| Subject: Priority Mail 175 |
Author:
Nikita507
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Date Posted: Sunday, February 20, 01:09:09pm
In reply to:
Nikita507
's message, "Priority Mail 173+" on Saturday, February 19, 04:56:05pm
They were watching television together, just about to go to bed when the doorbell rang. Both former operatives were up and moving until Michael could identify that it was Lieutenant Nat McCarty outside. Michael opened the door as Nikita lingered behind. “What is it, Nat?”
“I’m sorry to be here so late…” Nat replied as he stood there, stress on his face. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I need a favor.”
“I don’t do business out of the house,” Michael stated and Nat nodded his head. “I just really need the help.”
Nikita stepped forward and Nat looked right at her. “I need help.”
“Again, the lab isn’t even here any longer, Lieutenant,” Michael firmly stated. He felt Nikita’s hand touch his shoulder. “He wants my help.”
“That’s correct,” Nat nodded his head up and down. Michael felt Nikita’s hand slip off of his shoulder and he could sense her backing away. “I don’t do that stuff any longer.”
“I need it for this one occasion.”
“You wanted me to stop… and I have stopped,” Nikita declared as she walked back into the living room, leaving Michael with Nat. Michael stepped to the side to let Nat in because he could sense that it was really bad for Nat to be reaching out like this.
“You haven’t completely stopped being the angel… the angel helped out Rhoda’s clinic…” Nat pointed out as he walked into the living room. “And right now… before the holidays are here… I need your help, Nikita.”
“No,” Nikita shook her head from side to side. “I’m done with that.”
“You heard her, Nat,” Michael spoke as he stood at the doorway, taking Nikita’s side. He wasn’t going to have Nat force Nikita to do something that she didn’t want to do.
Nat stepped towards Nikita as he pulled out a picture from his pocket. “This is my goddaughter… her name is Veronica… her father… was my partner…”
Nikita looked at the picture and turned her head from the little girl with deep black hair. She was smiling and dressed in a red dress that was for Christmas. “Nat…”
“He was killed while he was under cover… and today his wife was carjacked and someone took Veronica…” Nat replied as he rubbed at the pain that was creeping up his neck. “I need to get Veronica back.”
Nikita looked at Michael as she handed back to the picture. “You know the statistics on this, Nat.”
“This isn’t like a regular kidnapping…. They need Lisa to say that Manny was dirty on the stand… and they are going to keep Veronica alive to make her do that,” Nat declared as he pushed the photo back into Nikita’s hand. “She wants a Barbie for Christmas… and that is the picture for this year’s Christmas cards that just went out… Veronica doesn’t deserve this. Lisa doesn’t. Ben doesn’t.”
Nikita looked at Nat’s face and saw the tears. She held onto the picture and looked down at the picture, knowing that the picture is current. “Veronica is about five?”
“Four and a couple months,” Nat spoke as Michael turned and closed the door. Nikita held onto the photo and walked down to the kitchen. She looked out the window and exhaled. “I don’t know any of the players, Nat.”
“I have emailed the files over. The ones that I can easily get to without tipping my hand. They will hurt Veronica if the police are brought it,” Nat answered as he stood there in the kitchen. Michael walked over and pulled out a flip board from the cupboard. “You want this, Kita?”
“Get the files to Jason,” Nikita answered without turning around.
“Ok,” Michael answered as he put the board up and paused. “I’ll go upstairs—“
“No,” Nikita turned and looked at Michael. “This is a baby girl… I need you to be here.”
Michael looked at Nikita as she stood there, her hand shaking as she held onto the picture. “I’ve stayed away from individual children, Michael. It hurts… a lot.”
Michael could hear it in Nikita’s voice. If it wasn’t Nat and if it wasn’t a mother, Nikita would not have touched this. If the girl was another year or two older, Nikita wouldn’t even been thinking about this. Her mind wouldn’t allow her and she was admitting that right now. She placed the picture on the table and went back to lean against the sink as Michael stood still, letting her compose herself. Nikita lifted her chin. “Nat, I gave up the angel… and I know that you want her back… but I’m not that woman any longer.”
