by L. T. Ryan
“You contacted anyone yet?”
“No. You?”
“Who the hell am I gonna call?” He shook his head. “You’re the talker, not me.”
The sun was high in the clear sky, nothing to block its path. It beat down on my forehead. Almost felt like it was July.
“I suppose,” I said. “Anyway, I’ll reach out to Frank soon, give him an update and make sure we’re clear to re-enter the States.”
Bear took a deep breath and glanced around. “Thinking I’m gonna find a place out here for a while.”
“Two-and-a-half million should set you up decently.”
He chuckled. “I’d say so. Maybe even enough to buy me one of them girls like you get all the time.”
“They won’t come as cheaply for you.”
“At least they’ll leave satisfied.” His smile faded after a few seconds. “You headed back to Geneva still?”
“Yeah, gotta get the account set up for Christiana’s daughters.”
“How much are you donating here?”
“One and a quarter.”
“And the other half of your cut?”
“Going to Lexi’s dad.”
“You’re a saint, Mr. Noble. You truly are.”
I lifted the pistol. “I tend to think those folks on the other end of Mr. Beretta here would disagree with that sentiment.”
He held up a finger. “Oh, almost forgot.” He jogged back to his car, clouds of dirt rising with each of his footfalls. He opened the back door, reached in, and returned a moment later with a six-pack.
“You do still love me,” I said. “For a minute there, I thought you might bail on me after this mess. But now…” I grabbed a bottle and cracked open the top with my teeth and took a long pull. It was hoppy and bitter and hit my palate just right. I wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. “You did good, big man.”
Shaking his head, Bear chuckled to himself, then drained half the bottle in a couple gulps. We remained at that spot, me seated on the trunk, him leaning against the fender, until all six beers had been consumed. Afterward we said our goodbyes with plans to meet up in another couple months, perhaps sooner if either of us got into any more trouble, of which we both agreed there was a good chance.
I stood there after he left until the plumes of dust had settled and the land was peaceful once again.
66
Three weeks later I was back in the US. My first visit had been to Northern Virginia where I met with an acquaintance I shared with Frank Skinner. Frank had convinced me the documents could be a matter of national security. Though my path had led me away from his line of work, there was still a part of me that agreed with him the best thing to do was turn the information over and let the right people go to work on it. He assured me after they were through, the docs would be destroyed so they would not wind up in the wrong hands. The difficulty I experienced turning them over was quickly erased by the extra million dollars Frank slid into my account.
He’d also taken it upon himself to open up Lexi’s last investigation in Chicago and found enough evidence to bring McGrath and Denton down under a number of charges ranging from racketeering to attempted murder. There was a chance none of it would stick, but at least her work hadn’t died in vain.
I hopped a train to Indianapolis for no reason other than a flight would have taken me there too quickly. No one ever looked forward to delivering the news that a loved one had been lost, especially when that loved one was a child. No matter the age, your babies are always your babies.
A rented SUV covered the remaining miles to the cabin forty-five minutes west of the city. I drove down the same narrow road, the dirt driveway through the woods, and pulled up to the house. To my surprise, Shane stepped out onto the porch wearing new prosthetics. He didn’t even need his crutches. His concerned gaze transformed as I hopped out of the vehicle.
Thanos’s dog rushed past him and ran up to me. I squatted down and grabbed the scruff of his neck while scratching his side. “Hey there, buddy. You doing all right with the old guy?”
The screen door creaked open and slammed shut. Lexi’s father stood there, tall and defiant. Guess it was just how he held himself all the time. He turned his head, taking in the expanse of his front yard. I could see the question forming on his lips.
“Sir,” I said, crossing the distance between the truck and porch. I dug into my pocket and wrapped my hand around the locket. My heart ached at the pain I was about to inflict. “There’s no easy way to say this.”
He pursed his lips together to keep them from quivering. Muscles rippled at the corners of his jaw. I couldn’t imagine the thoughts racing through his mind. The day she was born, her initial steps, calling him “dada” the first time. Eucharist, confirmation, soccer matches and softball games. Her prom. Walking her down the aisle. Seeing her get into the FBI. His eyes watered and the steel facade cracked. He lowered his chin to his chest as tears streamed down his cheeks. Shane walked over, wrapped his arm around the old guy.
I grabbed his hand and dropped the locket in his palm. He stared down at it for a few moments while choking back sobs before finally opening it. It was a picture of her as a little girl, and him as a younger man. He was holding her, their cheeks pressed together.
“My God,” he said. “She held onto this all these years?”
“One more thing.” I jogged back to the SUV and popped the trunk. Disturbed dust swirled through the knifing sunlight. I grabbed a blue backpack and slung it over my shoulder.
“Where’s her body?” he asked, wiping tears from his eyes. “Can I see my girl one more time?”
