Recker was back home at his apartment, thinking of everything that happened in the day. There wasn’t much activity going on for work, but there were plenty of things going on otherwise to make up for it. He could hardly believe he was making a deal with the CIA to work for them again. Never in his wildest dreams did he think something like this would happen. But he felt the circumstances were too good to pass up. There was nothing going at home, and there were people’s lives in jeopardy, and saving innocent people from getting hurt, no matter where they were, was always what he signed up for.
Plus, getting Jones off the NSA’s radar, not that Jones seemed worried about it, or that the NSA seemed to know where he was, but still, it was always looming overhead. One day they’d get around to looking for him again. This way, they wouldn’t have to worry about it. He also figured getting a free out from jail was worth having in their back pocket. It would give them a little better peace of mind. And with having a kid coming, that would always come in handy.
Recker didn’t think the toughest thing was going to be looking for Cloutier. The toughest thing was going to be explaining to Mia that he was going away for a bit and not having a clear answer as to when he was coming back. He knew she would worry. Talking to Jones and Haley probably was going to be no picnic either. Convincing them to leave the city, and forget about their current work, and go overseas was going to be a tough sell. Convincing them to trust the CIA might have been a tougher one though. He could already picture what Jones would say. Still, Recker thought it would be worth it.
If Recker went alone, he assumed he could do the job well enough. But if Jones and Haley came along, he thought they could get the mission done much quicker, which meant getting back home quicker, plus having their stipulations met. He saw it as a win-win. There really wasn’t any downside as far as he was concerned. Other than possibly getting killed, but that was a risk no matter where he was or who he was working for.
After a few hours of thinking about what he was going to say, how he was going to approach his friends and partners, Recker finally went back to the office, ready to lay it on the line. Once he got there, Jones and Haley were in the usual positions, each taking up a computer. They looked back when they heard Recker enter.
“Hey, what are you doing here?” Haley asked.
“Mia’s not home. Just figured I’d stop by, see how you guys were doing.”
“We’re doing fine,” Jones said. “But if your finger’s still itching for an assignment, I’m afraid you’re going to be disappointed. We still don’t have anything on the horizon.”
“I didn’t stop by for that. I figured there still wasn’t anything.”
“Oh.”
“Just came to hang out,” Recker said. “You guys eat yet?”
“Yeah, we just had a little something. There’s some lunch meat in the fridge if you want something.”
“No, I’m good.”
Recker started pacing around the office, trying to figure out how he was going to start the conversation. All that thinking he did back at the apartment didn’t appear to do him much good because he still didn’t know. Jones periodically looked at him, watching him as he wore a hole in the carpet. He knew there was something on his mind. He was just waiting for Recker to spit it out. After ten minutes of waiting, Jones figured he’d try to help his friend out by spurring him on.
“Everything OK, Michael?”
Recker stopped pacing and looked at him. “Yeah. Yeah, everything’s good. Why?”
“You’re pacing. You only ever pace when there’s something on your mind.”
“Maybe I’m just passing the time.”
“That’s not how you pass time. Some people may, but not you. When you want to pass time, you look for additional work.”
“Oh, really?”
“Everything good with Mia?” Haley asked.
“Hmm? Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. She’s fine.”
“So how long are you going to walk around before you tell us what’s bothering you?” Jones asked.
“Nothing’s bothering me,” Recker replied. “I’m fine.”
A look came over Jones’ face that indicated he didn’t believe that for a second. Recker knew he was predictable and wasn’t going to put one over on anyone. He sighed and walked around for another minute before finally starting to utter what was on his mind.
“All right, there is something on my mind,” Recker said.
Jones slowly turned his head toward Haley. “See? I can always tell.” Haley smiled, though he continued typing. “So, what’s the issue?”
“Uh, the issue is… I was… I got a phone call from Michelle Lawson today.”
That got the attention of both Jones and Haley, both of whom immediately stopped typing and gave Recker their undivided attention.
“Oh?” Jones said. “What about?”
“She wanted to meet with me,” Recker answered.
“When?”
“Uh, the meeting already took place.”
“And you didn’t let either of us know? You walked in there blind?”
“I figured she’s trustworthy. She already knows where we’re at, she wouldn’t call me ahead of time to set up a trap.”
