Author Note: THIS CHAPTER IS RATED R because I have a mouth worse than a
sailors. I walk into a bar with sailors and they even say hey there are
people present in this room when I get to talking. It's not just that, but
for my mothers sake will contribute it to that. I will eventually changed
the rating of the story to R, but than it doesn't show up under the just in
link.
Jack slowly came back to normal. His stomach was rolling and he knew that it would only be moments before he would feel the full force of the night before. He opened his eyes and a splitting headache pulsated from the back of his head to the front. It felt like there were a hundred heavy metal drummers in his head banging away. He slowly sat up. He noticed he had no clothes on at all. Usually he slept in boxers, always ready in case something happened in the middle of the night. When he saw the bartender woman from the other night, he froze for a few minutes. Had he brought her back here? He didn't remember coming back to the hotel, nor leaving the bar for that matter. He slid out of bed, with his legs not wanting to work at first. He noticed a chair full of his stuff from the duffle bag as well as his wallet and cell phone, he wondered why the stuff was out. Had someone searched the room? He went into the bathroom turning the light on and quickly blinking from the not so bright light that seemed so much brighter with his hand over. He noticed his clothes from the other day piled on the floor. Some of them looked wet. What happened he thought. Why couldn't he remember anything? He knew that even if he had blacked out, there would be more he would remember. He turned the shower on and waited for it to warm up.
Casey heard the water turn on and jolted awake. She looked at the bed and noticed Jack was not in it. She got out of the chair and walked into the bathroom. She saw Jack in the shower naked and felt something. He did looked good naked, dressed, it didn't matter. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Like I was hit by a semi truck then it backed up and rolled over me again." Jack said from the shower wanting to ask what happened the night before.
"How much do you remember from last night?" She asked wondering what he was thinking of at the moment.
"I was at the bar. Hector didn't want me to leave, and for once I chose to do the smart thing and stayed. You and I . ." he paused a little uncomfortable, "Um. yeah in the bathroom, and I went back out to the group afterwards and I guess I drank some more."
"That's it?" She asked.
"We didn't again, did we? I'm sorry, I can't remember."
"No we didn't. Someone slipped a roofie in one of your drinks. I found out and wanted to make sure you were okay. When I came in, the place was torn apart and you were passed out on the floor. I had the other bartender help me and we tried to wake you up by putting you in the shower and turning on the cold water. You woke up for a second or two and then fell back asleep. I was worried and didn't want to leave you alone. With all the drugs in your system, I wasn't sure what they would do to you. I guess I must have nodded off though."
Jack got out of the shower reaching for a towel. "Thanks. I'm sorry you had to spend your night watching me. Are you sure someone slipped something into my drink?"
"Yeah, positive."
"You said the room was torn apart. Like someone had searched it?" Jack asked worried about the answer.
"Yeah. It was Hector and his men. I saw them leaving before I came over."
"Thanks again. Can I drive you somewhere or take you to get breakfast something to . . ." Jack stopped in mid-sentence. He heard Hectors familiar voice outside. Putting a finger over his mouth, he signaled for Casey to be quiet. He whispered to her, "Hide in the shower, don't get out. Do you know where my gun is?"
"I didn't see it anywhere." She whispered back.
Jack then remembered he left it in his car the other day. He cursed silently to himself. "Stay in here no matter what happens." He said looking at her. "Thanks Casey."
He walked out of the bathroom in just a towel. The door opened and in walked Hector and Thomas.
Jack crossed his arms and said, "Hello. Thanks for knocking. How can I help you guys?"
"Why don't you get dressed so we can go somewhere?"
"Give me a few minutes. You'll have to excuse me, I'm still having a larger hangover than usual, but roofie's will do that to you." Jack said letting them know he knew they had slipped something in his drink. He debated whether or not to let on. If he let on, they would know they didn't pull one over on him at least not without him knowing, but if he didn't let on he might be able to find out if they found anything in the search. Jack walked over to the chair that contained all of his belongings at the moment. He grabbed a pair of black combat pants, a white wife beater, and a gray long sleeve shirt. He went in the bathroom closing the door behind him.
Hector sat in the room with Thomas. He thought, so Jack knew we slipped him something. Did he know because the bartender narced them out, or because he knew it after he woke up noticing the room was rummaged through, feeling worse than usual, and not remembering what happened the night before could lead him to the conclusion something had been done to one or some of his drinks. Hector thought about what he knew of Jack and decided it had to be the second possibility.
Jack was in the bathroom getting dressed. He quietly spoke to Casey, "When I leave, wait about ten minutes and then leave. Make sure no one is outside first."
"What about you? Where are they taking you?" Casey said worried for the man she barely knew, but she knew he was not like the others from how he acted last night in the bar.
"I don't know. It doesn't really matter. Thank you again." Jack said putting his gray long sleeve shirt on. He opened the door to the bathroom and walked out buttoning the shirt up. He walked over to the chair grabbing his cell phone and wallet. He looked at Thomas smiling and asked, "Did I have any messages last night?"
Thomas looked at him, but did not answer him. Thomas and everyone in the room knew what happened, at least for the most part, last night, and no one would actually mention it besides Jack.
Hector said, "How would he know?"
"Sir, we both know what happened last night. At least I can concluded what happened I don't really remember." Jack said trying to sound respectful, but at the same time let them know he knew what happened. "Next time, just ask. I don't really like getting drugged."
"But you do drugs?" Hector said.
"I know what I'm putting in my body, and the effects it'll have. You could have killed me last night with the mixture of drugs that was in my system." Jack said clearly angry and allowing it to be portrayed in his voice. Letting go of his anger he asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"
"We're going for a little ride." Hector answered.
Inside, Jack was nothing but nerves. Did they find something last night they shouldn't have? Do they know he is really an federal agent and now they are going to kill him? On the outside, he looked calm and collected. He asked in hopes that if they did kill him at least someone would know where he was, "Where to?"
"Another meeting. Carlos is heading over now with his guys." Thomas answered as they walked out of the room. Jack closed the door and locked it with his key.
"Who's car are we taking?" Jack asked.
"You have an SUV, right?" Hector asked.
"Yeah it's right there." Jack said pointing to the black SUV parked across the parking lot.
"We'll take yours then." Hector answered.
Jack walked over to the SUV unlocking the doors with his remote key. The car beeped as the doors unlocked. Hector got into the passenger's seat of the car and Thomas got in the back. Jack got in the driver's seat and reached underneath the seat to pull out his holster and Beretta to make sure they were still there. When Hector saw what he was doing, he pulled his Glock 17 gun on Jack.
"What the fuck?" Hector asked.
"Calm down. Just getting my gun out from under the seat. I store it down there. I'm just going to put it on if that's fine with you." Jack said with his hands up trying not to make any sudden movements. He wanted his gun on so he had at least a little chance of getting out alive if they found something and were going to kill him.
"Fine. Just don't do that again." Hector said holstering his gun.
Jack unbuttoned his gray shirt and put the shoulder holster on. He stuck his 9mm Berretta in the holster and put the gray shirt back on over the gun. He started the car and asked, "Are we picking Carlos up?"
"No, just drive over there and then follow Pedro and the others in the car." Hector commanded.
"Sure. Do you mind if I turn the radio on?" Jack said pulling into the back alley of the bar.
"It's your car." Hector answered.
Jack turned the radio on and it started to play the CD in the player automatically.
I can't remember
The last time you cared about anything
The last time you allowed yourself to be seen
So pretentious your lies unrelenting disguise
Creating tears in your eyes your mind withers and dies
Hector looked over at Jack. He would never have thought that Jack likes this type of music. He wondered about the words, did they have meaning to him?
Jack saw Hector looking over at him and got a little nervous. The words were personal to him and he had completely forgotten about the CD being in the car. Music was his life outside of CTU. He was unable to convey his emotions through normal ways and music was how he did it. He could see himself in the lyrics and lose himself in the music. "My ex- girlfriend's CD. I never took it out, I guess." Jack said as a way of explanation.
Pretending to be something you are not
Somewhere in the middle you are now caught
You've never seen who you really are
No lie breathes in you
All the time you laugh you wait to cry
No part of your life is true
All the time your life passes you by
Pedro, Carlos, and Salvador walked out of the back of the bar and got into Salvador's white Lexus. Jack followed behind them as they pulled out of the alley. "So, where are we going?" Jack asked.
"Why are you so worried about where we are going?" Hector asked irritated.
"Just wondering. I like to know where I'm going." Jack answered.
"You are a driver, so just drive." Hector said looking at Jack who kept his eyes on the road.
Jacks phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the name that came up on the caller ID. It was Carol, his sister. He opened the phone and turned it off. He did not want to have a conversation with her while he was trying to maintain his cover and figure out what the hell was going on.
"Who was that?" Hector asked.
"My sister. I don't like to drive and talk, and I really don't want to talk to her anyway." Jack said putting the phone back in his pocket.
Hector remembered the message on his phone from last night and figured he was telling the truth. "Who is this?" Hector asked referring to the CD.
"Trapt." Jack answered.
"They aren't that bad. Not my choice of music, but not that bad."
I don't ever want to see I don't ever want to be like you Hollow Man
I don't care what you give
Hollow Man you can't live like this
Your voice is just a whisper
You call upon your blank thought as you try
To fit in where you missed her
You missed the Chance to stop living a lie
They drove for a while in silence when Hector asked, "What have you been doing for the past few years?"
Jack glanced over at him, "Moving around, going where the money is. Just trying to make it day to day and not get caught in the process."
"Where have you been?"
"Mostly over in Europe for a while, then Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, and finally California. I've been in California the longest."
"All of those places?"
"I don't like staying in one place for too long. Never have, I think that is originally why I joined the Army."
"You betray the Army, used it to sell drugs. You want to know what I think of you?" Hector asked rhetorically. "I think you are a junky who betray his country for money. All you see is the money and you would sell your own mother out for a few bucks."
