by L. T. Ryan
Noble Intentions: Season One
L.T. Ryan
http://LTRYAN.com
PUBLISHED BY:
L.T. Ryan at Smashwords
Copyright © 2012
All rights reserved.
No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced in any format, by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior consent from the copyright owner and publisher of this book.
This is a work of fiction. All characters, names, places and events are the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously.
Quick Links
Note: Episode table of contents at beginning of each episode. Full table of contents available at the end of the book or through your e-reader’s menu.
EPISODE 1
EPISODE 2
EPISODE 3
EPISODE 4
EPISODE 5
Other Books by L.T. Ryan
Excerpt from Noble Beginnings: A Jack Noble Novel
Full Table of Contents
About the Author
Copyright Page
Jack Noble Series in Order
The Recruit (Short Story - Free for newsletter subscribers)
Noble Beginnings
A Deadly Distance
Noble Intentions Season One
Noble Intentions Season Two
Noble Intentions Season Three
Never Go Home
Untitled (Clarissa Abbot) - Coming October, 2013
Noble Intentions Season Four - Coming December, 2013
This book is dedicated to Gabriella. Thank you for your patience, support, belief and inspiration. And for putting up with my incessant talk about Jack Noble and his cast of derelict friends and foes. Without you, this book would have never taken shape.
I also thank you, the reader, for taking a chance on an unknown author and a character named Jack Noble. I hope he becomes as much a part of your life as he is mine.
Episode 1
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1
“Momma!” the little girl called out in a frightened voice.
Jack Noble looked over and saw her standing alone. She looked to be eight or nine years old. He watched people walk by the crying child, paying no attention to her. His first thought was to ignore her like the faceless others who didn’t notice or care that a little girl was standing in the middle of the sidewalk alone and lost.
“Momma? Where are you?” she said through sobs.
Jack jogged over and knelt in front of the child. “What’s your name, sweetheart?”
“Mandy.” She wiped tears away from her big blue eyes. “Can you help me?”
Jack looked around at the crowded street and then at his watch. The old man would be there soon. The instructions were explicit; he had to be at the corner of Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue at 9:30 a.m. The old man did not like it when people were late.
Jack looked at the little girl. “Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to talk to strangers?”
She stared back at him.
“C’mon, Mandy.” He hoisted her onto his shoulders. “Can you see her?”
Mandy looked up and down the street. “No. I don’t see her nowhere.”
“How long have you been lost?”
“I dunno. A long time.” Her crying had stopped.
Jack turned in a tight circle so Mandy could scout the crowd.
“I can’t see her mister.”
Jack pulled her down from his shoulder and held her against his chest. “Where do you live?”
“23423 52nd Street, Apartment D.” She rattled the address off fast, like a robot, and he knew the address had been drilled into her by her mother or father.
“Do you know your mommy’s cell phone number?”
As quickly as she offered up her address, the little girl gave him her mother’s cell phone number.
Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone, dialed the number and waited for it to ring.
“We’re sorry, the number you have dialed has been disconnected. Please check the number and try again,” a recorded operator told him.
He dialed again, but the same message played.
“Shit!”
“Oh, you said a bad word,” Mandy said.
He smiled at the girl, but his smile turned into a look of concern when he saw the white Mercedes getting closer. The old man was here, 9:30 a.m. on the dot. He looked around to see if anyone recognized the little girl. People walked by, eyes ahead staring off into the distance like zombies. It was always the same in every big city he visited. Everyone walked around with blank stares, looking straight ahead. They couldn’t give two shits about you or your problems.
The Mercedes pulled up to the curb. The rear window rolled down. An old Asian man peered at him through thin glasses. “Hello, Mr. Jack.”
Jack nodded back at the man.
“Do you have the documents with you?”
Jack held up the briefcase for the old man to see. “Right here.”
“Is today bring your child to work day?”
“Condescending much?” Jack continued to look around for someone, anyone, who recognized Mandy. “I need you to give me a couple minutes here.”
“There are no minutes to give, Mr. Jack. Our agreement was 9:30 a.m. It is now 9:30 a.m.”
“Just give me a minute. She’s lost. I need to find a safe place for her.”
“I can assure you my car is the safest place for her.” His sly, yellow smile was enough to put Jack on alert.
“Just give me a minute,” Jack said. He knew the old man didn’t give a rat’s ass about the little girl. He would drive five minutes out of the city and drop her on the curb, if he didn’t kill her first.
“You have 30 seconds, Mr. Jack. Fail to return in 30 seconds and… well, I don’t have to tell you what’s to come. Do I?”
“No. I’m well aware of that.” In ten years he had done at least four dozen jobs for the old man. Jack knew the only reason the crime boss continued to give him assignments was because Jack didn’t screw up. He didn’t attract attention, and he most definitely didn’t tell the old man to wait.
“You are wasting time, Mr. Jack.”
