Noble Intentions: Season Two (Episodes 6-10) (8 page)

“Where?”

“Hell, I don’t care. The woods. A fast food bathroom. Anywhere but here.”

Jack looked around.

“They’re all dead. What’s the rush?”

“The intel,” she said. “The report was that there were five men.”

The man smiled and nodded.

Jack swung his free hand and punched the man in the jaw. Then he grabbed him and dragged him out of the house. They crossed the street, made two left turns and got in the car. Jasmine drove and Jack sat in the back seat with the Russian man.

Igor started banging against the trunk and kicking the back seat as soon as the car started moving.

13

Bear woke up to the sound of voices above him. The voices weren’t directed at him, but he knew they were talking about him. He opened his eyes and scanned the compact room. A yellow tinted fluorescent light illuminated the space. A man and woman sat on opposite sides of him. They were dressed in dark blue pants and wore white button up shirts. They wore light blue latex gloves. ID cards were pinned to their shirt pockets. The room shook and bounced and a siren wailed. A red light reflected off a surface outside and strobed across the ceiling. He tried to sit up but couldn’t move. He found himself strapped down.

“What’s going on?” he asked in a cracked voice.

“Just relax, Mr. Logan.” The woman wrapped a blood pressure cuff around his arm just above the elbow.

Bear processed the situation and searched his memory for clues as to how he ended up here. He was in an ambulance. His head hurt like hell. He suffered head trauma. It might be severe. He was strapped down because they feared a spinal injury. A cold sweat broke out over his arms and chest and forehead. He wiggled his toes and clenched his hands into a fist. Everything worked. He exhaled. Relieved. He thought back to the moment he sustained the injury. He had been hovering over Mr. Jones dead body. A blow to the head. And then… Mandy. Fear flooded every cell in his body and his muscles tightened.

“Where’s Mandy?”

They paramedics didn’t respond.

“Where’s my little girl?” His voice rose to a yell.

The woman’s eyes shot up from the blood pressure readout and locked onto her partner. The man opposite her cleared his throat.

“Sir, we didn’t find a little girl with you.”

Bear shook his head. He had to get out. He fought against his restraints. Thrashed side to side. The thin strips of fabric that restrained him were no match for his size and strength. Not to mention his focus and determination. His right arm broke free. The medics tried to hold him down. He threw the man off of him and into the side of the ambulance.

“Sir,” the woman said. “Calm down.”

She frantically worked the cap off of a sterile needle and plunged it into a vial of liquid.

Bear worked the restraints, undoing each one in succession down his body.

The man crawled to the front and opened an access door between the cab and the back.

“Stop the ambulance and get on the radio. We need the cops.”

Bear reached over his head and grabbed the man by his leg. Pulled him close. Then he felt a pinch in his shoulder. He looked over at the woman. She leaned over his arm. In her mouth was the plastic cap from the sterile needle. She held the needle in her hand. She plunged it to the hilt into Bear’s arm.

The panic and rage and fear dissipated. He felt calm. He felt like he was floating. The world slowed down a beat and he sank into the gurney.

The ambulance stopped moving. Stopped shaking. The back doors opened and a police officer stepped in. The man turned blurry as he crossed into the artificial light.

“He’s just in shock,” the woman told the officer.

Bear felt the woman wrap her hand around his forearm. She squeezed his arm reassuringly. He looked over at her and back at the cop. The officer’s face was now clear.

The male paramedic climbed through the access door to sit in the cab with the driver. The cop took his spot in the back.

“There won’t be any more trouble, will there?” the cop said to Bear.

Bear shook his head. He tried to speak but his lips wouldn’t move. In the end he grunted a few times. Closed his eyes. He felt the ambulance shift into gear and begin moving again. He wanted to fight, to get up and break through the back door and find Mandy. But he couldn’t.

* * *

Bear had been alone in the hospital room for fifteen minutes. The sedative the female paramedic gave him was wearing off. He contemplated getting up and leaving, but wanted to speak with the cops first. He had to find out about Mandy. Maybe they had her and were bringing her in to see him.

