F O R T Y O N E

21 2 0
                                    

3 Weeks Later:

"If they served pizza in hospitals all the time, that would be pretty awesome" Becker exclaims as he sits on my hospital bed with a box of cheese pizza on his lap. I sit there also, enjoying the slice probably a little bit too much.

"Holy shit that's good" I curse as the pizza makes my head spin with happiness. The cheese is hot and melting, the crust is crusty like it should be. Heaven on a slice. This is the first time I've been allowed to eat something that isn't on my list of allowed foods. The nurses and doctors have been strict with what I'm allowed eat, but since today is the three week mark, they allowed me a pizza and I'm not complaining.

"I could cry this is so good" I look at the pizza which loving eyes, my actions make Becker laugh. I smile as I look up to him.

"What?! This is the best thing I've ever eaten" I punch his arm lightly with my still healing joint, thankfully the casts were removed a while ago. Becker's bright blue eyes seem alive as he chops down on a piece also.

"How to please Sophia, give her some pizza and she will love you forever" he laughs out and I won't deny it, he's dead right. As we chuckle amongst themselves, the door to my room opens and Grant and Jackson stroll in. Becker holds up the box towards them and Grant doesn't hesitate in reaching for a slice, Jackson on the other hand doesn't. Probably watching his physique I imagine as I wonder why the pair are here.

"That's pretty good pizza" Grant seems surprised as the sauce and toppings hit his tastebuds. I nudge Becker again as it to say I told you it's good. He simply raises as eyebrow before turning his attention back to the pair as Jackson speaks up.

"We've got some news, Charlie found something on Moore" his words cause us both to listen intently. Finally I imagine, a breakthrough in the Moore side of things. I quickly chew down the rest of the slice before slowly lowering my legs to the side of the bed.

"Becker bring the pizza, we will be needing it" I say aloud as I have my back to them. Yes ma'am he imagines as he hops off the bed. From the three weeks here and my fourth day walking, I need support so Jackson is quick to walk across the room to my side. With one hand on my IV line on wheels, I wrap my other around his arm. With our arms linked, I slowly begin to shuffle along the ground. I can feel the pain in my legs and rib area but the strong painkillers do a good job in minimizing it. I grasp his large muscles as I walk out of the room, his much larger frame keeping me from toppling over. Thankfully, my outfit has changed from the hospital dress to a pair of loose sweatpants and matching grey T-shirt, nothing tight fitting. It's much comfier and less embarrassing to walk around in. The short walk to the larger room opposite takes Grant and Becker seconds, but takes me a minute or two. Jackson doesn't rush me or pull me along, he simply walks at my slow ass pace. It still bugs me to see myself so damaged weeks later but it bugs me even more to hear the doctors say that my legs won't be as strong as they were before. The knife wounds tore muscles and ligaments, i will always be weaker on them now. The rest of my body is healing as expected, the ribs still hurt but they are doing good. The slash wounds are the most painful, particularly when the nurses are cleaning them. There's over twenty of them and each one will leave a large visible scar but that doesn't bother me as much. It's not like I didn't have scars beforehand. The fastest healing injury at the moment is Jackson's bullet wound, I opted to remove the sling after a week as it was driving me crazy much to the disapproval of the staff. As we approach the open door curtesy of Becker I hobble in with Jackson in one hand and the IV drip on wheels in the other.

"Thank you" I say to Becker as we pass him, he is still working on that slice of pizza. Derosa, Charlie and Hartle all say good morning as I walk towards the comfiest, softest and largest chair in the room. The room is chaotic that's for sure. The duo had moved all their equipment into it after the rescue, and have added stuff since. Computers big and small, screens upon screens and piles of documents and paper are strewn everywhere. As I turn my back to lower myself into the chair, I wince at the pain of the ribs and my legs. I grasp onto Jackson's forearm as he places one hand under my upper left arm and the other gently wraps around my waist to make the movement as seamless as possible. I exhale sharply as I land in the chair, Jackson holding me frame still as I hang onto his arm until the pain passes. The gentle giant looks at my face as I contort it with pain.

"You good?" He asks after a moment, I reopen my eyes and nod as the pain dies down.

"Yeah, thanks" I show my gratitude as he removes both his hands.  I lean back into the chair now that his hands are clear and relax.

"Please tell me you have something good on Moore?" I almost beg as I look across the group opposite me, Derosa returns a cheeky smile. That's always a good sign I've gathered.

"That we do, everyone gather around" Hartle runs a hand through his blonde hair as he points at me and acknowledges what I said. Jackson places a seat beside mine, he is never strays too far away I've learned, with Becker to his left. Grant takes a seat to my right and Derosa beside him. The duo of computers experts sit opposite me in the circle.

"We got a ninth four percent facial match on him, we ran it though multiple databases to ensure that it was him and they all confirmed it" Hartle gives us the first bit of news and it brings a smile to my face.

"Where is he?" Grant questions to my right and Charlie speaks up this time.

"Berlin, Germany" he breaks the somewhat surprising news to us.

"Nice city" I exclaim as I recall my time there, a city full of history but yet so modern.

"Now what would that fucking traitorous asshole be doing in Berlin?" Derosa's fury at Moore comes to light as he has nothing but nasty words for his former boss.

"Doing fucking traitorous asshole things I presume" I speak up and receive an approving nod from the potty mouthed member of the team. I smirk at him as I express my anger towards Moore too.

"Well, you're not wrong" Hartle surprises Derosa and myself by confirming our suspicions.

"There happens to be an arms dealing black market conference on in Berlin in two days time, traitorous enough for you?" Charlie finishes Hartle's sentence and it makes all of our blood boil.

"Invitation only event" Hartle adds which just rubs salt in the wound really.

"From CIA Director with a family and a nice paycheck to being invited to an black market event, some transformation" I say aloud as I think about to all the recon and information we had on him,

"Don't forget the stint in prison" Becker adds the cherry on top of the cake, what a shit show.

"We can't touch him at the event, the amount of security will be insane" Grant thinks logically about whether they should move on this or not. He's right that's for sure.

"Yeah it will make ATX Florence look like a play ground" Jackson's adds as he compares the event to one of the most high security prisons in the world.

"So many bad guys in one place, the leaders of the arms dealing industry in the world and we have to let them go about their business" I exhale as I know well no one can touch them when they are all together, too much power and influence.

"Italian mafia are providing security for the night, no one will go anywhere near them and they know it"  Charlie speaks up and makes us all groan in annoyance.

"All we can do is track Moore, see who he meets with maybe we can get a facial ID on Diego Lopez" Grant gives the order as we have yet to find out what my hit mans boss looks like. Another day, another near deadend I imagine as I try and relax. My mind wanders to Mason like it always does.

"Anything on Mason?" I decide to question as I look down to the pair from my reclined position in the chair. As expected, they both shake their heads. He's gone off grid and from what Hartle and Charlie can figure out he has had no contact with Diego Lopez. He's gone into hiding, scared that either Lopez will send someone after him or I will come hunting him down. There's time for that yet I imagine. Becker outstretches his hand with the pizza box in it, and a lovely looking slice of pizza that has my name on it. I smile as Jackson takes it from Becker and hands it to me, gosh I love pizza.

-

The Girl Behind The BulletsWhere stories live. Discover now