Chapter 26 The Face Behind The Hat

• Night arrived sooner than Rania had hoped. She stood at her bedroom window, watching several inconspicuous vehicles leave the compound's back gate, carrying Aleksander and his team toward the apartment building downtown. She gripped her phone tightly, waiting for whatever news might come. Isabel sat beside her without being asked, waiting in silence too, both giving each other strength through their presence even though not many words needed to be said.
• The wall clock in the room ticked so slowly, and occasionally Rania found herself staring at her phone screen just to make sure the signal was still connected properly. She set the phone down in her lap, then picked it up again a few seconds later, a cycle of restlessness that never stopped.
• "Do you think they'll find something tonight?" Isabel asked quietly, breaking the silence hanging between them.