After eating, Jane Sampson left Black Residence, hailed a cab, and went home. The housekeeper had cleaned the house during the day, so it was very tidy.
Having taken a shower and tidied up her stuff, Jane didnāt call James Black until she was back in bed.
The phone went through, but after several rings, James didnāt pick up.
Just as Jane was about to place her mobile phone back at the head of the bed and go to sleep, Jamesās phone call came back.
As soon as she answered, his deep voice came through the phone with a brief question, "Jane?"
"Yeah, did you return to the guard team?" Jane asked, "Iām heading to Springtown early tomorrow!"
"On my way back to the guard team," James replied, but āon my wayā meant he was on a train back to Capital Province.
After answering, James paused before asking another question, "What time is your flight tomorrow morning?"
"8:30," Jane said, "Iāll be in Springtown for about a week before I come back, and then I have to join the new drama crew in two days."
James went quiet for a few seconds on the other end, and although Jane didnāt know what he was doing, after a while, she heard him say.
"Okay, that should work."
After he had said that, James urged her to rest early, probably because of a bad signal, so he hung up after that.
What does he mean āthat should workā?
After hanging up, Jane was still puzzled, murmuring to herself in her heartland, but she didnāt dwell on it, switching off the light and preparing to rest early tonight.
On the train, James was calculating the time it would take to get from there to Capital Province train station and from the station to his home, confirming again that he could make it back before her departure before he closed his eyes to rest again.
This mission had been both time-consuming and exhausting, with several days of non-stop work like a robot, 24-hour surveillance, cross-province pursuit, but thankfully it ended without further losses.
This was the first time James had thought about personal matters while on a mission.
During the short breaks when switching with teammates, James would wonder if the mission would end before Janeās departure.
If it wasnāt over by then, he wouldnāt be able to receive Janeās call.
Knowing her, if the call before her departure didnāt go through, she probably wouldnāt call him again before they saw each other. Fortunately, today the mission had finally come to an end.
While his teammates slept heavily around him on the train, James felt like he was waiting for something, and never really fell asleep.
When the phone rang he was lost in thought and missed the call; seeing Janeās missed call quickened Jamesās heartbeat.
The train wasnāt fast, but it was the only direct transportation from the city where he was on a mission to Capital Province.
Before daybreak, James finally left the train station. He didnāt return to the guard team with the rest, but immediately caught a cab straight home.
Paying the fare downstairs, James noticed the light was on at the top of the building; Jane must have already woken up.
He hurried up the building, took out his key to unlock the door, but inside, Jane, who had just washed her face and was applying skincare, must have heard the noise at the doorway and cautiously called out from the living room, "Whoās there?"
With the door locked from inside, James couldnāt open it with his key, so he picked up his mobile phone and called Jane.
When she answered, James tersely said, "Iām at the home doorway, open the door."