A hand poked through the open doorway and knocked against the door. A man stepped forward. He wore khaki pants and a blue sport coat. His shirt was unbuttoned at the top and he had no tie on. He appeared to be mid-forties and had gray hair mixed in with a full head of brown.

“Mr. Logan?”

Bear nodded and sat up.

“I’m Detective Larsen. Hope I’m not disturbing you. We needed to get a statement from you.”

“Where’s Mandy?”

The detective cocked his head to the side.

“My little girl. Where is she?”

Larsen took three steps forward and stopped at the end of the bed.

“Mr. Logan—”

“Call me Bear.”

“OK. Bear, there was a young girl, blond hair, that was abducted.”

Bear’s mind raced. He thought back. He remembered. They carried her out. Put her in the car. Her hair blew in the wind. He closed his eyes and heard her screams once again.

“I know this is tough, Mr., uh, Bear. We are doing everything we can and are in contact with the FBI.”

Bear swung a large leg over the side of the bed and hopped off.

“It won’t be enough, Detective.”

Larsen threw his hands in the air and backed up toward the doorway.

“You can’t do that, sir. They are evaluating you for a concussion. You need to stay in the hospital tonight.”

The edges of Bear’s vision darkened and he felt his body sway. He gritted his teeth and fought the feelings back.

“No way I’m staying here when they have her.”

“Bear, you got no choice.”

Bear searched the room for his clothes. Didn’t find them. He turned to Larsen and pointed at him.

“You listen to me. You have no idea who I am or what I am capable of. If you want to help me, fine. But if not, stay out of my way.”

Larsen said nothing. He stood in the doorway with his hands in front of him. He shook his head slowly.

“You got kids?” Bear asked.

Larsen nodded.

“Then you know what I’m going through.”

Larsen continued to nod.

“Tell me everything that you know,” Bear demanded.

Larsen pulled the sleeve of his sport coat back and checked his watch. He cleared his throat and took three steps toward Bear, stopping just a few feet away. He lowered his voice and said, “I’m off shift in an hour. I’ll get you checked out of here and we’ll go someplace to talk.”

“Why? Why not now?”

Larsen motioned for Bear to keep it down. “Because the man behind this has half the department in his back pocket, if you know what I mean.”

Bear nodded. “OK. One hour. Bring me some clothes.”

“What size?”

“Extra frickin large.”

14

Five minutes outside the city, Jasmine turned onto a dirt road and continued until they were out of sight from the highway. She threw the car in park, got out and opened the trunk. Jack looked through the back window after the trunk slammed shut. Jasmine ordered Igor to go sit against a tree, then she motioned for Jack to get out.

“Don’t move.” Jack pulled his pistol from its holster and aimed it at the man in the backseat. He backed out of the car and looked up at Jasmine. “What now?”

“Get him out and bring him back here.”

Jack leaned forward and nodded at the Russian.

“You heard the lady.”

The man slid across the bench seat and exited through the open door. Jack grabbed him by the elbow and led him behind the car.

“Go stand against that tree.” Jasmine motioned toward a dogwood in bloom.

Jack followed the Russian to the tree and then held him there at gunpoint. He glanced over his shoulder to check on Jasmine and Igor.

She placed nylon restraints around Igor’s wrists and a black cloth bag over his head.

“Sit,” she said.

Igor sat and leaned back against the base of a pine tree.

“We’ll be back for you in a minute.” Jasmine walked toward Jack and stopped about fifteen feet away. “Jack, come here.”

Jack approached her. Kept his gun out to the side and aimed at the Russian. Kept his eyes on Igor.

“We need to get some info on the big picture here, Jack. I don’t care what we do with this guy, but I know Frank will want him detained. Fine with me. But we need to get as much info out of him as we can before we call this in.”

Jack nodded and didn’t say anything.

“I don’t know if he’ll take me seriously. Most guys don’t think a woman is a threat. At least, not until I kick their ass.”

Jack smiled.

“How are you with interrogation techniques?” she asked.

“I’m so-so.” An understatement. Jack had honed his technique since his days as a Marine on-loan to the CIA, and then as a member of the SIS. He even had an apartment in New York specifically for the purpose of interrogation.

“OK,” Jasmine said. “So you can back me up then?”

“Sure.”

“You want to start?”

