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Chapter Eleven The Sting
"When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time." Maya Angelou
Pete went to Claudia who was filled with the tingling sensation of pins and needles from her head to her toes. "Not the best feeling I've ever had," she confessed when asked how she was.
"You shot up like a bat outta hell," Pete said of her actions.
"Thank you for that. You're very brave," HG said because she still thought of her protégé as a youth instead of the adult she was blossoming into.
"And that is gonna look so good in your review," Pete added, the assessments still on his mind.
Helena walked over to a window where Myka stood staring out. "Myka?" she asked her softly. "Darling, it's okay now."
Myka turned to look at Helena. "Helena, I could have …..," she said acknowledging that her anger was brimming over when she had Damien in her grasp.
"Yes, I know Myka. You didn't though," HG reminded her.
"But I really wanted to," Myka said, looking back out the window.
Myka had only felt anger surge through her veins like that a few times before, and it was always when Helena was in danger. It worried Myka that the feeling was both exhilarating and seductive. Each time she felt she lost control over it a little more.
She knew once they found out Damien 'accidentally fell' on his own syringes, his confessions would not be admissible. There had to be a purpose to an agent's every action – and she was having trouble defining hers other than revenge.
"What are we doing with him?" Pete asked Myka as the cops handcuffed Ted.
"We need him. We have to get to their arms dealer," Myka said. As the police held Ted outside, the agents talked over their plan.
"No! He has no idea what Helena looks like. I am not allowing her to walk into an exchange when we don't know anything about this guy except he's looking to trade money for people," Myka yelled.
"Myka, I will be okay," HG assured her gently placing her hand on her arm. It was as stiff as steel.
Myka put her head into her hands. She was on autopilot and the agents' code and objectives kept repeating in her head. 'Pick the most qualified agent for the job. Provide complete support for that agent. Abort the moment the agent is in danger.'
"We need this Jacques Kenne to give Ted the money in exchange for Helena," Pete pointed out.
"One crazy professor is good Myka, but an arms dealer off the market is great," Claudia added.
Without saying it, the others waited for Myka's final word. They knew she was the agent in charge – and had faith in her, in spite of the struggle within. Myka paced the floor, deep in thought until she came up with a plan.
"OK, Ted will bring Helena to the designated location. He'll exchange her for the money, but once that is done, I want her released even if it means a sharpshooter on a roof," she said looking directly at Pete.
"A sharpshooter? You don't mean? Mykes, she probably hasn't done that in …," Pete started to say when Alex added, "….….years. You can't be serious?"
"I've done my homework Doctor Chase and I know you were a sharpshooter with a score of 230," Myka said having checked Alex out on the plane ride there.
"But that was so long ago …," Alex said.
"Then you better pray you haven't lost those skills because I'm putting you on a roof near the exchange," Myka said directly.
"You don't want me to shoot this guy? I mean, I haven't shot…," Alex said thinking her skills could be rusty.
"In order for us to get this guy, the exchange has to take place. That means Helena has to go with him and the money has to be sent to the designated account. As soon as that happens, it's over. I don't want his car to drive a foot with her in it," Myka said.
"So blow out his tires? OK, you can do that right Alex?" Pete said.
"Oh his tires? Sure," Alex said relieved.
"Good," Myka said.
The local police were more than willing to help out on a case like this and followed Myka's orders to a tee.
"Darling, promise me you won't do anything foolish," HG asked Myka when they were alone.
"Helena, you're being handed over to an insane arms dealer handcuffed and you're asking me not to do anything foolish?" Myka replied.
"As soon as he puts me in the car, the handcuffs come off," HG promised.
With an hour to go now, the plan was explained to Ted who was assured his lack of cooperation in it would result in a longer jail sentence. He confirmed that the man they were going to meet was not to be messed with.
"You hand Agent Wells over, and then go back to the car where you will check the computer to make sure he's wired the money into the account. Agent Donovan will be monitoring it as well. Then you drive away where you will met by the Boston police as soon as your turn the corner here," Myka explained pointing to the map of the location.
"I don't know, " Ted hesitated thinking Kenne could kill him right then and there.
"Listen to me," Myka said closing in on him. "White will lawyer up as soon as he gets to the station. I'm guessing you don't have his resources and both of you are going down, so you might as well make your trip as comfortable as possible."
"He's a freaking arms dealer. You don't think he's going to think something's up when Professor White doesn't show up?" Ted asked.
"Oh he'll be there," Myka said and now everyone looked at her. "Pete, I need to talk to you."
Pete walked over to Myka while Claudia set her computer up to check the account that Ted gave her.
"Mykes? We're not supposed to use … I mean I know but, do you think it's okay? I mean.." Pete hesitated when she handed him Harriet Tubman's thimble.
"We need White to show up there, Pete. It's the only way to make sure we get this guy," Myka pointed out.
"OK sure, but don't mention to Alex about the change-a-roo thing, OK?" Pete asked. There was only so much explaining he could do when this was all over.
"Sure thing," Myka said.
