The Blacklist (sequel to The Reluctant Spy)

The Hurrah

Reviews are most welcome.

Nyssa turned around to face the group with a smile on her face. Danny did not notice anything wrong, but both Lucas and Jack could tell the smile looked forced.

“Is everything okay?” Asked Danny after a few seconds of silence.

“It’s fine. We'll get the money back in time,” she said, but the other two men knew something was wrong.

Jack pulled Danny aside to distract him while Lucas quietly pulled Nyssa away to talk to her. The moment they were out of earshot, Nyssa told Lucas about Mikhailov holding Karen hostage until they paid him back the money.

“This has become too dangerous, Nyssa. We have to bring in the police,” he said, but Nyssa shook her head.

“We'll lose too much time explaining what happened, and the police can’t organize a rescue mission in time. You know as well as I do that we are the rescue mission,” Nyssa explained emphasizing the word ‘we'.

Lucas sighed and glanced over toward Danny and Jack. He knew that Nyssa was right, but now they were racing against the clock. Would they be able to put their plan in motion in that amount of time? It would have to be done by that afternoon. Where were they going to get the money to help pull off this heist?

Lucas was very vocal about his concerns, but Nyssa assured him that she had the part about the money under control.

“You just worry about convincing Zach that it’s in his best interest to show you the hidden cash. Let me worry about getting the money. My only concern is that your plan requires a third person, and in case you haven't noticed, my babysitters are parked across the street.”

“You have no one to blame for that,” he said.

“Yes, I know,” she said sarcastically. “It’s just that you will need Lucy’s help, and I don’t feel comfortable bringing her out of hiding. Can you guarantee to me that she's safe to come out?”

“You know where she is?”
“Of course I do.” Nyssa smiled. “She and I have a way of taking care of each other, and I don’t want Harry using her as leverage against me.”

Lucas took a deep breath and let it out in frustration. He wanted to say something in defense of Harry, but he knew how the game was played. He knew that Harry was that ruthless at times, and so did she. He also knew how fiercely protective she was of her family. In order to retain her trust and cooperation, he would have to find a way to protect Lucy as well.

“Okay. Have your sister get in touch with Jack. He will tell her the plan. The minute you get the money together, I'll set up a meeting with Zach,” Lucas said.

Nyssa nodded in agreement and smiled. She resisted the urge to reach up and touch his cheek and settled for placing her hand gently on his chest. A sudden feeling of warmth spread through her as she stared into his blue eyes for a moment. She wanted so badly to kiss him, but she knew that would be awkward with Jack and Danny in the room.

“Jack, I need to talk to you in private for a minute,” she said as she pulled herself away from Lucas and motioned for Jack to follow her toward the fire escape.

Once they were outside and out of earshot, Nyssa filled Jack in on Karen’s abduction and Lucy hiding from MI-5. She gave Jack the assignment of finding her money laundering friend, Barry, and get his help collecting £200,000 for the setup.

“Why am I doing that?” he asked in confusion.

“Because, I am under surveillance again.” Nyssa pointed to the van at the end of the street. “Do you see the surveillance truck parked down there? That’s my punishment for taking MI-5 on a tour of the city this morning. I can’t have them following me and risk exposing Barry to them.”

“Aren’t you worried that they bugged your flat?”

“I swept the place for bugs before you got here, and I have a few tricks of my own to make sure we’re not heard.”

Nyssa pointed to a hand-held electric massager taped to the window next to the door. It was turned on causing the glass to slightly vibrate. Jack looked at her in confusion until she smiled and explained that it was for any laser optical bugs.

Nyssa knew that those high-tech bugs picked up the sound vibrations in the glass windows. The massager disrupted those vibrations by creating its own.

Nyssa left Jack alone to call Barry and set up a meeting while she went inside to prepare Danny for the news about his mother. Barry agreed to meet at a pub near Soho. He knew Nyssa’s close knit group of friends and trusted only half of them. Lucky for Jack, he was considered part of the trusted group.

When Jack arrived at the pub, he saw Barry had taken a booth at the far side of the room seated facing the main door. Jack was a few minutes late making sure that Harry's surveillance team was not also following him before he made his appointment.

Jack walked straight toward Barry and took a seat next to him with his back facing the far wall. He also wanted to angle himself in order to see the door. It was a typical habit for people in the spy business and also for paranoids.

“So, am I to guess that Nyssa has a bit of trouble? Is that why you set up this meeting and not her?” asked Barry in his London accent.

“She has a bug problem, but she's handling it. We need your help on another matter,” said Jack.

“About that…. You know I'm very good, but even I can’t make £200,000 exist just like that.” Barry snapped his fingers to help prove his point.

“Who says that it has to exist? You're brilliant when it comes to making electronic money appear and disappear at will.”

Jack knew that pleading to Barry's ego always managed to work when it came to dealing with him. That, and a little monetary incentive did not hurt either. Barry smiled at the compliment and nodded in agreement.