Jack glanced over at Hector he felt a rush of anger that registered in his eyes for a second. "The only reason why I did the whole drug thing was because that was what my commanding officer wanted, and he taught me well. Yeah, I made money, but I also spent time in Leavenworth for it. I never sold my country out, and money is not important to me and never has. If it was, I think I would have stayed in Europe. I had a nice comfortable job there working the drug trade. I have never sold anyone out in my life. I would not narc on anyone. I could have gotten out of the time in Leavenworth if I would have just given up the commanding officer who is now a politician, but I didn't. Believe me, the Army made sure I regretted it for the first few weeks I was in Leavenworth. I may be a junky, but it doesn't hurt anyone but me and I get the job done right the first time." Jack said with more anger in his voice than he intended.
Pedro stopped in a wooded area they had been at the previous day. Jack parked beside him and turned the car off. He sat in the car as Hector and Thomas got out. Thomas walked to the front of the SUV and leaned against it as Hector conducted business with Carlos. In the middle of the business, a group of police cars came rushing into the area. Hector ran back to the SUV as did Thomas. They both got in and Jack floored the car off onto a small dirt road that led through the wooded area. Salvador, Pedro, and Carlos where close behind.
Jack had the SUV up to over ninety controlling it through the dense woods. Hector looked over at him and asked, "You did this, didn't you? You are a fucking cop or something aren't you?"
Jack kept his eyes on the road as he tried to stay calm, "No. It wasn't me. Shit, I was barely awake before you came over how could I have done this. When we get away you are more than welcome to search me for anything you want. You won't find anything. I'm not a fucking cop. If I were, I'd be in some trouble for killing that guy last night." Jack was terrified he knew at any moment he could die, and he thought he was ready to die, but he wasn't. He remembered Mason's parting words to him and than Kim came to mind he could not die yet.
"Just get us out of this." Hector screamed.
Jack drove faster pushing the SUV the fastest he could get it on the bad dirt road without the chance of tipping or burning out the motor. The cops were not far behind and Jack was running out of options. He did not know where this road went to and if it led anywhere. For all he knew it ended, in a dead end. Jack grabbed out his phone and called Salvador's phone. When Salvador answered, Jack said, "I'm going to get over as much as I can when I do, tell Pedro to speed up and get ahead of me. I have a plan."
Jack got over to the little brush area slowing the SUV down as he ran over small shrubs. Pedro sped up and was in front of him Jack got back on the road. He grabbed his gun out of its holster and told Hector, "Take the wheel. I'm going to move the seat back. You get in the driver's seat."
Jack pushed his seat back so that he could climb over it to the back of the SUV. Hector almost hit a few trees weaving from one side of the road to the other till he got into the driver seat. Jack crawled all the way to the back storage area. He opened the back hatch window and waited for the car to steady itself and for his target to come into range.
He aimed at the tires, he knew what a bullet would do to a car if it blew the tire out at this speed, but it was better than his other option of killing the driver. He fired a clip off finally hitting the tire of the leading police car and sent in flipping. All of the other police cars behind it slammed on their brakes trying not to hit the car. When Jack looked forward again, he saw that they were almost out of the forest. He could see where the small dirt road connected with another road. He got out of the back and climbed up to the front passenger seat, excusing himself as he accidentally hit Thomas as he climbed over the seat. Jack's phone rang from inside his pants, he grabbed it out and looked at the caller ID it was Salvador. "Hello?"
"Good shot. man. Ask Hector if he wants us to stop somewhere or go back to the bar?"
"Hector. Carlos wants to know do you want us to stop somewhere or go back to the bar?"
"We need to hide out somewhere. I doubt we can make it back to the bar."
"Well, there are some abandoned factories up ahead if I'm not mistaken. We could hide out there and even get some cars there to pick us up." Jack said.
"Fine, tell him to go to one of those we're following." Hector ordered.
Jack repeated what Hector said. Pedro turned off on the road and went to an old factory stopping in front as he waited for Salvador to open the big door for them to drive in. When everyone was inside and out of their cars, Hector said, "What in the fuck just happened? How did the cops know we were there?" He said this looking at Jack suspiciously.
Jack looked back up him nothing in his eyes, "I already said it wasn't me. What do you want me to do to prove it?"
"Let's see if you have a wire or anything. Search him Pedro." Hector said looking at Jack.
Jack stood with is arms out as Pedro searched him for a wire or anything. He did not find anything. Hector looked at Jack and said, "Take your shirt off."
Jack took both of his shirts off and stood in the cool room. He did not break eye contact with Hector. "See? Nothing." Jack said calmly.
"He has to be a fucking cop." Hector pointed his gun at Jack who stood there not moving arms up.
"Hector I told you I checked him out. He can't be a cop. I don't know how they know, but it's not him." Carlos said knowing that Hector was getting ready to shoot Jack.
"I don't trust him." Hector said putting the gun back down. "He's hiding something." Hector walked up to Jack and stood an inch from his face.
"I'm not hiding anything. You're just paranoid." Jack answered.
Hector threw a hook punch at Jack who ducked out of the way. Hector came at him again angry. He threw the punch again, but this time, Jack blocked it. He fought hard not to fight back every time his instincts told him to swing at Hector's open rib cage or face.
Noticing their boss's struggle, Pedro and Thomas came over to help. Jack was able to hold all three off until finally Salvador joined in. Finally somehow, Pedro and Salvador got Jack's arms behind his back, and Jack fought them to free his arms. Hector walked up to Jack and hit him hard in the rib cage. "You know Jack, I just don't like you." Hector said after he hit Jack in the face.
Jack looked at Hector and spit blood out of his mouth onto the floor bellow and said, "I couldn't figure. Is that why you keep trying to burn me on something. First you drug me, then search my hotel room, accuse me of being a cop, and now what you going to beat the crap out of me. What did I ever do to you? I have been respectful to you even when you were being a real asshole. I saved your ass today from being caught by the police and yet I'm still a cop. I killed a man last night at your order, and yet I'm still a cop. I did nothing when you put fucking drugs in my drink last night, yet I'm still a cop."
Hector walked up to Jack with his gun out. He pushed the barrel of the gun into Jack's forehead. Jack stared back at Hector, inside he was saying his final hail Mary's and kicking himself for ever going undercover, outside he was calm. Hector looked into his eyes and noticed there was no fear in them. Nothing, not even nervousness, was portrayed. He took the gun back and smashed it as hard as he could into the side of Jack's head. Pedro and Salvador let Jack's semi-unconscious body fall to the floor. Jack tried to clear the cloudy darkness away, but the battle ended with a kick to the head from Hector. Jack's unconscious body wrenched towards the direction Hector's kick sent his head.
"Throw him in the back of the SUV. Take him back to the bar." Hector ordered Pedro. Hector walked over to the SUV and got into the back with Thomas. They would all meet back at the bar and he would find out how in the hell the cops find out. "Pedro, grab his cell phone. I want to make some calls just not on my phone." Hector ordered as he heard Pedro struggle to pick Jack's unconscious body up and put it into the back of the SUV.
Once he had Jack's cell phone, Hector first called his brother to let him know what had happened. After the conversation he called one of the Salazar's contacts in the police department narcotics division. When the guy answered the phone Hector said, "Thanks for the heads-up. How in the hell did they find out?"
"I did not know about it till about three minutes ago. Someone tipped them off. They have someone undercover with you. I'll be able to find out in a few." The man whispered into the phone.
"Fine. Call me back as soon as you know who it is. I also want you to check on the phone calls made off the phone I'm calling you from. The number is 253-9589. Call me back with both on that number." Hector ordered angrily at the man for not tipping him off. He hung the phone up and looked back at Jack who lay in an awkward position in the back. He was almost sure that Jack was the cop he had to be. Who else would have been? He had done deals before with Salvador there and Carlos Jack was the only new face. As soon as he was sure, he would kill Jack slowly. The man had balls and Hector respected that, but at the same time the man was much like Hector and that pissed Hector off. They were both sure of themselves.
Hector thought about what he would do to Jack the entire way back to the bar. When they reached the bar, he got out and walked into the back. He sat at the desk and ordered, "Secure him in a chair."
Pedro dragged Jack's limp body to the middle of the room and set it on the floor. He walked out to the bar area smiling at the female bartender from the other night and grabbed a chair. He returned to the room and picked Jack up off the floor and sat him in the chair. Using duct tape, he taped Jack's wrist and ankles to the chair. He went back out to the bar and got drinks for everyone inside.
Jack slowly started to stir as he came too. He felt the warm blood drip down the side of his head onto his back. He opened his eyes and pain shot through his head, he closed his eyes again. When he opened them again, he noticed Hector staring at him holding a beer bottle in one hand and the his gun resting in the other. "You don't look so good Jack." Hector taunted him.
"I've been worse." Jack answered in a voice they portrayed the pain of the migraine he had. "So what am I just going to sit here while you get drunk and then kill me for nothing. Other than that, you just don't like me?"
"Nope. I'm waiting on a friend to call me back, and then after he has told me in fact you are the person who narced us out, I'm going to kill you slowly."
"Sounds like fun. The only problem is I'm not that person. I don't know who it is, but I know it wasn't me." Jack responded.
Jack's cell phone rang and he noticed the ringer. For a second he almost panicked hoping that Kate, Kim or anyone else wasn't calling him. Hector answered the phone, "Yeah?"
"There are very few calls made on it other than to two numbers I checked them and one is to a Kate Warner, and the other to a bar. There are one or two other calls on it to other cell phones. If you want, I can check those numbers."
"Yeah check them. What about the narc?" Hector inquired.
"Someone on Carlos's side. He's been working for Carlos for quite some time. He got busted with a huge shipment of drugs, not from you guys. Even Carlos didn't know about it. The FBI caught him and turned him. They kept my department out of it until today. They know there's a mole or moles inside the department so they don't trust us."
