by L. T. Ryan
Noble stopped short of the wood’s edge and watched for movement. The scene reminded him of a time recently with Bear, right before the incident with Skinner. This place looked nicer, though, like an actual family lived here.
He powered on the phone and sent one message.
”Am I in the right place?”
Seconds stretched into minutes as he waited. Leaving the phone on for longer than it took to send and receive messages was a bad idea. Brandon had drilled that into his head over the years. When the phone finally buzzed in his hand, Jack nearly dropped it.
“fifty feet from each other”
All he needed. He crossed the yard and went straight for the door, unfolding the boxcutter as he walked. He hurried across the porch, grabbed the knob, drove his shoulder into the door as he pushed.
A woman standing ten feet away shrieked and dropped her drink. The glass shattered on the floor. Ice skittered across the room. A puddle of vodka and soda spread out. She covered her face and pleaded for him not to hurt her.
Her husband, presumably, entered carrying a set of tongs held up as though he were a samurai ready to do battle. He started to charge Noble. Must’ve thought better of it because he stopped in his tracks. Unable to hold eye contact, he looked at the mess on the floor.
“What the hell is happening?” He adjusted his thick-rimmed glasses that made his eyes look two sizes too small and his accent sound even more British.
“Where’s the girl?”
“Y—y-you can’t have her. You can’t hurt her.” The guy’s resolve steeled. He straightened, held those tongs out again. Ready to do battle.
Noble smiled. The man, while not a threat, had balls. So, Jack held his hands up and delivered a simple message. “Tell her Mr. Jack is here.”
“Jack!” Her voice shrieked in a way that made her sound like she was six years old again. When Mandy appeared, he saw her as the little girl he rescued on a street in Manhattan, not the young woman she was now. She slammed into him with the force of a bullet, slipping on the vodka soda remnants along the way. He wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up, kissed her cheeks. She did the same, her arms wrapped in a death grip around his neck.
“Oh, girl, what happened? How’d you get here?”
She tried to answer. Emotion got the best of her. She sobbed heavily; her tears coated his cheek, neck, shoulder. He held her tight, fearing if he let her go, they’d both die.
The couple looked on, holding each other. They brought awareness back to Jack.
“You folks have to leave,” he instructed.
“What? This is our home. We can’t leave.”
“You’re not safe here.” He looked at Mandy. “Do they know?” He assumed they did. Her nod confirmed. “These people, they’ll find this place, and they’ll kill anyone here. I need you to go, now. I’m gonna give you a number to call.” He set Mandy down and found a piece of paper. The wife told him where to get a pen. He scribbled down a name and number and handed it to her. “Get out of here, now.”
“Yeah, yeah, OK.” The man started for the stairs.
“What are you doing?” Jack said.
“I have to get stuff.”
“No, don’t you get it? You don’t have time to get stuff. Get the hell out of here.”
The couple grabbed each other and stumbled to the front door.
“Wait.” Jack grabbed the man’s shoulder. “Do you have anything I can use as a weapon here?”
He nodded. “Come with me.”
Upstairs, in the bedroom, he unlocked a dresser drawer and pulled out an old revolver and a box of ammo. Jack held the weapon up and inspected it. Didn’t look like it had been shot, or cleaned, in years. But it would have to do.
The house felt too quiet after the couple left, too still. Jack tapped away at his cell phone while Mandy remained close. She kept a hand on his back as he paced, doing her best to keep up.
“You’re gonna have to give me a sec, kid. Gotta get this message out, then we need to bounce. Trouble’s not far behind us. Can feel it.”
She nodded and sulked over to the blue velvet corner chair. It consumed her. She drew her knees to her chest and hugged them.
Jack finished his message. ”Need you to reach out to Sadie for me. Tell her I’ve located Mandy. Need a safe place for her.” He finished it off with Sadie’s number. Then added, ”Before you do that, I know this is gonna kill our comms for a while... Anything new on Clarissa?”
The reply came back within thirty seconds. ”nothing new…I got a connection not far from you…take her there then I’ll contact Sadie. safer for u”
Jack’s iPhone buzzed. He glanced at it and saw a contact downloading.
Another message arrived. ”just sent you the deets, he’s good ppl will take care of her, and yeah, I know about your other phone, don’t worry I secured it for you”
“All right, kid, let’s get moving.”
The long stretch of road blended with the gray sky. Thick clouds bundled together like sheep in a small corral. Rumbles of thunder shook the car as the storm enveloped the area. A sign of what had happened, or what was to come?
Before driving away from the house, he had given Mandy a lesson with the revolver. She took to it fast, nailing her target dead center with her final three rounds. The man taking her in had been vetted by Brandon, but Noble had nothing on him, leaving Jack feeling more than uneasy.
In the final miles before the exit, he felt a chill. Not one to give into premonitions, Noble had to pull over. He exited the car and paced the shoulder for a few minutes. Something was off, didn’t feel right. But this was Brandon. The man had virtually been by Noble’s side for years and had gotten him out of many jams. If he had a trusted source, Jack needed to let go of control and take Brandon at his word.
