Sands groaned as he sat up against the wall, his arm and leg throbbing with pain, as well as the two holes in his skull where his eyes were supposed to be. His long black shirt sleeve clung to his arm, soaked through with blood. The baking sun burnt down on him as he fought to keep himself sitting upright and alive.

'¿Señor, señor es usted bien?' (Sir, sir are youalright?) The chubby boy asked him shaking his arm slightly. Sands bit back the urge to aim his gun at the annoying kid, and spoke slowly, as if talking to someone really stupid.

'Help? Of course I need help you fuckmook! I'm blind for fuck sake!' his voice was almost a growl as he hissed through the pain. 'Here Kid, get the mobile phone out of my pocket.' The boy paused and a vein in Sand's shoulder began to tick, 'Now kid, pronto!' The boy suddenly panicked and fished the phone out of the agent's tattered waistcoat pocket. 'Good, now, dial 055-212-7840 and give me the phone.' His tone was back to his normal smooth silky tone, but with an added edge due to the pain he was experiencing.

The kid dialled the desired number and handed Sands the phone before sitting back against the wall, leaving Sands to make his phone call.

The buzz of a dial tone reverberated through the phone into Sands' ear, until there was a click and a soft feminine sigh sounded down the receiver.

'Hello, Dr Bethany O'Lanigan, Forensic scientist, how can I help you?' her soft Irish accent his ears, she sounded like his call had woken her, a smile crept across his lips, he had missed her voice.

'Hey sugar butt!' He said as cheerily as he could muster. He heard her groan in annoyance and the grin on his face spread rapidly, preparing to hear her reprimanding him for calling her after so long.

'Sands, are ye fecking kidding me? D'ye know what the time is here eh?' she shouted her voice filled with contempt for the man on the other end of the phone.

'You don't seem happy to hear from me baby?!' he said a faint giggle present in his voice.

'Funny tha' Shel, we've not spoken since I changed job. Now, what do ye want?'

'Well, you see baby girl, I'm in a bit of a pickle, and I need your help. You see, I was on this mission ...' before Sands had even finished what he was saying Bethany cut him off with a huff and a sudden exclamation of 'No Shel! Ye know I'm not an agent anymore.' He sighed and rubbed his temples with his free hand, before continuing where he left off. 'Sweetheart, hear me out! I'm in deep shit this time, and you're the only person I won't want to blow away.'

She sighed and felt herself give in to helping her old partner. 'Fecking Hell Shel, fine, I'll help ye. Where are ye?' Sands explained where he was over the phone before agreeing that Bethany would get the next flight over from Ireland and she'd help him before hanging up his phone.

Sands shoved his phone back into his pocket and used the wall to stand and turned his face in the direction of the chubby kid who'd helped him. 'You, Kid ... get me to the nearest motel now!' he said grabbing the kid's shoulder as she led him away down the street.

*********

Bethany sighed as she hung up her mobile phone and dragged herself out of bed. She stretched and picked out a simple pair of blue jeans and a black camisole to wear as they would be comfortable on the flight. As she slipped the clothing on over her slim figure she stood in front of her full length mirror, fluffing her long dark curls out around her shoulders, her gaze caught her CIA uniform black sport sunglasses on her side board that had lain untouched, from the two years she had been out of the agency. She grabbed them and slid them over her dark eyes, giving herself a glimpse of the old her in the mirror and it made her smile. She threw some bits together into a holdall and headed out of her front door to catch a plane to Mexico, shaking her head thinking what Dands had got himself into this time.