Of course Jack did. He’d studied police statements from people who never lived long enough to speak their words in court He had a fair idea how this man operated. And what Jack hadn’t figured out from transcripts, his brother, Nate, had been more than happy to fill him in on the night before.
The FBI wanted Armati way more than it wanted Natasha Ramsey. Nate had warned him that Natasha would likely be offered immunity if she provided testimony that would actually get Armati behind bars with solid time. It wasn’t Nate’s call to make in the end. It was the prosecutor’s, but Nate had felt the need to warn him that Natasha walking away from all this was a likely possibility.
How would Claire take that? Time would tell.
“Thirteen.” This time, it came from Kali. Four men down. Good.
“I am familiar with your professional reputation, Mr. Armati,” Jack said, pulling a cigarette case out of his pocket to keep the focus on him. “Quite fearsome, indeed. It makes me wonder why you reached out for this meeting? What shared interests do you feel you have with my employer?”
Ren. “Twelve.”
Armati shook his head. “It’s what your employer has of mine that we’re here to talk about today, along with how he plans to return it to me.”
Jack arched a brow, bringing the cigarette up to his mouth. “You mean the Hover Car funny money? My dear sir, that was all returned to the original investors.”
“Minus 5%,” Armati said with confidence. “I’m going to need every penny of that back.”
“Eleven,” Kali said, her voice sounding a bit odd…as if she were hanging upside down or something.
“Is that why you brought me here today?” Jack asked, gripping the cigarette between his lips and sliding the case back into his pocket before retrieving his lighter to keep the gunmen focused on him. “Had you said that in your message we both could have saved ourselves a trip, and you could have saved yourself $16.3 million dollars.”
Armati stood his ground. “No. You will be giving me the 16.3, and in exchange I will let you live.”
All of the guards tensed as Jack flicked the lighter to get a flame. “Ten,” Ren said in his ear as the cigarette burned to life.
Jack held the cigarette between two fingers as he tsked his tongue at Armati. “My apologies. I assumed you were aware of my employer’s reputation as it pertains to threatening either him or his emissaries.”
Armati didn’t blink. “As well as his pride for never having lost one of his men to a threat. I’m aware he takes great pride in that.” He gestured around to the abandoned warehouses on three sides of them. “But I have several snipers with their guns trained on you right now, so your boss—who I assume is watching all this remotely—now has a decision to make. Which reputation does he value more? He can either he can keep the money, or he can keep you alive. Those are the options.”
There were still at ten armed men in play. Six on the ground and four in sniper positions. Jack had to keep stalling.
“I see,” Jack said. “But I believe that you also forgot my employer’s reputation for responding to blackmail and extortion. He extracts the funds demanded of him from the accounts of those doing the demanding. The first withdrawal is a warning, but if further vexed, he may take it all.”
“That will not be happening,” Armati said. “My accounts are secure.”
“We are in control here, Mr. Blake,” Eastman said in a show of solidarity. “Whether or not you leave here alive depends on what your boss does next, so I suggest you give him a call.”
“First withdrawal complete,” Margot said in his earpiece. “Armati is officially down $16.3 million.”
Thinking of using a feigned call to communicate with Ren and Kali, Jack placed the cigarette back in his mouth and reached for the phone in his pocket—enjoying how each of the men tensed every time we went for a pocket. First the cigarettes, then the lighter, then the lit cigarette, and now the cell phone. They were all waiting for him to make a move that warranted a bullet.
All that mattered was that Jack had their full attention.
He held up his cell phone. “Shall I make a phone call?”
Armati shook his head. “I think we both know you don’t need to do that. You can communicate without such devices.”
“True enough,” Jack said, pocketing the phone with flair and taking the cigarette between the fingers of his right hand.
“Nine,” Ren’s voice said in his ear. “Sorry. We had to switch buildings.”
“Eight,” Kali added, and Jack sensed that they were both racing to be the first one to knock out their last man. They were competitive like that.
