passed a manila folder across her desk to him. “Your mission is fairly straightforward, as you know. Find her and bring her back. She won’t like it, but if she wishes to avoid official charges, she will be cooperative.”
The file contained all the pertinent information the agency had on Gabrielle, which wasn’t that much, but it was enough background for A.J.’s needs. He already knew her, understood how she thought to a degree.
He closed the folder and fixed his gaze on the woman waiting for any questions. “I need to understand just how far you want me to go in order to stop Miss Jordan’s plans for vengeance.” In spite of his efforts, he found himself failing to breathe as he waited for her response.
Victoria held his gaze for several seconds before answering. During that time he saw a glimmer of uncertainty in her eyes. That surprised him. He’d never once known her to waiver, would have wagered against it. He couldn’t tell if her hesitation was a good thing or a bad one as far as Gabrielle’s fate was concerned.
“Miss Jordan is operating under many misconceptions that make her judgment unreliable. My preference would be for you to intervene and, without significant incident, bring her back here.” She paused a moment, seemed to drag up her courage. “However, preventing her from reaching Sloan and his family is priority one.”
Her expression turned grave as she went on. “If she reaches him, her fate is out of our hands. I would prefer that didn’t happen. I’ve tried without success to contact Sloan or his household helper Pablo. If we’re lucky, he and his family are away. But he could return any moment.” Victoria pressed A.J. with a look that conveyed a great deal more than her words. “I need you to do whatever it takes, A.J. We have to stop this train crash before it happens, if at all possible.”
The decision was made. He had his orders. Personal feelings had no place beyond this point.
“I understand. I won’t use excessive force unless absolutely necessary, but I won’t hesitate should the need arise.”
Victoria nodded. “We’re in agreement then.”
“I’ll report in as often as possible.” He pushed to his feet.
“We’ll keep you posted with any information we gather on this end.”
A.J. nodded once before turning to the door. Every second he wasted was one that might cost Gabrielle Jordan far more than she wanted to pay. That was one way in which he could help her in all this.
“One last thing, A.J.”
He hesitated at the door and faced Victoria again. “Yes?”
She stood behind her desk, that atypical uncertainty haunting her expression once more. “You’re certain you feel comfortable with this?”
He wasn’t entirely surprised by her question. It pained her to ask. That much was clear. Also very clear was her reasoning, elaborating was in no way necessary. “I’m one hundred percent certain, ma’am.”
Drawing in a deep breath, she nodded once, banishing the uncertainty he’d seen in her expression. “Very well then. Based on your experience and your objectivity in the matter, I am of the opinion that you are the best man for the job. However, if you feel the need for backup, all it takes is one call. I’ll leave that to your discretion.”
“I understand.”
“Of course it will be best if I can contact Sloan ahead of your arrival,” she went on, apparently only then deciding to mention this part. “In the event that doesn’t work out, tell him that I’m trusting him to do the right thing on this. Even pure evil can occasionally spawn something good. He’ll know what I mean.”
A.J. left Victoria’s office with only a vague idea what her message to Sloan meant, but he felt no need to question her orders. He had learned well from his career in the military that there were times when a soldier didn’t need to know every detail about a mission. He simply needed the know-how and the determination to carry out the assignment.
Knowledge was a very powerful tool, no doubt. But, at times, knowledge could be a stumbling block to achieving the greater good.
This was one of those situations.
He appreciated that Victoria practiced what she preached. She had complete faith in his ability to get the job done. To his relief, much of that faith was based on his word. He strongly believed that a man was only as good as his word. It pleased him that his new employer shared that belief.
Just another reason he couldn’t allow any personal feelings he’d foolishly allowed to develop to get in his way of doing his job. He needed his work, needed that kind of focus in his life. There wasn’t room for anything else. Not anymore. He had to keep that truth in mind and stop permitting wishful thinking from overriding good sense.
A.J. considered his plan of action as he stopped by his town house for his bags and drove to the airfield where the Colby Agency jet would be waiting.
Picking up Jordan’s trail wouldn’t be difficult. Florescitaf was a small village and an attractive young urban woman would stand out. Since she didn’t know the location of Sloan’s private residence, she would have to ask questions or go on a grid search of the surrounding area. Either way would be time-consuming as well as risky as far as keeping a low profile.
Once on board the agency jet, he used his time to brush up on his Spanish. He hadn’t used the language in ages, but getting his point across wouldn’t be difficult. An hour later he felt confident with his spotty vocabulary so he took some time to consider his target.
Gabrielle Jordan was very young, only twenty-two. She’d spent eighteen months of that young life in prison. The first six months of that time she’d made a fuss about being innocent, including writing several appeals herself, none of which were taken seriously by her court-appointed attorney. So she’d shut up and done her time.
She’d gotten out only a few months before applying for a job at the Colby Agency. Her ability to create a false identity was commendable if misguided. She hadn’t missed a trick. Case in point, she’d fooled one of the top private investigation agencies in the country.
He had to smile. The woman had herself some real brass ones, that was for sure. He closed the door on that line of thinking. From what they’d learned in the past twenty-four hours, she was the only child of an alcoholic mother who claimed Gabriel DiCassi as the child’s father. DiCassi had been Trevor Sloan’s arch enemy and an international assassin. A standoff between the two men had ended in DiCassi’s death.
Apparently, Gabrielle held Sloan responsible for her father’s death. Victoria had estimated, based on comments Jordan had made to coworkers at the agency, that she believed her father to have been a great man. She’d spoken highly of him and her wistfulness related to his death had been apparent during those conversations. Of course she hadn’t once mentioned his name. Now she was apparently out for revenge.
A.J. closed the folder and relaxed into the aircraft’s luxurious leather seat a little more deeply. He found it difficult to understand how a parent could lie to their child, or neglect their offspring for that matter. By all accounts, Gabrielle fell smack into the category of the abused and neglected. That sort of childhood twisted a person’s thinking. He could only imagine how it felt to have no one in the world to depend on. He wondered if that was the reason she’d worked so hard to be the absolute best she could be. She’d had no one to count on but herself.
