Becoming Agent Rider

Information Exchange

So Alex recounted everything from walking down the street to the moment when Gold Tooth had followed Pox into the motel. The only thing he left out was the Russian lessons before the encounter, replacing it with an early morning jog as the reason he was on the streets without Ben instead. He wasn't sure why but he wanted to keep that to himself and he ignored the frown Ben had upon hearing this. During his retelling, the three adults had been amused at his nicknames for the drug dealers but chose not to comment. Instead, they focused on more important details, such as the exact wording and actions of the dealers.

After they finished going over every aspect of the incident, Byrne muttered, "The timing of the shipment and the bombing can't be a coincidence," and everyone in Mrs. Jones' office nodded. "But how are they connected?"

"Our guess is as good as yours," Mrs. Jones responded dryly. "I was rather hoping you might have information on who hired the triads."

Byrne shook his head, "No such luck. The triads we've had in custody aren't talking and there haven't been any leads as to who hired them."

"Bait them," Alex suddenly interjected. Everyone looked at him in surprise and he had a sinking feeling in his chest. He had gone over everything he now knew about their predicament and the resulting suspicions indicated a worse situation than everyone was currently assuming. The partially formed plan in his mind would require him to be the bait but it was the only chance they had of getting the information they needed. It was the only chance he had of protecting the Pleasures. And they were running on limited time.

"How?" Byrne asked warily. The CIA director didn't doubt Alex's ability to come up with a good plan and a solid argument for it. What he was worried about was the plan putting the boy in more danger than he was already in.

"Keep to whatever plan the two of you had for tonight. Tomorrow, I'll go to Albert Bridge," Alex said, confirming Byrne's concerns.

"No," Mrs. Jones refused. "I ordered you to stay away from this business. I'm not about to let you walk right back into it. Besides, we'll have more information by the end of tonight."

"Even with the information tonight, you might not find the connection before it's too late," Alex argued. "Especially when it's not just those two that are connected. I know you have the same suspicions there as I have, Mrs. Jones."

"What do you mean?" Ben asked, finally joining in on the debate. Byrne looked at Alex and Mrs. Jones expectantly, wanting to hear the answer to that as well. Silently daring her to deny his statement, Alex looked hard at the woman.