I let the pack slide off my shoulder and caught it with my hand. It hung there, dangling and twisting while I thought of the words to tell him he could never see her again.
“She did good for her country, right?” he asked.
“That she did. We found something that could have been incredibly damning to our country if the wrong person had hold of it. It’s in the right hands now. They’ll gather what they can from it and we’ll be safer for it. Lexi’s legacy will live on in all the lives that were saved because of her actions.”
He seemed to believe my words, even if I didn’t. I lifted the bag and extended it toward him.
“What’s this?” he asked, taking the backpack from my hand, freeing me from the second half of Yashkin’s blood money.
“It can’t replace her, but perhaps you can do some good with it.”
He unzipped the bag and stared at the cash for a few moments, then dropped it to the ground. “I suppose.” He then retreated into his house.
Shane and I talked for a few more minutes. Turned out he and the dog hit it off, and he was taking him back to Chicago with him. I tossed the mutt a tennis ball, then climbed into the SUV and backed down the driveway.
My next stop was a good four hours away.
67
I traveled west on 74 until I reached I-39, which merged with I-90 in Rockford, Illinois. From there I made it to Madison and navigated from memory to the site of a steel warehouse. The snow had since melted. That was to be expected with temperatures in the high fifties. Police tape tied to stakes in the ground cordoned off the front of the building. The loft doors were secured with a thick chain and padlock.
My memory ran through that night once again. What if I hadn’t found the paper sewn into Thanos’s jacket? Lexi would still be alive. Yashkin, too, and he’d be no closer to the treasure he sought. Or would he? Had he known about the location, or had Rudin been following us? I was tired of the same questions and wanted answers.
I figured there was one man who could tell me.
David.
I had been gripped with pain that night, but not so much that I hadn’t paid attention to the route Lexi took to reach David’s facility. I drove along the country roads at a decent clip, paying attention to the landmarks that stood out in my mind’s eye. The only difference now was the lack of snow cover. I only missed one turn. Five minutes later I r
ealized it.
The driveway leading to the facility looked the same as I remembered. I pulled out my cell phone. Full signal. Not what I expected. But still it looked like I was in the right place.
I turned down the path to the house and eased forward. Last thing I wanted was some crazy woodlands character popping out with a shotgun, filling the SUV with buckshot.
I reached the clearing where the facility stood. Things were different though. The front door stood wide open. Windows were smashed. The antenna I recalled on the roof was gone, as was the satellite dish. Glancing at my phone, I saw it still had full signal. I got out and walked around to the entrance.
“He’s gone.”
I withdrew my pistol from its holster and spun to face the man.
“Easy, Jack.” Charles held his left hand up. In his right was his sidearm, aimed at my chest. “Not here for any trouble.”
“How’d you know I’d be here?”
“We’ve been monitoring you.” He took a few steps forward. “You shoulda plugged Thanos when you first had a chance. Woulda been a whole lot less dead people.”
“What do you know of it?”
He took a deep breath and shook his head. “We were conned, just like you. The Old Man ain’t very happy about it, either. Turns out that guy Matt wasn’t on our side. He was using us, using you, to get to Thanos. Everyone wanted the information that guy had.”
“Yeah, well, you don’t have to worry about him anymore.” I looked at the facility. “What are you doing here, Charles? What does the Old Man care about this place?”
“I’m assuming you are now aware of who General Yashkin is, correct?”
I nodded, said nothing.
“This ex-spook, David Meadowcroft and Yashkin were working together.”
I held up my hand, didn’t need to hear anymore. Suddenly the answers I sought had no bearing.
“I’m not leaving with you,” I said.
“Didn’t think you would,” Charles said.
“You can tell anyone waiting out there they’ll die before they take me with them.”
He laughed. “No one here but me, Noble.”
“Why?”
“The Old Man is curious about what you found in Russia. Says it could be worth some serious coin to you.”
“Second grade homework.”
“What?”
“That’s what we found.” I pulled out a picture of the documents I had intended to shove in David’s face and tore it into pieces. “It doesn’t matter, really. Already turned it over to the Feds. It’s being analyzed and shredded as we speak.”
“That’s a shame. I’ll let him know.” Charles turned and started toward the woods. At the edge of the clearing he stopped and faced me one more time. “If that should change, give him a call. Otherwise, we’ll reach out to you sometime after you’re back in the city.”
I had no doubt about that.
No doubt at all.
THE END
Jack Noble's story will continue in Jack Noble #13 later this year!
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Also by L.T. Ryan
Jack Noble Series
The Recruit (free)
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
Mitch Tanner Series
The Depth of Darkness
Mitch Tanner Book 2 - Late 2017
Affliction Z Series
Affliction Z: Patient Zero
Affliction Z: Abandoned Hope
Affliction Z: Descended in Blood
Affliction Z Book 4 Late Summer 2017