Karen can find a way to sympathize with most people if she really puts her mind to it. Even if her source is kind of a punk, she can see the difference between someone who is calling the shots, and someone who's caught in a system stacked up against them. Sure, she could spend her time slotting the little guys into jail. She'd rather take down the whole system.
"Yeah, it's his nickname. Franklin. I'm not entirely sure how he got it, he and Matt were friends in college."
"Matt? Are these guys reporters, too?" It sounds like she's got quite a few people she's friends with, or at least working with. Frank is glad she's not working alone on something as dangerous as this, but he doesn't like that she would've gone alone to this meeting if he hadn't been here to tag along.
Of course Frank expected Karen to have a life in New York while he was deployed. He's just reminded that he's missed a lot.
"Lawyers," Karen answers. "I met them on the first story I worked on. They do a lot of pro bono work for people that end up on the wrong side of corporations or get swept up by corruption. So it helps to work together." She can get her hands on information for their cases, and they return the favor by pointing her in the right direction when she's between stories.
"Lawyers who work for free helping people? You sure they're lawyers?" Frank means it as a joke, but it's pretty rare to meet a lawyer like that. Most only seem to care about money or winning cases.
He's been gone a long time, but he still remembers the city like the back of his hand. It's not long before they're getting close to her destination.
Karen laughs at the question, looking over at him with a half smile. "I wouldn't believe it if I hadn't vetted them myself. They're great at what they do, too. I think we'll be able to make some real change if we keep working together."
She's pretty sure that Frank has taken some shortcuts that she doesn't know about. Once he parks the car, she leans in to drop a quick kiss on his mouth. "Remember, you promised to stay in the car," she reminds him.
Frank smiles a little at the kiss. He was about to lean in and do the same thing to her.
"Yeah, I know." It won't be easy, but he'll stay. Right? He's going to do his best, but he'll also be watching her and the guy she's meeting like a hawk the entire time.
"I'm always careful," she answers as her fingers run over the collar of his jacket. Which is true - she's meticulous in her research and thorough in her follow up. There's no accounting for the human element complicating things, but she does her best to cover all her bases. And she keeps a gun in her purse.
The bag is slung over the crook of her arm as she gets out and bends down to give him one more smile before she turns and walks down the sidewalk to the meeting place. She sticks out like a sore thumb in her business clothes in the morning light, but she still walks at a quick, confident pace.
A person can be careful and still get hurt. Frank doesn't doubt she's careful, but he knows how dangerous the world can be and how suddenly things can change.
He leans a little to keep his eye on her as she walks away from the car. Already, he's itching to follow her on foot, but he stays put. For now. So long as he's still got eyes on her, he might actually stay in the car. Maybe.
She does stick out. He hopes she doesn't get mugged on the way there.
Luckily, Karen finds that people tend to leave her alone if she looks like she has somewhere to be. She hasn't had to add a mugging on top of the troubles she invites on herself simply by the work she does. Yet.
She reaches the end of the block where she can see her source waiting in the shadows of the building there. Before she can greet him, he takes her arm and leads her into the convenience store.
Frank sits up in his seat when he sees the man put a hand on Karen, and then she's taken into the store. Well, that might be okay. He probably won't try anything with the clerk or any other customers in there.
Still, Frank's view isn't as good as it was. Karen said not to leave the car, but she didn't say he couldn't move the car, so he leaves the parking spot and claims one closer to the store. People sit in parked cars all the time in the city, so it won't look too strange.
Karen is aware on some level as she lets her source pull her into the store that it's very likely Frank will follow. They've never been in a situation quite like this before, but she knows him. Knows the way that he shoulders responsibility. Part of her thinks she should caution her source but she doesn't want to spook him.
"Hey, come on. There's some food in the back aisles. Let me grab you a few things while we talk." The younger man nods and they quickly make their way past the front window to the back of the store.
It was almost tolerable watching Karen through the window, but when she moves out of sight, Frank scowls and taps his fingers against the steering wheel. He's getting agitated now. Is she alright in there? What if the guy pulls a weapon on her? She's not in a back alley or something, but that didn't mean she was safe in the store.
Karen must've trusted the informant, at least a little bit, to let him take her in there. Frank does his best to wait for now. Maybe it was better if he watched the door to make sure no trouble followed them inside. For now, he stayed put... but it wasn't easy.
Trust is a tenuous thing. Especially when it comes to working with a source. So much hangs in the balance. The first few times she'd tried to connect with a source had been a miserable failure, but she'd figured out her niche. The pure determination that fueled her wouldn't let her settle for less.
Several long minutes passed before Karen hurried out of the little store, looking annoyed. She started to turn down the sidewalk and then realized that the car was closer, and a quick half smile quirked up her lips before she moved around the car and got in the passenger seat. "Let's get out of here. He ran out the back."
Frank was moments from rushing in to see if she was alright when Karen came out. There's a huge rush of relief at seeing her, even if she does look annoyed. At least she appears unharmed.
"Should we go after him?" Frank is already starting the car to give chase if that's the case. He doesn't know if Karen got the information she wanted, but it doesn't sound like it.
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"Yeah, it's his nickname. Franklin. I'm not entirely sure how he got it, he and Matt were friends in college."
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Of course Frank expected Karen to have a life in New York while he was deployed. He's just reminded that he's missed a lot.
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He's been gone a long time, but he still remembers the city like the back of his hand. It's not long before they're getting close to her destination.
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She's pretty sure that Frank has taken some shortcuts that she doesn't know about. Once he parks the car, she leans in to drop a quick kiss on his mouth. "Remember, you promised to stay in the car," she reminds him.
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"Yeah, I know." It won't be easy, but he'll stay. Right? He's going to do his best, but he'll also be watching her and the guy she's meeting like a hawk the entire time.
"Be careful."
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The bag is slung over the crook of her arm as she gets out and bends down to give him one more smile before she turns and walks down the sidewalk to the meeting place. She sticks out like a sore thumb in her business clothes in the morning light, but she still walks at a quick, confident pace.
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He leans a little to keep his eye on her as she walks away from the car. Already, he's itching to follow her on foot, but he stays put. For now. So long as he's still got eyes on her, he might actually stay in the car. Maybe.
She does stick out. He hopes she doesn't get mugged on the way there.
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She reaches the end of the block where she can see her source waiting in the shadows of the building there. Before she can greet him, he takes her arm and leads her into the convenience store.
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Still, Frank's view isn't as good as it was. Karen said not to leave the car, but she didn't say he couldn't move the car, so he leaves the parking spot and claims one closer to the store. People sit in parked cars all the time in the city, so it won't look too strange.
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"Hey, come on. There's some food in the back aisles. Let me grab you a few things while we talk." The younger man nods and they quickly make their way past the front window to the back of the store.
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Karen must've trusted the informant, at least a little bit, to let him take her in there. Frank does his best to wait for now. Maybe it was better if he watched the door to make sure no trouble followed them inside. For now, he stayed put... but it wasn't easy.
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Several long minutes passed before Karen hurried out of the little store, looking annoyed. She started to turn down the sidewalk and then realized that the car was closer, and a quick half smile quirked up her lips before she moved around the car and got in the passenger seat. "Let's get out of here. He ran out the back."
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"Should we go after him?" Frank is already starting the car to give chase if that's the case. He doesn't know if Karen got the information she wanted, but it doesn't sound like it.