"Do you have the narc's name?"
"No. Just that is was someone who has worked for Carlos for a few years. Mexican fellow."
"Shit." Hector said hanging up the phone.
"Wasn't me, was it?" Jack wanted to say, but did not. He knew how close he was to dying and decided to keep quiet.
"Let him go." Hector ordered Pedro.
Pedro untapped one of Jack's arms and Jack finished the rest on his own. Jack stood up from the chair putting his hand to his head.
"Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up." Hector ordered him.
Jack left the room for the bathroom. When he walked out, Casey saw him and he noticed a brief look of worry come over her face. He continued back to the bathroom. When he got inside he leaned against the wall for a minute to calm himself down. He was sure he was dead when Hector had pressed the gun to his head earlier, and when he woke up in the bar, he looked at his head in the mirror. There was blood coming from a cut above his right eye. He turned the sink on and grabbed a few paper towels. He gently patted the cut trying to clean it without irritating it. He gave up on cleaning the blood that continually flowed from the cut, so he went to cleaning it off the rest of himself. He heard footsteps coming and he tensed for a minute thinking maybe Hector changed his mind. The bathroom door opened and Casey walked in.
"Are you okay?" She asked worried.
"Yeah. It was nothing." Jack said going back to cleaning the blood off his neck, shoulder and back.
"Let me look at it." She said walking up to him and moving his arm away from cleaning the blood off. "I think you'll need stitches."
"I'll be fine." Jack said stepping away from her. "You shouldn't be in here in case one of the guys come to check on me. Just go back to work. If I can, I'll talk to you later."
Clearly hurt, Casey left the bathroom. Jack went back to cleaning the blood off. When he finished he grabbed a new paper towel and used it to collect the blood that poured out of the cut above his eye. He walked back to the back room and leaned against the wall not saying anything.
When Jack entered the room again, Hector smiled at him, knowing he got Jack good. He went back to thinking about who the narc could be. "Where is Ximen?" He asked Carlos.
"He's out collecting today, sir." Carlos answered.
"Get him in here. I want to talk to him, Salvador and Jack on my own. Why don't you and Thomas go out and drink? Have the bartender come back and bring us some drinks." Hector directed.
"Yes sir." Carlos replied walking over to the phone to call Ximen who answered the phone on the second ring and said he would be there in a few minutes he was heading over with the money already. Carlos told Hector what Ximen said and left.
Casey came into the room a minute later and asked Hector, "What can I get you, sir?"
"Bring in a bottle of tequila, six shot glasses and twelve beers."
"Yes sir." She said walking out only glancing at Jack.
Starting to feel the chill of the night, Jack asked, "Sir, can I run back to my hotel room to grab a shirt?" Jack did not make eye contact with Hector in fear of pissing the man off. He was not sure what was going to happen and he didn't want to egg Hector on anymore. He came too close to getting himself killed.
Hector smiled at the thought that he might have just taught the man a lesson, "Yeah, grab Thomas and have him go with you."
"Thank you." Jack said walking out to the bar area and telling Thomas what Hector said.
Thomas followed Jack to his hotel room. When they reached the hotel room, Thomas said, "Sorry about last night and today. Clearly, you aren't the narc. You'll have to excuse Hector he doesn't trust the new guys. I don't think he started to even trust me until last year and I had worked for him and his brother for over four years beforehand. Also you a ballsy motherfucker and it pisses him off that you are not afraid of him. He's going to ride your ass as long as he can because he doesn't like people who don't fear him."
"That's great to know." Jack said grabbing a clean shirt off the chair. He followed Thomas back to the bar as he put the shirt on. When he reached the back room, Ximen was already there. He took his spot against the wall again. He noticed the cut had finally stopped bleeding.
Pedro poured everyone a shot and Jack gulped it down quickly. He never was a big fan of tequila because it knocked him out quickly.
"You all know what happened earlier today. I know now that Jack is not the narc so that leaves you two." Hector said looking over at Ximen and Salvador who sat on the couch. Salvador squirmed a little, it was almost unnoticeable, but Jack and Hector both caught on.
Jack took a drink from his beer trying to block out the migraine he had. Jack wanted to attack Salvador at the moment for all he went through in the past few hours. His nerves were shot and he wanted to kill the man.
"Would either of you like to say something?" Hector said already sure that it was Salvador, but he wanted to drag it out a little longer.
"It's not me, Hector." Salvador said with a slight edge of nervousness in his voice.
"Really, because that doesn't make sense. Ximen didn't know where we were going today, so how did he tell the police?" Hector said looking at Salvador who was now squirming very noticeably.
"I'm sorry, Hector." He said before he began to plead for his life.
Hector looked at Pedro who walked over to Salvador and grabbed him roughly off the couch. Hector walked over to the corner where there was a baseball bat. He swung the bat hard connecting with Salvador's ribcage. Salvador screamed out in pain so loud that everyone in the bar got quiet for a moment.
Jack stood up from leaning against the wall and said, "Sir, wouldn't it be better if we took him somewhere else where no one would hear him? If too many people hear him screaming, they might call the cops."
Hector had overlooked the fact as he usually missed the small details when he got pissed, "Good idea, Jack." He said in a thick Mexican accent.
Pedro looked at Jack who walked over and helped take Salvador out to the car. They stuffed him into the trunk and closed it. Hector came out alone with the baseball bat swinging at his side. "Do you have a crow bar in your SUV?" He asked Jack.
"Yes sir." Jack said reaching in his pants pocket for his keys that were not there. He looked up at Hector and knew they had them. Hector tossed the keys to Jack and asked, "Anything else?"
"Not really. If you want I have some money. We can stop off and pick up some rope. I know a good area to go where no one will hear." Jack answered waiting for Hector to agree with it.
"Fine. You drive again."
"Yes, sir." Jack drove the car to a local hardware store he knew stayed open late because he had frequented it a few times to pick up things to fix the house with when Teri was alive. He and Hector went inside. Jack found the rope and then went searching for Hector in the store. He found Hector looking at different carpenter knives. Hector handed him one and they walked to the checkout lane. The guy barely looked at them twice. They left with their purchase and returned to the car. Jack drove them to a secluded area around the valley area. He pulled back into the woods and stopped the car about three miles in. He left the car on so that the lights would stay on. He helped Pedro pull Salvador out of the trunk and then Jack cut some rope off and used a small piece to tie Salvador's hands behind his back. He then took the rest and threw it over a branch fastening as noose with the other end. Putting the noose around Salvador's neck, Jack tightened it and then took the other end of the rope that hung from the branch and tied it to a tree trunk farther back. "We are fine as long as the sun doesn't rise. This trail is frequented by runners so he'd be found in the morning if we left him here." Jack informed Hector.
"That's good. I want the cops to find him quickly." Hector said in an eerie tone.
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Kit tried to wash the soap out of his eyes before the person entered the bathroom. He grabbed a towel from the towel hanger and wiped his eyes off. His vision was blurry from the soap still in his eye. He noticed the figure of a woman, "Hello, can I help you?" He asked thinking maybe it was room services.
"Yes, you can." Nina said in a tone that suggested more.
"Nina? What the hell?" Kit said from the shower.
"Mind if I join you?"
Kit thought he was dreaming. He had always wanted Nina. Even after she turned, he wanted her. She was so beautiful and he knew that deep down she was not as bad as she made herself to be. No one ever was, but he also knew it was wrong for him to hook up with her, and for him to even have made the deal he had. What would Jack do? If he did not do what Nina wanted, he might be killed and he would not get the mission completed. Jack had always told him the mission was the most important thing and nothing else you did mattered as long as it got you towards finishing the mission successfully.
Nina got undressed and got into the shower with Kit. Kit rinsed his hair and the soap out of his eyes before he started to pay attention to Nina. After they finished their business in the shower, they moved to the bed, and then fell on the floor and finished the night out on the floor.
Kit woke up in the morning and felt someone sleeping on his arm next to him. He slowly sat up, his head pounding from the hang over he looked over to see Nina. For a moment, he panicked not remembering all of the night before. He then calmed down and slid his arm carefully out from under her. He got up and looked at the clock. It was only six in the morning so he still had time. He went to the bathroom and got dressed. He wore a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and a black leather jacket. When he reemerged from the bathroom, Nina was sitting up she smiled at him, "I had fun last night how about you?"
Kit smiled back at her. He thought to himself if she only knew how many times he had dreamed about it. He was jealous of Jack and then Tony. He always wanted to be with her and finally had. "Yeah I did. How about some breakfast? I can call room service and have some brought up. I don't know about you but I could use some food about right now."
"Sure. I want a western omelet. Do you have a shirt or something I can borrow." Nina asked standing up. Her naked body clearly in front of Kit.
"Yeah, in the drawer." He said looking away.
Nina liked the way he looked at her. Most men gave her the same look, but Kit had something more to it. He had almost a worship quality to him. He was a decent man like Jack, but the only difference was Kit was easily controlled unlike Jack. Kit was still a romantic who believed in right and wrong, and the cause. Nina had persuaded him that the right at the moment and the best thing for the cause was to ally himself with her. She would work on him until he was butter in her fingers. She could play any man and she knew it. It was not hard because most men thought with the wrong body part. She played Jack easily. She could tell from Jack past that he needed a woman in time of crisis. He had to have someone to go home too. When he and Teri were falling apart, Nina slowly inserted herself as more than a co-worker. She became one of Jack's main friends and quickly rose to something more. "I think I can help you with bring Vaselnak down."
"How?" Kit asked hanging up the phone as he had finished ordering breakfast.
"I am already high in the organization. I'll have you brought up to work with me and that will help you'll get closer to the actual leaders. Then all you have to do is what you are supposed to do." Nina answered.
