"Don't you fucking move," the other guy yelled at Charles. "We're here for you."
"Clarissa?" Jack said. "What the hell is going on?"
She looked to the other man and nodded. He and two other guys entered the room and handcuffed Charles. They ignored the guy's requests to go easy because of his broken ribs. One might've even thrown an elbow toward Charles's midsection.
After the room had cleared, Clarissa lowered her weapon.
"We're bringing him up on counterfeiting charges."
"What?"
"It's a long story, Jack. One I don't really have time to tell right now. But let me handle this, and I promise I'll call you later tonight. Same number?"
He shook his head and gave her the number of the phone Sasha had provided.
She glanced at his hand. Stepped forward. "Looks like it hurts."
He nodded. "A bit."
She reached for his hand. "We have someone downstairs who can wrap that up for you."
"I still don't understand what's going on here."
"Like I said, I'll tell you tonight."
"Tell me in person."
"I'll be back in D.C."
"I can be there too."
"Jack…"
"Clarissa." The voice came from the hall.
She took a step back. The guy appeared in the doorway.
"We need to go." He looked at Jack. "And it's probably best if you disappear. The Feds are gonna be all over this place in a couple minutes."
Jack watched them leave, then exited the room two minutes later.
THE RAID ON the compound had been coordinated with Charles's takedown. It involved the NYPD, FBI, and Secret Service. With the intelligence Paolo had provided, they managed to successfully complete the operation with only one casualty, a fifteen year veteran of the NYPD. Charles's organization had suffered eight fatalities. Most within the first twenty feet inside the compound. The rest, when faced with the overwhelming odds surrendered.
Clarissa later discovered that the man who had attacked her in D.C. perished during the raid. He'd been one of Charles's guys. Another nail in the coffin for Harris. If they could get him to confess.
They led two FBI officers to the basement where they found Paolo's sister Essie in poor health, but mentally alert.
WHEN PAOLO SAW Essie, he fell to his knees, grabbed her hands and pulled them to his face and wept. The nurse in her took over. She stroked his hair, telling him she forgave him. It wasn't like his job had been a secret from the family. She knew what he did. She was well aware of where the money to purchase the house she lived in came from. She just hadn't ever expected it to hit home like it had.
But things had worked out. In a way.
The men from the FBI explained how the witness protection program would work. When it came time for trial, Paolo would have to return to New York, while Essie remained behind wherever they were located. They made no promises that she would be able to secure employment as a nurse, which visibly upset her. Paolo tried to argue for a provision that they would find her a job, but in the end, he had little power to negotiate with the agents.
"Where will we go?" Paolo asked.
The agent in charge shrugged. "So long as it isn't prison, does it matter? You're getting away with a lot of shit here, Paolo. And you're keeping your sister safe by doing this. That means you do it on our terms. And if you ever fuck up, it won't only be you going to jail. Esmeralda will be taken too."
By the time they signed the papers, Paolo felt numb.
A few hours later, he was inside a two-bedroom hotel suite, guarded by the FBI. Esmeralda sat at the table, reading a book. She glanced up at him and smiled.
"Thank you, Paolo."
"For what?"
"Saving my life."
"I nearly got you killed."
Shaking her head, she said, "No. You gave up everything you had so that I could be rescued."
He rose, walked over to her, pulled her hair back and kissed her forehead.
"Goodnight, Essie. Our new life begins tomorrow."
CLARISSA NEVER CALLED.
Jack had driven south, stopping in Bethesda, Maryland. Close enough to the city for his liking. Not too far away for Clarissa to travel to meet him.
But she didn't reach out.
That was that, he decided.
At midnight, he left Bethesda. Arrived in Lynchburg, Virginia at 3:30 am. Mia was asleep in the king size bed in the separate bedroom. Sasha had waited up.
They sat up talking. Jack recounted what had happened, leaving out Clarissa's name. Maybe Sasha knew about her. If not, there was no point in putting her on the woman's radar.
"So can we leave in the morning?" Sasha asked.
Jack shook his head. Said nothing.
"Why not? You're not safe here. Mia is not safe here."
"What's to say we'll be safe there? And then I'm putting you at risk too."
"That's what this is about? You fear for my safety?"
"I fear for everyone's safety. That's why it's best you return tomorrow."
"Then I'll bring Mia back with me."
"How're you going to take care of her?"
