Assassin (Assassin Series Book 1) Read online

  He winked at her. “Probably not a good idea!” he got up to leave. “I’ve got to go check on Marcus. Can I drop you off at your car?”

  She also got up. “Thanks.”

  He smiled affectionately. “Lunch tomorrow?”

  “Sounds good to me,” she replied. “I’ll give you my number.” they walked off as ambulances, police and emergency vehicles were now enveloping the area, lights flashing. In the background, smoke and flames were still clearly visible.

  CHAPTER 36

  The rain had finally stopped when Jake pulled up in Sharon’s (Lorinda’s) car outside his parent’s lodge. He got out and rushed inside. The lights were still on and he was calling out to the boy as he went through the door. “Marcus! Marcus! Where are you?”

  There was no reply. He rushed into the kitchen but it was empty. He then moved into the bedroom and it was also empty. “Marcus, are you here?” he shouted. His heart sank when there was no reply. Could Sharon have been lying when she said Marcus was around? Did that mean he was dead or alive? He obviously couldn’t believe anything that she said, if the events of the evening and previous day had been any indication. He looked around desperately.

  Suddenly, he heard a small voice. “Jake, that you?”

  Jake heaved a huge sigh of relief and went over to the closet, to the source of the voice and opened the door. On the floor was Marcus. Jake smiled when he saw the child.

  Marcus looked up, his eyes wide with fear. “Is it okay to come out?”

  Jake lifted him out and hugged the frightened boy to him. “Everything’s fine son, all the bad guys are gone. What were you doing in the closet?”

  Marcus looked confused. “I dunno, Jake, seemed like the right thing to do at the times. I got kinda scared when Lorinda left!” The boy looked at Jake’s bandages and cuts. “Looks like you got hurt again, Jake?”

  Jake smiled. “Just a scratch, son, I’ll be fine. Are you hungry?”

  Marcus rubbed his tummy. “Starvin’!”

  Jake grabbed his hand and led him to the kitchen. “C’mon, let’s get you some milk and cookies.”

  Marcus was finishing his snack and Jake sat watching him with a sympathetic look in his eyes. The boy dunked another cookie. “Where’s Lorinda?” he asked. “She said she had to leave?”

  Jake tried to coax him to talk. “Really?”

  “Yeah, she called for a cab an’ followed you real quick.” he answered innocently.

  Jake quickly covered for Sharon, not wanting the 8-year-old to know what had gone on earlier that evening. “Yeah, something came up. She had to head out of town. She was real sorry she had to leave so soon.”

  Marcus looked sad. Jake asked him. “What is it?”

  The boy whispered. “I didn’t get me no hundred bucks!”

  Jake smiled, dug in his pocket and fished out $100 and gave it to the boy. “Glad you reminded me, Marcus. She asked me to give this to you.” he lied.

  The boy looked at the money, a big smile on his face. “Cool, a hundred bucks! I ain’t never seen that much money before. Thanks, Jake!”

  Jake continued to prod him for information. “No problem. Nice little game you and Lorinda were playin’, Marcus. Did your family know what was goin’ on?”

  The boy thought for a moment. “Didn’t member no daddy an’ Momma was takin’ drugs, but she died.”

  So what happened?” Jake prompted.

  Marcus looked sad. “Fore she died, she axed Uncle Remo to look after me.”

  Jake looked concerned. “How did that go?”

  Marcus shook his head sadly. “Kinda scary, he’s into drugs an’ stuff too, big time!”

  Jake kept prodding. “So, what did you do about school?”

  Marcus grinned mischievously. “That was cool, on account Uncle Remo told ‘em he was home teachin’ me or sunthin’.”

  “And did he?” Jake asked.

  The boy shrugged. “Naw, but I sure don’t miss school!”

  Jake prodded deeper. “So, how did you meet Lorinda?”

  The boy thought for a moment. “I goes down the 711 every morning, tryin’ to make me some food money. She seed me a few times when she was gettin’ gas, gived me coupla bucks.”

  “Was that when she wanted you to play this little game?” Jake asked.

