Chapter Sweet Sixteen: A Marvelous Little Spy

When Jack Bristow had wanted to see his grandson after school, he'd had to stage a car accident.

When Irina Derevko wanted to do the same, she simply made a phone call. After all, she ruled the world, or at least, the little world she inhabited. Oh, how it thrilled her to see Sydney's face each time she learned something to make her realize, all over again, how vast and far-reaching the Organization was. Irina would never forget the day Sydney and Michael had joined her for good. A driver had blindfolded the two of them and taken them to her Los Angeles office; from there, they had boarded the plane that would take them to the Organization's main headquarters. They hadn't even known what country they were traveling to. In many ways, it hadn't mattered. In many ways, Irina's empire was a nation all its own, not subject to the rules and regulations imposed on the rest of the world. Sydney had been awed and a little horrified that day. And every day since. For as good and loyal of an employee as Sydney had been, Irina knew that the disgust at the things she did every day had never completely gone away. Irina didn't mind that about her. It meant she was still human, something Irina had ceased to be years ago.

"Jack!" Irina called then, watching as the young boy appeared in front of the school, looking for the car Mrs. Simmons drove. Recognition flashed in the young boy's eyes at the sight of her, then worry. As soon as he pulled open the car door and began speaking, she knew why the worry was there.

"Hi, Grandma," he said, green eyes full of concern. He looked so very much like his father. "How come you're picking me up? Is Emily okay?"

"Oh, yes, she's fine." Of course. The last time Irina had picked up her grandson, his parents had been at the hospital with Emily. "I just wanted to see you. I didn't get to speak to you much when I visited the other day."

Jack nodded at the memory. "Right. When Mom didn't feel well."

"Yes." This conversation couldn't have been going better if Irina had planned it herself. She pulled the car into traffic and started toward her daughter's home. "I offered to have you and Emily spend the night with me so your mom could get better, but she didn't want that."

A troubled look crossed Jack's face. "She and dad probably wanted to watch Emily themselves, since she'd just had to go to the hospital." There was some resentment in the boy's voice, yes, but mostly Irina heard genuine concern for his little sister. He had such a good heart. Too good, Irina thought, for the work he'd be doing one day.

"And I'm sure they wanted to spend time with you, too," she said softly, feeling her own heart go out to him.

Jack's face brightened at that. "Yeah. Dad and I played basketball all Saturday morning, and he said this year I can sign up for hockey. Mom might not let me, though," he said, his face growing troubled again. "She gets real worried about me."

Irina almost had to laugh at that. The boy was being groomed to be the leader of an international crime syndicate, and his mother was worried he might get hurt playing hockey. It would have been hilarious, if Irina had been 100% sure Jack would grow up to run the Organization. If she had known Sydney wasn't going to hand her over to the CIA. Irina pushed the doubts aside quickly. She would just have to make sure that didn't happen.

"She does worry about you,' she told her grandson then. "That's what mothers do. I worry about your mother all the time."

"You do?"

"Mm-hmm." Irina pulled the car up in front of Sydney's house. "Especially lately. She hasn't been acting like herself."

"No, I guess she hasn't." Poor Jack. He had been cursed with being so terribly sensitive. But he was also smart and strong, two traits that would serve Irina well in the years to come. If all went according to plan.

"Do me a favor, Jack," Irina said, smiling at her grandson. "Keep an extra special eye on your mom and dad until they go on vacation, okay? And if they do or say anything that seems funny to you, let Grandma know."

Jack nodded, gathering his backpack and opening the car door. "Okay, Grandma."

"Good boy."

"Bye, Grandma. Thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome, Jack."

Irina smiled as she watched the boy run up the front steps of his home. Her grandson was going to make a marvelous little spy.

He just didn't know it yet.