Checking up on Lisa was a no brainer for Jennie. She had Haein pull her tracking data and text it to her and when Rosie was satisfied with how much they've eaten so she let them go.
And off they were.
With each a coffee to go in hand from the corner store from Lisa and Nancy's location purely for an alibi, they casually strolled around the neighbourhood.
Parked on the sidewalk in front of an impressively big residential house, Jisoo spotted Nancy's car. Jennie was on her phone, following Lisa's GPS location tag.
"That's her car." Jisoo alerted her friend.
Jennie looked up and towards the town house. "Must be the Park's residence."
"What are they doing here? I thought they checked it out again yesterday?" Jisoo wondered while keeping up with Jennie's suddenly faster pace. But she soon knew why.
Jennie had spotted the back of Lisa's head in the car while Nancy was nowhere to be seen. That was the perfect timing to talk to her CI alone.
The agent knocked on the car window as soon as she was next to it. Lisa looked very surprised to see her and opened the door immediately with one of those Lisa smiles that could literally light up a room.
"Hey Jen, didn't expect to see you here. Hey Chu." She greeted them after Jisoo had caught up with Jennie too.
"Hey Monkey." Jisoo greeted back with a fond smile.
"Hey Lis." Jennie smiled at her uneasily. "We uh... had a case in the neighbourhood... and thought we'd drop by."
"Uh huh..." Lisa grinned up at her and got out of the car to stretch her legs. Jennie could tell that Lisa had sniffed out her lie in a second flat. "I'm flattered Jen. You can't handle being apart from me."
"Haha. No. I just..." Jennie rolled her eyes, trying hard not to blush and took a sip from her coffee. It was disgusting. Worst coffee since bureau coffee. The agent pulled a face after drinking and Jisoo snickered while watching her.
"How are you doing... with her?" Jennie asked Lisa straight out instead of coming up with another lie. She didn't actually want to lie to Lisa. What was the point? They were friends and friends were allowed to be worried about each other. So what!?
Lisa snorted and gestured towards the car. "As you can see, she has me babysitting the car... again... so, it's going great..."
"She's a real witch, isn't she?" Jisoo cut in with an empathic look in her eyes.
Lisa didn't confirm that statement but she told them "She called me a tool in her belt..."
"I bet you really start missing working with us now, aren't you?" Jisoo cackled at that.
Lisa flashed them a smile and her eyes landed on Jennie's. "Yeah, I guess you guys aren't so bad after all... who thought there was an agent who acted more like an agent than Jen?" She teased.
"Haha, funny." Jennie rolled her eyes at Lisa but she felt a lot better now that they were checking up on her. She leaned a little closer to her CI. "But seriously, don't you find it weird how hard she went after Wang with so little evidence? And how in the world did she find out that you know the guy? We didn't even know that! I feel like something's not right here Lis."
Lisa nodded slowly, looking from Jennie to Jisoo. "Exactly what I thought but hey... I guess we're gonna find out."
"What's she doing inside so long? Is she smoking pott in their bathroom?" Jisoo joked with a look at the huge house.
Jennie snorted but nudged Lisa's elbow. "Wanna have a look around? You know Wangs M.O. How would he handle a home invasion?"
Lisa's eyes lit up. Not because she was eager to stage a home invasion and kidnapping. She would never. But this was exactly what she liked about working with Jennie. Jennie trusted Lisa's instincts and she let her explore them, seeing where it carried them. They always made so much more progress when they bounced ideas and theories off each other, working together and figuring shit out.
"So theoretically" Lisa started, looking up and down the street they were on. "He'd have a driver, a strong man and a lookout. Jackson wouldn't trust anyone else to grab the girl, so he'd do that himself."
"So Wang's the strong man in this scenario" Jisoo nodded along. "that leaves the driver right outside there." She pointed to the sidewalk a little off the house entrance. "Now, where was the lookout?"
Lisa and Jennie looked around the street. "The sight lines are clear from there and there" Jennie pointed to both ends of the street. Not many places to hide.
"You get more cover in the park over there." Jisoo suggested.
Lisa bit the inside of her cheek while she was considering this. "Yeah, but, it's too far from the action... what about the alley? It gives you eyes on both sides of the street and the intersection without being spotted so easily."
