Chapter 12
Jack switched the motor off and let the car roll the last couple of meters, stopping in the shadows behind a bush.
How the hell did I end up here? He was an idiot to go along with this. He should call CTU and bring her back or just drag her out off the car and beat Amador's location out of her personally.
But he knew she was right. They could probably break her the one or the other way, but it would take too long. She was tough and from what he knew now, it wouldn't be the first time she would be submitted to torture. He believed her when she said she could stall. And he couldn't take a chance. If they lost Amador now, they might lose the only chance to trace and eventually secure the virus.
He glared at Nina, giving her to understand that he wanted her to wait in the car, and got out. Once again making sure there was no one around, he went to the trunk and opened it, soon finding what he was looking for. With the spyglasses in his hand, he went around the car again and got in a position from where he could see the plane.
It was a small plane, much like the one he had been coming down in with Ramon. And like Nina had told him, they seemed ready to go whenever she got back, the door open and the stairs in place. So far he could only see one guy, standing a bit abandoned on the airfield, smoking a cigarette. But there could be more of them, of course.
He checked the surroundings. It was literally just a field. No buildings, no other planes or vehicles of any kind and he could only guess the next houses or villages had to be miles away. Checking a last time on the guy in front of the plane, he went back to the car and got in again.
"Is it really just this one guy?" He had wanted to give her a little speech, tell her that if she was screwing with him one more time... But what good could it do.
Nina nodded. "Yes. He and two pilots."
"What are their orders?"
"To wait for me and take me back."
"Back?" he asked but of course she wasn't answering that, just giving him a slight glare.
"What is he gonna do when it's just you and me coming back?" he focused on what was more important now.
"He's gonna wonder but he'll do what I tell him," she explained, glancing at her wristwatch. "We should go."
Again, he wanted to tell her not to try anything but swallowed it down. It seemed like he had already used any line that could be appropriate and she had never listened anyway. And why would she, the thought entered his mind before he could do anything to stop it. Irritated, he fumbled with the keys and unlocked her cuffs, reaching for her briefcase then that was lying on the backseat.
"You might need this," he said and dropped it on her lap before he turned the keys in the ignition. She was still unarmed and even if she tried to warn the guy, Jack could shoot him before he would have a chance to react.
He approached the airfield slowly, turning up the headlights once they were in sight and driving on with normal lights then. He pulled over on a level with the stairs, and the last one of Nina's men was there right away, relaxing as he recognized her.
"Are we ready to go?" Nina asked, getting out and, when Jack was next to her, walking towards the plane.
"Yeah," the guy answered, glancing at Jack and back at Nina. He looked young. Too young, and somehow his features seemed familiar but Jack couldn't place him anywhere.
"Who is he? Where are the others?" he asked, revealing a slight accent that Jack couldn't identify either.
"We ran into some problems," Nina explained and suddenly stopped, turning around and looking into his eyes. "They didn't make it," she said simply, but there was something in her voice that almost made it sound like she cared.
"Mac?" the guy asked, clearly in shock, staring at Nina with such grief in his eyes, Jack knew he had lost someone. He wondered who but didn't have time to think any further when he noticed Nina placing a hand on the guy's shoulder.
"I'm sorry, Danny."
Jack rolled his eyes. Why did she even bother. Was she enjoying her little performance or just making sure she still had it? Or was it just the fact that she knew he was watching her? Or was she really... No, of course she wasn't. But she was so damn convincing, and he couldn't even figure out how she did it. He just knew she could. She could fake everything and lie to everyone. About everything.
He cleared his throat.
"We have to go," Nina said, her voice low and insistent, but she left her hand at Danny's shoulder for a moment longer before she removed it and turned to the stairs. Jack followed her.
Once on board, they took their seats and Nina sent Danny off to tell the pilots their new destination. Jack had never heard the name but he guessed it was a small place near the border. On the American side. At least something. Once he knew where exactly they were going, it would be easier for CTU to coordinate back-up.
He waited until they were alone before he cuffed Nina again. She didn't resist. Now he just had to take care of Danny when he returned from the cockpit and then he could lean back for the rest of the flight.
It still baffled him a bit that she hadn't demanded anything in advance. Of course, she was planning something. She had to be. But he was prepared. All he had to do was keep her alive until they had gotten to Amador. From that point on, he could do whatever he wanted. He could let her rewire her client's funds or not and he could arrest her or not. He could kill her. Why not.
-x-
"Have you heard anything from my father?"
Michelle turned around with the file in her hand and was facing Kim. Insecure if someone had updated her, she looked around for Tony but he wasn't anywhere in sight.
