Lazar's Intrigue (The Jack Lazar Series) (2 page)

“Me
too.”

“Who
were those guys anyway?”

“Please
understand…um…”

“Jack,”
he added instinctively.

“Jack.
Thank you. Please understand, Jack, that there are things going on here I
simply can’t tell you about. You’ve probably already figured out that I’m with
a government agency. One that relies on secrecy, not to mention the identities
of its personnel. I am sworn by oath not to tell you anything. So please don’t
have your feelings hurt, okay?”

He
nodded in understanding, yet his ego still objected that he was not important
enough to know her secrets. “So I guess those two gentlemen on the beach were
bad guys, huh?”

“Yes,
they were bad guys,” she said, chuckling. “And they were hardly gentlemen.”

“Point
well-taken.”

“Listen,
Jack. I am indebted to you for my life. And although it’s hardly enough to make
it up to you, I would still like to make you dinner when I’m better. I’m really
not much of a cook, but…”

“You
remember?” Jack was enchanted. “That would be wonderful. But you’re hardly in a
position to think about that right now.”

“I
recover from things pretty quickly. Besides, this is not the first time I’ve
been shot. It comes with the territory.”

“Wow.
I don’t know if anyone’s broken the news to you, Sarina, but your job sucks. If
I were you, I think I’d start circulating my resume to see if there’s something
out there with fewer downsides. You might have to trot off to Starbucks twice a
day to get coffee for your boss, but worst case scenario there, I figure, is someone
spills their cappuccino on your Jimmy Choos.”

“Cute,
but I love my job. Seriously.”

“Aren’t
you worried someone will hit a vital organ one of these days?”

“It’s
not important,” she replied, obviously avoiding the subject. “Jack, my
associates will no doubt arrive at any moment, and it would be better if you weren’t
here. Please, just write your contact information on a piece of paper and give
it to me. I won’t lose it.”

Jack
didn’t feel like leaving so soon, considering all he had gone through to get
there, but he decided nevertheless to cooperate and grabbed a business card out
of his wallet. “Here you go. As of today I don’t work at this company anymore,
but the cell number is still good. Just use that.”

“Got
it. And I promise to call you as soon as I’m back on my feet.”

He
bent over to kiss her on the forehead. “Get well soon, Sarina.”

Her
lips tilted into a smile full of naughtiness. “Just on the forehead this time?”

Jack
blushed. “You don’t forget anything, do you? Anyway, please don't make me wait
too long for the next kiss. I’m not sure if I can stand it.”

The
door opened before Jack could leave, and a couple of suited men with clear purpose
stormed inside, their brows simultaneously conveying a wrinkle of concern. The
younger of the two was of medium height, thin and lanky, probably in his late
thirties, and he sported a full head of slovenly blond hair. His face was so
rough that it looked like he had been a professional boxer most of his life.

The
other man was older and taller, but less weathered, and his rounded physique suggested
he spent most of his time behind a desk.

Jack
froze in front of them, unable to think of what to say.

“Thanks
for everything, Doc,” Sarina said.

“Certainly,”
Jack replied, following her lead. “If you will excuse me, gentlemen, I have
patients to attend to.” He stopped at the doorway and pondered for a moment
before turning around. “On second thought, I’d like to see some identification
before I leave you alone with this patient.”

It
looked like Sarina was about to intervene with Jack’s ploy, but apparently her
respect for his ingenuity overrode her devotion to the job.

Both
men reached for their badges and flashed them with acquired skill.

“Thank
you.” Jack’s tone was almost too serious. “I hope you understand. We can’t be
too careful.”

“Of
course,” they said in unison.

Jack
closed the door most of the way but left it slightly ajar so he could see into
the room and hear their conversation. He pretended to write complex medical
diagnoses on Sarina’s chart while he stood there, and the police officer
continued to focus his attention on the redheaded nurse, who appeared to enjoy
the attention.