Jennie nodded convinced. "Let's go there."
They checked out the small alley between houses that had a narrow staircase leading one floor down. It was dark in here. A perfect hideout with as much view of the street as one would need.
"Yep, somebody's definitely been here." Lisa grinned as she spotted the signs. The fallen leaves from the tree nearby were rustled from left to right as if somebody had walked in between them, checking out both sides of the street but only on the few top steps. Not going down further.
Jisoo nudged her way past Lisa down the first couple of steps and picking something up with a tissue from her pocket. "It's a coat check stub." She told the other two women as she came back up. "Some night club or something, I guess..?"
"Let me see" Lisa bent over Jisoo's shoulder to get a look. "Oh that's an underground casino Jackson used to hang out at."
"So it's really him?" Jennie concluded grimly with a look at Lisa.
"I guess so. Agent Lee told me that they caught him on the security tapes of the french restaurant I pointed them to." Lisa confirmed, equally grim, her mouth in a thin line.
"I still think there's something good old Nancy isn't telling us." Jisoo gave the coat check stub over to Jennie including the tissue she had it in to check for prints later.
"Like, how did she know so early on it was him? And requesting Lisa all of a sudden? It's odd..."
The other two nodded. It really was odd. Something didn't quite add up but neither agent, nor Lisa was sure about what it could be right now.
Then there was movement by the front door of the Park's residence and the three women turned towards it. "Fuck, we're caught." Jisoo mumbled.
Jennie said nothing to that but subconsciously stepped a half step in front of Lisa as Nancy made their way over to them with a very disgruntled look on her face, having spotted them right away of course.
"What the hell are you doing at my crime scene ladies?"
"Hey Nance! We really like the coffee shop around the corner and ran into Lisa." Jennie shrugged and held up her to-go cup demonstratively before taking a lavish sip. This brew was still undrinkable and Jennie tried hard not to pull a face again.
"What do you know! Seoul is a village." Jisoo chimed in happily as if it actually was a really really nice coincidence to meet them both here while sipping from her own to-go cup.
"Yeah, right." Nancy eyed them suspiciously. "And that's why I find you huddled in an alley together."
"Lisa found this." Jennie held up the coat check stub. "while she was very busy guarding your car." She added with a little bite in her tone.
"It's from an underground casino Jackson used to frequent. We think a lookout or someone accidentally dropped it while on the job." Lisa jumped into the conversation.
"Well, than that's our next stop Manoban." Nancy took the stub from Jennie. "And agents! If I ever find you lurking around my crime scene again, coffee shop or not, I will file a report against you."
"You can't tell right now, but deep down we're petrified." Jennie deadpanned with a straight face.
Jisoo cackled under her breath and turned around. "I will file a report against you" she mocked Nancy in a ridiculous voice, low enough but still so Nancy could hear her.
"You two have always been children. Nothing's changed I guess." Nancy snubbed. "Manoban! We're leaving." And she turned to walk away.
Jennie caught Lisa's eyes who winked at her good naturedly. "Please watch out, ok." She squeezed Lisa's shoulder briefly before turning to Jisoo who was already having a hard time holding her laughter because of Nancy's reacion.
"I will. Thanks for coming by." Lisa replied and hurried after her temporary new handler.
Now Lisa missed Jennie even more. Jennie was worried about her. Not about the case but about her. Lisa could tell from the way her eyes had hardly left her, subtly checking for any sign of Lisa not being ok.
She wasn't completely ok, yet she wouldn't show Jennie that unless she wanted her to be even more worried. Lisa didn't like Nancy at all. But it was the job and she just had to suck it up for now.
*
That night, in Lisa's apartment, the con-woman was getting ready for a night at an underground casino club. She purposefully did not wear a dress, but rather opted for a pants and shiny top combo paired with a blazer. Dresses weren't very practical for undercover operations unless the occasion really demanded one.
Bambam sat on her couch, watching her put the finishing touches to her outfit and her hair. He was sipping from a cup of tea for once instead of draining Lisa's wine collection.
"So you're really letting that Nancy woman use you to get to Jackson, who we both know isn't our biggest fan ever since we ran with his five hundred grand?"