  Marcus nodded. “Yeah, wuz exciting an all, but I didn’ know there wuz gonna be guys wid guns!” he added pensively. “Done seen enough of them chasin’ Uncle Remo!”

  Jake looked sad as Marcus described his frightening lifestyle. “Well, son, in the mornin’ you’re gonna meet some people who will take real good care of you. So, off to bed, okay?”

  Marcus suddenly looked concerned. “You’re not gonna leave me here, are you, Jake?”

  Jake felt a strange new emotion, the first time a child had tugged at his heartstrings. “No sweat, son, I’ll be here, off to bed now.”

  Reassured, Marcus headed for the bedroom. “Okay, night, Jake.”

  “Good night, Marcus.” he threw another log on the fire and poured himself a stiff drink. Hopefully the Scotch and the pain killers the medics had pumped into him, would help him finally get a good night’s sleep. He was hugely relieved that Marcus was safe. It totally amazed him that a bitch like Sharon could have so heartlessly used an innocent child in her subterfuge.

  The Scotch was beginning to burn a hole in the pit of his stomach as he re-lived the events of the evening. Above all, he marvelled at just what he and Sarah had been able to achieve. If he had guessed correctly, this was her first violent confrontation, and having seen the way she could take care of herself, he already had the attractive agent at the top of his list of persons he would prefer to have in his corner, especially in a situation like the one they had just endured.

  His eyes were starting to close as the pain in his arm seemed to be easing, due to the combined effects of Johnny Walker and Vicodin. Tomorrow, would obviously be a day of reckoning.

  CHAPTER 37

  Jake was up early the next morning, making sure Marcus was clean and fed before he took him to meet the people from child welfare. He had called to get them an appointment while Marcus was still sleeping.

  The child was finishing his cereal, an apprehensive look on his face. In his young mind, he was still trying to figure things out. “But what about Uncle Remo, Jake?” he asked.

  Jake calmed him down. “Look, Marcus, these are real nice people you’re gonna be meeting. They’ll talk to you about lots of things and then decide what’s best for you. Hey, and maybe the best thing would be to let Uncle Remo keep on doin’ what he’s doin’ without you, because he’s real busy doin’ things that little boys like you don’t need to be around.”

  Marcus was trying to understand. “So, what will happen to me, Jake?”

  Jake put his arm around the boy’s shoulders. “You know, there’s lots of real nice people out there, Marcus, who’d just love to take care of a bright, young lad like you.”

  The boy was wide-eyed. “Really?”

  Jake smiled. “Heck yeah, they call them foster parents. Just like your real mom and dad.”

  Marcus looked a little less worried. “Ya mean they’d cook meals an’ buy me stuff, like a real family?”

  Jake smiled. “You bet, take you to the movies, a ball game and have your friends over.”

  Marcus looked sullen. “But I don’t got no friends, Jake.”

  The sadness almost took Jake’s breath away. He tried to imagine having grown to the age of eight and having no real friends! He thought for a moment. “Well, you know, Marcus that will come.”

  “When?” Marcus still looked doubtful.

  “Before you know it!” Jake replied. “Instead of living in a scary neighborhood, where people are shootin’ guns and doin’ drugs, you’ll be living in a safe place with nice kids, just like you livin’ next door. They’d be wanting friends too, just like you.”

  The eight-year-olds eyes grew bigger. “They would?”

  “Damn straight,�
� Jake coaxed him along. “Now, finish your cereal, we’ll go see these real nice people who are gonna help you.”

  Marcus grabbed his arm, an urgency in his young voice. “But I’m gonna see you again, right, Jake?”

  Jake gave his shoulder a squeeze. “You can count on it, son.”

  CHAPTER 38

  Jake and Marcus walked down the long corridor to the Child Welfare Services Office and the boy nervously looked up at Jake. “I’m scared, Jake,” Marcus began. “What if they ain’t no folks takin’ in stray kids like me today?”

  Jake smiled at the child’s innocent view of what lay ahead. “Hey, smart kid like you, they’ll be standin’ in line!”