"That would be great. Could you do that?" Kit asked not knowing the extent of Nina's power.
"Yeah. How long until breakfast gets here I'm starving?"
"It should be here in ten." Kit said sitting on the bed.
Nina sat next to him and kissed him passionately.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked when she finished. He felt as if she was playing him for some reason. He did not believe she wanted him, but what he knew or something he could do for her.
"Kit, I always liked you, but you were never in the position to help me at CTU. If I didn't like you, I would have had you killed last night and then tipped off CTU myself about Vaselenak."
Kit thought about what she said. It was very plausible because CTU got thousands of tips every day and always checked them out. Most weren't valid, but those that were always were followed. He still did not fully trust her, but he was still happy where he was at.
There was a knock on the door. Kit looked through the peep hole to see room service sitting outside with a cart. He opened the door and the room service guy brought in the food. Kit signed the booklet and gave the guy a ten dollar tip. He and Nina devoured the food and Kit excused himself, "I got to call in and give a status report."
"Who's handling your reports?" Nina asked curious if it was Jack.
"A new guy, Chase. I worked with him in D.C. He's a good guy." Kit answered. "Why? Are you disappointed it is not Jack?"
"No, not at all." Nina said lying. If she said yes it would hurt Kit and she wanted him to think she just wanted him.
Kit gave Chase his status report and left out all information about Nina out of it. He told Chase he would call in a week or two. He told Chase he was easily moving up in the chain. He asked about Jack quietly in hopes that Nina didn't hear him.
"I don't know. He hasn't been in contact with me since he went undercover yesterday or the day before. I'm not sure when." Chase answered.
"Okau. Thanks Chase, I got to go." Kit said hanging up the phone.
Nina smiled at Kit when she heard the conversation and knew that Jack was working somewhere else. She thought about asking, but again, she knew it would make Kit jealous as she was not in good enough with him yet to do that. "Today, you are going to work with me. I'll call the people you were with yesterday and let them know I want you." Nina said getting up and taking Kit's cell phone from him. She called the people and told them she wanted Kit from now on. They complied with her.
"So what are we doing today?" Kit asked.
"We have a meeting with the big guy." Nina said smiling knowing it would make Kit happy.
"No way." Kit said surprised. "Damn."
"Get dressed. Suit or something nice." Nina answered smiling as if she were happy to make him happy. Kit walked over and returned her kiss from earlier.
Kit changed into one of the suits he packed to go with him. He came out of the bathroom in the black suit with a light blue shirt on underneath with a dark red tie. Nina smiled, "You look good."
"You want me to drive you by your room so you can change?" Kit said smiling at her.
"Yeah. We better get going. The meeting is in an hour."
Kit waited outside while Nina changed her clothes. She came out in black slacks with a black shirt on. She got into the passenger's seat and told Kit to drive towards the Opera place. Kit drove through the streets of Sydney almost in disbelief. After getting lost for ten minutes, he found the famous Opera house and parked outside. He and Nina got out of the car and walked into the structure. At first, Kit was taken back by the beauty of the place. He had seen it in pictures as a kid, but it was nothing like actually seeing it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A man with a deep voice asked from the stage.
Kit looked at him. He had never seen the leader of the Vaseleneks, but he assumed this was him. "Yes, sir." Kit said trying not to stare to much.
"Who is this, Nina?" the man asked.
"He's one of your men. I recruited him to help me. He's really good. I've worked with him before. I brought him along for help."
"You say he's one of mine. I've never seen him before."
"He was working with Zander and Tristen, that's why."
"Oh. You say he's good?"
"You know Jet Li? This guy could take him in a heart beat." Nina said looking at Kit.
"Fine. I'll take your word on it. Welcome kid, what's your name?"
"Kit Yun, sir."
"Welcome, Mr. Yun. Now let's get to work."
"I have the money and my people are ready to do the deal." Nina said getting to business.
"Good. I hope you will be staying with us through the event."
"Of course. Not that we don't trust you. I just like your company so much." Nina said smiling at him.
"I know you do, honey. Have you already had breakfast?"
"Yeah." Nina answered.
"Okay. My guy is getting the plans for me. I'm looking around for the right device to use. Anything else we need to cover?"
"None that I can think of. Where are we moving to next? It'd be nice to know what type of clothes to have."
"Nina, my dear you don't need clothes to cover your natural beauty, but if you must know, we are going to Tokyo."
"Good."
"How about the first part of the payment?"
"Of course. What is your bank account number?"
The man handed Nina a slip of paper with number on. Nina took out her cell phone and called her bank she gave the permission to transfer the funds and gave the proper code for it.
The man took out his own cell phone and called his bank to get the clarification that the funds had been transferred. The woman on the other line said, "You know you have 50 million in your bank account. May I help you any further?"
"No, that will be fine honey. Have a nice day." The man said before he hung up the phone. "So Kit, you are supposed to be better than Jet Li, huh?"
"I've been told that, sir."
"Don't call me sir, it makes me feel old. Any friend of Nina's is okay with me so call me Jim."
"Sorry Jim."
"How about we go a few rounds? I know a good gym around here with a great ring."
"Are you sure?" Nina said looking at Jim telling him this boy can fight.
"Yeah. Show this youngling what fighting really is."
"It's fine with me as long as you won't get pissed if I win." Kit said.
"Me, never." Jim said smiling. "Let's go then."
When they reached the gym, Kit went inside a locker room and took a black muscle t-shirt. He took his coat and shirt off and wore the t-shirt. His arm muscles looked as if they did not exist, but he could bench press three hundred without breaking a sweat. After taping his hands up, Kit got inside the ring with Jim. Both men were in the full sparring pads needed even with the helmet on to prevent damage. Jim started on the attack. He went at Kit quickly with a combination of right and left punches and kicks. Kit blocked them all with some trouble. The man was quicker than Kit expected. Kit stayed on the defensive until he saw an opportunity to hit Jim. He connected with a right hook punch into the side of Jim's head, and followed through with a left jab into Jim's abdomen, knocking the wind out of Jim. Kit backed off to allow his opponent time to collect himself. He always did this in a fight. Even if it were life and death, he had to do the honorable thing.
Jim came at him again this time hitting Kit in the face with a left hook. Kit spit blood out of his mouth and prepared to go on the attack again. He quickly attacked Jim quickly confusing the man as he threw left and right punches and side-kicks quicker than most people could ever do. When Kit was finished, Jim was down in the ring. "Okay, I think my old self has had enough. You kicked my ass boy. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I grew up in a bad neighborhood and no one liked the fact that I wasn't white or black. There were a lot of people who hated Asians so I had to learn to defend myself quickly."
"You're quick, I can tell you that. Shit, half the time, I didn't know what you were coming at me with. By the time I noticed it, you were already there, you will have to train me and some of my boys." Jim said.
"Sure." Kit said.
"Why did you back off there at first you could have had me down faster?"
"I don't like hitting a man when he is down. It is a cheap shot and I don't need those. There is a saying: 'Those who are the most honorable are the most deadly.'"
"Honorable too. Damn Nina, where did you find this boy?" Jim said impressed.
"I didn't find him, your people did. I just know him from earlier jobs and I ran into him." Nina said giving Jim the credit as he would like it. Jim always wanted the credit. The man believed that the sun rose and set on him and no one could tell him different. She had learned that early on, she always had to give him credit because even when you do, everyone knew he was too stupid to do it on his own.
"How about lunch? My treat since you kicked my ass."
"I'm hungry now, and I don't want to watch you two fight again." Nina answered for herself and Kit.
Kit got out of the ring, took all of the padding off and undid the tape on his hands. He took off his t-shirt, and put his shirt and coat back on. Fixing the tie around his neck, he smiled at the thought of how quickly he rose through the ranks.
They had lunch at a fancy restaurant that normally Kit would not dream of eating at because on his salary from CTU, he would never be able to afford it. They drank 1000 dollar bottles of wine and laughed about the boxing match.
Jim started to ask about Kit's past, "So where did you grow up?"
"About six blocks from Chinatown in L.A. It's mostly a suburban area mixed between Caucasians and African Americans."
"You already had said that. Those poor bastards didn't know what hit them when you fought them did they?"
"At first, I got my ass kicked a lot, but then my father taught me what he had learned in the Navy. After that, I started to go to a dojo and learned more. I got really good and almost went for the U.S. Karate team, but decided to go to the Army instead."
"Army, huh? Never would have guessed."
"Yeah it was kind of expected that I go into the Armed Forces and I didn't want to be a SEAL, so I chose to be an Army Ranger. I left about ten years after being in the Army and went to work for myself. I got tired of fighting other people's battles and killing innocent people."
"I understand that." Jim said.
Kit could not believe it he expected this guy to be a monster, but in reality he was just a normal down-to-earth guy. He was real nice, but Kit knew he had a cold streak too as he had seen pictures of the civilians killed by his people. Kit saw the damage done to the innocent by their missions.
"So, Nina. What have you been up to the past few years? Have you had any run-ins with your friend Jack?"
"No, thank God. That man is relentless. I think he might have finally given up."
"You should have just let me send some guys to kill him."
"They would not have succeed. Jack is like a cockroach you can't kill."
"Aren't most government agents?"
"Yeah I guess some are, but none to the extent Jack is." Nina said smiling remember Jack.
Kit felt uncomfortable hearing talk about Jack being killed or government agents for that matter.
Noticing the slight change in Kit's demeanor, Nina said, "I hate to eat and run Jim, but we have to do some other things today."
"Sure, no problem. It was nice to see you again, and it was nice to meet you Kit. I'll get into contact with you about training me and the boys. Thanks for the fight."
"Sure, anytime." Kit said smiling.
Nina walked out with Kit following behind her. When they reached the BMW X5, Nina walked to the driver's side, "Let me drive."
"Okay." Kit said tossing the keys to her, walking over to the passenger side and getting into the car.