“Well, I suppose I can transfer the money from an account that’s closed, but I have to send it through several relay stations and times zones just to keep my fingerprints from it. And, some bank manager will see it and pull the money before you do anything with it.”

“We only need it for a few minutes. How much time do we have before somebody catches the mistake?”

“Seven minutes….maybe.”

“Can you make it ten?” asked Jack.

“You sound like Nyssa." Barry laughed. "Anybody else, I'd give them two. I'll do my best, mate."

Jack smiled and shook Barry's hand. When the details were settled, Jack rose from the table. He handed Barry two £20 notes for lunch and left the pub. He pulled his mobile from his coat pocket and contacted Lucas to fill him in on what to do.

Lucas made a call to Zach to finish the deal. He said that he managed to get the money together from an account in Zurich and could make a wire transfer. Zach was more than happy to invite him to his house in Surrey to complete the deal. With the meeting in place, Nyssa coordinated with Jack and Lucy to be there, and for Lucy to bring along a few extra provisions for the game.

Everything was set. Lucas went home to his flat to change and pick up the Aston Martin for one final go. He was going to miss that car. There was always something about driving an expensive sports car like that to boost any man’s ego. Also, it was just an incredibly sweet ride.

Lucas pulled into the driveway just as Zach opened the electric gate to let him in. Zach stood outside of the main doorway and waved as Lucas parked the car and walked toward him. Both men had large grins on their faces when they greeted one another. Zach held out his hand to shake then motioned for Lucas to step inside.

“I am pleased that you phoned me to finish the deal. I was beginning to think that Thomas Brady made all of the decisions,” said Zach as he led Lucas into the main sitting room.

“I don’t see that Brady will be a part of my financial future anymore,” said Lucas.

Lucas walked straight to the crystal decanter and poured himself a drink while Zach uploaded the computer banking website. Lucas pulled out his mobile and dialed the number that Jack told him to call.

“This is David McCormick,” Lucas said to the person on the other line. “I need you to transfer £200,000 into an account.”

Zach turned the laptop around for Lucas to read out the account number. Once he was done, Lucas rang off and waited until the transfer was complete. Zach turned to Lucas and smiled. He picked up his mobile from the coffee table.

“Let's celebrate with a little party. I'll phone Nyssa and her sister. Which do you prefer? The blond or the brunette?”

Lucas took a drink from his glass and entertained a brief thought of strangling Zach while he sat on his couch. He smiled and took a deep breath to rein in his anger before he spoke.

“What do you think? I'll take them both.” He smiled. He was going to enjoy turning the screws on this guy.

Zach smiled and dialed a number on the phone. He waited a few minutes before he spoke.

“Sweetheart, it’s Zach. I’m hosting a party at my home in Surrey. Come around and bring your sister. I promise you, it will be fun.”

Zach leaned back in his chair with a smile. Lucas offered him a drink while they waited for the women to show.

Within a few seconds later, several shots were heard from outside of the house. Zach jumped up from the couch and ran past Lucas toward the front window. His jaw dropped, and his eyes grew big in horror as he watched two people spray a navy blue Ford with gunfire. The car exploded a few seconds later in the street. Several of the neighbors came running out of their homes to see what had happened.

“Yes, I see it. I see the explosion,” said Lucas as he walked toward the window next to Zach. He appeared to be speaking to someone on his mobile. “Yes, I'm closing the deal now. Don't worry. You'll get your cut. Good job, fellas.”

Lucas rang off as Zach stumbled back into the sitting room looking sick. He turned to Lucas who was eerily calm.

“What happened?” Zach asked in a shaky voice.

“Those are my new partners. A couple of ex-Army Rangers, real badasses,” said Lucas as he walked back into the sitting room.

“What did you do?” asked Zach in near hysteria.

“Where did you think I got my money? Brody has my trust tied up in knots. I cut those boys in to watch our backs and a good thing, too. You had a couple of Scotland Yard officers watching the house.”

“They killed them?”

“Nothing will get in the way of this deal….. Nothing!” Lucas smiled.

“No...... No…… The deal is off. I can’t be a party to this.” Zach shut the laptop and started grabbing his keys and mobile from the coffee table. As he started to stand up, Lucas pushed him back down in anger and kept poking a finger in his chest as he spoke.

“You are not backing out,” Lucas yelled. “You promised me a thousand percent return on the investment. That’s what I promised them. They want their money. NOW!”

“I can give them back what you gave me. I don’t have that kind of money here.”

“Those boys will not accept just what they put in. You’re in a lot of trouble, Zach. You better find the cash now.”

Lucas downed the last of the whiskey and slammed the glass on the coffee table. He stood over Zach and waited for an answer until Zach finally agreed. The club manager was practically in tears begging for his life as he rushed out the door with Lucas right behind him.

Their next stop was the club. Zach only hoped that there was enough money left to get these murdering psychos off his back.