"Yes," she said hesitating, not sure what and how to tell Kim. "He called in."
"And?" Kim asked, trying to sound casual. "Is he...on his way back?"
"No," Michelle objected vaguely, trying to figure out how to break the news to Kim that she was most certainly not gonna take too well. "He's still trying to get the virus."
"How?"
"He's trying to locate Michael Amador, the auctioneer."
"Yeah, I know who he is," Kim nodded. "But how, I mean...did Nina..."
Michelle took a deep breath.
"She's still with him."
"What?" The shock was clearly visible in Kim's face as her cheeks seemed to turn even paler. "I thought..." she started but didn't finish the sentence.
"Yeah," Michelle mumbled. We all thought so.
"Did she...do anything, did she take him hostage?" Kim asked, her eyes wide with disbelief.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"I was there myself when your father called in, Kim," she explained.
"But why should he do that? Why would he break her out if it wasn't to..."
"He thinks it's the only way to get her to cooperate. And so far, she's still the only link we have to Michael Amador and the virus."
Kim just stared at her and Michelle couldn't tell if she was worried about her father or disappointed because her mother's murderer was still alive.
"So he's still out there with her? Alone?"
"Kim," Michelle tried to calm her and placed a hand on her forearm. "I'm sure your father wouldn't have done it if he wasn't convinced that it's the only way." Kim made a dismissive face but Michelle continued, more insistent: "But I also think he wouldn't have taken the risk if he wasn't sure that he can control the situation." That was a lie, of course. She knew damn well Jack was taking any risk when he had to.
"The situation?" Kim retorted, withdrawing her arm with a swift move. "You mean her."
Michelle didn't know what to say and remained silent. She could understand Kim's feelings, but she actually didn't have time for this now. Maybe Chappelle had been right. Placing Kim in this office of all places didn't seem the best idea. She didn't seem to handle the stress and the personal involvement very well. Which was understandable, of course, but in their line of work, there was just no room for human error. And no matter how hard you try - personal relationships affect work. She was learning that lesson again today herself.
"Did he at least say where they are or where they are going? Is anyone following them?"
"No," Michelle admitted. "He made it very clear that he doesn't want any back-up at the moment, but he's gonna contact us once he gets a location." I hope.
Kim pressed her lips together angrily and shook her head. Feeling that there was nothing more she could do, Michelle wanted to go back to work. But then she changed her mind and turned around once more, leaning a little closer again.
"I know Chase is on his way back here," she nearly whispered, looking around to make sure no one was listening or maybe just to avoid Kim's eyes. "Maybe he can help you." She glanced at Kim to make sure she had gotten her point across. "If you have any more questions, you know."
-x-
Nina stared at the unconscious face to her feet. Sometimes she wondered if she would have to kill as many people if she could just knock them out as easily as Jack. It was just an option she mostly didn't have when things had to be done quickly or silently. She had taken advantage of coincidences here and there, but usually it was her last resort because it was too weak as a solution when her life was depending on it.
She could sense Jack's gaze on her.
"So which guy was Mac?"
She looked at him with a slight frown.
"Was he one of the guys I killed, or was it the one you shot?" he asked and she couldn't but be surprised he had given this any thought. Wondering where he was going with this, she just stared back at him in silence.
"I take it he was the one you shot," Jack concluded. "You knew him?"
"He's worked for me a couple of times," she replied casually.
"Then he should have known."
"Should have known what, Jack?" she asked annoyed.
"What he's gotten himself into, working for you. He should have known you would kill him without batting an eye."
That's right. I had to. And taking into account that you wouldn't be here if I hadn't, you should be pretty happy I did.
"And Danny here," Jack continued, letting his gaze wonder to the man lying in the aisle. "You shot...what, his brother?"
He looked up again and stared at her for a long moment.
"You never told me you were sorry."
For killing my wife, she completed in her head and was taken aback. And she could tell by the way he quickly blinked that it hadn't been his intention to voice his thought. But he had, and now she didn't know how to react. She simply didn't know.
Was she sorry for killing Teri? Was she sorry for what she had done to her? To him?
She knew if she was in the same situation again, she would make the same choices all over again. She had been through it a hundred times. From today's perspective, of course, things looked different, but that day - no, there hadn't been another way. When they had contacted her to tell her she was expected to work with Drazen on this, they had made it very clear that they wouldn't accept no for an answer. She had never found out why, but it didn't matter. Her instructions had been clear, her alternatives zero. It had been doing the job or being done. It had been her or Teri. It had been her or Jack. It had always been her or someone else. And luckily it had always been that someone else. Until now. She had hoped it would stop some day but it didn't seem very likely anymore, and if that was how it was supposed to go on, she would do her best to make it through again. And again, and again, and as many times as she managed.
