???
Jack stared at the paper with a massive question mark in his head. The message was simple and direct: someone had tortured Roger Hansen, learned the girls' location, and was now calling him to Paris for help.
Honestly, Jack wasn't surprised that the girls had been taken to Paris. He'd recognized Bryan and his daughter Kim the moment they got involved. While he hadn't expected the plot to swerve straight into Taken territory, he had at least mentally prepared for it.
The real problem was—who the hell left this note?
At least sign your damn name!
Jack's brain ran through the list of CIA operatives he knew.
Joe Mason? Retired and living with the Hunts. Definitely not him.
John Reese? Still missing. Unless Person of Interest had already kicked off in this world, Reese was probably still lying low and recovering from his injuries.
Jack had even asked Danny and his cop brother Jamie to keep an eye out for any suspicious homeless men in the subway—just in case.
Mexico? Two CIA contacts there. Matt was dead—Jack had watched him die. Michael had resurfaced once to send him on a SEAL mission but then vanished again.
Maybe Burn Notice had started playing out somewhere, and Michael Westen was off doing "freelance" work. If it was him, Jack wouldn't be surprised. After getting burned by the CIA, Michael had started working as a cleaner.
But Michael wasn't the type to be this vague. He would've left his name.
Jack flipped the note over a few times, checking for invisible ink or hidden symbols. Nothing.
That left two possibilities—Frank Martin or Mandy Ellis.
Mandy was pure intelligence—not a field operative. No way this was her work.
So… Frank?
Jack had no way to contact Frank. He had no clue where in Texas the guy lived.
Screw it. The answer was in Paris.
—
"Why Paris?"
Back at the Federal Building, Castle was relentless, following Jack around like an overgrown puppy.
"Why would they ask for you specifically? That can't be random!"
"I. Don't. Know," Jack snapped, this close to losing his patience.
He had just confirmed with Justin that the suspicious IP address that accessed Alexis' page matched the network router attached to the farm's new security camera.
And the location?
Paris.
Specifically, a hotel near the Bourbon Palace—currently under renovation.
"Roger Hansen worked for the kidnappers. Why torture him? Why specifically summon you?" Castle continued, voice rising.
Jack finally snapped.
"Castle, if you ask me one more useless question, I swear to God, I will not take you to Paris!"
Instead of backing off, Castle's eyes lit up. "Wait—you're taking me? But the note said to go alone!"
Jack stopped dead in his tracks, glaring daggers at him.
"You have two choices. Shut up and come with me—or I handcuff you to a desk in the precinct until we get Alexis back."
Castle immediately turned on his heel. "I'll go grab my passport."
"Not necessary," Jack yanked him back. "I have other ways."
Lowering his voice, he added, "Whoever interrogated Roger Hansen is probably on our side. But this stays classified. Once we're in Paris, we'll figure out who it is.
This whole thing is way bigger than we thought."
—
"Jack, kidnappers just called."
JJ intercepted them at the operations center entrance, miming a phone gesture.
The call had come in twenty minutes ago—to Sara's parents.
Jack only caught the recording, but even after maxing out his Arabic proficiency in the system, he still struggled to understand.
Modern Standard Arabic and Classical Arabic were easy enough. But spoken Arabic? There were at least six major dialect groups.
This caller spoke Egyptian Arabic—Cairo dialect.
The demand?
€15 million ransom.
Drop-off point: an unknown dock on the Seine. Three hours.
Inside the conference room, Sara's parents were furious, arguing with Jubal over the ransom.
Jubal wanted to delay the exchange, buying time for the U.S. embassy to coordinate with French law enforcement.
Sara's father refused.
"Absolutely not! They made it clear—if police are there, my daughter dies! We will pay the €15 million as instructed!"
"Yes! And they sent proof of life—photos of the girls. We know they're alive!" Kim's stepfather, Stuart, agreed.
Castle had just walked in when he heard the ransom amount—and nearly choked.
"Fifteen million euros?!"
Compared to the two billionaire fathers in the room, Castle suddenly felt very middle-class.
He was successful, sure—but not that successful.
The man had earned millions in book royalties, but he'd also burned through it.
Young, newly rich, and reckless, he had spent without thinking. Two divorces hadn't helped. If he hadn't met Beckett—his muse—he might've been bankrupt by now.
Fifteen million euros?
Hell, even five million would wreck him.
But the number itself didn't matter—Castle only had one question.
"Did they—did they mention Alexis?" His voice was tight, fearful.
He wasn't worried about paying the ransom—he just needed to know if Alexis was included in the deal.
"Don't worry," Sara's mother reassured him tearfully. "My husband insisted. They agreed to release all three girls together."
Castle sagged in relief, then turned to Sara's father.
"I—I don't know how to thank you. Consider me in your debt. If Alexis comes home safe, I'll—I'll sell every book copyright I own—"
"No," Sara's father cut him off. "You owe me nothing. This is my fault. Our daughters were taken because of me."
He shot an apologetic glance at the other fathers.
Jack, meanwhile, pulled Jubal aside before he could keep arguing.
"If we don't involve the French police, then who's handling the ransom drop?"
"My wife's sister lives in Paris. Her husband will deliver the money," Sara's father replied, already heading for the door.
"Sorry, but I need to make a lot of calls to arrange that kind of cash."
"Thank you."
"Thank you, Mr. Elmasri," the three fathers murmured.
Sara's father sighed, turning back for a final word.
"Let's just hope they keep their word."
—
"Of course they won't keep their word," Jack stated bluntly.
Now that the room was clear of outsiders, he turned to Jubal.
"I didn't stop you from arguing because I believe the ransom will work. I did it to buy time."
______
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