Jack took off down the sidewalk. He recalled seeing a police officer stationed a block away. Dealing with a cop wasn’t ideal. There was always a risk that Jack’s face was plastered on a wanted poster somewhere. But if he wanted Mandy in a safe place, there was no other choice.
“Officer!” Jack yelled.
The police officer turned to face Jack with a look of indifference smeared across his face.
“Officer, this little girl is lost. I need you to take her. She knows her address and her mom’s cell phone.” Jack pushed the little girl towards the cop. She turned and reached back for Jack, apparently not wanting to leave his side.
“Whoa, whoa, wait,” the policeman said. He held out his hand and shook it in Jack’s face. “What the hell is going on here? You can’t just dump a kid on me.”
“I know how it looks, officer, but she’s in danger. Just take her back to the precinct until her mother shows up.”
The cop eyed Jack’s six foot two inch frame up and down. His gaze lingered a second too long and Jack got the feeling the cop didn’t care too much for him. He watched the policeman’s eyes stop at the handcuffs attached to Jack’s left wrist. They widened when the cop seemed to realize that the other end was attached to a briefcase. The cop backed up.
“What the hell is attached to yo
ur wrist?”
Jack checked to see how many people were around. It was crowded. He was in New York for Christ’s sake, of course it was crowded. He preferred not to make a scene with this many people nearby, but he didn’t have much choice. He looked back at the cop. The pudgy officer had his hand on his gun. Jack knew at that moment he had no other choice.
Jack slowly raised his left hand and distracted the officer by pushing Mandy toward him. The moment the cop looked down at the little girl, Jack’s window opened. He reached into his pocket for a stun grenade, or flashbang as he called it. In one fluid motion he threw the flashbang at the cop’s feet, pulled Mandy back, and turned so he wouldn’t be blinded by the light.
The cop didn’t have time to react. BOOM! The flashbang exploded with a burst of bright light that instantly and temporarily blinded anyone who saw it. The explosion was loud enough to upset the fluid in the inner ear, disrupting all sense of balance and direction. The officer fell back and hit his head on the sidewalk. Hours later neither the cop nor any of the bystanders would be able to describe Jack. The only thing the cop remembered was the briefcase.
Jack lifted Mandy in a fireman’s carry and ran. He scoured the street for the Mercedes, but it was gone. It looked like the old man hung him out to dry.
Again.
Jack cursed out loud.
Mandy giggled.
“You think this is funny?”
She stopped laughing and pushed with her hands to get off of his shoulder. Jack tightened his grip as he looked for the Mercedes. He spotted it parked a block and a half away. He was almost out of breath when he finally reached the car.
“Mr. Jack,” said the old man, “I would have thought that someone in your line of work would be in better shape.”
“Damn cigarettes,” Jack said.
“You know, those will kill you.” The old man reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out a cigarette, lit it with a wooden match, and threw the match out the window toward Jack.
“When?” Jack asked in a sarcastic tone. He set the girl down and ran his hand through his brown hair. “Let us in,” he said, “we’ll get this sorted out on the way.”
“Mr. Jack, you are late. Not only that, you have attracted the attention of the police. This meeting has been compromised.” He rolled up the window and the Mercedes pulled away.
“Wait!” Jack said. “Let us in. I’ve got what you want right here.”
The Mercedes stopped and the old man stuck his head out the window, looking back at him. “Another time, Mr. Jack.” The old man paused and lowered his sunglasses so Jack could look at his cataract covered eyes. “I’ll be in touch soon.”
The Mercedes sped away and Jack heard the sounds of sirens approaching. The cops would be here soon. He had to get moving or it would only be a matter of seconds before they found him.
“It’s time for plan B, Mandy.” He lifted her back onto his shoulder.
“What’s plan B, Mr. Jack?”
“I’ll let you know as soon as I do, sweetheart.”
Jack jogged half a block and ducked into an alley. He pulled out a map of the area that was marked with the locations of places he considered safe houses. Over the last decade he had performed enough favors he could always call on someone when in a tough situation.
Clarissa’s apartment was on a block away. She was a friend. Truth be told, she was more than a friend. There were two people Jack trusted with his life and Clarissa was one of them. She would hide him for the night, no questions asked. He might even be able to pawn Mandy off on her. He looked at the little girl and laughed at the thought of Clarissa taking care of a kid.
“What’s so funny?”
“Other than your face?”
“Hey! That’s not nice!” Mandy stuck out her lower lip in an exaggerated pout.
Jack laughed. “I’m teasing sweetie. Only teasing.”
They hid out in the alley until dark. Clarissa’s apartment wasn’t far away, but he didn’t want to risk the cops spotting them. He didn’t want to kill a cop in front of Mandy. He might be a killer, but he did have some morals.
2
“Who is it?” Clarissa asked from the other side of the door.
Jack held Mandy against his chest. She was asleep, had been since before they left the alley. He quietly replied, “It’s Jack.”