But that wasn't really the question. It wasn't about justifying or explaining what she had done. It was about the simple or not so simple question if she regretted what she had been forced to do. And not because of the consequences, not because it had made Jack to her worst enemy and brought her into this situation. If she regretted it simply because... If she felt sorry. A question she knew she had been avoiding. All this talk about that she was just doing her job, that she had never meant for it to be personal... Sure, she hadn't. And she knew she hadn't done any of the things she had done for payback or revenge. But whom was she kidding - things had gotten personal the moment she had killed Teri. Whether she had wanted them to be or not.
Was she sorry?
At times she had been way too angry, at times way too focused on dealing with the consequences of her deed. And the rest of the time she was rationalizing it. She knew it, she always did. Every sentence, every gesture, every look was thought-through and serving a purpose and it had been that way for so long - now, she knew when she tried to look beyond that, there wasn't much left to see. What was real and what was not, what was an act and what was not? Which side of her was really her?
He was still staring at her, and she became aware she had let her guard down for a moment and turned her head. Not that it mattered but...she'd rather not.
"You said Amador would be prepared for someone coming after him," Jack said, bringing the conversation back to the issue at hand. "If CTU doesn't have a chance then why should we get anywhere near him?"
"Because he thinks I'm dead," she answered promptly, glad she could push all those thoughts about the past aside. "And once he finds out I'm not, he's gonna try to find out why and who I've been talking to."
"Because he can't afford to have you spreading the news that he's killing his buyers after he ripped them off," Jack completed.
"He would loose all his credibility."
"So you think he'll come after you?"
"If we tell him where to look."
He was pretending to think about it, but she knew he had already made up his mind. He had accepted her deal before they had set foot on this plane, knowing it was the best offer he could get. From his perspective, even the fact that he couldn't bring CTU in yet was ultimately working to his advantage. That way he wouldn't be forced to stick to any agreements and if he wanted to kill her, he wouldn't even have any witnesses. He, of course, also knew that she was gonna try everything she could to keep that from happening, but at the moment, things were looking pretty good for him. So why shouldn't he feel confident that everything would go his way.
She leaned back, staring out of the window. They had to get there soon. And thinking about the irony that she would return to this place again, the memories of her last stay there came floating back to her. But there was no time for that now.
-x-
He put his briefcase on the desk and took a seat, sighing at the prospect that this business was as good as done. Everything had gone according to plan so far and now all he needed to do was to deliver the virus to its real buyer. And get paid for it. Of course, a huge part of the money would go to the Ukrainians, he was just the intermediary. But he had made more than enough with his first deal. And he wouldn't have to share that amount with anyone.
He got up again and went over to the cabinet to pour himself a bourbon. After everything that had happened, he deserved it.
He was just raising the glass to his lips when his phone rang. Frowning, a bit irritated, he went back to the desk to answer it. It was a bit early for the call he was expecting.
"Amador," he answered.
"I'm glad to hear you're doing fine," he heard a familiar voice and almost dropped the glass.
"Nina."
"Surprised I'm calling?"
Bloody hell! Why was she still alive?
"Well, sure," he tried to bide time. "Didn't we agree that I was gonna call you?" Maybe he was lucky and she didn't...
"Well, I thought after your little bomb failed to kill me, the least thing I could do was to give you a call and let you know that I made it."
He wasn't lucky.
"Listen, Nina," he tried with his most well-meaning voice, "I don't know what went on down there after I left but I'm sure -".
"Let's save us some time," she cut him short, getting straight to the point. Just as well, he thought, the sooner he could take care of this, the sooner he could go back to his other business.
"I happen to be in the neighborhood, and I thought you might wanna stop by and see me," she explained and he couldn't hear any signs of anger in her voice. But she had to be pissed off. He didn't know how she had made it out alive but now his whole plan could go to hell. And she sounded very well aware of her position. He would have to go and meet her. He would have to take care of her. For good this time.
"Just tell me where you are, Nina, and I'll be on my way. I'm sure we can work this little misunderstanding out."
"I'm sure we can," she replied with a little sarcastic laughter and he clenched his teeth. He should have killed her when he had had the chance. If you don't do things yourself...
"Just don't forget to bring the virus this time," she hinted almost casually. "And as you are aware of the fact that I'm on my own now, I'd like you to come by yourself as well. You're a big boy, I'm sure you can protect yourself."
"Sure," he said, "I'll come alone." How stupid do you think I am? "Where are you?"
