighed.
He chuckled, "What?"
"Navy CIS reference, you wouldn't get it..."
"I love NCIS but Tam, concentrate," Rachel ordered her, "Aidan how far away are the men and are they armed?"
"Fifty feet, and I can't see it, but I guess they are armed."
Tam could hear her heartbeat inside her head and her palms were getting sweaty as she moved towards the enemy. The streets were empty so no one would see if Rachel and Aidan - because Tam, again, had no weapon - killed someone. But that also worked the other way around. No one would see if 'the Division' guys killed her.
"So, they might just be normal civilians?" she asked and couldn't keep the panic out of her voice.
"Very unlikely, but yes. They could be civilians," Rachel answered. In this very moment, Tam wished for nothing more than for these men to be civilians. She knew sooner or later she would be confronted with the 'the Division' men, but she didn't feel ready right now.
"Twenty feet, they should walk around the corner right... now."
Just when Aidan said it Tam laid eye on three dark clothed men that walked around the corner at the end of the street. Just like her brother she couldn't see if they were armed either, but judging from the way they were moving towards her they didn't seem to have the best intentions.
"Tam, next to you there should be a small alley. No cameras. Can you get in there?" Aidan asked.
They all knew it was very risky again but if the men would follow her into the alley, they would most likely be the 'the Division' guys.
"I'm at the other end of the block, Tam, it won't take me long to follow you," Rachel said, and Tam nodded a bit, knowing neither Aidan nor Rachel could see it.
"She's in," he reported and only a few seconds after, "The men follow her."