A Painful Blow

Elias felt the weight of his responsibility lift slightly, especially after confirming there were no fatalities on their side, then it was replaced by a sense of pride in the men and women who had followed his lead into the heart of danger. But he also knew that the mastermind behind it all—Kee Ting—might still elude them, and the battle against the cartels would continue. Elias checked his watch. It was twelve-fifteen pm. Callie would be taking her lunch break right about now, he thought with a smile. Walking back to his tent, he reached for his phone. *** Callie wiped away her tears and got up from the bench, ready to head back into work. She couldn’t and wouldn’t let Simon get to her. She paused when her phone started buzzing in the pocket of her white lab coat. She fumbled to answer, her voice hoarse from crying. ‘Hello?’ There was a pause on the other end, followed by a deep sigh. Callie sniffed, her heart skipping a beat as she recognised the voice. ‘Elias?’ she whispered, her vo