Lisa threw him a look. "The agents don't know about that. And there's an innocent girl in all this being kidnapped, so... what the hell am I supposed to do?"
"Not play the hero this time, maybe?" Bambam snorted. His tone was still light and teasing but deep down Lisa knew he was just as worried as she was. Jackson was dangerous. They both knew that.
Lisa's phone dinged. "She's here. Duty calls." And she walked out the door.
"I get the apartment if you die." Bambam called after her.
They both hoped it would just remain a joke.
*
Lisa and Agent Nancy Lee drove to the location in more or less silence. Lisa had tried to engage her in a conversation about how she met Jennie and Jisoo but Nancy wouldn't budge. She only told her that they went to Quantico together, the official FBI training facility before becoming agents. No anectodes, no smile.
Nancy was absolutely no fun, Lisa decided.
They stopped in front of the place a little distance away not to attract attention.
"Time to do your thing Manoban."
Lisa raised her brows at her. "You're letting me off the leash on this one? I could accidentally talk to a witness you know."
Nancy rolled her eyes at the CI with no patience. "This is crook city. They spot an agent from miles away. This is all your territory, not mine."
"You just keep the compliments coming, don't you?" Lisa huffed as she got ready to get out of the car.
"Wait!" Nancy stopped her with a hand on Lisa's wrist. "The anklet. You can't walk in there with your little accessory. They'll spot it immediately."
"Noone's gonna see it. I purposefully wore pants and not a dress."
"Cut it." Nancy fished a pair of scissors out of her glove department, slightly bending over Lisa.
"Cut it? That's not how Jisoo does it. She can deactivate it, you know."
"I know. I got clearance, don't worry. Now cut it!"
Suspiciously, Lisa took the scissors out of the other woman's hand and got to work on her anklet. Why did cutting it off like this feel like cutting off Jennie? Even though it was basically freedom to get rid of the anklet for a couple of hours, it still felt wrong to Lisa.
Lisa steeled her nerves and made the final cut through the rubber band on her heel which made the anklet more comfortable to wear but still unable to take off without triggering an alarm.
"There. It's off." She handed it over to Nancy who let a small pleased smile graze her features.
*
Back in the bureau, Jennie was staring at her laptop when a notification came on.
"Haein?" She called for her agent who she knew was just next door in the open office.
"Hm?" He stuck his head in her door not minute later.
"We lost Lisa's tracking data."
"Oh yeah, Agent Lee cleared it." Haein smiled at Jennie like it was the most normal thing that another agent gave clearance over Lisa's tracking anklet.
"Why didn't you tell me about this? It looks like she forcefully took it off. It triggered my alarm."
"Sorry Jennie. She said it wasn't your case." The male agent looked a bit sheepish when he admitted that. He didn't like to disrespect Jennie but Agent Lee had been ruthless. She hadn't asked for clearance, she told him the facts and that was it and since she was ranked above Haein, he didn't dare to talk back to her.
"But Lisa's my CI!" Jennie protested even though she knew it was done for.
"I... don't know what to tell you boss... she's... she said she'd just have Lisa cut it."
"Nancy..." Jennie growled her name more to herself than to Haein. "She really doesn't want us anywhere near her, does she? Jisoo could have deactivated it and taken it off without breaking it. Does she know what those anklets cost us?"
The younger agent shook his head with big eyes. "What do they cost us?"
Jennie huffed. "I... I don't know.. but that's not the point. Haein, where is Jisoo?"
"Already at home. She took the evening off."
Jennie sank back into her chair, looking at the now empty map that didn't blink anymore with Lisa's location. Nancy made Lisa cut her anklet off... The agent silently shook her head and tried to ignore the bad feeling in her gut that got stronger with every fishy thing agent Nancy Lee did.
"You okay boss?" Haein asked with serious eyes, wondering why Jennie was still at the office in the first place. She didn't work on a big case right now. She could just go home and relax. Yet she was still in the office.
"Yeah.... don't worry about it.." Jennie gave him a genuine smile because she knew he meant well but she didn't care to elaborate. It was indeed bad form to intervene in another agent's case, even if it was just by talking about it when you weren't actually in the loop.