“Yeah, why not.” He pointed at Igor. “You sure he’s OK there?”

Jasmine nodded. “Hands and legs are bound. He’s hooded. Not going anywhere.”

Jack walked up to the Russian. The man pressed himself into the tree as if trying to hide inside of it. Jack hit him in the stomach. The Russian leaned forward. Jack grabbed him by the back of his hair and lifted his head. Backhanded him across his face.

“Who do you report to?”

The man said nothing. He couldn’t say anything because he couldn’t breathe. His face turned red and deepened into a shade of purple.

Jack pulled the man forward so he leaned over, then lifted him back up. Repeated the process three times. The man inhaled with a groan and then took several short breaths.

“Now,” Jack said, “tell me who you report to.”

“Nobody.”

“You like not breathing? Want to stay that way forever?”

The man closed his eyes and shook his head.

Jack leaned in with one hand placed just below the man’s neck. “Then tell me what I want to know.”

“I know nothing.”

Jack whipped his free hand across the Russian’s face. The slap of the hand was followed by a grunt from the man.

“Tell me.”

The man said nothing. His thick jaw muscles worked as he clenched his mouth tight.

Jack drew his arm back to strike the man in the face with a full force punch. He felt Jasmine’s hand on his wrist. He looked back at her.

“Let me handle this, Jack.”

Jack held up his hands and stepped back. “You think I did a bad job?”

The Russian shifted his eyes between Jack and Jasmine.

She stepped forward, a smile on her face.

“Look, um, what’s your name?”

“I am no one of consequence.”

She kept smiling. “Right, well, Mr. Consequence then. I apologize for my partner’s technique. Brute force isn’t always the best option. Right?”

The Russian returned her smile. “No, it isn’t.” He glanced at Jack and then back at her. “It does not work with my people. We are strong. Unlike you Americans.”

Jasmine’s smile broadened. She continued. “Frankly, you look at me and probably don’t fear me. Right?” She didn’t wait for him to respond. “But you should fear me more. You see, I can’t beat you like he can. Which means I have to resort to more drastic actions.”

She pulled out her pistol and shot the Russian in the foot.

He screamed and fell over to the side. The bullet went through the top of his foot and out the bottom. He clutched the wounded appendage in both hands. Blood poured from the entrance and exit wounds.

Jack crossed his arms. Smiled. He was impressed.

“Now tell me who you report to,” she said.

The Russian had scooted himself back and sat against the tree. He still held his foot in both hands, pressing tightly in an attempt to stop the bleeding. “His name…” He paused to catch his breath. His face twisted and turned upward.

“His name is what?”

The Russian opened his eyes and spoke through gritted teeth. “Lazar.”

“Is that a first or last name?”

The Russian said nothing. He leaned his head back against the tree and seemed to be losing consciousness.

“Answer me.” Jasmine placed the barrel of her gun against his head.

The Russian pushed his head back against the tree and turned to the side. Tears fell from the far corners of both eyes.

“That’s his first name.”

Jack watched in amazement at how easily Jasmine had gotten the information. The man didn’t fear Jack’s strength, but he turned coat at the possibility that Jasmine would kill him one shot at a time.

“What’s his last name? And where is he?” Jasmine asked.

The man took two quick breaths and one deep inhalation. He held the air in his lungs for a few seconds and then exhaled. “Chernov. His name is Lazar Chernov. He’s in Georgia.”

“The country?” Jasmine asked.

“No, the state. Near Atlanta.”

Jasmine looked back at Jack and nodded.

He shrugged and held out his hands.

“Call the name in,” she said.

“There’s lots of us there,” the man said.

Jasmine shook her head and gestured for Jack to hold on.

“Wait, what? How many?”

The Russian laughed. Closed his eyes and shook his head. “Screw you lady.”

She aimed her gun at him again.

“Jasmine, stop,” Jack said. “Come over here for a minute.”

She backed up, keeping her eyes and gun focused on the man sitting against the tree.

Jack said, “Let’s check out this Chernov guy.”

She nodded. Holstered her gun. Reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone. She pressed and held down a single button and then hit another button to turn on the speaker when the line began ringing. Frank picked up mid-way through the second ring.