  They reached an office door, Jake knocked and they entered. Mrs. Talbot, a kindly-looking African/American woman in her forties, smiled, stood up and came around the desk, shaking hands with Jake. “Mr. Harrigan?”

  He nodded. “That’s me and this is Marcus.”

  Mrs. Talbot reached out and shook hands with Marcus. There was a hidden warmth in her smile and tender voice “Well, hi there, Marcus, I’m Mrs. Talbot.”

  The boy looked shy. He murmured. “Ma’am.” She passed Marcus a candy jar. “Help yourself, Marcus and then you and I are going’ to get to know each other real well.” Marcus was already into the candy. Jake looked on smiling.

  Mrs. Talbot continued. “Mr. Harrigan here, told me you’d been having things a little hard lately, Marcus and you know what, that’s what we do here. We help smart kids like you, and give you chances that you’ve never had before,” she looked at Jake and gave a quick wink, having been warned in advance by Jake, that Marcus had been missing school. “So, let’s chat a little bit about what you and your Uncle have been doing this past few weeks, Marcus?”

  The boy looked nervous, but Jake gave him an encouraging smile. “It’s okay, son, you can tell Mrs. Talbot everything, Your Uncle Remo won’t get into any kind of trouble.”

  Marcus seemed relieved as Mrs. Talbot took over. “Okay, so let’s get started, shall we?”

  He nodded. “I guess.”

  She smiled disarmingly. “Great, and we’ll let Mr. Harrigan get to work, he’s got a real busy day ahead, but don’t worry, Marcus, we’ll make sure you guys stay in touch.”

  The boy seemed happy with that and Jake gave him a hug. “Talk to you soon, son. You do as Mrs. Talbot here tells you and everything’s gonna be okay,” he turned to the kindly lady. “He’s a real smart, brave kid, Mrs. Talbot, make sure you give him special treatment?”

  She smiled. “No problem, Mr. Harrigan, thanks for bringing him in.”

  He shook her hand and left. “Bye, Marcus.”

  “Bye.” Marcus waved meekly.

  Walking back to his car in the parking lot across the street, Jake mused that at least something good had come out of the latest traumatic course of events. In a roundabout way, a young child was about to get a new lease on life, one that would not have been possible without Sharon’s callous actions and Jake was convinced that fate had intervened as far as Marcus was concerned. He then drove into town for what he was now convinced would be the debriefing of his life.

  CHAPTER 39

  Jake had already been urgently summoned to come to the office after the events of the night before, but he had told them that he had to take care of some personal business first. This had obviously not gone down well with the stressed-out Director. He had also talked briefly with Sarah who told him that she had also been summoned to an urgent meeting with the hierarchy of the bureau. They both agreed to meet for a late lunch to compare notes.

  Jake drove into Langley and his mind kept wandering back to Marcus, a really brave kid, a victim of our times, caught up in the underworld of drugs and violence at far too young of an age. He was hoping that Mrs. Talbot could place him with the right kind of foster parents who would be willing to work with him. The boy was clearly under-educated after the neglect of his uncle and he would soon be facing the trauma of going back into school, a scary place when all the other kids his age were clearly ahead academically.

  In the upcoming debriefing with his bosses, he was under no illusion that there would be mixed feeling towards him from the top brass of the agency. His first indications of the seriousness of the meeting, were given at the security gate when the guard told him to head straight for the office of the Director. It was quite an honour to meet the head honchos of the agency, a unique and rare opportunity for field agents like himself, to rub shoulders with presidential nominees.

  Jake, however, was unfazed and unimpressed by his superiors, particularly if Davidson and Jennings were any indication. He was guessing that he was probably the first CIA operative ever to be debriefed after actually killing two of his colleagues, even though they both deserved it.

  Driving into Langley was the beginning of a very grey day for CIA Director Ben Rogerson. The happenings in Baltimore, had led to a sleepless night, especially after he had been fully updated on the events of the prior evening. Rogerson had tried a thousand times to come up with the perfect spin on this event to get him out of the political whirlpool he seemed to be drowning in and no matter how he tried, the only conclusion that he kept coming up with was to resign!