“What is the infamous Pimpernel saying in that earpiece of yours?” Armati asked. “Are you a dead man, or do I get my money?”
Jack held up his finger as if he was still listening to something someone was saying in his ear. “I see,” he muttered to pass the time. A few seconds later he nodded solemnly. He bided his time for about another twenty seconds before Kali’s voice spoke in his ear.
“Seven. You owe me twenty bucks, Ren.”
“Pure luck,” Ren replied, before adding, “Six.”
“Understood,” Jack in reply as he flicked the ash off of the cigarette he held between his fingers.
“Now we’re going to speed repel down the warehouse walls behind Armati and his group,” Ren whispered. “I know we’re going to look awesome as we go, but don’t look at us. From top to bottom should take about five seconds, then we’ll start closing in from behind in your line of sight. Copy that?”
“Quite so,” Jack said in reply, looking Armati in the eye. He then scanned across the line of raised guns, knowing that everything from here on out depended on keeping 100% of the focus away from Ren and Kali. The snipers and lookouts were no longer in play. He only had to deal with the men standing in a pod right in front of him.
Armati had yet to learn that magic was the practical things that happened where one was not looking. Well, today would be a crash course in magic he’d never forget.
Jack cleared his throat as two figures dressed all in black seemed to sprint down the face of the warehouse. The descent felt like it took two seconds, but Jack did his best to talk over it.
“The Pimpernel thanks you for your cash transfer of $16.3 million. It has been received. He also sends his disappointment at your unwillingness to offer a mutually beneficial business arrangement.”
“Nice bluff,” Armati laughed. “All transfers from my account over ten grand require biometric authorization.”
“An excellent precaution,” Jack said with a smile. “But in this case, irrelevant.”
Armati’s confidence wavered enough to pull his phone out of his pocket as one tall and one short figure in black advanced in the background behind him.
Jack brought the cigarette up at an awkward angle, purposefully aiming the tip square on at Armati’s chest. As expected, this got a reaction from more than one of the armed men.
“Drop the cigarette,” one of them barked, his finger on the trigger. “Throw it behind you!”
Jack held out the cigarette between them, pulling the focus of everyone as Ren and Kali covered the distance at a full sprint. “This thing?”
The man stepped forward, both hands on his gun. “Drop it! Now!”
Jack tilted his head curiously. “You realize it’s just a cigarette, yes? It might kill me over time, but it won’t kill you today.”
“Throw it behind you,” the man yelled again.
Jack reached for his inside pocket again. “Shall I throw my lighter too? Do you believe it to be a bomb?”
“Last warning,” the man bellowed, knuckles white on the gun as Kali and Ren came within ten feet. “Throw them both behind you now!”
“My goodness,” Jack huffed. “Americans are so—” With the flick of his thumb, a gun exploded off to Jack’s right just as a splash of blood exploded across his chest. He crumbled, dropping both the lighter and the cigarette as he hit the asphalt.
>
“Who did that?” Armati screamed, looking off to his left as Jack watched Ren and Kali take out the three men who now stood at Amati’s right. Ren and Kali didn’t use guns to knock the men out, but darts, before quickly moving in to catch the men as they fell so they wouldn’t make a noise.
“Who took that shot?” Armati screamed, unaware of what was happening right behind him. Jack played dead while watching Armati’s armed forces reduced to three. “Report in!”
“I think that was Mark’s gun,” one of the remaining guards said, peering at the neighboring warehouse as Kali threw three more darts in rapid-fire succession. One. Two. Three. Direct hits to the neck from steady hands.
This time neither she nor Ren stepped forward to catch the men as they collapsed. Instead, they stayed out of sight behind Armati and Eastman, letting the armed men fall where they stood.
Eastman caught on first since Armati was still looking up at the roofline of the warehouse and yelling.