“Perhaps so,” Jones said. “But still, something as important as that, everyone should know and be involved with, just on the off chance something unexpected happens.”
Recker nodded. “You’re right. I should’ve let you know.”
“OK. With that being said, what did she want?”
“Me.”
“Well, obviously she wanted you, that’s why she called.”
“No, I mean she wanted… me,” Recker said, adding the last part for emphasis to let them know what he was implying.
Jones leaned back, catching his drift. “Oh. I see. They want you… to come back? To join the agency again?”
Recker cleared his throat. “Uh, not exactly. Similar, but not exactly.”
“Well, why don’t you stop beating around the bush and tell us exactly what she did want?”
“She wants me to do a job for her. Just one.”
“And you believe that?”
“I do.”
Recker then spent the next several minutes going over all the information Lawson gave to him. Jones and Haley sat there quietly as they listened to everything Recker was presenting. Though Recker obviously didn’t have all the details yet until everything was confirmed and approved by Lawson’s superiors, it was enough for them all to debate the facts they knew and make an informed decision. Recker waited until the end before telling them what he asked for in return for helping the agency out.
“So, they just asked for me,” Recker said. “But I said I thought I could get you guys on board if they were to meet certain conditions. Now, if you guys aren’t interested, it’s no problem, I’m not gonna try to convince you to go if you don’t want to. I just figured if we all went, we could get the job done in half the time, therefore getting me back quicker.”
“What conditions?” Jones asked.
“One, they pay all expenses associated with it.”
“That would be expected.”
“Two, you get taken off the NSA radar.”
Jones’ eyes widened, not expecting to hear that. “Can they do that?”
“I dunno. If they want me to go, I guess they’ll have to.”
“Three, if any of us ever wind up in jail for any reason, they’ll get us released within twenty-four hours.”
“That’d be a nice card to have in our back pocket,” Haley said.
“I thought so.”
“Is that all?” Jones asked.
“And a guarantee that none of us will ever end up on one of their hit-lists,” Recker said. “That’s all.”
“Sounds like you asked for a bountiful.”
“I did. But if they really want me to go, those are my terms.”
“And what was your impression?” Haley asked. “Sound like they could do it.”
“I got the impression that they wanted me bad and nothing was off-limits. If that’s the case, they’ll agree to those terms.”
“And if they don’t?” Jones asked.
“Then I don’t go.”
“What if one of us decides that we don’t want to go?”
Recker shrugged. “Nothing changes. The deal’s still the deal. If you don’t want to go, that’s fine, I won’t make you. I just figured, since we don’t have a lot going on right now, and if we could get some things that are in our favor and helps us, it’s kind of a win-win.”
“What if something urgent pops up while we’re gone? Something we could’ve handled, but someone gets killed because we weren’t there to stop it?”
“We can’t live off what-ifs or maybes. All we can do is move in the present. What if we don’t go and nothing happens? Then will we say we should have gone?”
“Mike’s right,” Haley said. “We just gotta decide on whether the offer’s good enough to take on its own merits.”
“And if that’s something that really bothers you, then we can split up,” Recker said. “I’ll go to Europe and do this, you guys stay here and keep an eye out, and we accomplish both things.”
“You’re sure this is on the level?” Jones asked.
“It’s not a setup. If they wanted to kill me, they could’ve just did it today. They had enough people to get the job done. People I didn’t even see where they were. You know I’m a good judge of character. Lawson’s not that way. She’s legit hung up over this and wants my help. They already know where we are, they always have. We’re still here because they’re not after us.”
“And doing a job for them gets us in their good graces,” Haley said. “Which means they’ll keep laying off.”
“What if doing this one job leads to others?” Jones asked. “What if they keep coming back, only more frequently? One job leads to two, which leads to a couple times a year, before you know it, you’re back working for them full time again.”
“It’s not gonna happen,” Recker replied. “They know where I stand.”
It was a big decision for all involved. Recker had already made up his mind. If his terms were met, he was going. Haley was leaning toward doing the same. Jones hadn’t made up his mind yet though. He sat there, staring at his computer screen, rubbing his chin and lips as he debated the pros and cons of such a trip.
“What about Mia?” Jones said, suddenly thinking of her.
“What about her?” Recker answered.
