Chapter 2
Before Jack had even finished speaking, he was already in motion. He grabbed Audrey's arm, and they set off at a brisk pace, heading for his car. Audrey had to run to keep up with Jack's long-legged stride, but she didn't complain.
With his free hand, Jack grabbed his cell phone and dialed. "Bill, it's Jack," he said curtly. "Listen, I can't stay here. Something's up. I'm not sure exactly what, but somebody just tried to trap me. I'm on my way back to CTU; I'll fill you in when I get there." Without waiting for a response, Jack hung up the phone. "Let's go." Without a word, Audrey scrambled into the passenger seat of Jack's SUV. She had barely closed the door behind her before Jack was already pulling out of the parking lot. As they sped towards CTU, Audrey could only pray that whoever was out there wasn't following them and lying in wait.
-o-o-o-o-
Bill Buchanan's jaw dropped as he stared at Jack and Audrey. "My God, Jack," he managed. "That's..."
"Absolutely insane?" Jack said dryly. "Yeah, I know. Thank God that Chloe warned me. Who knows what would have happened?" He ran a hand through his hair. "As soon as I called you, I got in the car with Audrey and drove straight here. I don't know if they followed me. For all I know, they're out there waiting—whoever they may be."
"Can you describe the man that talked to you?" Bill asked him. "The one that told you about the phone call?"
Jack closed his eyes to think. "He's...oh...about six-foot-two. Tall and slender. He was wearing a suit. He was Asian — "
"Asian?" Bill interrupted sharply. "Jack, I hate to say this, but... do you think there's a possibility that he works for the Chinese? Could he be one of Cheng Zhi's men?"
Jack visibly paled. "I hadn't thought about that. Yeah, that's a possibility. But how would they— oh, Christ. Logan. I bet he tipped them off to get revenge." He exhaled hard. "Oh, my God."
Bill saw that Jack was visibly shaken by this turn of events. "We'll get to the bottom of this, Jack. I promise. We'll find out what's going on here." He reached for the phone. "I'm going to call Mark Kelly and have him get a sketch of the man that you saw. We'll see if Chloe can get a positive ID."
Mark Kelly arrived within minutes, and set to work drawing a composite sketch of the man that Jack described. For the next several minutes, he erased and made changes as Jack suggested various corrections. At last, Jack nodded, satisfied. "That's as close as we're going to get."
Bill reached for the sketch. "Thanks, Mark. I'll get this to Chloe, and we'll see if she can get an ID. In the meantime, Jack, you're probably not safe," he added grimly. "They may be watching you. I don't think you should go home tonight." He smiled wanly. "I could fix you a cot and put you in one of the Holding cells," he said, making a feeble attempt at humor. "At least you'd be locked away, so no one could get to you."
Jack shook his head. "I think I'll take a pass on that opportunity, thanks," he said dryly. "Seriously, though, I'm fine. Really. My house has a security system, and there are gun safes." He glanced at Audrey. "They targeted my friends once already. You may not be safe. I think you should come home with me tonight. Like I said, the house is protected." Normally, Audrey would have laughed and made a sly quip, but this was no joking matter. White-faced, she only nodded silently.
Bill got to his feet, and came around the desk to face Jack. "Don't hesitate to call us if you need anything tonight," he said seriously. He patted Jack's shoulder. "Go home, and get some sleep if you can."