Jack slowly came back to normal. His stomach was rolling and he knew that it would only be moments before he would feel the full force of the night before. He opened his eyes and a splitting headache pulsated from the back of his head to the front. It felt like there were a hundred heavy metal drummers in his head banging away. He slowly sat up. He noticed he had no clothes on at all. Usually he slept in boxers, always ready in case something happened in the middle of the night. When he saw the bartender woman from the other night, he froze for a few minutes. Had he brought her back here? He didn't remember coming back to the hotel, nor leaving the bar for that matter. He slid out of bed, with his legs not wanting to work at first. He noticed a chair full of his stuff from the duffle bag as well as his wallet and cell phone, he wondered why the stuff was out. Had someone searched the room? He went into the bathroom turning the light on and quickly blinking from the not so bright light that seemed so much brighter with his hand over. He noticed his clothes from the other day piled on the floor. Some of them looked wet. What happened he thought. Why couldn't he remember anything? He knew that even if he had blacked out, there would be more he would remember. He turned the shower on and waited for it to warm up.
Casey heard the water turn on and jolted awake. She looked at the bed and noticed Jack was not in it. She got out of the chair and walked into the bathroom. She saw Jack in the shower naked and felt something. He did looked good naked, dressed, it didn't matter. "How are you feeling?" She asked.
"Like I was hit by a semi truck then it backed up and rolled over me again." Jack said from the shower wanting to ask what happened the night before.
"How much do you remember from last night?" She asked wondering what he was thinking of at the moment.
"I was at the bar. Hector didn't want me to leave, and for once I chose to do the smart thing and stayed. You and I . ." he paused a little uncomfortable, "Um. yeah in the bathroom, and I went back out to the group afterwards and I guess I drank some more."
"That's it?" She asked.
"We didn't again, did we? I'm sorry, I can't remember."
"No we didn't. Someone slipped a roofie in one of your drinks. I found out and wanted to make sure you were okay. When I came in, the place was torn apart and you were passed out on the floor. I had the other bartender help me and we tried to wake you up by putting you in the shower and turning on the cold water. You woke up for a second or two and then fell back asleep. I was worried and didn't want to leave you alone. With all the drugs in your system, I wasn't sure what they would do to you. I guess I must have nodded off though."
Jack got out of the shower reaching for a towel. "Thanks. I'm sorry you had to spend your night watching me. Are you sure someone slipped something into my drink?"
"Yeah, positive."
"You said the room was torn apart. Like someone had searched it?" Jack asked worried about the answer.
"Yeah. It was Hector and his men. I saw them leaving before I came over."
"Thanks again. Can I drive you somewhere or take you to get breakfast something to . . ." Jack stopped in mid-sentence. He heard Hectors familiar voice outside. Putting a finger over his mouth, he signaled for Casey to be quiet. He whispered to her, "Hide in the shower, don't get out. Do you know where my gun is?"
"I didn't see it anywhere." She whispered back.
Jack then remembered he left it in his car the other day. He cursed silently to himself. "Stay in here no matter what happens." He said looking at her. "Thanks Casey."
He walked out of the bathroom in just a towel. The door opened and in walked Hector and Thomas.
Jack crossed his arms and said, "Hello. Thanks for knocking. How can I help you guys?"
"Why don't you get dressed so we can go somewhere?"
"Give me a few minutes. You'll have to excuse me, I'm still having a larger hangover than usual, but roofie's will do that to you." Jack said letting them know he knew they had slipped something in his drink. He debated whether or not to let on. If he let on, they would know they didn't pull one over on him at least not without him knowing, but if he didn't let on he might be able to find out if they found anything in the search. Jack walked over to the chair that contained all of his belongings at the moment. He grabbed a pair of black combat pants, a white wife beater, and a gray long sleeve shirt. He went in the bathroom closing the door behind him.
Hector sat in the room with Thomas. He thought, so Jack knew we slipped him something. Did he know because the bartender narced them out, or because he knew it after he woke up noticing the room was rummaged through, feeling worse than usual, and not remembering what happened the night before could lead him to the conclusion something had been done to one or some of his drinks. Hector thought about what he knew of Jack and decided it had to be the second possibility.
Jack was in the bathroom getting dressed. He quietly spoke to Casey, "When I leave, wait about ten minutes and then leave. Make sure no one is outside first."
"What about you? Where are they taking you?" Casey said worried for the man she barely knew, but she knew he was not like the others from how he acted last night in the bar.
"I don't know. It doesn't really matter. Thank you again." Jack said putting his gray long sleeve shirt on. He opened the door to the bathroom and walked out buttoning the shirt up. He walked over to the chair grabbing his cell phone and wallet. He looked at Thomas smiling and asked, "Did I have any messages last night?"
Thomas looked at him, but did not answer him. Thomas and everyone in the room knew what happened, at least for the most part, last night, and no one would actually mention it besides Jack.
Hector said, "How would he know?"
"Sir, we both know what happened last night. At least I can concluded what happened I don't really remember." Jack said trying to sound respectful, but at the same time let them know he knew what happened. "Next time, just ask. I don't really like getting drugged."
"But you do drugs?" Hector said.
"I know what I'm putting in my body, and the effects it'll have. You could have killed me last night with the mixture of drugs that was in my system." Jack said clearly angry and allowing it to be portrayed in his voice. Letting go of his anger he asked, "What can I do for you, sir?"
"We're going for a little ride." Hector answered.
Inside, Jack was nothing but nerves. Did they find something last night they shouldn't have? Do they know he is really an federal agent and now they are going to kill him? On the outside, he looked calm and collected. He asked in hopes that if they did kill him at least someone would know where he was, "Where to?"
"Another meeting. Carlos is heading over now with his guys." Thomas answered as they walked out of the room. Jack closed the door and locked it with his key.
"Who's car are we taking?" Jack asked.
"You have an SUV, right?" Hector asked.
"Yeah it's right there." Jack said pointing to the black SUV parked across the parking lot.
"We'll take yours then." Hector answered.
Jack walked over to the SUV unlocking the doors with his remote key. The car beeped as the doors unlocked. Hector got into the passenger's seat of the car and Thomas got in the back. Jack got in the driver's seat and reached underneath the seat to pull out his holster and Beretta to make sure they were still there. When Hector saw what he was doing, he pulled his Glock 17 gun on Jack.
"What the fuck?" Hector asked.
"Calm down. Just getting my gun out from under the seat. I store it down there. I'm just going to put it on if that's fine with you." Jack said with his hands up trying not to make any sudden movements. He wanted his gun on so he had at least a little chance of getting out alive if they found something and were going to kill him.
"Fine. Just don't do that again." Hector said holstering his gun.
Jack unbuttoned his gray shirt and put the shoulder holster on. He stuck his 9mm Berretta in the holster and put the gray shirt back on over the gun. He started the car and asked, "Are we picking Carlos up?"
"No, just drive over there and then follow Pedro and the others in the car." Hector commanded.
"Sure. Do you mind if I turn the radio on?" Jack said pulling into the back alley of the bar.
"It's your car." Hector answered.
Jack turned the radio on and it started to play the CD in the player automatically.
I can't remember
The last time you cared about anything
The last time you allowed yourself to be seen
So pretentious your lies unrelenting disguise
Creating tears in your eyes your mind withers and dies
Hector looked over at Jack. He would never have thought that Jack likes this type of music. He wondered about the words, did they have meaning to him?
Jack saw Hector looking over at him and got a little nervous. The words were personal to him and he had completely forgotten about the CD being in the car. Music was his life outside of CTU. He was unable to convey his emotions through normal ways and music was how he did it. He could see himself in the lyrics and lose himself in the music. "My ex- girlfriend's CD. I never took it out, I guess." Jack said as a way of explanation.
Pretending to be something you are not
Somewhere in the middle you are now caught
You've never seen who you really are
No lie breathes in you
All the time you laugh you wait to cry
No part of your life is true
All the time your life passes you by
Pedro, Carlos, and Salvador walked out of the back of the bar and got into Salvador's white Lexus. Jack followed behind them as they pulled out of the alley. "So, where are we going?" Jack asked.
"Why are you so worried about where we are going?" Hector asked irritated.
"Just wondering. I like to know where I'm going." Jack answered.
"You are a driver, so just drive." Hector said looking at Jack who kept his eyes on the road.
Jacks phone rang in his pocket. He pulled it out and looked at the name that came up on the caller ID. It was Carol, his sister. He opened the phone and turned it off. He did not want to have a conversation with her while he was trying to maintain his cover and figure out what the hell was going on.
"Who was that?" Hector asked.
"My sister. I don't like to drive and talk, and I really don't want to talk to her anyway." Jack said putting the phone back in his pocket.
Hector remembered the message on his phone from last night and figured he was telling the truth. "Who is this?" Hector asked referring to the CD.
"Trapt." Jack answered.
"They aren't that bad. Not my choice of music, but not that bad."
I don't ever want to see I don't ever want to be like you Hollow Man
I don't care what you give
Hollow Man you can't live like this
Your voice is just a whisper
You call upon your blank thought as you try
To fit in where you missed her
You missed the Chance to stop living a lie
They drove for a while in silence when Hector asked, "What have you been doing for the past few years?"
Jack glanced over at him, "Moving around, going where the money is. Just trying to make it day to day and not get caught in the process."
"Where have you been?"
"Mostly over in Europe for a while, then Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Illinois, Texas, and finally California. I've been in California the longest."
"All of those places?"
"I don't like staying in one place for too long. Never have, I think that is originally why I joined the Army."
"You betray the Army, used it to sell drugs. You want to know what I think of you?" Hector asked rhetorically. "I think you are a junky who betray his country for money. All you see is the money and you would sell your own mother out for a few bucks."