“What the—”
Ren stepped between the two men before Eastman could turn, stunning both men with two swift whacks to the head with a small baton. Both men grabbed their heads in shocked pain as Ren kicked their knees forward and sent them to the ground.
Jack continued to play dead as Ren reached for a walkie talkie on his belt and brought it to his mouth. “Clear.”
They didn’t even have to wait ten seconds for Nate to walk onto the scene. Jack’s brother took in the details with a trained eye, his gaze lingering on Kali as he made his way to the prone bodies. She made a point of walking past Nate the opposite direction as he approach, but she said nothing before heading back to the spot where she and Ren had run down the building like ninjas.
Nate sauntered up to the nearest downed guard and picked up his gun with a gloved hand.
“Well, look at this,” he mused. “What do you want to bet it isn’t registered?”
Ren pointed at the two stunned men at his feet. “Cuffs would be nice. We kept them conscious for you.”
Nate smiled, pulling out handcuffs. “I’m always impressed with your work.” He cuffed Eastman while nodding the direction of the street. “I’ve got backup two minutes behind me. It’s time for you guys to dash.”
Ren responded by running to gather the equipment he and Kali had left at the base of the building.
Jack waited until Nate had both men face down and cuffed before standing and brushing the dirt off his bloody suit. “Margot? Send Andrew back around.”
“He’s already on his way.”
For an awkward moment, Jack and Nate eyed each other. His brother’s expression was neither friendly or unfriendly, but when Jack raised his chin in greeting, Nate returned it. Nate then crossed the short distance between them as Ren reappeared carrying the ropes and equipment from the repel. Kali was nowhere in sight.
“Thanks for the gunshot,” Nate said when they were face-to-face. “Both Claire and I heard it in the car. It was great probable cause to head over. She’ll be a witness, and we’ll have a loaded gun. It’s good.”
“No problem,” Jack said keeping his voice in character. His eyes searched for his brother’s vehicle, not seeing it. He resisted the urge to ask where it was and gestured to the group of downed bodies instead. “The gunmen will all be asleep for the next thirty minutes or so.”
“How many total?” Nate asked.
Jack let Ren take that one.
“Six,” he said, pointing to the men on the ground, then counted off the warehouses counterclockwise. “Four. Four. Three. All with a bow on top, as promised.”
“Excellent.” Nate looked off the direction Kali had disappeared in. “And who’s the new girl?”
“She’s not new, but we’re trying to talk her into it,” Jack said.
“So I haven’t met her before?” Nate asked. “She looks familiar.”
Jack tensed, knowing very well that Nate might know Kali by her previous identity. “You haven’t met her.”
Next to him, Ren tossed Nate a wallet. “But she wanted me to give you this.”
Nate looked at the wallet—his wallet—head tilted with intrigue as he realized she must have lifted it off of him as she walked past. “I want to meet her.”
“She’s married,” both Jack and Ren said in unison.
“Plus she’s too smart for you,” Jack added. And speaking of too smart. “Where’s Claire?”
Nate jerked his head. “Back in the SUV. I couldn’t bring her on the scene.” He tapped his earpiece. “One minute until this place is swarmed.”
Ren threw all the equipment in the trunk of the town car, then got in on the opposite side as Jack.
“Catch you later,” Jack said and his brother smiled.
“Yes, it will be a pleasure to see Margot again.”
Next to Jack, Ren went icy silent as they both shut their doors.
“Kali?” Jack said, wondering if they were waiting.
Ren shook his head. “She brought her motorcycle. She’s riding out.”
“Very well. Andrew?” Jack said in his best Mr. Blake. “To the fortress.”
And they were gone.
Chapter 46
The four hours it took to give her statement felt more like four days. The sun was already moving past the horizon when Claire made her way to Margot’s offices. The after-hours doorman gave her access to Margot’s floor, no questions, and by the time the elevator doors opened on Margot’s floor Claire had to stop herself from sprinting down the hall.
Five seconds wouldn’t make a difference. She could walk. Quickly.
