Rossi hadn't expected Jack to reject him so outright. Not that he had been looking to poach anyone—after all, just because Jack valued someone didn't mean Rossi did.
JJ had already been stolen away by this kid, so she was off the table. Hannah was also out of the question. As for Jubal, while he was an experienced manager, the Bureau had plenty of those.
The rest of Jack's team hadn't been around long enough to prove themselves, except maybe for Clay—his background as a retired SEAL from Team B made him stand out.
But he had been medically discharged after a near-death injury. Although he was said to have recovered well, other departments weren't exactly lining up to recruit him.
Still, this was an urgent situation, and Rossi decided to hold his tongue.
"There are two high-priority cases right now, and Mac's newly formed International Response Team is stretched too thin. We need your team to handle one of them."
Jack was standing at the gas stove, covering a steaming bamboo basket with a damp, clean cloth. He paused. "Doesn't the New York office have its own international division for cases like this?"
Rossi spread his hands in resignation. "That unit is a mess right now. They might be facing a complete reorganization. At the moment, your team is the only one available. Considering that you might deal with international fugitives in the future, think of this as a chance to gain some experience."
Jack gave him a skeptical look. "Isn't that CIA and Interpol's job?"
The CIA was obvious—they handled intelligence and assassinations but also worked on counterterrorism and international arrests.
As for Interpol, its role in this world was somewhere between Jack's past life's version—mostly bureaucratic and toothless—and the action-packed portrayals in movies.
In his previous world, Interpol functioned much like the UN. Not entirely useless, but heavily restricted. The most practical use of an Interpol badge was visa-free travel in member countries.
The real work of Interpol was more about fostering cross-border law enforcement cooperation, maintaining databases on notorious criminals, and issuing Red Notices.
However, in this world, Interpol played a much more active role. They frequently formed task forces for high-profile international criminals, especially those violating laws in multiple countries.
Take, for example, the JTF-12 task force Emily had worked with—it operated under Interpol's banner. (See Chapter 445.)
"Which is exactly why your team needs international experience," Rossi countered. "You can't be the only one handling international fugitives when they come up, right?"
Rossi knew exactly how to persuade (or manipulate) Jack. Seeing that the younger man was already tempted, he dropped the heaviest bargaining chip onto the table.
"A nearly brand-new Bombardier Challenger 850. Full crew and maintenance covered by the Bureau."
"Deal!"
A private jet, on par with BAU's Gulfstream, for his team? Jack didn't even need to think before agreeing.
Rossi quickly held out his hand. "Five missions in the next year. Also, the plane will take six months for modifications and safety testing before it's ready for you."
Six months? A year? Jack could wait. This was a $30 million toy—no doubt confiscated from some rich drug lord or financial scammer.
"Where are we going?" Jack asked, waving grandly. As much as he knew this was just a carrot being dangled in front of him, he was still going to swallow it whole.
"Seoul. The victim's name is Jessica Townsend, 25 years old, from Crawford, Indiana. That's all we have for now—South Korean authorities will provide more details."
Huh. The center of the universe, huh? Jack had little love for "the Land of the Morning Calm," but he found himself oddly intrigued. Historically, Korea had been part of the greater Chinese cultural sphere. While there were some oddities, he figured he might still see some familiar influences.
"What about Mac Taylor's team?" he asked, curious.
"New Delhi. Want to swap?" Rossi smirked.
"Pass," Jack said quickly, waving his hands. Even with his healing ability, he had no desire to experience India's Ganges River challenge. Being immune to disease didn't mean he was immune to nausea.
With his mission complete, Rossi's gaze drifted to the steaming bamboo basket on the stove. The rich, warm scent of wheat filled the kitchen.
"What are you making this time? More of those shrimp dumplings from before?"
"Chinese-style unsweetened bread," Jack replied, turning off the low flame. Lifting the lid, he revealed a batch of plump, snow-white dao qie mantou—knife-cut steamed buns.
—
"These do remind me of bread," Rossi mused as he took a bite. He didn't just eat—he took an entire insulated box filled with knife-cut buns, flower rolls, and several Beijing scallion-lamb stuffed dumplings.
After respectfully seeing off the Bureau's Wealth-Scattering Elder, Jack turned to call Jubal, only to find that his boss had already heard the news from his superiors.
An hour later, after packing their gear, the team drove to Langley Air Force Base, just north of Hampton, Virginia, where a C-17 Globemaster transport plane was waiting for them.
One refueling stop later, the fugitive task force touched down at Osan Air Base, 64 kilometers south of Seoul, in under half a day.
The Korean National Police Agency (KNPA) had booked a hotel for them near Seolleung in Gangnam. After dropping off their luggage, the team gathered in Jubal's room for a briefing.
—
"All the files are sorted," JJ announced. For this mission, she had returned to her old role, coordinating with the KNPA. They had already sent over all relevant case files and crime scene photos.
"The victim's name is Jessica Townsend. She arrived in Seoul six months ago as an English teacher. She worked as a temporary instructor at an organization called 'Morning Light Academy.'"
She handed freshly printed files to both Jubal and Jack.
The photograph showed a strikingly beautiful blonde with a radiant, carefree smile—the kind of person who loved fun and adventure.
"This wasn't her first time abroad?" Jubal asked, flipping through the documents.
JJ shook her head. "No. According to her parents, she had studied in Spain during her junior year of college. In the past year since graduating, she had traveled to several countries."
So she wouldn't have been naive enough to wander into obvious danger. Jack mused. Seoul's crime rate was far lower than major U.S. cities, but every place had its dark corners.
"Where was the body found?" Aubrey, lacking a file of his own, leaned over Jack's shoulder to read along.
"Near Itaewon, next to a dumpster," JJ replied. "The killer stuffed her body into a supermarket cart, wrapped in garbage bags. Fair warning—the photos are graphic."
(End of Chapter)
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