"Wait!" Jennie's eyes flew down towards the main glass office doors and the man who had just come through, guided by a couple of agents. "Is that Mr. Park?"
Haein turned around as well. "The CEO, Lisa screwed over with her forged bonds?"
"The very one. What's he doing here?" The brunette agent narrowed her eyes but jumped out of her chair as she watched the agents guide the man towards their little office coffee hub.
"Come with me." She told Haein as she flew down the stairs to the lower office area. The younger agent followed his boss without asking why.
"Mr. Park?"
The elderly man with the gray streaks in his styled black hair looked up from making himself a cup of horrible FBI coffee. He obviously had never been to their headquaters before otherwise he would know better.
But in the pretense of making herself a cup, Jennie could stand here and talk to him without breaking any case rules. Haein mirrored Jennie and they got busy making more coffee together.
"Agent Jennie Kim." She nodded at him as he sat himself down on one of the break room tables.
"Oh, right. Miss Manoban's handler, I understand."
Jennie nodded and ignored the knot in her stomach when thinking about Lisa right now.
"What are you doing here if I may ask?"
"Agent Lee told me I could come here to wait if I didn't feel like sitting at home staring at the phone with any news of my daughter."
"Oh, yeah sure. Sorry about your daughter. Lisa's gonna find her."
The man chuckled. "I didn't expect her to be so charming. This would be so much easier if she acted more like a criminal."
Jennie screwed her eyebrows together. What would be so much easier? She thought but didn't say out loud as she poured way too much sugar into her cup. This would keep her up all night if she actually drank it.
"Lisa's is different. A real asset to my team." Jennie told him sincerely because it was the truth. "Right Haein?"
He nodded too, drinking his coffee and joining the conversation as Jennie officially invited him in by adressing him. "Great drinking buddy too."
Jennie snorted at his statement. She had known that Lisa had gone drinking with Haein once or twice.
"I just hope this goes right." Mr. Park went on.
"You know if it helps, I can walk you through it. What are you worried about most?" Jennie sat down on Mr. Park's table now and Haein joined.
"The meeting, to be honest."
What fucking meeting? Jennie thought. This was her chance to get some intel.
"The meeting." She parroted, making Mr Park speak more. Elaborate. "What troubles you about that?"
The man met her eyes. He had no idea he was spilling case secrets to an outside agent right now.
"The kidnapper calls, then asks for a meeting with Manoban in exchange for Jihyo? That seems too easy."
He was playing right into Jennie's hand and she didn't like what she heard at all! But she tried to keep her cool as if she had already known about that.
"Yeah..." She turned to Haein with a definite look. "Keep Mr. Park company will you? Excuse me boys."
And she got up, rounded a corner really quick to fish out her phone.
Lisa was her speed dial number two. Number one was Jisoo. Number three was Rosie.
"Come on Lis, pick up! Pick up now!" The agent growled through gritted teeth.
She couldn't fucking believe this! Nancy had deliberately kept it from all of them, including Lisa that the kidnapper wanted her in exchange for Mr. Park's daughter. For whatever reason. But Jennie's pulse had spiked immediately when she remembered that Lisa had told them Jackson once tried to kill her.
The call finally connected and Lisa's voice gave Jennie's heart a little relief for now.
"Jen, I'm kind of in the middle of something right now, okay?"
"You need to get out of there right now!" Jennie whisper-growled at Lisa. She wanted the other woman to hear how serious she was about this. Jennie was ready to order Lisa to leave the scene. Despite not being her handler on this case.
"What are you talking about?" Lisa sounded confused, not knowing what Jennie meant.
"Lisa, you're the ransom!"
Next thing Lisa felt was a sharp pain between her neck and her shoulder as somebody had jumped out of the shadows and used an electric taser on her. She dropped cold to the ground, loosing her phone in the fall.
Jennie heard Lisa's grunt of pain before the call disconnected. "Lisa? LISA?"
All the air left the room. Jennie felt the blood in her ears pumping as she looked at her phone shakily. Her vision had stars in it when she pressed speed dial one.
Lisa had been taken.
By someone who possibly wanted her dead.