After dinner, Jack sent his female boss away and returned to the living room. He took out two bottles of Stolak vodka from the wine cabinet and let the guests pour themselves.
The composition of the people in the living room was a bit complicated, but fortunately, none of them were outsiders, and they could still have a good chat after closing the door.
Most of the people in the room were former agents, belonging to different factions. Among them, Frank and Marvin were former CIA agents. Although Victoria claimed to be a former MI6 assassin, she was actually an action agent.
And Ivan, a former KGB agent, is now a military attaché at the Russian Federation Embassy.
After the reorganization of the KGB, part of it was called the FSB, but its First Directorate became independent and became the current Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, abbreviated as SVR.
Although Ivan did not introduce himself, everyone knew that his secondary identity as a military attaché should be an SVR agent.
Anna is a former FSB agent who defected, while Jack is an FBI agent, the largest counterintelligence agency in the United States. Although he's almost never been involved in counterintelligence, he's not new to counterterrorism work, and has even served as a consultant for the CIA on more than one occasion.
Now, all he needs is the Mossad to complete the Cold War deck.
Of course, there's Beckett and Cassel, a suspended (administrative leave?) NYPD detective and a writer.
These seemingly unrelated people, now brought together by chance, can't help but make Jack marvel at the wonders of this world.
Stoliard Vodka isn't as strong as most people imagine, at only 40% alcohol, comparable to Scotch whisky or bourbon.
Jack prepared a few simple side dishes: peanuts, smashed cucumber, and fermented edamame, along with a large plate of his usual Spanish delicacy, crispy pig ears. Everyone gathered around the table, just as they had before, like a Cold War tea party.
Frank was the first to speak, breaking the awkward silence, his expression tinged with regret. "I think we made a mistake. We shouldn't have let Denning off so easily today."
Jack shook his head, a point he'd struggled with before. "He and Bracken are both collaborators and checkmates. Eliminating him alone would still allow Bracken to mobilize CIA resources through Cynthia.
Eliminating any one of these three would mean endless trouble down the road."
The investigation had largely uncovered the truth, but they had little that could truly be called evidence.
The tactic of silencing someone by killing them was truly brilliant. Beckett's documents might link Bracken to the kidnapping and ransomware gangs of the past. Detectives John LaGrand and Gary McAllister had money order numbers that connected to the former assistant district attorney's bank account.
But that was all. With that information, Beckett wouldn't even be able to find a prosecutor willing to prosecute.
In other words, the information that Commissioner Montgomery had been using to threaten Bracken and protect Beckett wasn't enough to send him to prison.
This is easy to understand. As a politician, Bracken's relentless killings weren't out of fear of imprisonment, but simply out of concern for his reputation and political survival.
As for prison, sorry, in this country, the law only applies to ordinary people. Whether you're a drug user, a prostitute, or sleeping with your sister-in-law or niece, as long as you have a good father, even if you've been convicted, you're still truly "invincible."
It doesn't matter if you're too old or your father is dead. As long as you have a presidential friend, even if everyone in the country knows you've imprisoned 2,300 innocent minors in exchange for bribes from a private prison, you can still get a pardon.
But right now, no one in this room cares whether Bracken could become the next Vice President. Exposing such scandals is completely pointless.
Beckett wants revenge for his mother's death, and killing Bracken won't solve the problems facing Frank and Marvin.
However, it's the CIA that's after Frank and Marvin, and the CIA doesn't need a reason to kill, it just assigns them a task.
Therefore, unless they can find a way to eliminate Robert Bracken, Alexander Denning, and preferably Cynthia Wilkes all at once, and then provide a suitable justification,
eliminating even one or two of them will put them in a vulnerable position. After all, the situation has evolved beyond just the three individuals involved.
Frank and Marvin's assassination was easy. Even Beckett, with his status as an NYPD detective, could have easily found a way to get close to Bracken.
But as Jack said, a quick fix wouldn't be enough. It wouldn't completely resolve the problem, and it would even bring trouble and danger to their loved ones.
Frank had a girlfriend he'd innocently implicated, and Beckett had Castle, who had always stood by her side. These were their weaknesses.
The atmosphere grew increasingly gloomy during the drinking session. Jack, observing with a wave of worry, casually suggested, "How about we kidnap Bracken and use that to lure out Denning and Cynthia?"
Everyone glanced at him in confusion. Victoria frowned, thinking for a moment. "Are you sure they'll actually show up, rather than just dispatch assassins and agents to kill us and Bracken?"
Jack rubbed his forehead and thought to himself, "What an idiot!" In the original series, the veteran agents had indeed kidnapped Bracken and used it to lure out Denning and Cynthia, but the initial intention was simply to exchange hostages.
Frank's girlfriend, Sarah Ross, had accidentally fallen into the hands of the CIA, and kidnapping Bracken was a desperate move.
Now, the situation had completely changed. Sarah Ross and the others had been sent to Los Angeles for protection by Jack. Even if they kidnapped Bracken, it was unlikely that Denning and Cynthia would show up for him.
At best, their relationship was a partnership. Bracken was a mere politician. Even if he became Vice President, let alone one who hadn't yet become Vice President, he wouldn't be worth the risk to Denning.
After all, politicians can be bought with money, and if they lost their lives, they lost everything.
So, why not just send a hostage? As Jack's thoughts wandered, his malicious gaze subconsciously fell on a certain writer.
Frank's biological son, and Beckett's boyfriend, would be perfect bait if he fell into their hands.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Cassel, holding his wine glass in one hand and Beckett in the other, felt uncomfortable under Jack's gaze.
(End of Chapter)