Jack glanced over at Hector he felt a rush of anger that registered in his eyes for a second. "The only reason why I did the whole drug thing was because that was what my commanding officer wanted, and he taught me well. Yeah, I made money, but I also spent time in Leavenworth for it. I never sold my country out, and money is not important to me and never has. If it was, I think I would have stayed in Europe. I had a nice comfortable job there working the drug trade. I have never sold anyone out in my life. I would not narc on anyone. I could have gotten out of the time in Leavenworth if I would have just given up the commanding officer who is now a politician, but I didn't. Believe me, the Army made sure I regretted it for the first few weeks I was in Leavenworth. I may be a junky, but it doesn't hurt anyone but me and I get the job done right the first time." Jack said with more anger in his voice than he intended.
Pedro stopped in a wooded area they had been at the previous day. Jack parked beside him and turned the car off. He sat in the car as Hector and Thomas got out. Thomas walked to the front of the SUV and leaned against it as Hector conducted business with Carlos. In the middle of the business, a group of police cars came rushing into the area. Hector ran back to the SUV as did Thomas. They both got in and Jack floored the car off onto a small dirt road that led through the wooded area. Salvador, Pedro, and Carlos where close behind.
Jack had the SUV up to over ninety controlling it through the dense woods. Hector looked over at him and asked, "You did this, didn't you? You are a fucking cop or something aren't you?"
Jack kept his eyes on the road as he tried to stay calm, "No. It wasn't me. Shit, I was barely awake before you came over how could I have done this. When we get away you are more than welcome to search me for anything you want. You won't find anything. I'm not a fucking cop. If I were, I'd be in some trouble for killing that guy last night." Jack was terrified he knew at any moment he could die, and he thought he was ready to die, but he wasn't. He remembered Mason's parting words to him and than Kim came to mind he could not die yet.
"Just get us out of this." Hector screamed.
Jack drove faster pushing the SUV the fastest he could get it on the bad dirt road without the chance of tipping or burning out the motor. The cops were not far behind and Jack was running out of options. He did not know where this road went to and if it led anywhere. For all he knew it ended, in a dead end. Jack grabbed out his phone and called Salvador's phone. When Salvador answered, Jack said, "I'm going to get over as much as I can when I do, tell Pedro to speed up and get ahead of me. I have a plan."
Jack got over to the little brush area slowing the SUV down as he ran over small shrubs. Pedro sped up and was in front of him Jack got back on the road. He grabbed his gun out of its holster and told Hector, "Take the wheel. I'm going to move the seat back. You get in the driver's seat."
Jack pushed his seat back so that he could climb over it to the back of the SUV. Hector almost hit a few trees weaving from one side of the road to the other till he got into the driver seat. Jack crawled all the way to the back storage area. He opened the back hatch window and waited for the car to steady itself and for his target to come into range.
He aimed at the tires, he knew what a bullet would do to a car if it blew the tire out at this speed, but it was better than his other option of killing the driver. He fired a clip off finally hitting the tire of the leading police car and sent in flipping. All of the other police cars behind it slammed on their brakes trying not to hit the car. When Jack looked forward again, he saw that they were almost out of the forest. He could see where the small dirt road connected with another road. He got out of the back and climbed up to the front passenger seat, excusing himself as he accidentally hit Thomas as he climbed over the seat. Jack's phone rang from inside his pants, he grabbed it out and looked at the caller ID it was Salvador. "Hello?"
"Good shot. man. Ask Hector if he wants us to stop somewhere or go back to the bar?"
"Hector. Carlos wants to know do you want us to stop somewhere or go back to the bar?"
"We need to hide out somewhere. I doubt we can make it back to the bar."
"Well, there are some abandoned factories up ahead if I'm not mistaken. We could hide out there and even get some cars there to pick us up." Jack said.
"Fine, tell him to go to one of those we're following." Hector ordered.
Jack repeated what Hector said. Pedro turned off on the road and went to an old factory stopping in front as he waited for Salvador to open the big door for them to drive in. When everyone was inside and out of their cars, Hector said, "What in the fuck just happened? How did the cops know we were there?" He said this looking at Jack suspiciously.
Jack looked back up him nothing in his eyes, "I already said it wasn't me. What do you want me to do to prove it?"
"Let's see if you have a wire or anything. Search him Pedro." Hector said looking at Jack.
Jack stood with is arms out as Pedro searched him for a wire or anything. He did not find anything. Hector looked at Jack and said, "Take your shirt off."
Jack took both of his shirts off and stood in the cool room. He did not break eye contact with Hector. "See? Nothing." Jack said calmly.
"He has to be a fucking cop." Hector pointed his gun at Jack who stood there not moving arms up.
"Hector I told you I checked him out. He can't be a cop. I don't know how they know, but it's not him." Carlos said knowing that Hector was getting ready to shoot Jack.
"I don't trust him." Hector said putting the gun back down. "He's hiding something." Hector walked up to Jack and stood an inch from his face.
"I'm not hiding anything. You're just paranoid." Jack answered.
Hector threw a hook punch at Jack who ducked out of the way. Hector came at him again angry. He threw the punch again, but this time, Jack blocked it. He fought hard not to fight back every time his instincts told him to swing at Hector's open rib cage or face.
Noticing their boss's struggle, Pedro and Thomas came over to help. Jack was able to hold all three off until finally Salvador joined in. Finally somehow, Pedro and Salvador got Jack's arms behind his back, and Jack fought them to free his arms. Hector walked up to Jack and hit him hard in the rib cage. "You know Jack, I just don't like you." Hector said after he hit Jack in the face.
Jack looked at Hector and spit blood out of his mouth onto the floor bellow and said, "I couldn't figure. Is that why you keep trying to burn me on something. First you drug me, then search my hotel room, accuse me of being a cop, and now what you going to beat the crap out of me. What did I ever do to you? I have been respectful to you even when you were being a real asshole. I saved your ass today from being caught by the police and yet I'm still a cop. I killed a man last night at your order, and yet I'm still a cop. I did nothing when you put fucking drugs in my drink last night, yet I'm still a cop."
Hector walked up to Jack with his gun out. He pushed the barrel of the gun into Jack's forehead. Jack stared back at Hector, inside he was saying his final hail Mary's and kicking himself for ever going undercover, outside he was calm. Hector looked into his eyes and noticed there was no fear in them. Nothing, not even nervousness, was portrayed. He took the gun back and smashed it as hard as he could into the side of Jack's head. Pedro and Salvador let Jack's semi-unconscious body fall to the floor. Jack tried to clear the cloudy darkness away, but the battle ended with a kick to the head from Hector. Jack's unconscious body wrenched towards the direction Hector's kick sent his head.
"Throw him in the back of the SUV. Take him back to the bar." Hector ordered Pedro. Hector walked over to the SUV and got into the back with Thomas. They would all meet back at the bar and he would find out how in the hell the cops find out. "Pedro, grab his cell phone. I want to make some calls just not on my phone." Hector ordered as he heard Pedro struggle to pick Jack's unconscious body up and put it into the back of the SUV.
Once he had Jack's cell phone, Hector first called his brother to let him know what had happened. After the conversation he called one of the Salazar's contacts in the police department narcotics division. When the guy answered the phone Hector said, "Thanks for the heads-up. How in the hell did they find out?"
"I did not know about it till about three minutes ago. Someone tipped them off. They have someone undercover with you. I'll be able to find out in a few." The man whispered into the phone.
"Fine. Call me back as soon as you know who it is. I also want you to check on the phone calls made off the phone I'm calling you from. The number is 253-9589. Call me back with both on that number." Hector ordered angrily at the man for not tipping him off. He hung the phone up and looked back at Jack who lay in an awkward position in the back. He was almost sure that Jack was the cop he had to be. Who else would have been? He had done deals before with Salvador there and Carlos Jack was the only new face. As soon as he was sure, he would kill Jack slowly. The man had balls and Hector respected that, but at the same time the man was much like Hector and that pissed Hector off. They were both sure of themselves.
Hector thought about what he would do to Jack the entire way back to the bar. When they reached the bar, he got out and walked into the back. He sat at the desk and ordered, "Secure him in a chair."
Pedro dragged Jack's limp body to the middle of the room and set it on the floor. He walked out to the bar area smiling at the female bartender from the other night and grabbed a chair. He returned to the room and picked Jack up off the floor and sat him in the chair. Using duct tape, he taped Jack's wrist and ankles to the chair. He went back out to the bar and got drinks for everyone inside.
Jack slowly started to stir as he came too. He felt the warm blood drip down the side of his head onto his back. He opened his eyes and pain shot through his head, he closed his eyes again. When he opened them again, he noticed Hector staring at him holding a beer bottle in one hand and the his gun resting in the other. "You don't look so good Jack." Hector taunted him.
"I've been worse." Jack answered in a voice they portrayed the pain of the migraine he had. "So what am I just going to sit here while you get drunk and then kill me for nothing. Other than that, you just don't like me?"
"Nope. I'm waiting on a friend to call me back, and then after he has told me in fact you are the person who narced us out, I'm going to kill you slowly."
"Sounds like fun. The only problem is I'm not that person. I don't know who it is, but I know it wasn't me." Jack responded.
Jack's cell phone rang and he noticed the ringer. For a second he almost panicked hoping that Kate, Kim or anyone else wasn't calling him. Hector answered the phone, "Yeah?"
"There are very few calls made on it other than to two numbers I checked them and one is to a Kate Warner, and the other to a bar. There are one or two other calls on it to other cell phones. If you want, I can check those numbers."
"Yeah check them. What about the narc?" Hector inquired.
"Someone on Carlos's side. He's been working for Carlos for quite some time. He got busted with a huge shipment of drugs, not from you guys. Even Carlos didn't know about it. The FBI caught him and turned him. They kept my department out of it until today. They know there's a mole or moles inside the department so they don't trust us."
"Do you have the narc's name?"
