“It’s about the buy,” Jack stated, his facing hovering over her shoulder to read the texts.
“The person she double-crossed Carlos for?”
“I think so.May I?”he asked, holding his hand out for the phone.
Andrea let him take it as she made herself another cup of coffee.“What does it say?”Andrea inquired after a moment.
“Your sister was in contact with someone to sell the drive to in two days.They were to meet at Hotel Baker in Louisiana,” he replied, staring down at the screen.Occasionally, he would scroll through something.“Too bad she won’t be there.”A strange look came into Jack’s eyes.
“I don’t like that look,” Andrea commented, setting the pot down and taking a drink of coffee.
Jack looked up at her, and she felt her stomach plummet.She really wasn’t going to like this.“I think she should keep that appointment.”
Andrea glared over at Jack.“You’re not funny, Jack.”What an ass to suggest a dead person go to a meeting.That didn’t even make any sense.
“I wasn’t being funny.I’m serious.”
He looked serious, but he couldn’t be.“My sister is dead.How on earth could she go to this meeting?”Jack just stared at her, and that’s when she realized what he meant.“You can’t be serious.”
“Deadly,” he responded evenly.
“I can’t pretend to be my sister.”The buyer would never believe it.He would see right through it and kill her just for spite.No, absolutely not.
“Why not?No one knows she has a twin or that she’s dead.It’s perfect.”He smiled as if the plan was genius when it was anything but.It was suicide.
“But I’m nothing like my sister,” Andrea sputtered, pointing at herself.“I could never pass for her.Did you not hear my story a moment ago?These people will kill me.”She was sure they were all paranoid.What if they asked her something she couldn’t answer or any other number of things that could go wrong?
“Why not just text him to meet, and when he shows up, attack him or something?Something that doesn’t involve me.”
Jack shook his head.“Because he could sense a trap and leave, and we might never find him again.If he sees you, he’ll be assured, and we can catch him in the act.”
Andrea shook her head.“I’m sorry, Jack.I want to help you.I do.But I can’t do something like this.”Andrea started breathing hard, feeling as if she couldn’t get enough air in her lungs.Was she going to pass out?Her heart felt like it was beating a million beats a second.
Jack set the phone down and wrapped her in his arms.He could probably feel her shaking.But she couldn’t stop it.“Sweetheart, I know you’re not the combatant and prefer being left alone.I know I’m asking a lot of you, but it’s the only plan we have of catching the buyer.I won’t let anything happen to you.I’ll have eyes on you the entire time,” Jack promised.
Andrea pulled back to look at him.“You can’t promise something like that.You can’t protect me against all of these people.I don’t even know how many there are.You’re just one man.”It was definitely suicide.She wished she’d never taken her sister’s phone.She wouldn’t be in this position.She should have done a lot of things differently.Hindsight was 20/20.
“Not alone, no, you’re right, but with help, I can.”
“Help?Like who?”Who would be crazy enough to help them against who knew how many bad guys?
“My teammates.We’re trained for situations like this.”
“What, suicide missions?”she scoffed before rolling her eyes.She understood he was some military guy, but this seemed out of his depth.This wasn’t the movies where the good guy faced overwhelming odds and always came out unscathed.This was reality, and anything could and would probably go wrong.Jack looked offended she didn’t believe in him, but she wouldn’t back down.She didn’t want to see him killed or get herself killed.
“That happens to be our specialty.”He smiled, looking down at her smugly.
“You’re serious?”
“Why do you keep doubting me?”he asked, looking wounded she would even question.
“Do I need to dignify that with an answer?”Because she hadn’t seen him doing anything but spying on her.He could be all talk and no action.
Jack shook his head.“Forget I asked that.To answer your question, yes, this is something we do a lot.Missions that are deemed impossible.”
“I swear if you start doing the theme song, I will beat you.”It seemed like something he would do just to get a rise out of her.
Jack simply chuckled at her threat.“Wouldn’t dream of it.”
