Noble Intentions: Season Three Read Online Free PDF Page A

come meet you and escort you in case someone else tried to get to
you first.”
    “Dottie?” Jack hadn’t considered
that Leon was there to meet him and escort him to Dottie’s place.
    “Yeah,” Leon said. “I work for her.
Anyway, you took off in a damn hurry and you were in the cab with the girl. I
figured it best to reach out to you later.”
    Jack walked over to the bay of
sinks, ran the hot water, splashed a handful across his face. “Why’d you draw
your gun on me?”
    “I was offering the gun to you.”
Leon patted his left side, close to his underarm. “My piece is holstered right
here. I knew you’d be unarmed and thought you might appreciate a weapon. Didn’t
you think it funny I wasn’t aiming at you?”
    “You could have said something
other than I’m armed.”
    “I wanted to finish my piss.
Christ, is that a crime?”
    Jack inspected the handgun he’d
knocked from Leon’s hand, a Browning High Power single action 9mm. It told him
a few things. Leon had been in the Special Air Service (SAS), and had probably
retired some time ago as most of the guys now carried the Sig Sauer P226. He
also surmised that Leon had no intention of hurting him. The Browning’s safety
was on, but it wasn’t cocked.
    “You’re welcome, by the way,” Leon
said.
    Jack nodded once. “How long have
you been out?”
    “Of what?”
    “SAS.”
    “Who says I was SAS?”
    “Who else still carries a
Browning?”
    “I’ve heard some members of various
intelligence organizations do.”
    “Does that mean you were never
SAS?”
    “I didn’t say that.” Leon flashed a
grin and Jack smiled back.
    “Come on, let me buy you a drink,”
Jack said.
    Leon wet a paper towel and wiped
his face. The two men exited the restroom and took a seat at the end of the
bar. Leon ordered for both of them, a lager that Jack had never heard of. When
the bartender set the beer down in front of him, Jack immediately noticed that
a tan frothy head filled a third of the mug. The sun’s setting rays found their
way through the tinted glass of the restaurant, knifed through Jack’s mug,
turned a burnt orange as they found a final resting spot on the antique bar
top.
    Jack lifted the mug containing the
sun soaked lager and took a large gulp. He savored the head that was left over
on his upper lip while swirling the liquid in the mug in a counterclockwise
motion. Bubbles and brew mixed.
    “It’ll be dark soon,” Leon said.
“We should get going.”
    “What’s the rush? My hotel is half
a block away.”
    “You can’t stay there now, Jack. If
I could find you, anyone can.”
    Jack shrugged. “I can handle
myself.”
    “Besides, Dottie wants to see you
tonight.”
    “I’m tired. I just want to rest
tonight. I haven’t had a decent night’s sleep in weeks.”
    “You can sleep on the way. We’ve
got a bit of a drive ahead of us.”
    “I thought she lived in the city?”
Jack said, concerned now that everything Leon had told him up to this point was
a lie.
    “She does. She also has a place
outside of the city. Tonight, like every night the last couple months, she is
outside of the city. It’s a place that he doesn’t know about. And she
wants you to stay with us tonight so she can discuss terms with you tomorrow.”
    Jack’s lingering doubts remained.
He reached around his back, pretending to scratch an itch. The stiff handle of
the Browning brushed his palm. Relief washed over him like the warm waters of
the Mediterranean. Would a man hell bent on killing him offer him a loaded
weapon? Jack thought not. So he lifted his mug, tilted it toward his open
mouth, finished his beer. He patted his chest and pockets, mostly out of habit,
making sure he’d left nothing behind.
    “Let’s get going then,” he said.
    Leon led the way to the door. The
portly fellow nodded, faked a smile, and then looked away. Jack followed Leon
outside.
    “Dammit.” Leon stopped, took a step
back, bumped into Jack.
    “What is it?”
    “Get