Chapter 486: Vacation and Surprises

Braxton's idea of "average" gains depended on comparison. Sure, the money they had scored wasn't a fraction of what Chris had stashed in his trailer of collectibles. And after Jack insisted that the three of them split everything equally, each person ended up with just over $3 million.

Once Chris laundered the money through his channels and they paid their inevitable tribute to the IRS (taxes), Jack would probably be left with less than $3 million.

On top of that, Chris had to come up with a legitimate reason for the sudden influx of cash into Jack's account. Otherwise, Jack might someday find the FBI's Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) knocking on his door.

As for the jewelry, Jack suggested they dismantle the stones and have new pieces made. After all, Jack had plenty of women in his life to gift them to, and the Wolf brothers were no longer single either. Everyone could make good use of it.

Braxton, with his connections in Austria, volunteered to handle the jewelry.

After this mission, Matt temporarily disbanded the team, giving everyone a two-week vacation. Jack couldn't return to the BAU just yet, so he had no choice but to relax and enjoy his break.

Their next target was tentatively set as the Matamoros Cartel and the Reyes Group, but no concrete plan had been made. The CIA needed time to gather and sort out intelligence before crafting a strategy.

Chris gave Jack another pleasant surprise by quietly purchasing a neighboring farm that had been up for sale, registering it under Hannah's name. A year or two from now, or after they got married, the farm would officially be passed on to Jack. As the saying goes, "Misfortune and fortune are intertwined," and despite his home being blown up, Jack unexpectedly found himself the owner of a small piece of land in America.

Though the farm was tiny—only about 10 acres, or roughly 0.04 square kilometers—Jack was satisfied. He had no intention of making money from it.

Thousands of years of civilization had embedded a deep connection to the land in every Celtian's heart. Jack found a sense of peace imagining himself in old age, lounging under the porch, watching his grandchildren run around and play on the farm.

Of course, the prerequisite was managing his complicated love life. The mere thought of the tense looks Hannah and JJ exchanged whenever they crossed paths was enough to give Jack a headache.

Fortunately, Jane Banner was a career-driven woman. While she wasn't purely after his body, she also had no interest in competing for a spot in his life. From the moment she first met JJ, any such ambitions had vanished.

This seemed more like the typical dating mindset of American women. Hannah and JJ were both "non-mainstream" in this regard. That had to be it.

Over the next few days, Jack diligently applied the British Empire's old "balance of power" strategy. One day, he'd cook for Hannah and practice some combat moves with her. The next, he'd go on a shopping spree with JJ, and they'd cozy up on the couch to watch TV at night.

He even made time to chat about politics with Zoe and discuss academic matters with Maureen. It was a surprisingly harmonious time.

After a week of this, Jack found himself lying in JJ's bed one morning, daydreaming about how to design his future house on the farm. His phone suddenly rang—it was Hannah calling.

"Stella just called me. She said her dad's been hurt."

Jack's mind spun for a moment before he remembered that Stella was the daughter of Texas Ranger Cordell Walker. "What happened to Walker? How did he get hurt?"

Back when Jack was planning the mission to Mexico, he'd worried that something might go wrong and he'd end up stranded in unfamiliar territory. To prepare, he had Hannah contact Walker, who was familiar with the border.

Walker had mapped out several routes for Jack in case he needed to return to the U.S. by unconventional means. He had even volunteered to join the Texas Rangers' reconnaissance unit temporarily, just to be available to help.

Walker had never forgotten the help Jack and Hannah gave when his family was in danger at the border (Chapter 155), and he was eager to return the favor.

That's why Jack had run into Walker in El Paso earlier—it was no coincidence.

"I'm not sure of the details," Hannah said, her voice tinged with worry. "I just know there was an explosion while he was tracking some smugglers at the border. Two CBP (Customs and Border Protection) officers were killed, and Walker's been taken to a hospital in Dallas."

Jack understood why Hannah had called him. She had been swamped with a big case lately. When he had seen her a couple of days ago, it had been a rare moment for her to squeeze in some time with him. Clearly, she couldn't drop everything to rush to Texas right now.

"Don't worry, I'll fly to Dallas right away. I'll take care of everything."

