As the saying goes, three years followed another three years. Just as Anna was hoping to regain her freedom after a series of dazzling assassination successes, a word from a high-ranking official, Vasiliev, plunged her into a new pit of despair.
"There's only one way to leave the FSB. Do you want to know what it is?" Vasiliev uttered this while clutching a Czech-made, gold-plated CZ75 semi-automatic pistol.
——
"Vasilev? That bastard's still alive?" Frank's cheek twitched slightly, not at the name, but at watching Jack down half a bottle of Romanée-Conti mouth to mouth, a pang of heartache.
This was the third safe house exposed by this old CIA, located in the suburbs of Paris. It looked like an ordinary cabin in the woods, but it housed a well-stocked wine cellar.
"I thought that old bastard had perished long ago during your FSB's internal cleanup."
"He's now my superior's superior," Anna lowered her head, as obedient as a little white rabbit.
This girl was quite the shrew in front of Jack, but when facing Frank, she kept her head down, like a peeved elementary school student facing a formidable dean.
Anna's requests for help had always been from Frank. Her previous seductive and suicidal behavior before Jack wasn't entirely a show, but it was a life-or-death performance.
At least her shot was genuine, without a moment's hesitation. If Jack had been a fraction slower, he'd already be digging a grave and burying the body.
Jack's fury wasn't entirely acted either. A more compassionate young man might have been helping the girl seek Frank's help.
This was exactly what the bald man wanted. After all, he owed Jack such a big favor this time, and he could easily repay it. You helped me save my granddaughter, and I'll give you a beautiful lover. That's fair, isn't it?
The question was, would Jack consider it fair? Anna was certainly pretty, with a beautiful face and a stunning figure, but he wasn't someone who lacked women.
Not to mention his clear understanding of himself. Would a female agent like Anna be so grateful just because Jack had saved her from a few high-ranking human traffickers?
Not to mention that in the original series, Anna doesn't value her body at all, having no problem robbing both men and women to secure her freedom. Even if she were actually delivered to the buyer, she'd only suffer a minor loss.
With her formidable skills, this female villain wouldn't be trapped in ordinary places. If she were taken advantage of, she'd just treat it as a dog bite.
It's precisely because Frank and Anna's motives are impure that they fell silent when Jack got angry. They're both smart people, and neither can easily fool the other.
Especially for Anna, Jack was actually helping her. He knew she was eavesdropping, but he deliberately brought up the topic with Frank, hoping she'd seize the opportunity.
But Anna was being overly clever. Perhaps she didn't think she had any offers to impress Frank, so she just took advantage of the situation, hoping to use Jack to gain more bargaining chips. To her surprise, he didn't even accept the offer.
Of course, Jack did have some feelings for Anna, but they weren't physical.
Ever since his last trip to Korea, he'd noticed a problem: he lacked reliable partners overseas, or rather, outside the US.
Chris and Braxton were now busy starting their own business, while the other had settled down after getting married and having a daughter. The rest of his friends, like him, all had regular jobs, making it difficult for them to travel abroad for extended periods.
Jack hadn't originally planned to leave his home country, but after discovering that he seemed to run into familiar situations both in Korea and in Paris, he had some new ideas.
He was familiar with Rossi's tactics, and although he'd agreed with him on five overseas missions a year, a Bombardier Challenger 850 worth over $30 million wasn't going to be easy to come by.
Think about how he was originally abducted from Los Angeles to New York. It was originally agreed to be a year, and now it's almost two, and even Jack hasn't considered returning to Los Angeles with Rossi.
It's the same old routine of three years followed by another three years, but compared to Anna's threat of death, Rossi's approach of offering a favor first is a piece of cake for Jack.
This also means Jack will have many opportunities to travel abroad in the future. However, if he encounters a familiar situation like in Korea again and tries to take advantage of the situation, Chris and the others may not be able to show up in time to provide support.
Furthermore, just like Frank had set up at least three safe houses around Paris alone, Jack might also follow suit and maintain multiple backup plans overseas.
After all, this isn't a normal world, a mix of movies and TV series he's seen and hasn't seen. If a doomsday disaster like "The Day After Tomorrow" or "2012" were to occur, it would be a minor event, but it would be beyond human control.
Hollywood is notorious for its tendency to mess around with American territory. Frankly, Jack feels a bit strange looking at the Statue of Victory in New York right now. The Twin Towers are gone, and it's a miracle that it still stands in a film world like this.
Who knows when the Lighthouse Country will suddenly be destroyed, and he'll still be able to find a safe haven overseas with his woman and friends.
Anna, a girl with no ties, is an untrustworthy "waste" to the intelligence services, but for Jack, she's a perfect partner.
An official assassin who can eliminate 27 targets in two years is certainly skilled, and his ability to conceal his whereabouts and improvise is also top-notch.
With a helper like this, Jack would have a much easier time, whether conducting illegal activities overseas or establishing his own safe houses.
As Anna whispered to Frank, there was a rhythmic knock on the door of the cabin. The conversation paused, and Jack stood up to open it. Cassel and Brian appeared with the two girls.
For safety reasons, they drove halfway around Paris and arrived here after receiving Jack's instructions.
Kim seemed to have regained some consciousness. She must have been tired of crying. She was a little scared hiding in Brian's arms. When she saw Jack, the older brother she had met once, her eyes showed a bit of curiosity.
Alexis was much stronger than her. When she saw Jack, she threw herself into his arms and kissed him on the cheek a few times, which made Cassel's smile freeze on his face.
It was late at night and everyone was hungry. Fortunately, Frank had cleaned up the safe house in advance. The eggs, milk and vegetables in the refrigerator were all fresh, and there was a frozen steak in the freezer below.
Everyone worked together to make some food to fill their stomachs, coaxed the two girls to sleep in the attic, and Cassel stayed with them. The others returned to the small living room to continue their previous conversation.
(End of this chapter)