Deadline

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by L. T. Ryan


  The front door opened and a tanned man with a full head of gray hair exited the home. He walked up to the driver and they shook hands. The driver leaned in and whispered something. The older man watched me, nodded his head and walked over with his hand extended.

  “Doctor Vasseur,” he said.

  “Jack.” I gripped his hand in mine.

  He patted me on the shoulder. “Come with me.”

  I followed him into the house, down a set of stairs and through a door that looked like rock on one side and reinforced steel on the other. I saw Bear sitting in a chair, head slumped on his shoulder, asleep. Next to him on a hospital bed was Sasha. She held a book in her hand but quickly tossed it aside when I entered.

  “That was some trick shot,” I said.

  She smiled. “I can’t say I would have done the same thing, but it was effective at getting that wench’s hands off of me.”

  I leaned over and kissed her on the cheek.

  Her expression soured. “You’re in a lot of trouble. You know that, right?”

  I nodded and let my frown speak for me.

  “The CIA wants blood. And as bad as that sounds, there are some terrorists who want even more than that. Between Frank, Awad and that mess in Texas, you’ve pissed a lot of people off.”

  “So things are normal is what you’re telling me.”

  “Your face is everywhere.” She bit her bottom lip. “It’s probably best that you disappear for a long, long time.”

  “I can fight back. We both know what I did was the right thing.”

  She grimaced as she sat up straight. “Perhaps, Jack. But this is about vengeance now. The CIA has men who will operate outside any semblance of the law. And the terrorists, well, I don’t think I need to tell you more about that. At least an Agency man might kill you on sight. Those other bastards will keep you alive for as long as you can withstand their tortuous methods.”

  I glanced over at the slumbering Bear. “I might need to borrow him for a few weeks.”

  Sasha looked away, tears filling her eyes.

  “He’ll get back to you.” I ran my hand along the back of her head. “I promise. I just need a running start, and he’ll be helpful there.”

  “It’s not that, Jack.” She drew in a deep breath and pushed it out quickly. “He’s going to be pissed at me for doing this, but here goes.”

  “What is it?”

  “There’s a tumor.”

  “What?”

  “In his head.”

  “Bear?”

  “Yes, Riley…Bear. He has a brain tumor and one doctor says it’s inoperable and another says we can operate but the chance of survival is not even fifty percent. Well, they both bloody say that.”

  The words were worse than any sucker punch, blade, or bullet that I’d ever been on the receiving end of. Bear, the guy larger than life, my best friend, dying? “This can’t be happening.”

  “I know what you mean.”

  The big guy groaned, stretched his arms out and sat up. He looked at Sasha, then me. His forehead bunched up. He scratched his beard. “Where’s the funeral?”

  “We’re just saying our goodbyes,” Sasha said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

  Bear rose and reached for my hand. I met his half way. He pulled me in and wrapped his arms around me. He was more of a hugger than I was. Given the circumstances, I let him hang on as long as he wanted.

  “This isn’t goodbye,” I said. “I’m gonna set this right.”

  Bear pushed me back with his massive hands on my shoulders. “I know you will.” He dropped one arm and reached into his pocket. He placed the piece of paper he withdrew into my hand.

  “What’s this?” I said.

  “Safe house,” he said. “It’s in the middle of Italy on the west coast. The owner is only there on the weekend and no one else knows about the place. Figure it’s a good spot for you to lay low for a bit, maybe figure out your next step while the attention fades.”

  “Herman,” Sasha said, “the man who drove you here, will get you past the border and arrange for transportation for the rest of your journey. He should have already provided you with your passport and so on.”

  I nodded while looking at the couple in turn. The big guy’s face was etched in my brain, but I wanted to hang onto the image of him sitting there with Sasha, happy. I had a ton left to say, but decided to keep it in. Suppress and repress. My mantra.

  We shook hands once more, then I left the room, perhaps laying eyes on Bear for the last time.

  CHAPTER 71

  Javier personally delivered the communication to Sean Noble. He remarked how the man looked like his brother. It only took a few minutes to clear up the confusion regarding Jack’s current situation and then present the information as he had instructed.

  “Here is the signed form releasing Mia to your custody. It is your brother’s wish that you raise her as one of your own.”

  Sean read the paper with the intensity of a lawyer, then set it down. He scrutinized Javier, as the official had expected Jack’s brother would.

  “This is the information regarding her trust. You will now be the executor.” Javier placed another packet on the table. “These are three separate bank accounts for your use in taking care of her and the rest of your family. One is in the Caymans. Another in Europe. And the third is virtual. Petty cash, I suppose. Mr. Noble, it should go without saying that you should not return to your home in the United States. Jack has provided you with close to eight million dollars between these accounts. That should be enough to ease the suffering of leaving your business behind and uprooting your family, which unfortunately you must do.”

  The older Noble brother clenched his jaw and narrowed his eyes, but he nodded and signed all of the documents.

  “I would offer for you to remain in our lovely country, but just the other night we dispatched a man who had been sent here to execute you all. I feel it is in your best interests to leave immediately. I have arranged for a Gulfstream to carry you to the Caymans. Once there you will receive directions to the home you have full use of for as long as you need until you are settled elsewhere.”

  Sean shuffled through the papers until he arrived at the three deeds, each for a house in different parts of the world.

  “I guess I know what it’s like to be my brother now,” he said.

