48. United

As Jack has had in mind, he called the mercenaries' team leader, Blake Gordon.
"Blake, it's me, Jack."
"Hey, did you know what happened?" Blake asked.
No one other than Charles and Jack knew about their blood relations, so other thought Jack was only one of them, but he is in the IT area.
"Can I have a word with you, alone?" Jack asked with a firm tone. Blake would understand his message Jack was pretty sure of it.
"I have been thinking about doing the same thing," Blake replied.
Blake wanted to ask Jack to help locate their families being held by Charles as his threat for his team to execute this last mission. But He could not make a decent move with Charles keenly watching them. Jack is the closest to Boss B, and with how things have turned, Blake feels like Jack is with Boss B in all these. "Where would you like to meet?" Blake eagerly asked. Having Jack and Boss B on their side, even if it is against Charles, shut or not, they have the best chances of winning, saving their loved ones, and rejecting Charles' orders to grab Lucien Michaelson, who seems to be under Boss B's protection.
"I'm downstairs. Let's talk inside my car." Jack answered.
"I'll be there in a minute."
Blake went to check the doctor, who was still doing his best to carefully take the bullet out of Charles' chest. There were limited medical instruments to be used as it wasn't a hospital facility. Almost everything was improvised. The hands to assist the doctor were also limited as he only had two nurses with him. He had to ask some of the mercenaries to help them. And the men complied. They still need Charles alive because they do not know where this greedy man is keeping their families.
Blake whispered at one of his men.
"Call me if anything happens. I will be out for a smoke," he ordered.
The guy nodded furiously. They knew their leader was eager to solve their problem more than anyone because Charles had Blake's pregnant girlfriend. And he just knew when the girl called her the day before she was kidnapped. Blake might use this chance while Charles was incapable of holding them in their necks to do something to resolve their situations.
"Go ahead, Blake," Andrew tapped on his shoulder.
Blake left as soon as he made sure one of his men knew he was going somewhere. He saw Jack's car right in front of their entrance door, so Blake quickly got in, and Jack drove off.
"How is he?" Asked Jack as soon as Blake got seated.
"Who? That greedy old devil?" Blake sneered.
Jack snorted as he nodded his answer.
"I really hope he dies, but we might still need him to find our families, so he needs to stay alive," Blake scorned as he replied.
"Well, that is the very reason I came to find you," Jack did not want to beat around the bush. These men don't fancy such lousy moves either, so he laid his purpose directly.
"What are we discussing here? Please elaborate," Blake was excited, but he did not want to commit any mistakes. There are so many lives at stake here.
"I will help you locate your family, but you have to help me in return," Jack suggested. He turned his hazard lights on and stopped on the roadside. He wanted to give all his attention to Blake as they talked.
"What do we have to do?" Blake asked very seriously.
"Nothing, actually. Just do nothing," Jack sighed. "Somethings are not right," he looked upfront without a thought.
"So many things are strange, if I may add," Blake chimed in. Like Jack, he looked forward. They were trying to analyze what the hell was going on around them.
"Did you see what happened earlier?"
"Yeah, I did. And sorry I couldn't warn you about B coming over through the back door," Jack apologized.
"It's okay. She did not kill us, anyway. But damn, she shot the Charles Anderson, only an inch from his heart!" Blake exclaimed. "I don't know her face, but she didn't seem like she was the person Charles was referring to, based on her reactions," the team leader was so puzzled at the woman's nonchalance about Charles' orders.
"That is another thing. She is behaving so differently. It's like she changed overnight, but I am sure it is her. Her moves, techniques, and personality are all the same, but she doesn't seem to recognize me. It's like she is suffering from a memory loss, but that's crazy!" Jack felt so distressed with everything looking so blurry and without resolve in front of him.
"That can also be possible, she was in the car accident with the target when we first took our move," Blake mindlessly answered. "I know because she looked the same, her face had never changed ever since we made a target mark on the young Michaelson," he added.
"I saw the footage of what happened in that area, I didn't see any scene or sign of her being injured," Jack argued.
"We can't be sure about that, she rescued the target she was supposed to do it," Blake answered with a frown. "It looked like she knew the old fox's plan as we didn't know we have to take the target alive but she did," he snorted. "But everything is so messed up, they don't add up nor connect from one endpoint to the other."
Both men sighed.
"I really need to get in touch with her, but I don't know how to approach her if she doesn't even remember who I am," Jack groaned in frustration. Just like Blake said, everything is so messed up! He could not tell Blake about Brianna's family history as no one else knew about it other than Jack and Charles.
"Why not try to connect with Lucien Michaelson, give some viable information in exchange for information, I suppose you can do it without revealing your identity, right?" Blake was blowing his jab aimlessly by giving such an opinion but they were all desperate, they also need to make use of the time while Charles Anderson is still down.
"Like tell him who is behind all these attacks against him?" Jack asked with uncertainty.
"Something like that. But make sure to add the information that the team being sent to do the job is only doing the order to save their family. You have to make that clear so even if they find out anything about our identity, we won't be in much trouble if they would consider our stand in all of these." Blake intently stated his clear opinion about the matter.
"Okay, let me know the progress with the old fox's conditions so we know how much time we have to settle things," Jack started driving again.
I will start to find your family and I will let you know right away so you can get them out of wherever Charles is hiding them but..." Jack paused. He gave Blake a meaningful gaze when they stopped at a red light.
"Say whatever you have in your mind, we are with you in this," Blake replied with equal firmness. They are men with honorable words of their own along with their comrades, and this is beyond duty, this is almost a family matter. They, sticking together to protect their friends and loved ones are in unity with the same goal, that is freedom from Charles Anderson's devious holds on their necks.
"But, I hope I can count on you if ever I come to need your help rescuing Big B one day," Jack looked straight on the road again as the light turned green.
"Anytime. Anywhere. Boss B had always helped us. I am personally looking forward to returning the many favors I have received from her, let me know, alone or not, I will come," Blake answered with a slight hint of emotion. Brianna had saved his life not just once and he has never had the chance to do the same because she always got it covered.