"No. Just that is was someone who has worked for Carlos for a few years. Mexican fellow."
"Shit." Hector said hanging up the phone.
"Wasn't me, was it?" Jack wanted to say, but did not. He knew how close he was to dying and decided to keep quiet.
"Let him go." Hector ordered Pedro.
Pedro untapped one of Jack's arms and Jack finished the rest on his own. Jack stood up from the chair putting his hand to his head.
"Go to the bathroom and clean yourself up." Hector ordered him.
Jack left the room for the bathroom. When he walked out, Casey saw him and he noticed a brief look of worry come over her face. He continued back to the bathroom. When he got inside he leaned against the wall for a minute to calm himself down. He was sure he was dead when Hector had pressed the gun to his head earlier, and when he woke up in the bar, he looked at his head in the mirror. There was blood coming from a cut above his right eye. He turned the sink on and grabbed a few paper towels. He gently patted the cut trying to clean it without irritating it. He gave up on cleaning the blood that continually flowed from the cut, so he went to cleaning it off the rest of himself. He heard footsteps coming and he tensed for a minute thinking maybe Hector changed his mind. The bathroom door opened and Casey walked in.
"Are you okay?" She asked worried.
"Yeah. It was nothing." Jack said going back to cleaning the blood off his neck, shoulder and back.
"Let me look at it." She said walking up to him and moving his arm away from cleaning the blood off. "I think you'll need stitches."
"I'll be fine." Jack said stepping away from her. "You shouldn't be in here in case one of the guys come to check on me. Just go back to work. If I can, I'll talk to you later."
Clearly hurt, Casey left the bathroom. Jack went back to cleaning the blood off. When he finished he grabbed a new paper towel and used it to collect the blood that poured out of the cut above his eye. He walked back to the back room and leaned against the wall not saying anything.
When Jack entered the room again, Hector smiled at him, knowing he got Jack good. He went back to thinking about who the narc could be. "Where is Ximen?" He asked Carlos.
"He's out collecting today, sir." Carlos answered.
"Get him in here. I want to talk to him, Salvador and Jack on my own. Why don't you and Thomas go out and drink? Have the bartender come back and bring us some drinks." Hector directed.
"Yes sir." Carlos replied walking over to the phone to call Ximen who answered the phone on the second ring and said he would be there in a few minutes he was heading over with the money already. Carlos told Hector what Ximen said and left.
Casey came into the room a minute later and asked Hector, "What can I get you, sir?"
"Bring in a bottle of tequila, six shot glasses and twelve beers."
"Yes sir." She said walking out only glancing at Jack.
Starting to feel the chill of the night, Jack asked, "Sir, can I run back to my hotel room to grab a shirt?" Jack did not make eye contact with Hector in fear of pissing the man off. He was not sure what was going to happen and he didn't want to egg Hector on anymore. He came too close to getting himself killed.
Hector smiled at the thought that he might have just taught the man a lesson, "Yeah, grab Thomas and have him go with you."
"Thank you." Jack said walking out to the bar area and telling Thomas what Hector said.
Thomas followed Jack to his hotel room. When they reached the hotel room, Thomas said, "Sorry about last night and today. Clearly, you aren't the narc. You'll have to excuse Hector he doesn't trust the new guys. I don't think he started to even trust me until last year and I had worked for him and his brother for over four years beforehand. Also you a ballsy motherfucker and it pisses him off that you are not afraid of him. He's going to ride your ass as long as he can because he doesn't like people who don't fear him."
"That's great to know." Jack said grabbing a clean shirt off the chair. He followed Thomas back to the bar as he put the shirt on. When he reached the back room, Ximen was already there. He took his spot against the wall again. He noticed the cut had finally stopped bleeding.
Pedro poured everyone a shot and Jack gulped it down quickly. He never was a big fan of tequila because it knocked him out quickly.
"You all know what happened earlier today. I know now that Jack is not the narc so that leaves you two." Hector said looking over at Ximen and Salvador who sat on the couch. Salvador squirmed a little, it was almost unnoticeable, but Jack and Hector both caught on.
Jack took a drink from his beer trying to block out the migraine he had. Jack wanted to attack Salvador at the moment for all he went through in the past few hours. His nerves were shot and he wanted to kill the man.
"Would either of you like to say something?" Hector said already sure that it was Salvador, but he wanted to drag it out a little longer.
"It's not me, Hector." Salvador said with a slight edge of nervousness in his voice.
"Really, because that doesn't make sense. Ximen didn't know where we were going today, so how did he tell the police?" Hector said looking at Salvador who was now squirming very noticeably.
"I'm sorry, Hector." He said before he began to plead for his life.
Hector looked at Pedro who walked over to Salvador and grabbed him roughly off the couch. Hector walked over to the corner where there was a baseball bat. He swung the bat hard connecting with Salvador's ribcage. Salvador screamed out in pain so loud that everyone in the bar got quiet for a moment.
Jack stood up from leaning against the wall and said, "Sir, wouldn't it be better if we took him somewhere else where no one would hear him? If too many people hear him screaming, they might call the cops."
Hector had overlooked the fact as he usually missed the small details when he got pissed, "Good idea, Jack." He said in a thick Mexican accent.
Pedro looked at Jack who walked over and helped take Salvador out to the car. They stuffed him into the trunk and closed it. Hector came out alone with the baseball bat swinging at his side. "Do you have a crow bar in your SUV?" He asked Jack.
"Yes sir." Jack said reaching in his pants pocket for his keys that were not there. He looked up at Hector and knew they had them. Hector tossed the keys to Jack and asked, "Anything else?"
"Not really. If you want I have some money. We can stop off and pick up some rope. I know a good area to go where no one will hear." Jack answered waiting for Hector to agree with it.
"Fine. You drive again."
"Yes, sir." Jack drove the car to a local hardware store he knew stayed open late because he had frequented it a few times to pick up things to fix the house with when Teri was alive. He and Hector went inside. Jack found the rope and then went searching for Hector in the store. He found Hector looking at different carpenter knives. Hector handed him one and they walked to the checkout lane. The guy barely looked at them twice. They left with their purchase and returned to the car. Jack drove them to a secluded area around the valley area. He pulled back into the woods and stopped the car about three miles in. He left the car on so that the lights would stay on. He helped Pedro pull Salvador out of the trunk and then Jack cut some rope off and used a small piece to tie Salvador's hands behind his back. He then took the rest and threw it over a branch fastening as noose with the other end. Putting the noose around Salvador's neck, Jack tightened it and then took the other end of the rope that hung from the branch and tied it to a tree trunk farther back. "We are fine as long as the sun doesn't rise. This trail is frequented by runners so he'd be found in the morning if we left him here." Jack informed Hector.
"That's good. I want the cops to find him quickly." Hector said in an eerie tone.
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Kit tried to wash the soap out of his eyes before the person entered the bathroom. He grabbed a towel from the towel hanger and wiped his eyes off. His vision was blurry from the soap still in his eye. He noticed the figure of a woman, "Hello, can I help you?" He asked thinking maybe it was room services.
"Yes, you can." Nina said in a tone that suggested more.
"Nina? What the hell?" Kit said from the shower.
"Mind if I join you?"
Kit thought he was dreaming. He had always wanted Nina. Even after she turned, he wanted her. She was so beautiful and he knew that deep down she was not as bad as she made herself to be. No one ever was, but he also knew it was wrong for him to hook up with her, and for him to even have made the deal he had. What would Jack do? If he did not do what Nina wanted, he might be killed and he would not get the mission completed. Jack had always told him the mission was the most important thing and nothing else you did mattered as long as it got you towards finishing the mission successfully.
Nina got undressed and got into the shower with Kit. Kit rinsed his hair and the soap out of his eyes before he started to pay attention to Nina. After they finished their business in the shower, they moved to the bed, and then fell on the floor and finished the night out on the floor.
Kit woke up in the morning and felt someone sleeping on his arm next to him. He slowly sat up, his head pounding from the hang over he looked over to see Nina. For a moment, he panicked not remembering all of the night before. He then calmed down and slid his arm carefully out from under her. He got up and looked at the clock. It was only six in the morning so he still had time. He went to the bathroom and got dressed. He wore a black t-shirt, blue jeans, and a black leather jacket. When he reemerged from the bathroom, Nina was sitting up she smiled at him, "I had fun last night how about you?"
Kit smiled back at her. He thought to himself if she only knew how many times he had dreamed about it. He was jealous of Jack and then Tony. He always wanted to be with her and finally had. "Yeah I did. How about some breakfast? I can call room service and have some brought up. I don't know about you but I could use some food about right now."
"Sure. I want a western omelet. Do you have a shirt or something I can borrow." Nina asked standing up. Her naked body clearly in front of Kit.
"Yeah, in the drawer." He said looking away.
Nina liked the way he looked at her. Most men gave her the same look, but Kit had something more to it. He had almost a worship quality to him. He was a decent man like Jack, but the only difference was Kit was easily controlled unlike Jack. Kit was still a romantic who believed in right and wrong, and the cause. Nina had persuaded him that the right at the moment and the best thing for the cause was to ally himself with her. She would work on him until he was butter in her fingers. She could play any man and she knew it. It was not hard because most men thought with the wrong body part. She played Jack easily. She could tell from Jack past that he needed a woman in time of crisis. He had to have someone to go home too. When he and Teri were falling apart, Nina slowly inserted herself as more than a co-worker. She became one of Jack's main friends and quickly rose to something more. "I think I can help you with bring Vaselnak down."
"How?" Kit asked hanging up the phone as he had finished ordering breakfast.
"I am already high in the organization. I'll have you brought up to work with me and that will help you'll get closer to the actual leaders. Then all you have to do is what you are supposed to do." Nina answered.
"That would be great. Could you do that?" Kit asked not knowing the extent of Nina's power.
"Yeah. How long until breakfast gets here I'm starving?"