Jack
hadn’t expected to see
DEA
on the agents’ badges. Drug enforcement
seemed like an odd profession for such an exquisite woman, and Jack wondered what
kind of crazy operation she was involved in that could have caused her to be
chased down and shot.

“What
happened to you?” The younger agent jumped right in and started asking the
questions.

Sarina’s
voice was still weak, but Jack could tell she had no intention of letting her
pain or drugged state get in the way. “I got caught. Simple as that.”

“I
thought you were being careful. How the hell did it happen?”

“My
cell phone went dead, so I used Antonucci’s house phone to make a quick call to
the office. But one of his goons apparently picked up the receiver in another
part of the house and heard the conversation. So they figured out I was DEA and
took me away.”

“Jesus.
How could you be so careless?”

“I
don’t feel like talking about it right now, Ben. I’m drugged up the wazoo, and
my stomach hurts like a motherfucker. Can’t we do this later?”

“I
need to know everything
right now
. It’s my investigation, and if you’ve
blown it all to hell, I need to do something about it.”

“Is
that all you care about? The case? Screw you!”

Jack
reared back, surprised by Sarina’s language and attitude. Yet somehow this
woman’s spunk intrigued him. He leaned forward again.

“This
is just another example of you being careless and not following policies and
procedures,” Ben growled. “You’ve been on report so many times it’s a wonder you
still have a job!”

“I
simply do what it takes to get the job done,” she lectured. “The agency knows it,
and so do you. Just look what I’ve been through the last couple of months, for
chrissake! If our bureaucratic superiors would spend less time trying to figure
out who isn’t following all the goddamn rules and more time helping us track
down criminals, we’d probably have Antonucci locked up by now.”

“It’s
just the way things are done, Sarina. And like it or not, it’s for your own
protection, not to mention for the protection of the people around you. You
simply can’t make up your own rules.”

“Well,
sometimes you have to.”

“Jesus,
I should have known better than to argue with you about this.” Ben took a deep
breath and switched his focus. “So, did you at least get anything on Antonucci
we can use?”

“I
don’t think so.”

“So
you blew your cover for nothing?”

“Yeah.
Sorry.”

“Shit.
We’ve been after this guy for over two years. And now, because of you, we have
to start from scratch again.”

“Go
to hell, Ben. I’m the one lying here in a hospital bed. Not you. So maybe you
can cut me a little slack, okay?”

“I
think that’s enough, you two,” the older man interrupted finally. “You haven't
changed in all these years, have you, Sarina?” There was genuine caring in his
voice. “And just for the record, my dear, not all of us are mindless
bureaucrats.”

“Oh,
I didn’t mean you, Bob. You know that.” She rolled her eyes, her attitude
turning sweet as if she had flipped a switch. “And since you’re such a terrific
guy, see how quickly you can get me out of this place, will you? You know how I
hate hospitals.”

“I’ll
see what I can do.” Bob leaned forward. “Tell me about the man who brought you
in here. The police told us to expect him, but he seems to have gone.”

She
hesitated for only a moment. “He’s just a guy who happened to be on the beach
where Antonucci’s errand boys were chasing me. Real cute. Real strong, too. I
guess I just got lucky.”

“Okay,
I’ve seen that look in your eyes before, Sarina, and both times we ended up
with dead civilians,” Bob lectured her, but it appeared to be half in jest. “Remember
Houston? We don’t need another catastrophe like that, so keep your romantic tendencies
in check.”

Jack
smiled as she spoke about him, but he immediately wrinkled his brow as he heard
of her past affairs. He felt flattered that such an exquisite woman found him
attractive, but being added to a list of conquests wasn’t exactly what he had
in mind. Even more disturbing was the apparent fact that some of the other men
had been killed.

“Don’t
worry, boss,” she answered playfully. “I’m hardly fit to go after him right now.”