She passed the conference room before realizing that’s where the voices were coming from and backtracking. The moment she pushed through the door, there was only one face she was searching for and she found it.
She didn’t mean to splash into Jack with the grace of a bird dropping, but that was kind of what happened as soon as she saw him. The only thing that saved her dignity was that he held her back.
“You’re okay?” she said into his chest.
“We’re all okay,” he replied, giving her a little squeeze. “But what about you? You’re the one who went through the ringer today.”
Claire found the dignity to step away, purposefully ignoring whatever looks Ren and Margot might be giving her. So she was being transparent. So what?
“I’m okay, considering my mom is already making a deal to avoid all charges.” She shook her head, recalling when Nate had informed her of what her family lawyer was doing. “This whole time I haven’t been able to wrap my mind around my mom going to prison, and as it turns out, she won’t. She and Finn are going to testify that it was all that Armati guy.”
Jack’s eyes studied her. “Are you okay with that?”
“Okay? No,” Claire said without hesitation. “It’s the definition of injustice. But can I accept that my parents buy privilege in a system that puts it up for sale?” She shrugged. “I guess. If none of the people on Wall Street go to prison for what they do, then I guess can understand how my mom is getting off unpunished.”
Her heart felt like it jumped up into her throat when Jack’s hands lightly gripped hers in a show of solidarity. She looked up, trying to read some deeper meaning into his touch and found concern in his eyes.
“I know this is going to be hard for you,” he said, giving her hands a light squeeze. “You’re still on a high now, but over the next few days, it’s all going to start settling in. Give yourself time to process. Don’t make any big decisions in the next few weeks. Maybe even wait until the new year. Let things settle, then make your move.”
Her brain liked the advice, but her heart saw red flags everywhere.
Jack reached into his back pocket and pulled out a stack of cards, holding them out to her. “As promised, these are for you.”
Now? He was giving those to her now? How about another hug? Or a kiss—one where he leaned in first for once? Her mood was much more suited to that than taking a stack of cards from him. But she did.
<
br /> “Thanks.”
“Thanks for trusting me to wait,” he replied.
Very belatedly, Claire turned to face Margot and Ren. Kali was somewhere else, as usual.
“You guys were amazing today,” she said, moving over to give them both hugs. Margot froze like a statue, not seeming to be familiar with the concept of a hug while Ren buried Claire in those massive arms of his and almost squashed her with his strength. It felt good in the weirdest way.
“It was a pleasure,” he said when he released her. “I don’t often have as much fun as I had today.” He jerked his thumb Margot’s direction. “I’m usually stuck doing office work with this one, so thanks for the day of play.”
“Um, you’re welcome?” Claire said with a self-conscious laugh before looking at Margot to see if she would bristle.
She didn’t, and Claire noticed belatedly that Margot was in a cocktail dress for some reason. The dress looked it had been sewn onto her in the best way possible. Claire was a woman, and she couldn’t help but stare at how amazing Margot looked in that particular moment. She had no idea how Jack and Ren managed to act normal.
Claire had meant to say something along the lines of thank you while letting Margot know how amazing she thought she was. But seeing Margot in that perfect dress with perfect dimensions and perfect hair and perfect makeup made Claire feel like anything she said would sound painfully underwhelming. So she just stood there for several awkward seconds, staring and saying nothing.
“Three things,” Margot said, holding up as many fingers. “First off, your responses to the following request has no impact on whether or not you receive the money we’ve placed in an account for you.”
Claire blinked in surprise. “What acc—”
“Second,” Margot said, ticking the number off on her fingers. “If you plan on staying here at UNLV, I would like to offer you an internship and train you to do what I do.”
Surprise didn’t even begin to cover Claire’s response to that one. Do what Margot did? At her day job, or when she worked with Jack? Or both?
“And three,” Margot added. “Know that I have never offered an internship before in my life, and will definitely be offended if you turn it down.”
Pimpernel Page 23
