Chapter 27 Gerald's Face

• The phone in Rania's hand rang right as she'd just set it back down in her lap for the umpteenth time. She snatched the screen up in a flash, her heart pounding seeing Aleksander's name displayed clearly there.
• "Hello. Aleksander, are you okay?" her voice came out with a worry she couldn't hide, too quick, too high, as though every second of delayed answer could mean bad news.
• "Yes, Rania. We're fine," Aleksander answered, his voice trying to stay calm though Rania could hear something different beneath it—an unusual tension, something far deeper than mere fatigue from the night's operation.