Noble Intentions: Season Two (Episodes 6-10) (49 page)

Bragg laughed. “If anyone here is guilty of treason, it’s you, Jack. I was only trying to make our country a safer place.”

“Where are the documents now?” Jack said.

“I should ask you that,” Bragg said. “You’re probably the one that stole them from the NSA.”

Jack took a step forward. “Where are they?”

Bragg stood defiant. “Even if I knew, I wouldn’t tell you.”

Jack took another step forward, taking care to keep both men in his sight. “Your life means nothing to me, Bragg. I’m a ghost. I’ll just disappear. You better friggin’ tell me.”

“Screw you, Jack.”

Jack closed the distance between himself and Bragg’s desk. He held both guns inches from the man’s head. “Dammit, Bragg. Tell me where the documents are.”

“They’re right here, Jack,” a familiar female voice said from behind.

Bragg smiled.

Jack had let his emotions get the best of him, and in doing so, he missed the sound of a door within the office opening from behind. Not the main office door, but a closet door or one that led to another room. He chastised himself for being so careless.

“Place your weapons on the desk and turn around,” she said.

Jack held the guns with only his thumbs and index fingers. Slowly he lowered the weapons and set them on the desk. Then he turned around and saw Jasmine standing at the back of the room with an H&K MP7 equipped with a  silencer, aimed in his direction. She held it loosely in her right hand. A briefcase dangled from her left.

“Jasmine,” Jack said. “What the—”

“You couldn’t leave it alone, could you, Jack?” she said.

“Why?” Jack said.

“I told you from the beginning this wasn’t for us to worry about. There are agencies that are made for this kind of thing. You should have listened to me and let me convince you, like Frank, that this had nothing to do with us.”

Jack shook his head in disbelief and said nothing.

“But no, you had this redemption thing stuck in your head. Then I tried to steer things in another direction and push the terrorist theory. Even had Frank convinced. But once again,” she took a step forward, “Jack Noble argues and gets his way.”

“You stole the documents from the NSA,” Jack said.

She nodded and gestured with the briefcase.

“How? How did you know where and how?”

“Remember when I told you that I interviewed with different agencies before going to work for the SIS?”

Jack nodded.

“I made a contact in the NSA during that time,” she said. “We stayed close and became more than friends. You knew him as Rico.”

“He was involved in the theft?” Jack said. “He’s the one that put me onto the Pentagon, though.”

“He was only involved in a roundabout way. He told me enough. Then he turned out to help you despite my attempts at misleading him.”

Jack realized at that moment that the car bomb was Jasmine’s doing. “You killed him?”

“And I meant to kill you at the same time, but you stood outside the garage.”

Jack reached up and ran his hands through his hair. He grabbed fistfuls of hair in the back and pulled. “This whole time, you’ve been working against me.”

“No,” she said. “Not entirely. We had a few common goals. Stop the Russians from pulling off the attacks, for one. Not because I care, but because I got nothing out of it. No money. We were also on the same page as far as getting the documents back. But, again for different reasons.”

Jack heard a drawer slide open behind him and then the sounds of metal clanking against wood. Bragg stepped out from the behind the desk and walked past him. Joined Jasmine at the other side of the room. He lifted his arm and aimed his gun at Jack.

“What was that you called yourself, Mr. Noble?” Bragg said. “A ghost, right?”

Jack said nothing. He clenched his jaw and inched backward. His weapons were barely a foot away. Maybe he’d get shot while reaching for them. Maybe not. But it’d be better than dying like a chump with his hands up.

“No, no, no,” Jasmine said. “Not another inch.”

“Should we kill him here?” Bragg asked.

“Yeah,” Jasmine said. “But first you and I have to complete our transaction. After I fire, we need to bolt.”

“OK.” Bragg walked toward his desk and retrieved a bag. He held up the bag and said, “It’s all unmarked.”

“What about him?” Jasmine asked as she nodded toward McCarthy.

“He knows too much. Kill him, too. I think we can frame some of this on him. I’ll say that he and Jack approached me to do a deal, then things got messy and Jack’s partner attacked us.” He handed the bag to Jasmine.

