Chapter 168: Leaving Town
Ron drained his cocoa in one gulp, and just then his phone rang with an unfamiliar British number.
"Merry Christmas, Ron, this is Mycroft Holmes." A rational and composed voice came from the other end. It was the first time Ron had heard this voice: "Although we haven't met yet, I believe you must have heard some rather colorful commentary about me from my brother, correct?"
"Yeah, but I don't think you want to hear those exact words he used to describe you. Oh, and Merry Christmas." Ron stood up. This call genuinely surprised him.
"Besides, I don't think I'm important enough for a senior British official to call and wish me Christmas greetings. Are you sure you dialed the right number? Need me to give you the White House switchboard?"
"No, I'm looking for you specifically, Ron Lee Cooper," Mycroft said firmly: "The finest IRS agent in the United States, correct?"
"That's me." Ron accepted Mycroft's compliment without hesitation, and switched to the tone and accent commonly used by British aristocrats: "Excuse me, sir, I'm not one for beating around the bush, so could you please get straight to the point?"
"I believe you're aware that your friend Agent Hobbs is leading a team to track down our rogue black ops operative Owen Shaw here in the UK, correct?"
"Uh-huh~"
"I would like to invite you to join him in this apprehension operation." Mycroft stated his purpose directly.
"Why? I need to know why. You Brits should have plenty of capable agents, right? Like that tailor shop outfit," Ron asked, puzzled. "And Hobbs is a damn good agent himself, so why come to me?"
"I don't want that clumsy bull in a china shop to wreck half of London and still fail to catch his target." It was clear that Mycroft had a very poor opinion of Hobbs.
"Then I think you've heard about my operational style, sir." Ron chuckled dryly.
Hobbs at least considered local government sensibilities, but Ron didn't give a damn about protocol. Wherever he went, chaos followed.
"Of course I'm aware, but it's preferable to letting them escape. If it weren't for the tailor shop training new recruits, I would never have bothered contacting you."
Mycroft was obviously a skilled negotiator. "Of course, it's not entirely without benefits. I can grant you full operational authorization and provide maximum support for your activities in England. What do you say?"
Mycroft dangled what wasn't exactly an enticing offer. To Ron, it was practically meaningless, but he'd always intended to get involved.
Perhaps using Mycroft's invitation to insert himself into this operation would be the perfect approach?
"I can only say I'll tag along and see what happens, but I can't guarantee results, assuming there's still time,"
Ron said casually. "With Owen's intelligence, there's no way he wouldn't have relocated immediately after pulling that job."
"If there's still time, I'll arrange for the fastest available flight to collect you,"
Mycroft quickly agreed.
Ron shook his head. He didn't believe a word Mycroft had just said. The man definitely had ulterior motives.
With the Holmes brothers' cunning, Ron felt that only Sheldon, with his completely maxed-out intellect stats, could handle them properly.
But that didn't stop him from getting involved.
"Guys, I won't be staying for dinner. Something urgent came up. I need to get to England. See you all later."
Half an hour later, Ron boarded the fastest flight to England from LAX.
...
Late at night, in an abandoned warehouse in a London industrial district.
"Interpol picked up one of Shaw's crew in Moscow," Hobbs said, standing on the elevated platform, pointing to a bald man in the distance who bore a striking resemblance to Toretto.
"I had her interrogated, and she gave up Shaw's location."
Gisele asked, "Then why aren't we moving now?"
Before Hobbs could respond, an unexpected voice suddenly spoke up: "Yeah, that's exactly what I was wondering."
Ron made his way through the police cordon on the street and walked directly up to Hobbs.
"Because I want to draw the snake out of its hole!" Hobbs replied irritably: "Ron! Why you again? Didn't you say you weren't interested in this case?"
"I just don't want to work with a big dumb ox like you," Ron spread his hands: "Actually, I'm now serving as special security consultant for the British government. I have the authority to review everything happening here, so please brief me on the current situation, Agent Hobbs."
The expression on Hobbs's face looked like he'd swallowed a bug: "See that bald guy? That's my bait. He's carrying a communication device. I'll have him confirm whether Shaw's actually inside before we move, so we don't go in guns blazing like you would."
"See those cops outside? They're all positioned by me! Even if he sprouted wings today, he couldn't fly out of here!"
"Ha," Ron scoffed: "So did you remember to reconnoiter the terrain here before setting up your perimeter?"
"Reconnoiter the terrain?" Hobbs looked puzzled: "You think this is some kind of battlefield? I'm not fighting a war here. I'm just trying to arrest a terrorist!"
"Exactly," Ron took the binoculars from Gisele and surveyed the surroundings, a knowing smile crossing his face. "But don't forget, your opponent is a combat veteran fresh from the battlefield."
"So what?" Hobbs was beginning to feel uneasy.
"Listen up, you big dumb ox," Ron tossed the binoculars into Hobbs's arms and pulled Gisele back with him.
"If I were Shaw, I'd have planted remote-detonated charges on the structural support beams of these platforms and blow them as I made my escape.
Trust me, those explosions would keep you busy for quite a while, and by the time you figured out what hit you, I'd be long gone."
Hobbs's face darkened. If that were true, all of tonight's preparations would be shot to hell.
But that wasn't all. Ron continued undermining Hobbs's confidence. "Also, who exactly told you Shaw was hiding here?
Don't you think this intel came way too easily? Like it was deliberately leaked to get your attention? When did you become such a sucker?"
Ron sighed, shaking his head, and pulled Gisele toward a safer area.
This wasn't within the structural support zone; it was a corridor connecting to another building. Ron was confident there were no explosives planted here.
Hobbs's expression was already grim. "Get someone in there immediately to check the structural supports. Don't let a single one of them get away!"
(End of Chapter)
If you enjoyed this chapter, leave a Power Stone or Review!
P@atreon/Soulforger (45+ advanced chapters)
Buy me coffee - ko-fi*com/soulforger01