CHAPTER 58: HOPE
I felt relief, but I was disoriented for a brief moment and then the feeling was gone. We still had no assurance that this would be enough to rescue Agent Harris and Alessandro. Soon Chase, who was typing away on his laptop, told me that he had sent our findings to Detective Reeves. I looked at the screen of my phone for the nth time: the message was threatening. The deadline was fast approaching as this novel kind of thinking was slowly becoming a part of their way of working. Within the next few minutes, The Raven would be expecting our decision a decision we were not ready to make. Sufficiency was it going to be enough what we were doing? Or had we just convicted one or both of the defendants to death penalty? It was agonizing to learn how the organization was managed in the next hour. We lie low in the front seat of Chase’s car, tensed as a piano wire and expecting another message from The Raven next. We searched for police channels in the hope of any information about an arrest or a sting operation. When the appointed time arrived, there was no sound at all. We get no word from The Raven, we hear nothing from Detective Reeves. It was one of those cases when the uncertainty is worse than knowing the truth, which, by the way, also looked rather terrible.Content protected by Nôv/el(D)rama.Org.
The only thing Chase did was wait for his phone to ring and that did not happen for almost two hours. That time it was Detective Reeves again and, although his voice was rough, there was something akin to respect in his tone. The children nodded as he told them: “Your intel was good, kids. ” “They needed to attack at three places at once and most of The Raven’s men were caught unaware. We are still trying to piece things together and, while it is still not very clear, apparently, much damage has been done to The Raven’s operations. ” I leaned closer to her and my heart raced like crazy. “And what about Agent Harris?” I uttered barely audibly. Then came silence as if someone snapped his fingers and said, ‘time out’. It took a few moments; Detective Reeves said finally, “We found him. ” “He is alive, but has been beaten to a pulp I would say.
There are some paramedics attending to him. He claims to be a journalist”. The relief that now rushed through my body was something that was almost like a pain. Agent Harris was alive. We had not killed him with our stupidity and, despite this, he was killed. However, there was one more thing, which was a question to address. “What about Alessandro?” I questioned, as my voice became as soft as a whisper. Then there was another pause which lasted even longer than the previous one. “Well, at this point what I can tell you is that we’re still trying to build the puzzle,” Detective Reeves said apprehensively. “But it turns out that The Raven was faking it, and he is still in the hospital from what I can see. ” I leaned against Chase dramatically, tears filling my eyes. We did it. Ignoring The Raven’s challenges, we were able to rescue both Agent Harris and Alessandro from the terrible situation. However, when the high feeling that comes with the rush of the moment began to wane, the enormity of what we had been through began to set in. Once again, we realized how a step has been taken to achieve what has been dreamed of for a long time but such a great danger has been approached which threatened to take everything away. This has brought us to the realization that even though our actions were aimed at benefiting people; they end up causing danger to their lives. “Now what?” That’s the first thought I had, that’s how it felt; I felt a door slam shut behind me, and I was very tired. Detective Reeves’ tone dropped a little to become a bit more gentle. “Well, you two just stay away from it for real now. ” They nodded, and I scowled at them before continuing, “And I don’t mean anywhere near it. Got it? You’re both done. ” Both of us nodded in silence and did not have the energy to fight. Fifty seconds, once Chase hung up the call, we two were in complete silence, for we could not believe what had just happened.
We got lucky,” Chase said finally, his voice raw with emotion and I thought he’d cry. “We can’t … we can’t do this again, Bri. We’re in too deep. We don’t know what to do anymore. ” I just nodded my head with the tears beginning to well up in the corners of my eyes. “I know. I just… I had the dream of changing the world, of eradicating The Raven. ” At that, Chase grabbed me by my waist and hugged me tightly. “We did make a difference,” he whispered. “But now it is time to let the professionals end this one-off. We have done our part. ” Driving back home in the early morning, I was filled with different emotions running through me relief, tiredness, fear that was still present within me, as well as the appreciation of the fact that the world is much more complicated than I initially thought. We had come out of this test, but there are wounds that would not heal instantly. The Raven was lurking out there and showed us that although he was badly injured, he was not finished. But for now, at least we can sit on the knowledge that we have done our little bit to at least take him one step closer to what he deserves. The rest, while not being easy to swallow, would have to be left in the hands of those who could deal with such things better. That morning I fell asleep more determined than ever to help and fulfill the promise I, and the innocent people we placed in danger, made to myself. No more playing detective. No more reckless risks. This is when the true heroes came out in the open, and it was my turn to support them. And that perhaps, we may be able to come up with a way of being heroes, but this without having to risk our lives in the process. That morning I went to bed vowing to myself and to the people we had placed in harm’s way. No more playing detective. No more reckless risks. Now it was the time to go back and let the real fighters fight the battle. But before I could get to that state, my phone beeped signaling that I had a new message. Blurring, I sat up for it, probably a message from Chase, or new information from Detective Reeves. But this time my blood froze, and I started breathing heavily as I saw the now familiar unknown number. With trembling fingers, I opened the message: With trembling fingers, I opened the message: “Well done kids. You really think this is it but, in chess, the pawns always move first, the game has just started. ” In the message, a photograph was also included and seeing that photo I almost had a heart attack. It exposed Chase’s house, which had been filmed apparently from the street where their neighbor was living. But standing out in the foreground, barely legible, there was a hand with a black glove holding a playing card; it was the Raven. As sleep fled from my eyes, replaced by a fresh wave of terror, I realized with sickening clarity: Our suffering, however, was still to come. It is worth stressing that The Raven wasn’t only an injured feather but a vengeful bird.