  Javier smiled, full well knowing that this lawyer-man had no idea. But he looked like a decent fellow, and obviously Jack trusted him enough to have the man raise his little daughter.

  An hour later the family was packed into the Gulfstream. Javier sent a coded message that notified Jack Noble his loved ones were safely on their way out of the country.

  Javier’s debt to Jack Noble was partially repaid. In some ways, he hoped he’d have the opportunity to fully repay the man. At the same time, he prayed he’d never hear from him again.

  CHAPTER 72

  After crossing the border into Italy, Herman navigated to a small town and stopped in front of an abandoned warehouse. He cut the chain around the doors with a pair of bolt cutters. The chain piled up like a snake in waiting in front of the door. The building was fifty feet long and thirty feet wide. And there was only one thing inside.

  He started the BMW motorcycle and then asked me if I knew how to ride. I nodded. He proceeded to punch the coordinates of my destination into the GPS unit, then fixed the device to the bike.

  As we changed positions, he placed a cell phone in my hand. It was a simple device unlike the massive tablet looking things people carried around these days. “Don’t get pulled over.”

  “I’ll try not to.”

  “If you do, kill the cop.” He smiled and half-heartedly shook his head.

  I pulled out of the warehouse and followed the digital map. I thought about Bear a lot for the first part of the trip. I knew if anyone could beat the odds, it was him. And as much as I wanted to send all the positive vibes I could, I had to focus on staying alive. There would be time to contemplate
my old friend’s future. Just not right now.

  The ride took close to five hours and ended with me ascending a long hill into a town that had been built into the cliff. I parked the bike and set out on foot with the GPS now in hand. The worn streets grew narrower until they reached a size no automobile could pass through. There were several steps along the way. The shadows grew longer and longer until the sun disappeared behind the mountain. Voices erupted from the windows of every home I passed.

  Sunday evening dinner. I could smell the bread. The sauce. Taste the wine.

  I climbed the final set of cracked steps to my destination. The white house had yellow trim around the windows and a door that was now red but looked as though it had been painted several times over the last couple centuries. I reached out and rapped my knuckles against the weathered wood. A paint chip fell and spun as it drifted to the ground.

  The door opened and I stood face-to-face with the woman who for so long had been a major part of my life. Her hair was different, blonde. But her eyes were the same emerald green.

  “Jack?”

  “Clarissa.” I looked past her to see if there was anyone else inside. The room was deserted. “I guess Bear didn’t call first.”

  She bit her bottom lip. Shook her head.

  Bear had said she was only there on the weekends. “Does anyone else know about this place?”

  “No.”

  “Look, I wouldn’t have come here if I had known. They said this was a safe house, and I’m in need of a place to hide out for a while.”

  She reached out and gestured me inside. “Say no more. I’m rarely here and no one knows I own the house. Stay as long as you need.”

  I grabbed a large bottle of red wine as I passed the kitchen and collapsed on the couch. A moment later, Clarissa joined me, setting two glasses on the wooden table in front of us.

  Our reunion only lasted for a few hours. She left before midnight, had to get back to Rome for some big job. I watched her disappear into the darkness, then settled into my temporary home.

  Only one thought remained on my mind.

  I had to clear my name.

  At any cost.

  Jack Noble will return soon.

  Want to be among the first to download the next Jack Noble book? Sign up for L.T. Ryan's newsletter, and you'll be notified the minute new releases are available - and often at a discount for the first 48 hours! As a thank you for signing up, you'll receive a complimentary copy of The Recruit: A Jack Noble Short Story.

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  I enjoy hearing from readers. Feel free to drop me a line at [email protected]. I read and respond to every message.

  If you enjoyed reading Never Cry Mercy, I would appreciate it if you would help others enjoy these books, too. How?

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  Like Jack. Visit the Jack Noble Facebook page and give it a like: https://www.facebook.com/JackNobleBooks.

  Other Books by L.T. Ryan

  Jack Noble Series in Order

  The Recruit

  Noble Beginnings

  A Deadly Distance

  Thin Line

  Noble Intentions

  When Dead in Greece

  Noble Retribution

  Noble Betrayal

  Never Go Home

  Beyond Betrayal (Clarissa Abbot)

  Noble Judgment

  Never Cry Mercy

  Deadline

  Visit http://ltryan.com/noble-intentions/ for purchasing information.

  Mitch Tanner Series

  The Depth of Darkness

  Mitch Tanner #2 - Coming Fall, 2016

  Affliction Z Series

  Affliction Z: Patient Zero

  Affliction Z: Abandoned Hope

  Affliction Z: Descended in Blood

  Affliction Z: Book 4 - coming soon

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  Lee "L.T." Ryan lives in Central, VA with his wife, daughters, and two bully breed dogs. He enjoys writing fast-paced suspense thrillers, and post-apocalyptic fiction. When not writing, he enjoys reading, hiking, mountain biking, fishing, and spending time with the ladies in his life.

  Current and upcoming projects include continuations in the Jack Noble, Mitch Tanner, and Affliction Z series.

  Join L.T. Ryan's New Release Newsletter and receive a complimentary Jack Noble short story: http://ltryan.com/newsletter

  To Learn more about L.T. go to http://ltryan.com

  Join L.T. Ryan on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JackNobleBooks

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  Quick Links

  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 20

  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

  Other Books by L.T. Ryan - ePub

  About the Author

 

 

 


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