"She can go to the same school as the Prime Minister's daughter. It's a wonderful boarding school up north."
"To be raised by teachers and other kids?" Jack shook his head in protest. "No, that's not gonna happen."
Sasha pulled her legs under and sat upright. "You're going to raise her?"
"No, but I know who is, and it ain't no damn boarding school."
She continued arguing, but there was no swaying him. Eventually, she fell asleep on the couch. Jack stayed up and watched her. Counted her breaths. He came close to changing his mind. They could be together. Be a couple. With her position in MI6, things wouldn't be bad, so long as no one tracked him down.
Then she was at risk of being a target.
And so was he. Which put her at risk of compromising her position within the agency.
It wouldn't work.
Sasha woke at six. Jack was still up. She readied herself without saying anything. By six-thirty, she was at the door with her bag.
"I've got to go now if I'm going to make my flight." The look on her face told Jack she wanted him to tell her to stay.
He didn't.
Chapter 99
Washington, D.C.
THE DOORBELL CHIMED five or six times. From her bedroom, Clarissa called out.
"Be there in a second."
She wasn't expecting visitors, which was enough to make her stop and retrieve her pistol, even though the kind of men who would come to do her harm wouldn't bother with the courtesy of announcing themselves first.
Clarissa stopped in front of a mirror and fixed her hair. She had no makeup on. Didn't really need it. The guy she hoped was there wouldn't care.
Seeing Jack had thrown her off. It always did. But this time she hadn't called, even though she told him she would.
Part of her wanted him to come after her.
Part of her hoped he'd stay away.
Life wasn't necessarily easier without him in it. But it was less complicated.
The doorbell gave way to knuckles banging against wood.
"Coming," she said. "Just hold on."
She approached the door from the side. Avoiding the peephole. Anyone trained would wait for the pin of light to dissipate, then shoot. Instead, she opened an app on her phone that linked to the tiny camera she had mounted on the door frame.
Her heart sunk a little. She opened the door, smiled, said, "Beck, come in."
"Don't look so happy to see me," he said.
She shrugged and went to the kitchen. Grabbed two beers from the fridge. She opened and set them on the island.
Beck took a seat on the other side. "You were expecting someone else?"
Clarissa took a pull from the bottle and said nothing.
"You don't want him in your life,"
Beck said.
"Who's that?"
"Noble."
She narrowed her eyes. "Why would you say that?"
He picked at the edges of the bottle's label. "I know you have a history with the guy, OK? But, let's just say that your future goals don't align with someone like that."
"And what would you know of my future goals?"
Beck had backed himself into a corner. "Well, obviously, I can't say for certain. But, you did agree to be my partner, so something tells me you want to work for this country. Not against it. And a guy like Noble, his interests don't always lie on one side of that line. It blurs for him. He'll cross over if interests require him to do so."
Clarissa couldn't deny anything Beck said. And it had been so long since she had a real conversation with Jack that she didn't know where his head was at the moment. He'd been moments from killing Charles when they arrived. But why? Because Charles was a bad man, or simply because he'd wronged Jack?
"Look, I didn't come here to talk about Noble, or your personal life, for that matter."
"Then what for?" She reached for two more beers, cracked them open and set one in front of Beck.
"On Monday we leave for the Rome field office."
"Rome, Georgia? There's an office there?"
He slid his bottle from hand to hand, leaving a thin trail of condensation on the granite. Smiling, he said, "Rome, Italy."
Intrigued by the prospect of returning to Italy, Clarissa asked, "What will we be doing there?"
"You know, I'd rather not spoil your weekend with the details. I'll tell you on the flight over."
Clarissa decided against arguing with Beck. Whether she found out today or Monday, it made little difference.
They sat in silence, him on one side of the island, her on the other. Something about it felt comfortable.
"I'm glad it was you," she said.
"What?"
"At the door. I'm glad you were standing there when I opened it."
Beck smiled and glanced down at the bottle in front of him.
"Speaking of Italy," she said. "I heard about this great Italian place around the corner. Wanna get a bite?"
Chapter 100
Crystal River, Florida.
THERE WAS ONE place Jack felt Mia would be safe. A few months ago, he might not have felt that way. But Sasha had assured him that all records of his family had been redacted from his files at the major agencies.
He stood in front of his brother Sean's front door. Mia reached up and pushed the doorbell button. Chimes went off inside.
Sean's wife, Deb, opened the door. She looked startled when she saw Jack. Speechless when she saw Mia.