“Good.
Now get some rest, seeing that you just got out of surgery, and we’ll put you
back in the field as soon as you feel up to it. Just take your time, Sarina. You’ve
earned it. Considering the current situation with Antonucci, I don't think
there’s any rush getting back. And as always, we’ll keep you informed of our
progress, okay?”

“Okay.
Thanks, guys.”

The
two men immediately cruised out of the room, barely giving Jack a chance to step
aside. But he still managed to move forward a couple of feet and turn his back to
the door as they emerged. The men didn’t appear to notice the purported doctor
standing there at all, and it granted Jack the opportunity to turn and walk
nonchalantly behind them so he could continue his eavesdropping.

“For
God’s sake,” Ben grumbled. “Why were you being so nice to her? The woman is out
of control.”

“What
are you talking about?” Bob turned his head toward Ben and looked surprised. “She’s
always been that way, and we both knew it going into this mission. You used to appreciate
that about her. Besides, all she did was make an ill-advised phone call, and it
was only a matter of chance that someone picked up one of the other extensions.”

Ben
sighed. “I know…I know. But it’s so damn frustrating when she unnecessarily
puts herself, not to mention the operation, in danger.”

“Still,
she’s a good agent, and you know that. I think you’re just letting your
personal feelings get in the way.”

“Maybe.
But what good is it if she gets herself killed? Besides, Bob, you’re the
superior officer here. I think you should be the one giving her a lecture, not
me.”

“I
think you did enough for both of us.”

“I
felt like I had to. You’re always too easy on her.”

“It’s
all about management style, Ben. You have yours, and I have mine.” He chuckled as
they continued walking, his jolly nature revealed in the very strides he took,
and he placed a fraternal hand on his partner’s shoulder. “C’mon, we’ll find a
way to pick up the pieces of the Antonucci investigation and get things going
again. You’ll see. We’ll get a fresh start this morning. Now let’s go to the
diner across the street and I’ll buy you some breakfast. The sun will be up
soon, so we might as well get the day started.”

“Fine.”

Jack
stopped walking as they disappeared around the corner, and his mind mulled over
the name he kept hearing.

“Antonucci,”
he whispered to himself. “Antonucci.” Why did it sound so familiar?

He
continued to probe his mind for the answer as he walked to the car and muttered
the name to himself again and again. But his thoughts were interrupted as he
slipped into the driver’s seat, the wet chill catching him by surprise. His
body shuddered as the memory of his rainstorm rescue instantly resurfaced. He
had totally forgotten about the state his car was in.

Jack
looked around the Aston Martin’s interior and noticed it was soaked to the
bone, the leather’s deep aroma liberated by all the moisture. It smelled great
for the moment, he thought, but the seats would be dry and cracked in no time.
He couldn’t see any remnants of blood, but the black interior would probably mask
such stains, especially in this light. He vowed to tend to the car with towels,
leather cream and loving care immediately upon his arrival home. This was the
closest thing to a baby he had ever cared for, and he surmised that it might be
even more temperamental.

The
engine ignited with a melodious purr as he turned the key, and a sparkle caught
his eye just before the interior light extinguished. He manually turned the
light back on, and the sparkle returned, a spattering of green and white light
shining from the passenger-side floorboard. He leaned over to run his hand
along the floor mat, and he seized the item for closer inspection.

The
ring he held up to the light had diamonds and emeralds in a starburst pattern
with multiple tiers. Its intricate gold setting suggested painstaking, handmade
craftsmanship, and Jack knew it was either very expensive or very old. Perhaps
both. Regardless, it was one of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry he had
ever seen.

He
knew that only one person could have left the ring in his car—Sarina. Could it
have fallen off her finger? Possibly. Her hands were wet, so her fingers could
have been slippery. But a properly sized ring wouldn’t fall off even under
those conditions. Could she have taken it off intentionally? If so, why would
she risk losing such an expensive possession by dropping it on the floorboard
of a stranger’s car? Maybe her faculties were so feeble that she just didn’t
know what she was doing.