He took a deep breath, headed back to the car. Mandy watched in her mirror. She smiled. As Jack slid behind the wheel, he received a text on his iPhone.
”killed the server. this is too hot. my guy is dead or detained don’t know which yet. GTFO of there and get rid of this phone.”
“Shit,” he said.
“What is it?” Mandy asked.
“Looks like you’re sticking with me for a while, kid.”
“I was hoping I would.”
Chapter 50
A single finger held up by one person for another to see. For some, a gesture of solidarity. Or a symbol that they’d see each other again, one more time. Another couple might use it to suggest the one thing that means more to them than anything else on earth.
For Jack and Clarissa, there had never been any of that. He saved her, possibly, from the hit team, and ended up in the water as she drifted away on the boat named Abandonment. It felt natural to return the gesture as she stood at the stern with her index finger in the air.
He dwelled on the possible meanings and settled on something she had told him during their few months together following Skinner’s death.
“There’s one place you’ll find me if things go wrong, Jack.”
She wouldn’t tell him when he pressed.
“You know the answer already, bud. You’ll figure it out when the time comes.”
He cycled through his memories. The location had to be in there. She’d revealed her plans to him months, or maybe even years ago. The internal data file was huge, time limited. Losing access to Brandon posed a problem. The guy was Noble’s last confidant, but Jack was on his own now with a thirteen-year-old girl to worry about. Presumably, Brandon was working to fix things, but now Noble had no means to make contact.
The iPhone. Gone now, but Brandon had made contact on it.
Then it hit him.
Noble swerved between two semis and slammed on the brakes as he entered the curving off ramp. The tires chirped until the speed dropped enough Mandy wasn’t pressed against him.
“Jack.” She swatted his arm. “The hell are you doing?”
He looked at her and burst into laughter.
“What?”
“Sound just like Bear.”
“Like father like daughter.”
Warmth spread through Noble as his mission solidified. It wasn’t enough to solve the Clarissa mystery. He had to get Mandy to Bear. Had to turn her over himself.
The grocery store wasn’t an ideal place to stop, but he knew he could get what he needed from there. The Audi slid in between two vans. Noble told Mandy to stick close to him and smile at anyone who made eye contact. He kept his face hidden as they entered. She did the same. He grabbed a hat off the rack and put it on. She laughed at his choice and repeated the slogan j'aime les bananes.
They picked up a few snacks and some water. A deck of cards and some dice. Deli meats and cheese. And a cheap phone with prepaid service that he activated as soon as they stepped outside, paid for with the credit card under his alias. He now realized that Brandon had that alias flagged because Brandon had created the identity. There was no more solid legend available than the one he was using.
By the time they reached the wagon, the phone was activated and had received a text message. Noble smiled at Brandon’s “praise Jesus” note and string of emojis.
He typed up a message and hit send. “Keeping Mandy close, not taking chances. Going back to Italy, need to know how hot I am there.”
Lingering in the parking lot was begging for trouble. They got back on the highway for five minutes, then pulled off again, this time avoiding places with cameras. He had a new message waiting.
“still hot, but not scalding. reached out to Clive through a backchannel. full support there. Sadie will meet you anywhere. by herself. take all that with the grain of salt you keep up your ass you crotchety bastard”
Jack laughed. Brandon had an odd sense of humor and no sense of timing when it came to delivering his jokes. Another message came through with instructions on how to contact Sadie.
“Everything OK?” Mandy leaned against the door; her left foot tucked under her right leg. The kid held up well despite everything that had happened. That wouldn’t always be the case. She’d have plenty to unpack in her twenties.
“I think so,” Jack said. “Sometimes you just gotta have faith that the people around you have your best interests in mind.”
“Bear always has for me.” She lowered her watery gaze. “Sasha for him.”
Jack reached out and Mandy leaned into him. They hugged over the center console. Her tears wet his neck. Her sobs pained his heart. The people behind Sasha’s murder would pay. Didn’t matter they slaughtered the entire building where Bear was being held hostage. Someone was behind this. And Noble didn’t plan on resting until he had their head on a stake, no matter how high up the chain of command it ran.
“I have to stop being weak.” Mandy pulled away, wiping her tears with the backs of her hands. “There’s no time for crying.”
“You’re not weak, kid. Far from it. What you’ve seen, been involved in, had happen, all since running into me… You probably would’ve been better off if I’d gotten in that car and left you standing there calling for your mother.”
“Maybe,” she said. “But you wouldn’t have been better off.”
“How’s that?”
“I saved your life.”
“Is that right?”
“Bear said more than once I’m your guardian angel.”
“He did, did he?”
She nodded. “Mmhmm. I told him you were lucky he was around because he saved your ass so much.”
“How old were you when this conversation happened?”
“Nine or ten, I suppose.”
“And you said ‘ass’?”
Mandy giggled the way she did when she was a little girl. Probably the only part of that child left.
“Well,” Jack said, “let me tell you that Bear was right. You did save my life. I never would have redeemed myself if it hadn’t been for you interfering. Probably be dead now. Or in jail. Or, worse, working for some agency full time.”
“Yuck to all three, man.”