The ten o'clock hour approached and Ted drove up with the man he thought was his boss and HG. Once there, Pete placed handcuffs on HG and told Ted to let Jacques Kenne see that he had her. The chauffeur opened the door to the black Crown Victoria and out stepped the buyer. Helena was surprised when she saw him. He was middle-aged, unassuming with a chubby face and thin framed glasses. He wore a dark t-shirt under a blue denim shirt and khakis. No one would ever suspect him of being the incorrigible fiend that he was.
'How did someone so meek looking come up with so dastardly a plot?' HG wondered to herself.
"This is the genius inventor?" Jacques asked almost laughing. "If Damien is messing with me, I will have you all shot before you can get to your car."
His words made Ted very nervous. "This is the woman who invented this," Ted said and handed him the beetle that had infiltrated Damien's office.
"Tell Damien I want to see him," the dealer instructed Ted who turned to the car.
"You are not only smart, you are very beautiful. I am surprised Damien didn't charge me extra for that," Jacques said and ran his finger along Helena's jaw. She pulled back sharply, but didn't remove her handcuffs.
"He wants to see you," Ted sand and Pete had already planned for that. The thimble was snug on his pinky.
"Fine," Pete said getting out of the car slowly.
Jacques was satisfied to see the older man walking over. "That's far enough, Damien. I have wired the money to your account. The rest goes in when this lovely specimen you brought me actually does as she's told." Again, he took HG's chin in his hand.
Pete wanted to get back to the car. He knew exactly what was going on and if Myka saw this guy touch HG one more time, he was pretty sure shots would be fired.
"Very well, JK. You have what you want; now I expect the other half very soon. So get to work with your new inventor," Pete said as Damien. He started back to the car where Ted confirmed the money was in the account.
The satisfied buyer took HG by the arm and gently pushed her into the car. He instructed the driver to drive and then turned to strap the seatbelt across Helena, taking his time as he allowed his hand to run across her breast.
"Let me formally introduce myself, I am Jacques Kenne – entrepreneur extraordinaire," the man gloated. "Any you are?"
"Your worst nightmare," Helena said having already undone the handcuffs and now released herself from the seat-belt.
She swiftly pulled her captor in front of her as a shield when she saw the bodyguard aim his gun into the back seat. The driver tried to speed away, but four loud pops later, the car came to a rocky halt Seconds later, Pete was at the passenger side removing the body-guard forcibly. Helena pushed the lifeless body of Jacques Kenne off of her.
"Killed by your own staff," she said to the dead man as she retrieved her insect from his pocket.
The door swung opened and the welcomed sight of Myka appeared -reaching in to make sure Helena was okay.
"Good job, Agent Wells," Myka said when she say the bullet hole in the back. "You're not hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. Really good. Thank goodness these things haven't changed much," HG laughed handing the cuffs to Myka. Myka smiled and thought back to the first time she heard HG utter those exact words.
Police swarmed the cars taking the driver, body-guard and the dead arms dealer away. Ted was taken into custody, but not before he noticed Damien was gone and Pete was there. "You people are just freaky," he yelled at them as they took him away.
"We've been called worse by worse, pal," Pete called back.
"Good job, Dr. Chase," Myka said shaking the doctor's hand.
"Maybe if that bug job doesn't work out," Claudia said, but Alex shook her head vehemently.
"My shooting days are long over. Well, until today," Alex laughed. "We have so much to talk about," she said turning to Pete. It was easy to see that in spite of how hard that might be, his face still light up when she was talking to him.
"Great job everyone," Myka said walking back to the car.
Just then the Farnsworth went off and they all stopped in their tracks. Artie!
"Fill-me- it," Artie instructed.
"Well hello to you too. Where are you?" Myka asked because there seemed to be clothes hanging all around him.
"At the house. Fill-me-in," he barked.
"We're in Boston," Myka said not looking directly into the screen.
"You were supposed to be here! Will there ever come a time when the two of you, or anyone for that matter, does as they are told?"
Myka had heard this rant before. This was Artie letting off steam when he didn't know what was going on.
"Artie -are you in the hall closet?" Myka asked slowly because the image was dark and he seemed to be surrounded by clothing.
"What? No, don't be ridiculous," Artie said back.
He was in fact in that very place. When he got the message that Mrs. Frederic wanted to continue with the reviews this morning, he expected some of his staff to be there with him. Faced with the likelihood that he would be there with the Sage alone, and not be able to account for everyone else's whereabouts, he did what any sane man would do – he hid.
Suddenly the image lightened as if someone had opened the door.
"Arthur really! Did you think for a minute I wouldn't find you? The closet is the very first place I would look," came the familiar voice of their boss.
Myka's eyes widened as she bit her lip to suppress the laugh at Artie's expression.
"I have to go. When will you be home?" he said calmly.
"Soon Artie, I promise," Myka said. She knew that Mrs. Frederic would be upset that Artie didn't know what his staff was. "I'll explain everything later."
"Good," Artie said and closed the Farnsworth.
Artie stepped out of the closet wondering for a second if it was worth it to make up a lie that he was looking for something, but the look on Irene's face told him not to bother.
"Where are they Arthur?" she asked.
"Boston," he said and waited for the barrage of questions.
He was surprised to hear his boss say instead; "Good, very good."