"Can we come in?" Jack asked.
She nodded and waved them through, stopping Jack to hug him as he passed.
They walked through the living room into the kitchen, where Sean sat at the table with his laptop and a mug of coffee.
"Hey, big bro," Jack said.
Sean looked up, smiled. "What's this?"
"Surprise visit."
Sean rose, walked over and hugged his brother. He looked down at Mia. "And is this my niece?"
She looked unsure, but Jack's nod encouraged the girl and she reached out and shook Sean's hand.
"My daughter is at a friend's house right now, but we're going to pick her up in a bit." He looked up at Jack. "You'll be staying for a while, yeah?"
"I need to talk to you about that."
The two brothers went out back. Sean leaned back against the deck railing. Jack placed his hands on it, faced the yard. They looked at each other.
Jack started at the beginning, and for the first time, filled Sean in on his clandestine life. He told him about everything that had happened in the past few years. The Old Man. The Russians. Time in London. And the events of the past few weeks.
"She's not safe with me," Jack said. "She's not safe with Sasha. I won't ship her off to a boarding school. I want her to grow up in a family. For now, at least."
Sean didn't hesitate. "She can stay here. We'll raise her until you're ready."
They went back inside and had breakfast. Jack's father was living with Sean. The three men spent the day together.
Later that night, Jack prepared to leave.
"Where will you go?" Sean asked.
Jack thought about it and shrugged. "Not sure. I have a bank account in Tampa no one knows about. Safe deposit box there with a couple identities. Figured I'll grab that, some cash, buy a Jeep and drive off. South, maybe. West, possibly."
He grabbed a notebook off the table and scribbled in it. There were two email addresses.
"Those are secure," he said. "Top one's yours. Bottom one is mine. We can't use it regularly, though, so only message me if something big has come up."
"So that's it?"
Jack nodded. Then he left the room and found Mia. The girl was asleep on the couch.
His heart ached for leaving without saying goodbye. But that was the way it had to be.
He didn't drive straight to Tampa. He had time. The trip was under an hour, and the bank wouldn't open for thirteen more hours.
The cemetery was dark, but Jack knew the way. He found his mother's headstone. For a few minutes, he stood in silence. Wasn't much to say. He liked to believe she'd be proud of him, but he'd just dumped his daughter off on his brother. He knew what she'd say, so he didn't give her the opportunity.
Before leaving, he wandered a few rows over. Knelt down in front of his sister Molly's grave.
"I'm sorry, sis. I should have stopped them. I know I could have."
The guilt had lasted for over twenty-six years. It fueled most everything Jack did. Every situation he found himself in resulted from that guilt. It told him to go back and get Mia. Protect her.
And that was precisely why Jack Noble disappeared that night.
Alone.
THE END
Jack Noble's story continues soon.
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Other Books by L.T. Ryan
Jack Noble Series in Order
Noble Beginnings
A Deadly Distance
Thin Line
Noble Intentions Season One
Noble Intentions Season Two
Noble Intentions Season Three
Never Go Home
Beyond Betrayal (Clarissa Abbot)
Noble Intentions Season Four
Mitch Tanner Series
The Depth of Darkness
Untitled (Mitch Tanner 2) - Coming Summer, 2014
Untitled (Mitch Tanner 3) - Coming Summer, 2014
Affliction Z Series
Afflic
tion Z: Patient Zero
Affliction Z: Abandoned Hope
Affliction Z: Book Three - Coming Summer, 2014
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Chapter 31
Chapter 32
Chapter 33
Chapter 34
Chapter 35
Chapter 36
Chapter 37
Chapter 38
Chapter 39
Chapter 40
Chapter 41
Chapter 42
Chapter 43
Chapter 44
Chapter 45
Chapter 46
Chapter 47
Chapter 48
Chapter 49
Chapter 50
Chapter 51
Chapter 52
Chapter 53
Chapter 54
Chapter 55
Chapter 56
Chapter 57
Chapter 58
Chapter 59
Chapter 60
Chapter 61
Chapter 62
Chapter 63
Chapter 64
Chapter 65
Chapter 66
Chapter 67
Chapter 68
Chapter 69
Chapter 70
Chapter 71
Chapter 72
Chapter 73
Chapter 74
Chapter 75
Chapter 76
Chapter 77
Chapter 78
Chapter 79
Chapter 80