Jack immediately got up and started packing. He completely understood Hannah's feelings. Besides the Anderson family in Los Angeles, the Walker family in Texas was just as much like family to her.

Moreover, Jack couldn't shake the feeling that Walker's injury was partly his fault. If it weren't for his request, Walker wouldn't have volunteered to join the Rangers' reconnaissance team.

After hurriedly saying goodbye to JJ, Jack bought the next available flight. By that afternoon, he was at the Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas, meeting with the Walker family.

The hospital was a renowned biomedical research center and one of the best in Texas.

Fortunately, Walker had been farther from the blast than the two CBP officers who were killed. The shockwave hadn't hit him directly.

However, a piece of debris had struck him in the head, leaving a large gash and causing a concussion.

At the hospital, Jack met Walker's former partner, now his superior, Captain Larry James of the Austin Rangers Office. After Jack flashed his FBI badge, the bald-headed captain briefed him on the incident.

Early yesterday morning, Walker had been assisting a team of CBP officers near Laredo in tracking a group of smugglers. It wasn't a particularly dangerous operation.

With a helicopter equipped with infrared tracking the suspects from the air, and federal officers working with state police on the ground to close in, the smugglers typically didn't put up much of a fight.

Even under the current president's so-called strict "immigration policies," very few people were actually deported. Most smugglers saw crossing the border as a victory in itself.

At worst, they'd spend a few years waiting out the president's term, betting that immigration policies would soften under the next administration.

However, things took a dangerous turn during this operation. A bearded man hiding among the smugglers had made a break for it. Cornered near a cliff, he knelt down in prayer before detonating the explosives he had on him.

The man was blown to bits, and Walker and the other officers were thrown to the ground by the blast. Two CBP officers were killed instantly.

"The man's identity is still under investigation. The local FBI office has taken over the case," Captain James explained, his expression one of clear frustration. He believed that since the case involved a state ranger, it should be under Texas Rangers jurisdiction.

But there was no fighting the hierarchy, and with two federal officers dead, he had no choice but to follow orders and hand the case over to the FBI.

Knowing Walker was out of immediate danger, Jack finally relaxed. Since Walker was still in the ICU, Jack couldn't visit him yet and had to leave for now.

As long as Walker wasn't in life-threatening condition and hadn't lost any limbs, everything would be fine. There'd be plenty of time to meet once he was out of the ICU.

Jack planned to visit the Dallas FBI office tomorrow to see if the case had any connection to his current investigation.

He had left in such a hurry that, aside from his Glock sidearm, he hadn't even brought toiletries. After saying goodbye to the Walkers, Jack drove off in his rented Camry, intending to find a big-box store to buy an electric toothbrush. He had gotten used to using one and didn't want to go back to regular brushes.

He drove to a nearby Kroger supermarket, which he found through a map search. Kroger was the second-largest supermarket chain in the U.S., and there was a Four Seasons Hotel nearby where he planned to stay.

After buying the toothbrush, Jack picked up two pounds of American pecans for snacking. If these were shipped back to Celtia, they'd be renamed "bican nuts." They were his second favorite nut, just behind Queensland nuts—better known in Celtia as macadamia nuts.

As Jack left the supermarket and walked toward the parking lot, he checked his phone for the time, estimating that Hannah was probably home by now. He was about to call her when he noticed four bearded men walking past him and into the store.

Something felt off. Jack instinctively glanced back, seeing that the men had a grim, determined look—like they were about to rob the place.

What the hell? This was a major chain store, not some corner shop. Even if they wanted to steal something, there was no reason to look like they were about to risk their lives.

Wait... risk their lives?

A sudden sense of danger hit Jack like a bolt of lightning. He spun around just as an explosion rocked the store, shattering the glass doors with a deafening roar and sending screams echoing through the air.

Jack instinctively crouched down, using his jacket to shield himself from the flying glass. Just as he was about to get up, another explosion went off, followed by a third.

The screaming was drowned out by the relentless blasts. Smoke detectors

 picked up the haze, triggering the fire alarms. Panicked customers, too shocked to scream, scrambled for safety, hiding in corners or lying flat on the ground, frozen with fear.

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