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The girls landed at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, France. Jake departed the plane first to make arrangements with customs. The other’s followed ten minutes later. Jenna was absolutely mesmerized by the city. She even cried when the Eiffel Tower came into view. They would be staying at the hotel Brighton in the penthouse suite. Sarah told Jenna that they would be hitting Paris’ best fashion outlets in the morning.
“First we’ll go to Robert Clergerie to do a little shoe shopping, then to Bon Marche. That should put us just about at lunch time at Hotel Amour. We can plan the rest of the day out while we are eating,” Sarah said excitedly. Juan gave Jake a pained look and they all laughed.
“Speaking of eating,” Jake interrupted, “We have dinner reservations in an hour. Don’t you ladies need to freshen up or something?” The women giggled and went to their separate rooms.
Kat listened in and wished that she were there with them. Just then, Jako told her that they had some new video of Absame that he wanted her to look at. She was grateful for the distraction. Absame was meeting with Mendoza; Reese hadn’t been invited to this meeting.
Jake, Juan, and Janie dressed for dinner and waited for Sarah and Jenna to come out of their rooms. Two more of Mendoza’s men and Thomas were also patrolling the hallway.
They enjoyed a fabulous dinner. Once they were finished, Sarah said she wanted to go for a walk down Rue des Barres. It was a beautiful evening. They stopped and watched as the Eiffel Tower lit up the night. It was truly breathtaking. They strolled for almost an hour before deciding to go back to the hotel. Jake and Juan made sure that the women were safely settled into their rooms before heading downstairs for a drink.
Once settled into bed, Sarah had time to be alone with her thoughts. She was worried about how thinly their team was stretched. She said a little prayer for a positive outcome for both of their missions and went to sleep.
Sarah was awake at first light. She might be living the pampered life of the rich and famous, but she couldn’t shut off years of training and discipline. After the dinner she had indulged in last night, she thought she could certainly go for a run. She knew Jake would never go for it though. Sarah invited Jenna over to her suite and they called room service to have some breakfast sent up. The women talked about their plans for the day, and overall, spirits were high. Sarah sincerely hoped that Jenna would be able to follow through with the plan; she just seemed so fragile. Janie had repeatedly review the procedure with her and really tried to make her understand that this would be life or death for all of them. They weren’t completely confident in her ability to not crack under the pressure—and that would both blow their covers and risk all of their lives. They just hoped that she felt the gravity of that.
Sarah wished there was something she could do to comfort Jenna—to renew her self-confidence. But that would most likely draw unwanted attention from Juan. Jake and Janie came into the breakfast room to join the women. Mendoza’s men stood guard in the hallway.
Jake had just finished paying for their latest round of purchases and Juan carried their bags back to the limo. Janie was grateful that she wasn’t wearing four inch heels like Sarah and Jenna were; she could tell that Sarah was beginning to regret that decision a bit too. She was a little too eager to sit down for lunch. Lunch was light and enjoyable despite the mounting tensions. Go time was rapidly approaching. Sarah watched for Jake to give the signal and squeezed Jenna’s hand. They had picked this café because it allowed the limo to be conveniently parked in the alleyway. They had paid their bill and were leaving the café for the limo. Juan was helping Jenna, which left Jake and Janie in perfect position behind Mendoza’s men. As they entered the alley, Juan noticed that the limo driver was missing.
Suddenly, two armed men came out of nowhere, shooting two of Mendoza’s point men. Juan saw one of the men take aim at Sarah. He immediately turned and blocked her with his own body, taking a round of bullets to his back and shoulders. Janie was grazed in the thigh by a stray bullet.
It all happened in a matter of seconds. As Juan got up, Jake was there helping get Sarah to safety. Janie was leaning over Jenna. They all paused a beat to notice the carnage around them. Janie told Juan that Jenna was dead, as were the first two point men.
“We need to get out of here now,” Jake shouted at them. “The cops will be showing up any minute.” Juan agreed and Jake helped him into the limo. He stopped only for a moment to cross himself on behalf of his fallen comrades. They left the scene and made their way back to the hotel.
“Juan, we need to get you to a hospital, and then get the hell out of Paris. Hopefully they will think that this was just another terrorist attack. Janie, page the hotel concierge doctor.”
“If you can hold my arm, I will change clothes and make sure that this doesn’t come back to us,” Juan said as he winced in pain. They all agreed. Only ten minutes had passed before the doctor came in. He told Sarah and Janie that he would need to rest, but that he was okay to fly. He removed the bullets and stitched Juan up.
“The police have already arrived at the scene,” Jake announced. They found the limo driver bound and gagged in a nearby dumpster. The plane will be ready in three hours, I think we should all get cleaned up and rest a little before takeoff. Juan, you should probably call Mendoza and break the news about Jenna.”
“Not necessary. My orders were only to protect Senora Sarah at all cost.” Janie called room service to help them gather Jenna’s things. Juan told them just to get rid of any evidence of the woman. BJ took the belongings and returned to the scene of the shooting. He told Jenna that everything had gone according to plan and that she was a free woman. He handed her the belongings and wished her the best with her new life.
Once they had landed safely back in New York, Jake called Reese to let him know what had happened. He assured him that Sarah was safe, but Jenna didn’t make it. Jake let him know that Juan was on the other line with Mendoza. Sarah listened in on Juan’s conversation with Mendoza and was disgusted with both of them for their complete disregard for human life. She did have to smile to herself though when she heard Juan tell Mendoza that he suspected the men were Absame’s. The seed had been planted. Their plan couldn’t be going any more smoothly.