“Don’t do it as the angel,” Nat declared as he stood there. “Do it as the woman that you once had to be… use that training that you have to make this Christmas better for Lisa and Ben. Don’t make it a tragic holiday for them.”
“You are in here… so obviously I’m going to do my best,” Nikita spoke as she exhaled afterwards. “Where is Lisa now?”
“At her house with Rhoda…” Nat answered as he moved and sat down in a chair, but he still didn’t look comfortable. “Rhoda suggested contacting you… she yelled at me… because in the end, I can’t trust the police at all.”
“Why is that?” Michael asked as he pulled out the laptop and pulled up into email. He instant messaged Jason that he had something of a priority for him to work on.
“I can’t be sure that there isn’t someone on the police force involved. For a long time it was thought that Manny was dirty. It was hard enough to clear his name,” Nat shook his head. “I should have taken the assignment. I had no children.”
“We need to sweep their house,” Nikita looked at Michael and he nodded his head. “Want me to call Davenport?”
“Walter,” Nikita tensely replied as she turned and got a glass of water. Her hand continued to shake as she couldn’t stop her mind from wondering how she would feel if she found out that her daughter had been taken. She wouldn’t be able to function. But Nikita knew that this wasn’t her daughter and that she was trying to help out someone else. “When is the trial?”
“It is to start on January 7th,” Nat answered as he leaned forward and shook his head. “We have to get Veronica back before then.”
Nikita looked over at Michael and found it hard to swallow the water that she was trying to use to calm herself down. She settled the glass down on the counter before she dropped it and rolled her shoulders forward. “If we get her back right away… that whole family will be in danger still.”
Nat turned his head away and Nikita knew that he realized that. “So you aren’t just asking us to get Veronica back.”
“The angel always tied things up,” Nat rasped as he looked back at Nikita. “I’m a police officer, Nikita. I can’t just ask… for…”
“I haven’t killed,” Nikita hissed firmly back as she walked towards the computer and against Michael. Michael could feel her body trembling although she didn’t appear to be trembling as badly as it felt. Michael knew better than to mention it and he pulled up the phone. “Do you want me to call Walter or do you?”
“I will,” Nikita took the phone and walked out of the room. Michael watched Nikita move as he started to get questions back from Jason. Michael sat down at the computer and started to answer. Nat cleared his throat. “I’m sorry< Michael… I didn’t want to come here.”
“She would have been more upset if you hadn’t,” Michael answered as he didn’t look at Nat. He wasn’t sure if he was speaking the truth and there was no reason to let Nat know that. This wasn’t the kind of turmoil that they needed right now, but it was here now.
“Walter will be down shortly. He said that he has a jammer to try out that can tag the signals that it jams,” Nikita spoke as she walked back into the room, looking much more like she was in mission mode. She walked to the coffee pot and started some heavy coffee. Nikita turned and looked at Nat. “We won’t be getting her back tonight, Nat.”
Nat nodded his head up and down. “Should I go back…”
“Not until we know that it is safe and secure,” Nikita replied as she went back to the closet and pulled out another laptop. She placed it next to Michael and sat down. “Where is Jason?”
“Almost has all of the police and court records,” Michael replied and Nikita nodded her head. “It’s good that everything in this area is electronic.”
“Yeah,” Michael nodded his head. He knew of too many missions that their only task had been to get into physical records because things weren’t electronic. These days it was a bit easier to them and less likely someone would catch onto them. “Should we tell Tom?”
“Why?” Nikita looked at Michael. “I just think… the angel is at work, Michael.”
“Just checking,” Michael replied as he nodded his head. He looked over at Nat and looked at the coffee. “Get yourself a cup. It’s going to be a long night.”
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