Little Do They Know

Chapter 22 - Quarterfinals

Lyon, 2004

Grace and Noah Meyer left their little daughter, Willow, tucked in her bed at their hotel in Lyon. They rushed down from Amsterdam earlier that day, after receiving a call that they were desperately needed in the French city.

"We love you, onze kleine meid," Noah Meyer said to his daughter, as he softly kissed her head and walked out the room with his wife, Grace.

"We'll be home soon," Grace called out. Willow fell asleep in her bed, sleeping peacefully, not knowing what was happening while her eyes were closed.

Grace and Noah walked the streets of Lyon, armed with guns that were hidden under their coats. They looked like any ordinary couple, who were out for a date night, and heading home after finishing their meal. Except, they were anything but ordinary. They were two of the most important people in the world, and yet, no one knew. No one knew the importance of Grace and Noah Meyer, not even their daughter, at the time.

"Have you found them?" Grace whispered to her ear piece, wanting to hear the comfort from home base in her ear.

"They're in the Jardins du Rosaire," the coordinator said into Grace's ear.

"We're nearly there," Noah said, into his own.

"You'll see them when you arrive."

Grace grabbed Noah's hand, looked into his eyes, and nodded her head.

"We do this to protect her," Grace said.

"What if something happens? Will she be okay with Josie?" Noah asked.

"They'll look after her," Grace replied, reassuringly, "But nothing is going to happen, Noah. We will make it home to Willow. We will make it home to our little girl."

When Noah and Grace arrived in the Jardins du Rosaire, they could only hear the french words luminating from the meeting.

"Les gens ne sont que des americains stupides. Ils ne nous trouveront jamais," one of the men said.

"What did they say?" Grace asked Noah, who not only knew Dutch and English, but also a slight bit of French and Spanish.

"He said that we're stupid americans and that we will never find them."

"You ready?" Grace whispered to Noah, holding his hand and looking into his eyes.

"As ready as I'll ever be," he replied. They hugged one last time, before breaking up the meeting in the garden.

After several gunshots, the firing session was over, but so were the lives of Grace and Noah Meyer. Their daughter was parentless, and their lives lived on only in the legacy of their little girl. Of their little Willow. Of, now, Bradie Van Dyk.

Present

I stared at my phone when we arrived back in our hotel rooms later that night. I had my text messages with Jackie opened. I didn't know whether I should message her, to wish her good luck or to just leave it. One of us is going to lose the game, and will be going back to England. Jackie and I were finally in an okay place, and now, this match could reset time and our friendship.

Before I started to type a message, Jackie texted me.

Jackie: good luck for tomorrow

Bradie: yeah, you too. itll be a good game.

Jackie: these are the games we play for i guess.

Bradie: that is true.

Jackie: ill see you tomorrow then <3