“Jack?”
“C’mon, Clarissa. I’m in trouble. Need your help.”
The door opened and Jack was greeted by the gorgeous red head. There weren’t many women who could look him in the eye, but at five foot ten and wearing heels, Clarissa could. She motioned with her hand for Jack to come in. As he walked past her, he noticed how great she smelled. She always smelled great. Not cheap like most of the other strippers he knew.
“Who the hell is this?”
“Her name’s Mandy. She’s lost.” Jack paused a beat. “I was waiting for an associate and spotted her. She was standing there, crying for her mom. No one would help her.”
Clarissa raised a curious eyebrow. “Ahhh, you’ve gone soft, baby.”
“Shut up.”
“So, what, you went up to her and?”
“I offered to help. Figured her mom was in a nearby store. You know something simple like that.”
“I’m guessing you assumed wrong then?”
“Yeah, very wrong. Worst thing is I missed my meeting, which pissed off some very bad people.” He unlocked the handcuffs and set the briefcase down.
Clarissa cast a curious eye toward the briefcase. “So why are you here? You need me to hide you?” She laughed.
“I also pissed off the cops.” He looked up at the ceiling, his hands clasped behind his head.
“Let me get you a drink.”
Jack nodded.
“What do you want? I got beer, whiskey, tequila.”
“One of each,” Jack replied. “Hey, you got somewhere she can lie down?”
“Sure, go ahead and put her in my room for now.” Clarissa pointed to the back of the apartment with one hand as she filled shot glasses with the other.
Jack walked over to the couch and picked up the sleeping girl. It had been a long day for the child. She opened her eyes and stared at him, lips drawn tight and her eyebrows furrowed. He waited for her to ask him a question, but before she could open her mouth, her head fell forward on his shoulder and she went back to sleep. He stroked her hair as he took her to Clarissa’s bedroom. Jack laid her down and covered her up with a blanket.
He walked back to the kitchen and went straight to the counter where his shot glasses were waiting. He threw back a shot of tequila and grimaced at the burn and aftertaste. He’d only had three jobs go bad. Two of those three had been because of tequila.
“I’ve never seen you that gentle with anyone,” Clarissa said. She placed her hand on his shoulder and gave it a soft massage, then dragged her nails lightly across his back.
He picked up the second shot glass and held it to his lips. “I screwed up.” He drank the whiskey, slammed the shot glass down and then cracked opened the bottle of beer. “Big time.”
“More?”
“Yeah, one of each.” He slid the shot glasses across the counter.
Clarissa poured his refills. “How bad can it be?”
Jack said nothing. He drank his shots in succession and returned to his bottle of beer. “We’ll only be here tonight.”
“Jack, you know you can stay as long as you need. I don’t mind. Even with the kid, it’s cool with me.” She put her arm around his shoulders. “As much as you have done for me, it’s the least I can do.”
“It’s the old man,” he said.
Clarissa looked down at the floor, toward the briefcase. “I’m guessing that briefcase has something to do with it?”
Jack nodded and said nothing.
“What’s inside?” she asked.
“Just some papers.” He paused. “It’s better you don’t know.”
“Will he try to kill you?”
Jack thought about it for a moment, shrugged. Would he kill me?
“If he wanted me dead he would have killed me after I botched the deal.”
“So why don’t you go to him tonight and complete the deal?” Clarissa asked.
“The cop on the corner. He saw enough of me to be able to identify me. Plus, the old man said he’d be in contact. Better to just wait it out.”
“You want to turn on the TV? Check the news?”
“Nah, that shit’s depressing.”
They both laughed but the moment was short lived, interrupted by a shrill scream. Jack raced to the back of the apartment to check on Mandy.
“Mommy!”
Jack sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her hair. “Shhh,” he whispered, “we’re going to get you to your momma. I promise.” He sat with her until she fell back to sleep.
Clarissa greeted him with a smile when he returned to the kitchen. He smiled back. She looked good tonight. Hell, she looked good any time of day. But tonight she seemed more vibrant than usual. Even though he had ten years on her, they’d always had a connection. Things had progressed further the last few years, though, and that scared Jack. In his line of business it didn’t pay to be close to anyone.
“Another drink?” she asked.
Jack nodded.
Clarissa brushed against him on her way to the fridge.
Jack followed her, waiting behind the opened door. The air escaping from the refrigerator felt cool against his flush face.
She stood, turned and stopped inches from him. Bit her bottom lip.
He lifted his hand, brushing strands of her hair behind her ear. Leaned in and kissed her neck. His hands worked down her sides. Steady fingers unbuttoned her jeans and slid them off her waist. “For a stripper you wear some pretty boring panties.”
“Exotic dancer,” she said in between nibbles on his ear. She wrapped a leg around his.
“The little girl,” Jack said. “She’s sleeping in the other room.”