  He had been given the file of this Jake Harrigan, an operative who he had never met. His seniority as Director, had enabled him to access Jake’s past assignments, all of which had been appropriately documented, including the latest debacle in Dubai.

  He also realized that Jake Harrigan was a very dangerous man. He had spoken with his deputy Jim Handforth and agreed that their top priority was to debrief Harrigan before making any further decisions. These specially trained assassins were a rare breed and in this case, he was dealing with an assassin that he was sure would be instrumental in ending his own career with the agency.

  Rogerson had worked for twenty years with the agency, being groomed for his present position and the thoughts of it all being taken away by a bunch of greedy operatives was soul destroying. Senior agents who would have slipped through the cracks with their subterfuge, if they hadn’t been stupid enough to kill the wife and best friend of perhaps the most dangerous man in the agency.

  When Rogerson arrived, he was waved through the gate, for what he was now convinced would be his last day on the job. Many people that day were about to feel the venom of the Director, including Jake himself.

  There was an air of foreboding as Jake was ushered into the Director’s office by the secretary. The Director and Deputy Director were the only men in the room when Jake entered. They were stone faced as Jake approached the conference table.

  He was the first to speak. “Good morning, gentlemen, Agent Harrigan reporting as requested.”

  Rogerson and Handforth responded with a single nod. “Morning.” they both replied.

  Jake was strangely relaxed, his arm still aching, but clearly less than it would have been without the pain medication he had taken earlier. This could also be the reason why he was unperturbed by the two stern faces in front of him.

  Rogerson motioned Jake to a seat. “Before we begin, Harrigan, I want it clearly understood that this is a debriefing of the events of last night and the previous days. Under no circumstances are any of the items discussed in this room to be repeated beyond these walls. There is an immediate agency gag order on everything to do with last night’s debacle in Baltimore. Is that understood?”

  “Yes, sir.” Jake replied.

  Rogerson relaxed a little. “I have no doubt you are fully aware of the implications of the media frenzy surrounding the agency at the moment?”

  Jake nodded. “Yes, sir.”

  Rogerson continued. “That is why it’s vital that we get our ducks in a row on this whole affair.”

  Handforth entered the conversation. “What we are interested in Harrigan, is your version of the events of these past few days?”

  Jake was totally unintimidated by the presence of his two superiors. He thought a moment and took a deep breath. “
So, do you want me to start from the point where the agency, in all its wisdom, decided to murder my wife and her best friend?”

  He could see the veins standing out in Rogerson’s neck as the Director replied. He appeared to Jake like a man who was lacking sleep. “First of all, Harrigan,” Rogerson began. “The agency is deeply sorry for what happened to your wife and her friend. Their deaths were certainly not sanctioned by this office and that is one of the predicaments we are facing,” he got up and started pacing behind Jake. “The decision to try and export sensitive military information and software, was also not sanctioned by this office.” he added.

  Jake wasn’t letting him off the hook that easily. “If you say so, sir.”

  Handforth tried to calm things down a little. “First of all, Harrigan, you must realize that the Director has had a very difficult week. He just returned from Dubai trying to cover up the fiasco you left behind, so, please try to keep the sarcasm out of this debriefing. It would serve us all better!”

  Jake answered. “I understand, sir. But you should also realize that my orders in Dubai were to terminate a man who my senior officers in the CIA told me had to be removed, since he was an obstacle to future peace in the Middle East.”

  Rogerson calmed down. “I’m listening?”

  Jake continued, boldly eyeing the two men in front of him. “The problem was that Agent Jennings was expecting me to complete the assignment in a crowded convention center bustling with people. I eventually isolated the target, made the hit, but I was spotted by one of his bodyguards, which changed everything and I had to get out fast.”

  Handforth kept things moving. “So, when you got back to the US, you realized that your wife had been involved in an auto accident?”

  Jake quickly corrected him. “No, sir, she had been murdered by the agency’s black-ops bastards and it was made to look like an accident!”

  Rogerson interrupted. “You have proof of this?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jake replied. “Agent Kovacs told me he did it, shortly before I killed him!”