She took it from him, then said, “I’ll need to make it look real.”

Bragg shrugged and lifted his chin, perhaps expecting her to hit him. Instead, she aimed her gun toward the ground and fired a shot into his lower leg. Bragg collapsed and hit the floor with a thud. He cried out in pain and managed to scoot himself toward the wall.

“What the hell?” he said.

“Shut up,” Jasmine said.

Bragg groaned and moaned and yelled a half dozen obscenities at her. Jasmine lifted her weapon once again and fired three shots into Bragg’s chest. The man fell back and rolled over on his side, silenced.

Jack scooted back and placed his hands on the desk.

Jasmine whipped the weapon around and aimed at Jack, this time with both hands supporting the gun. “Not so fast, Jack.”

He brought his hands forward and kept them just above waist level.

She turned slightly and fired another shot, this time hitting McCarthy in the center of his forehead. A cloud of blood hung in the air as the man’s lifeless body slumped down the wall to the floor, leaving a river of red in his wake.

“Just you and me now,” she said as she turned her attention back to Jack.

Jack said nothing. His mind raced for the correct words to turn the situation around. Nothing came to mind. How had he missed this? How had Frank missed this? Was Frank involved? He decided to ask.

“How long have you and Frank been planning this?”

She laughed. “Frank? He’s clueless, Jack. Even more so since he went inside to sit behind a desk all day.”

He had to keep her talking. That was the only thing that would keep him alive. And if he could keep it going, he’d eventually get a chance to take her down.

“Why, Jasmine?” he said. “Just tell me why.”

“It doesn’t matter, Jack. You don’t need to know. Not where you’re going.” She turned slightly, perhaps to brace herself against the emotional impact of killing someone she’d been close to for the past few weeks.

“You don’t have to do this, Jasmine. You can disappear. Take the money and the documents and leave.”

“I plan to do all that. And I have to do this, otherwise you’ll chase me. And I know you’ll eventually find me.”

“Jasmine—”

She shook her head and said, “Any last words you want me to relay for you?”

Jack knew that was it. She had made up her mind and nothing he could do was going to change it. He took a deep breath and quickly tensed and relaxed his arms. He had to be faster than her. His arms needed to be quicker than her trigger finger. Chances are he wouldn’t be successful. Against a thug who had little weapons experience, sure. But against a trained killer, he was as good as dead in this situation.

“Yeah,” Jack said. “Tell Bear I said thanks for all the years he stood by my side.”

“OK.”

“Tell Frank I said screw you for getting me into this mess.”

She smiled and nodded.

“And I need you to tell Clarissa that I’m sorry I didn’t work harder in the past to make things work. I had every intention of finding her after this and trying to settle down into a life with her.”

“You two would have been good together.” Jasmine’s smile faded. “Now get your hands up and behind your head.”

He had to act. He feigned a step forward and swung his hands and body back. At that same time the door to the office crashed open. Shots were fired. Jack felt the sting of a bullet penetrating his flesh. The pain radiated through his chest and shoulder and arm, and he couldn’t tell where he had been hit. He fell with his back flat against the desk. Managed to get one of the weapons in his grasp. Rolled backward and fell off the desk.

He glanced to his right and saw blood on his shoulder. He tore at the ripped fabric and saw that he had only been nicked by the bullet.

The room was quiet. He rose up and looked over the desk. Jasmine rested against the back wall, eyes open, gun in her lap. Blood poured down her neck from a bullet hole in the side of her head.

He shifted gaze toward the door and saw Clarissa standing just inside the office.

“Are you OK?” she said.

Jack nodded, then shook his head. He stood and walked around the desk. She met him halfway.

“What are you doing here?” he said. “How did you know?”

She smiled. “You’re getting careless in your old age, Jack.”

He shook his head, confused.

“Your phone,” she said. “You left it on the table at Jasmine’s house. I picked it up and put a bug on it. I’ve been listening in and following you all day since you left Jasmine’s.”

“Why?”