“Have you told her about this.”
“Not yet.”
“How do you think she’ll react?”
Recker grinned. “Not well. But I think once she looks past the initial leaving part, she’ll see the terms will benefit me in the long run. I think she’ll understand. She might not be good with it. But she’ll understand.”
They were quiet again for another minute or two as Jones continued thinking about his involvement.
“What do you think?” Recker asked.
“I’m in favor of it,” Haley replied. “It’s like you said. We don’t have much going on right now. And if doing this puts us in a better position down the line, I think it’s worth it.”
“And what if this winds up taking months?” Jones asked. “I mean, from what you say, we’re going after a major arms dealer. I’m sure he’s not just going to lay down once we get there and surrender.”
“It won’t be easy,” Recker said. “But we’ll have one thing the others didn’t have. Surprise.”
“That will only last for so long. As soon as we start talking to someone who’s even loosely connected to this Cloutier, it’s going to get back to him that someone’s looking for him. Then the surprise factor goes out the window.”
“Maybe. But we might have found a crucial piece of evidence before then. David, if you don’t wanna go, that’s fine. I’m not gonna try and force you.”
“It’s not that. I understand your reasoning for wanting to do this, and it sounds like you’re coming from a logical place.”
“But… what? I sense a but coming.”
“It’s just… you and Chris are used to doing this sort of thing. You have experience in it, you’re good at it. I’m not sure I would be of much help.”
“David, all you gotta do is the same thing you’ve always done. You don’t have to go out in the field. That’s our job. You just do over there what you’re good at over here. Stay in the hotel, do computer work, hook up your software programs, see if you can find him that way. Or at least find out who’s in connection with him.”
“I suppose that might be doable,” Jones said.
“That’s why I suggested all of us going over there. I figured if all of us go, and we can do there what we’ve done here, we can nail this guy. Now, I’m not under the illusion we’re gonna find him in two days. But hopefully within a few weeks, we’ll be coming back home.”
“A few weeks, huh?”
“What, you don’t think it’s possible?”
“Possible, yes. Likely… I don’t know. The CIA has a lot more information at their disposal than we do, and if they can’t find him in months, I’m not sure we’ll be able to cut the time down significantly.”
“All the information in the world won’t help you if there’s a leak somewhere that’s selling you out,” Recker said.
“I can testify to that,” Haley said.
“Fine, you convinced me,” Jones said. “I suppose you can count me in.”
Recker smiled. “The team’s back together.”
“Were we ever apart?”
“Maybe for a millisecond or something.”
“What’s next?” Haley asked.
“Well, we just gotta wait until we get the word from Lawson. No use planning anything until she says everything’s approved.”
“What about Mia?” Jones asked.
“What about her?”
“When do you plan on telling her?”
“First let’s hear from Lawson,” Recker said.
“Why?”
“Because I don’t wanna get into this heavy conversation and tell her I’m leaving for a few weeks only to find out a day later that the whole trip’s been cancelled.”
Haley smiled, knowing exactly what Recker was doing. He was stalling. “You’re still trying to figure out what to say to her, aren’t you?”
“Well, you know… I’m working on it.”
“The longer you delay the harder it will be,” Jones said.
“Well, I mean, I wanna be delicate about this.”
“You just gotta come out and tell her what’s going on,” Haley said. “She’ll understand.”
“I know she’ll understand. It’s how much crying and yelling there’ll be before that happens.”
“Please, Mike, we all know Mia,” Jones said. “I highly doubt she’s going to cry and yell. Disappointed, yes, but I doubt she’s going to yell and throw any flower pots at you.”
“I know. Believe me, guys, I can handle it. Trust me, I’m good.”
“So, you’re going to tell her?”
“Of course, I’m gonna tell her,” Recker replied. “After I get word from Lawson.”
Jones and Haley looked at each other, both shaking their heads. They knew it would only get harder for him the longer he put it off. It was better to just put it out there front and center.
“Trust me. It’ll be fine,” Recker said. “I appreciate your concern and support, but I can handle Mia. I’ll tell her.” Recker then paced around the room for a few minutes, thinking of how and what he would say to her. He could also picture her reaction. He wasn’t getting pleasant vibes. “After we get the approval from Lawson. Then I’ll tell her.”