Jack laughed. “Gotta get you a better mentor than Bear.”
Mandy’s broad smile faded. She pursed her lips, took a deep breath, then asked a dreaded question. “Any updates on him?”
All Jack could do was shake his head. He didn’t want to go into too much detail, and it had been hours since he heard anything new.
“I’m sure he’s OK. So tough.” Mandy flexed the way Bear would after completing any mundane task like pulling a box of cereal off the top shelf or picking up a pair of socks off the floor.
Nodding, Jack pulled out the phone and fired off another message requesting an update. It came within a few seconds. Jack read it aloud. “Recovering well. Gonna be moved soon. Should reunite them within a couple of days.”
Mandy’s demeanor changed as the shadow of death dissipated, banished from the vehicle.
Jack sent one more message. A time and location for Sadie to meet.
“One more stop, then we’re back on the road.”
Chapter 51
The little apartment located at the eastern end of Nice’s Promenade des Anglaise had an amazing view of the Mediterranean, Castle Hill, and the constant stream of 737s, A220s, and every other model of plane made by Boeing and Airbus landing on the other side of Nice. A steady stream of cars and people passed by, even at three in the morning. Jack knew because he crashed hard when they reached the apartment mid-day so he could stand watch all night.
The view of the Nice LOVE sign afforded him the ability to monitor the rendezvous point without standing out. He wasn’t watching for any one person. Rather, a type of person. What he had seen since sunset had been of no concern. If Sadie, or a third party, had sent someone to scout ahead, they did their job well.
He hung it up around four-thirty when the stream had turned into a drip and turned in for the night. Sleep was fast and fleeting. The sun pierced a crack in the curtains and knifed across the bed, slicing through his closed eyes, sending a pain through his head with the intensity of a migraine.
Jack rolled over, pulled on his pants, stepped into his flip flops, and wandered up to the kitchen. Mandy sat at the counter, a bowl of Cocoa Puffs in front of her. She slurped the milk from her spoon before sucking in the cereal contents. Repeatedly. Jack counted down from a hundred while waiting for water to heat. He had six packs of instant coffee and planned on drinking half of them before ten.
The kettle clicked off. Hot water blended with the dry coffee and created a decent-smelling brew. He held it to his face; inhaled the warmth; felt it spread from his chest outward. He carried the mug to the porch, stopping along the way to don the blue ball cap with the ridiculous slogan, sunglasses, and the fake mustache.
The Promenade was full of early morning walkers, bicyclists, people on roller skates. Sunworshippers flocked to the smooth stone beach, each step made gingerly so as not to stub a toe or sprain an ankle.
He set up at the patio table and pretended to play with his phone as he perked up with his first cup. His eyes scanned the crowd, picking out possible suspects. The LOVE sign never changed, but those surrounding it did. A line formed, people in groups of two, four, and more. They took turns taking several pictures. A few minutes later, an entire new group of people waited their turn.
Mandy joined him for his second cup. She had on her blue wig, sunglasses, and sundress. She’d already powdered her face to make it paler. Was it too much? Would it draw the kind of attention he didn’t want? Perhaps. And it worked because of that. So many eyes would be on Mandy that should something go down, the other party couldn’t overreact. Too many witnesses.
After Noble’s third cup, they set out on foot into the old town behind their apartment. The narrow alleyways offered a glimpse into life in Nice throughout the last four centuries. The hardships those people faced existed in history books. But the legacy left behind in the hundred-years-old buildings, the imprint of all those lives, could be felt with every step, every inhalation of the stifling air.
Man
dy stopped for a picture under the colorful flags strewn across an alleyway in front of an Indian restaurant. She tried to drag Noble into a vegan restaurant. The attractive host did her best, too. Jack couldn’t be lured. Any other time? Sure. But not today. He pulled Mandy along until they found a little place that offered the kind of breakfast he could eat: eggs and a pork product. It cost as much as a burger in Manhattan but hit the spot. After a few bites, Mandy agreed the little restaurant was the best choice, even though she wished she could watch Noble choke on alfalfa sprouts.
They continued through the winding maze of small streets until they located a small grocery store that offered prepaid phones. It would’ve been quicker had they gone two blocks to the west, where they’d be on a main road. But old town afforded protection from prying eyes.
He purchased a prepaid card and basic phone for Mandy using the same credit card as before. He held his breath as the clerk swiped it, fearing it had been flagged by a system outside of Brandon’s control. They’d track his location, and the moment the decline went through, a strike team would be on him. But none of that happened. The transaction processed. He set service up outside, and texted Brandon immediately, letting him know Mandy would have the phone throughout the day. Told him to watch it non-stop.
They went back to the apartment and relaxed for the next few hours, reconvening at the patio table for afternoon coffee.
“Will I be able to text you?” Mandy spun the phone on the patio table’s glass surface.
“Probably not.”
“Call you?”
“Nope.”
“Message you on Facebook?”
He laughed. “You think I’m on there?”
“You might want to be with your fake identities and stuff.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Everyone is on Facebook, Jack. Not being on there makes you look guilty.”
“Or it makes me look like a normal human being.”