“Sinclair got some disturbing news that morning I came to see you.” She nodded toward Jasmine. “About her.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“We had to catch her in the act and with the documents. I’d have preferred to take her alive, but as it is I almost got here too late.” She looked at the bodies of Bragg and McCarthy. “I was too late to save them. I’m sorry, Jack. I know this isn’t easy to process.”

Jack nodded. “I… Yeah.” He tucked his weapon and reached for her. Pulled her close. Kissed her.

She pulled back at first, then leaned in. She broke the kiss off a few moments later and said, “We need to get out of here.”

Jack collected the documents and the money and followed Clarissa out of the room.

“We need to go up two floors,” she said. “There’s a service elevator there. Safer than taking the main elevator to the lobby.”

They made it outside without incident. Walked three blocks and stopped near the parking garage.

“I believe your car’s in there,” she said.

Jack nodded. He started to walk toward the garage entrance and stopped when he noticed she wasn’t following. He turned and walked back toward her. “Are you coming?”

She shook her head. Tears filled her eyes.

“What’s going on?”

“I’m afraid this is goodbye, Jack. At least for now.”

“Clarissa, come with me. We’ll get this stuff to Frank and then disappear. I’ve got enough money for us to live on for the rest of our lives.”

She leaned in and kissed his cheek. Her tears felt cool against his skin. “Sorry, Jack. I owe Sinclair for this and for him not turning you in. I’m in debt to him.”

“Me? What?”

She silenced him with her finger.

“When will you be back?” he said.

She shrugged and shook her head. With that, she turned and walked away.

Jack fought the urge to chase after her. It wouldn’t make any difference.

19

Bear got in a cab and gave the driver the address to the SIS headquarters. He had considered calling Frank to tell him he was done, but in the end figured the best thing to do was discuss it in person. He tried to put his thoughts into words on the way there, but same as his time on the plane, he could only think of the woman he left behind in France. He knew that he hadn’t actually left her behind. There would have had to have been something between them for that. It was just that no woman had ever made such an impression on him in so short a time. With barely a word, he experienced a connection he’d likely not soon forget with Kat.

As the taxi made its final turn, Bear cleared his head. He pulled out his cell phone and called Frank. “Almost there,” was all he said.

The cab stopped in front of the building. Bear paid the man and got out. Waited until the taxi disappeared before approaching the entrance. The front doors were unlocked. Bear received a surprise as he pulled the door open and stepped inside.

“Bear!” Mandy raced toward him with her arms spread wide.

He dropped to one knee and caught the girl as she slammed into him with the force of a sledge hammer, nearly knocking him over.

“I missed you so much,” he said.

“Me too.” Her hands clung tightly to his shoulders.

He looked up and saw Frank standing a few feet away. Bear pushed Mandy back gently and got to his feet.

“You’re off the hook, Logan,” Frank said.

Bear said nothing. He looked past Frank and saw Larsen standing just outside the hall.

Frank nodded. “I’ve got new help. He’s going to bring down Charles and that organization, and we’ll see where we go from there.”

“And we’re done,” Bear added.

“Disappear,” Frank said. “And if you ever need anything, call me.”

Bear nodded, then grabbed Mandy’s hand and left the building.

“Where are we gonna go?” Mandy asked.

Bear looked down at her and squeezed her hand in his. “We’re gonna travel around the U.S. for a month or so. Then I’m thinking we’ll go to Europe. France, maybe.”

20

Charles sat in the old man’s office. His office, now. He smiled at Alonso and adjusted the items on top of the antique dark wood desk.

“They’re on the way,” Alonso said.

“Good,” Charles said. “Let’s strike fear into their hearts.”

He had a meeting with five men in the organization who had risen to some level of power. The purpose of the meeting was to show them that he would be in charge and they were to get in line and do what he said.

There was a knock on the door and the men filed in, one by one. They each took a seat at the long rectangular table at the other end of the office.

Charles stood and slowly walked toward the table. “Gentlemen, glad you could join us today. I’m going to make this quick and relatively painless. You are here today to swear your loyalty to me. I’m taking over.”

The men looked at one another. The man named Hessler shifted in his seat and said, “I’ve got just as much claim as you do. Since you left, I’ve taken over most of the duties here.”