The Winner Takes it All

As he recalled, they had screwed each other senseless for hours in that gazebo.

When they finally returned home that night he had used up an entire roll of film, taking pictures of her in that dress. After that, whenever he was away on a mission, he always took one of ?those? pictures with him.

He?d always meant to apologize for calling her a whore, but never had.

Episode 5- Castle Irina

Several days have passed. Their final destination had been a castle, an hours drive from Stockholm.

Jack had wasted no time in setting up an office, in a room off his sleeping quarters. To his surprise, he has been given extensive access to Irina?s intel and network of contacts.

Her dossier on Sloane is impressive. He is surprised that it is even more extensive than what he had gathered over the years. Arvin had managed to keep him in the dark about several key interests.

After the night on the plane, Jack had been relieved to have something concrete to occupy his mind with. Irina?s words had left new scars; it was best not to dwell on them.

For the most part Jack has been on his own. Analyzing, sifting through the details, outlining several scenarios and working feverishly to choose the best one.

He has not seen Irina since his arrival four days ago.

The two men who had accompanied them here; remained.

Serge, a short stocky, rather brusque man of indeterminate age, appeared to be in charge of security. He had made himself scarce since their arrival.

Sasha, a young man of medium build, brown, closely cropped hair, had been put at Jack?s disposal. He had been useful in securing whatever Jack had requested.

Things were progressing well. Jack was ready to take the op live in 24 hours. It was time to talk to a.
a.

?Sasha it is imperative that I speak with Ms. Derevko.? He made itnd lnd like a command.

?I?m sorry sir, Ms. Derevko is unavailable.?

The same damned answer he had received for the past four days. The kid was polite to a fault, the perfect foot solider.

?Is she here?? He fails to keep the irritation out of his voice.

?Here sir??

?Here, in this damned mausoleum.? He barks.

Only Irina would think a castle could be inconspicuous. He wondered if her room had a window overlooking the moat. Oh the possibilities.

The kid spoke impeccable English, but Jack?s trained ear could still hear an accent. His best guess was Ukrainian. Time to try a different tact, as this one was not getting results.

?Kid, what is with you and dark glasses? Do you have a light sensitivity??

?Spy glasses sir.?

Did the kid really just say that? Where the hell had Irina found him??

Sasha leaves the room.

Tired of waiting, Jack decides to go find her. Certain that he knows which room she would pick for her own, he makes his way there. He starts pounding on the door, and shouting her name. He steps back to level a kick, when he hears the distinct sound of a bullet being shoved in to the chamber.

?You need to step away from the door, Sir.? Sasha voice was suddenly void of any boy-ish charm. He continues the menace in his voice growing.

?The lady, does not wish to be disturbed.?

?Lady? I?m sorry I?m not looking for a lady. I?m looking for Irina.?

The door swings open and Irina is greeted by Jack?s thunderous look.

?Sasha, thank you.? She offers him a reassuring smile.

The young man keeps his gun trained on Jack. Her darkening look, convinces him to lower the gun. He stalks off.

?Another loyal foot solider. Where did you recruit him? Nursery school.?

The last four days had agreed with Jack, he looked refreshed, and he had a spark in his eyes. Good. She had forced herself to stay away, to give Jack time. Get real Irina, she was avoiding him. After twenty years, being with him had been better than she had imagined and she didn?t trust herself with him. She wanted him so badly her teeth ached.

?He is not a foot-soldier, he is my protégé.? She states simply.

Jack?s eyebrows quirk, in question.

?I had assumed Mr. Sark, was the heir apparent.?

?Well that would make both you and Mr. Sark wrong. But you didn?t come here to talk about Sark. Come in.?

Smooth if not abrupt change of subject Irina.

She shuts the door behind him. He notices that she is dressed in a pair of loose white boxers and a white tank top. The white illuminates the black and purple marks on her neck. He cringes.

She looks radiant, how did she pull that off? He takes his eyes off her mouth, as flashes of those lips driving him wild, flood his mind.

A gold chain around her neck holds a charm that hangs just above the swell of her breast. He looks at it and frowns.