"It should be here in ten." Kit said sitting on the bed.
Nina sat next to him and kissed him passionately.
"Why are you doing this?" He asked when she finished. He felt as if she was playing him for some reason. He did not believe she wanted him, but what he knew or something he could do for her.
"Kit, I always liked you, but you were never in the position to help me at CTU. If I didn't like you, I would have had you killed last night and then tipped off CTU myself about Vaselenak."
Kit thought about what she said. It was very plausible because CTU got thousands of tips every day and always checked them out. Most weren't valid, but those that were always were followed. He still did not fully trust her, but he was still happy where he was at.
There was a knock on the door. Kit looked through the peep hole to see room service sitting outside with a cart. He opened the door and the room service guy brought in the food. Kit signed the booklet and gave the guy a ten dollar tip. He and Nina devoured the food and Kit excused himself, "I got to call in and give a status report."
"Who's handling your reports?" Nina asked curious if it was Jack.
"A new guy, Chase. I worked with him in D.C. He's a good guy." Kit answered. "Why? Are you disappointed it is not Jack?"
"No, not at all." Nina said lying. If she said yes it would hurt Kit and she wanted him to think she just wanted him.
Kit gave Chase his status report and left out all information about Nina out of it. He told Chase he would call in a week or two. He told Chase he was easily moving up in the chain. He asked about Jack quietly in hopes that Nina didn't hear him.
"I don't know. He hasn't been in contact with me since he went undercover yesterday or the day before. I'm not sure when." Chase answered.
"Okau. Thanks Chase, I got to go." Kit said hanging up the phone.
Nina smiled at Kit when she heard the conversation and knew that Jack was working somewhere else. She thought about asking, but again, she knew it would make Kit jealous as she was not in good enough with him yet to do that. "Today, you are going to work with me. I'll call the people you were with yesterday and let them know I want you." Nina said getting up and taking Kit's cell phone from him. She called the people and told them she wanted Kit from now on. They complied with her.
"So what are we doing today?" Kit asked.
"We have a meeting with the big guy." Nina said smiling knowing it would make Kit happy.
"No way." Kit said surprised. "Damn."
"Get dressed. Suit or something nice." Nina answered smiling as if she were happy to make him happy. Kit walked over and returned her kiss from earlier.
Kit changed into one of the suits he packed to go with him. He came out of the bathroom in the black suit with a light blue shirt on underneath with a dark red tie. Nina smiled, "You look good."
"You want me to drive you by your room so you can change?" Kit said smiling at her.
"Yeah. We better get going. The meeting is in an hour."
Kit waited outside while Nina changed her clothes. She came out in black slacks with a black shirt on. She got into the passenger's seat and told Kit to drive towards the Opera place. Kit drove through the streets of Sydney almost in disbelief. After getting lost for ten minutes, he found the famous Opera house and parked outside. He and Nina got out of the car and walked into the structure. At first, Kit was taken back by the beauty of the place. He had seen it in pictures as a kid, but it was nothing like actually seeing it.
"Beautiful, isn't it?" A man with a deep voice asked from the stage.
Kit looked at him. He had never seen the leader of the Vaseleneks, but he assumed this was him. "Yes, sir." Kit said trying not to stare to much.
"Who is this, Nina?" the man asked.
"He's one of your men. I recruited him to help me. He's really good. I've worked with him before. I brought him along for help."
"You say he's one of mine. I've never seen him before."
"He was working with Zander and Tristen, that's why."
"Oh. You say he's good?"
"You know Jet Li? This guy could take him in a heart beat." Nina said looking at Kit.
"Fine. I'll take your word on it. Welcome kid, what's your name?"
"Kit Yun, sir."
"Welcome, Mr. Yun. Now let's get to work."
"I have the money and my people are ready to do the deal." Nina said getting to business.
"Good. I hope you will be staying with us through the event."
"Of course. Not that we don't trust you. I just like your company so much." Nina said smiling at him.
"I know you do, honey. Have you already had breakfast?"
"Yeah." Nina answered.
"Okay. My guy is getting the plans for me. I'm looking around for the right device to use. Anything else we need to cover?"
"None that I can think of. Where are we moving to next? It'd be nice to know what type of clothes to have."
"Nina, my dear you don't need clothes to cover your natural beauty, but if you must know, we are going to Tokyo."
"Good."
"How about the first part of the payment?"
"Of course. What is your bank account number?"
The man handed Nina a slip of paper with number on. Nina took out her cell phone and called her bank she gave the permission to transfer the funds and gave the proper code for it.
The man took out his own cell phone and called his bank to get the clarification that the funds had been transferred. The woman on the other line said, "You know you have 50 million in your bank account. May I help you any further?"
"No, that will be fine honey. Have a nice day." The man said before he hung up the phone. "So Kit, you are supposed to be better than Jet Li, huh?"
"I've been told that, sir."
"Don't call me sir, it makes me feel old. Any friend of Nina's is okay with me so call me Jim."
"Sorry Jim."
"How about we go a few rounds? I know a good gym around here with a great ring."
"Are you sure?" Nina said looking at Jim telling him this boy can fight.
"Yeah. Show this youngling what fighting really is."
"It's fine with me as long as you won't get pissed if I win." Kit said.
"Me, never." Jim said smiling. "Let's go then."
When they reached the gym, Kit went inside a locker room and took a black muscle t-shirt. He took his coat and shirt off and wore the t-shirt. His arm muscles looked as if they did not exist, but he could bench press three hundred without breaking a sweat. After taping his hands up, Kit got inside the ring with Jim. Both men were in the full sparring pads needed even with the helmet on to prevent damage. Jim started on the attack. He went at Kit quickly with a combination of right and left punches and kicks. Kit blocked them all with some trouble. The man was quicker than Kit expected. Kit stayed on the defensive until he saw an opportunity to hit Jim. He connected with a right hook punch into the side of Jim's head, and followed through with a left jab into Jim's abdomen, knocking the wind out of Jim. Kit backed off to allow his opponent time to collect himself. He always did this in a fight. Even if it were life and death, he had to do the honorable thing.
Jim came at him again this time hitting Kit in the face with a left hook. Kit spit blood out of his mouth and prepared to go on the attack again. He quickly attacked Jim quickly confusing the man as he threw left and right punches and side-kicks quicker than most people could ever do. When Kit was finished, Jim was down in the ring. "Okay, I think my old self has had enough. You kicked my ass boy. Where did you learn to fight like that?"
"I grew up in a bad neighborhood and no one liked the fact that I wasn't white or black. There were a lot of people who hated Asians so I had to learn to defend myself quickly."
"You're quick, I can tell you that. Shit, half the time, I didn't know what you were coming at me with. By the time I noticed it, you were already there, you will have to train me and some of my boys." Jim said.
"Sure." Kit said.
"Why did you back off there at first you could have had me down faster?"
"I don't like hitting a man when he is down. It is a cheap shot and I don't need those. There is a saying: 'Those who are the most honorable are the most deadly.'"
"Honorable too. Damn Nina, where did you find this boy?" Jim said impressed.
"I didn't find him, your people did. I just know him from earlier jobs and I ran into him." Nina said giving Jim the credit as he would like it. Jim always wanted the credit. The man believed that the sun rose and set on him and no one could tell him different. She had learned that early on, she always had to give him credit because even when you do, everyone knew he was too stupid to do it on his own.
"How about lunch? My treat since you kicked my ass."
"I'm hungry now, and I don't want to watch you two fight again." Nina answered for herself and Kit.
Kit got out of the ring, took all of the padding off and undid the tape on his hands. He took off his t-shirt, and put his shirt and coat back on. Fixing the tie around his neck, he smiled at the thought of how quickly he rose through the ranks.
They had lunch at a fancy restaurant that normally Kit would not dream of eating at because on his salary from CTU, he would never be able to afford it. They drank 1000 dollar bottles of wine and laughed about the boxing match.
Jim started to ask about Kit's past, "So where did you grow up?"
"About six blocks from Chinatown in L.A. It's mostly a suburban area mixed between Caucasians and African Americans."
"You already had said that. Those poor bastards didn't know what hit them when you fought them did they?"
"At first, I got my ass kicked a lot, but then my father taught me what he had learned in the Navy. After that, I started to go to a dojo and learned more. I got really good and almost went for the U.S. Karate team, but decided to go to the Army instead."
"Army, huh? Never would have guessed."
"Yeah it was kind of expected that I go into the Armed Forces and I didn't want to be a SEAL, so I chose to be an Army Ranger. I left about ten years after being in the Army and went to work for myself. I got tired of fighting other people's battles and killing innocent people."
"I understand that." Jim said.
Kit could not believe it he expected this guy to be a monster, but in reality he was just a normal down-to-earth guy. He was real nice, but Kit knew he had a cold streak too as he had seen pictures of the civilians killed by his people. Kit saw the damage done to the innocent by their missions.
"So, Nina. What have you been up to the past few years? Have you had any run-ins with your friend Jack?"
"No, thank God. That man is relentless. I think he might have finally given up."
"You should have just let me send some guys to kill him."
"They would not have succeed. Jack is like a cockroach you can't kill."
"Aren't most government agents?"
"Yeah I guess some are, but none to the extent Jack is." Nina said smiling remember Jack.
Kit felt uncomfortable hearing talk about Jack being killed or government agents for that matter.
Noticing the slight change in Kit's demeanor, Nina said, "I hate to eat and run Jim, but we have to do some other things today."
"Sure, no problem. It was nice to see you again, and it was nice to meet you Kit. I'll get into contact with you about training me and the boys. Thanks for the fight."
"Sure, anytime." Kit said smiling.
Nina walked out with Kit following behind her. When they reached the BMW X5, Nina walked to the driver's side, "Let me drive."
"Okay." Kit said tossing the keys to her, walking over to the passenger side and getting into the car.