It?s a rather odd piece. Without close inspection it looks to be a bird, a semi circle over an oval and a snake.?

?Do you like it?? She inquires.

?It is unusual. What does it mean??

He tries to scrutinize it more closely.

?In some ways, it defines me Jack.?

Let him mull that over in his pretty little head.

?Could you be a little less cryptic? Is that a snake?? The smirk can be heard in his voice.

She smiles; Jack was nothing, if not predictable.

?Yes, specifically a cobra?

?Oh how appropriate.?

He steps a little closer and fingers the charm. He fingers brush lightly on across her chest. He drops the charm and steps back.

Are her nipples glaring at him?

She smiles, knock yourself out Jack; the girls are glad you noticed.

?Do you like the accommodations?? She asks, while fighting the urge to flatten one of his errant curls.

?I wasn?t expecting a castle. A crypt seems more your style.?

He?d be damned if he let her know he was impressed.

?There is a fully-operational dungeon downstairs, should I have your things moved? ?

Jack in her dungeon, now that had appeal.

?As charming as that sounds, no.?

He had to admit a though he was curious about the dungeon and what methods of torture she preferred.

?Would you believe I won this place in a poker game??

? No. You are lousy at poker.? He grumbles.

?I am not? she looks at him indignant.

?You could never bluff worth a damn; you always lost when we played strip poker.?

That thought had slipped out before he could catch it.

A hint of amusement lightens her eyes.

?That?s the thing about games Jack. Sometimes it is much more rewarding to lose. You were always so competitive. You got to watch me get naked and get your enormous ? ?ego? stroked in the process. A good combination to get you prepared for the game I really wanted to play.?

Was she wearing a hint of red lipstick? Probably her own formula; ?bitch red?.

He looks around vast the room for the first time. It is very sparsely furnished. An oversized burgundy leather sofa, small games table with two simple wooden rail-back chairs. an armoire, and a lingerie chest. The walls were lined with bookcases and at the center of the room; there was a massive, four-poster, canopy bed.

Two steps lead up to the bed. The coverlet is scattered with loose papers and file folders. Her laptop is perched in the middle and he counts four cell phones. He can just imagine her sitting there, wreaking her special brand of havoc on the world.

Laura had always used their bed as her own personal office space. Besides, whatever project she had been working on, she also had photos littering the space. She?d said she liked to look up from her work to see the faces of the people she loved.

He had to satisfy a curiosity. He walks over to the bed. On a quick count there are at least a dozen pictures of Sydney. He notes two other pictures, and files them away to be processed later.

He always seemed so surprised whenever she behaved like Laura. When would he realize the only difference between them is that she could fluently speak several more languages ?was much more adept with firearms and lethal with sharp objects.

If he knew what was good for him he?d get away from the bed, it had been four days, and he was looking awfully tasty, Back away from the bed Jack or I refuse to be held responsible for any deviant behavior that transpires.

She walks away from him towards the window.

She keher her voice neutral. ?Have you made a decision yet??

?Decision??

He turns back around to face her.

Was it hot in here?

?I?m not holding you against your will Jack. You are free to go.?

Ignoring her direct question, his answer is indirect, but still the one she had hoped for.

?A woman fitting Sydney?s description has been sighted in Minya.?

?Eygpt? ?

? Sloane has an interest in a small clinic there. The information of the sighting comes from one; Astif Mouvin, ?

?He has always been trustworthythe the past. Sloane, has he been spotted?? She asks with interest.

No point in letting him know she had already received this intel.

?Nothing concrete on whether he is there or not. It isn?t ideal. But it?s all we?ve got, I?d say it warrants a visit.?

?You secured everything we need?? She interjects idly.

?We fly to Cairo tomorrow night. From Cairo to the clinic, a three to four hour drive.?

? Good, sounds like you?ve made good use of your time. I?d say thank you for agreeing to work with me.? She says with obvious gratitude.

?I?m not working with you. I?m working for Sydney. Whatever it takes.? His voice is cool.

?Understood?Jack??

?Yes.?

?We are going to find her, right??

?Yes.?

There was no other answer.