Chapter 501: Overnight and Good News

This was Jack's second night spent in the desert, but unlike the first, which had been rather serene, this one was much tougher. After roasting a few scorpions and catching a rattlesnake, he fed some of the snake meat to two small wild cats that came out to scavenge in the middle of the night. Finally, the sky began to lighten.

Watching the two sleek, small wild cats—resembling miniature pumas—disappear into the distant bushes, turning back every few steps, Jack stood up and stretched. He threw the snake's head and skin into the fire to burn them.

In his previous life, he would never have imagined competing with a rattlesnake for speed, flicking it in the head over ten times to subdue it. Even if he had the reflexes, he wouldn't have had the courage. But now, with his healing spell, he didn't have to worry. Even if he got bitten, it was just a quick fix. Naturally, his courage grew, though the rattlesnake had died in frustration, stunned for the entire fight.

Isabelle, unaware of all this, rubbed the dry tears from her eyes not long after dawn, yawned, and crawled out of her sleeping bag.

For breakfast, Jack heated two cans of food. After a quick meal, they packed up their belongings, cleaned up their tracks, and continued their journey northeast.

The Chihuahuan Desert in Mexico wasn't as desolate as the Sahara, but walking under the scorching sun for an entire day tested even a grown man's willpower—let alone a young girl like Isabelle.

The route had been pre-planned, and Jack was confident in their progress. He wasn't too conservative with their water, but by the end of the day, Isabelle was limping, clearly reaching her limit.

Jack had somewhat expected this. It wasn't just a test for her but a form of training. He figured this experience would stay with her for a long time. Some things, after being earned through personal effort, become more cherished. The same applied to others—after a long, grueling journey, even a simple donut would seem like the best meal ever.

With less than half a day's travel remaining to reach the small border town of Reynosa, Jack decided to rest early. Today, luck was on their side, as they found an abandoned wooden cabin.

It seemed to be a small farm, left behind by a bankrupt farmer. The dried-up fields stood desolate, with a few withered cornstalks. The garden out back had little greenery left, but Jack still managed to find a few decent-looking onions and carrots.

"Is crossing the border really hard?" Isabelle asked, tears streaming down her face as she nibbled on an onion. It wasn't that it tasted bad; the onion's sharpness had made her cry. Her dirty face now had two tear tracks, making her look both pitiful and a bit funny.

"It's not difficult at all. It'll be much easier than what we've gone through these past two days."

Jack checked around the cabin. The bed seemed sturdy enough, and the windows were intact, so they could at least get a comfortable night's rest.

After another round of scavenging, Jack found a few basins and pots. He drew some water from the well in the backyard. The well didn't have much water left, but it was clean enough for washing up.

Seeing Jack busy, Isabelle couldn't just sit still. She set down the onion and, understanding that he planned to heat water, went outside to gather wood. She threw it into an old metal drum to start a fire.

Jack felt reassured. For a young girl who had grown up in luxury, Isabelle had proven surprisingly capable. It was only two days, but the changes in her were remarkable.

The only issue was her picky eating habits. She would rather cry while eating raw onions than take a bite of a carrot.

Once the water was heated and brought inside, Jack rummaged through his bag and handed Isabelle a towel he had thought would be unnecessary. He left her to clean herself up, shutting the door behind him before stepping outside to turn on his phone.

The signal was weak, but usable. Jack first dialed the number Alessandro had given him. After letting it ring once, he hung up, then started messaging Justin.

He asked her to relay a message to let everyone know they were safe, then detailed the events that had unfolded, requesting she pass it on to Rossi through a secure channel.

Not long after, Alessandro called back.

As expected, the CIA was furious after learning that Matt was dead, Michael was critically injured, an FBI agent was missing, and the operation had resulted in casualties among the Mexican police. 

Everyone involved in the mission, including Alessandro, who had acted as a "special consultant," had been immediately placed under house arrest upon returning to the Corpus Christi Air Force Base and subjected to intense questioning. 

If it weren't for Jane Banner, who had quickly notified the FBI and DHS, who knows what the CIA would have done.

Fortunately, despite this being nominally a joint task force, with only the CIA and FBI actively participating, other agencies were also officially involved and had the right to know what happened.

Once other departments got involved—some out of curiosity, others eager to see the CIA embarrassed—the situation started to turn around.

Alessandro wasn't clear on all the details, as he had just been released that morning. After being silenced with a non-disclosure order, the CIA had shipped him off to a beach resort in Colombia.

Knowing Alessandro was safe brought Jack a sense of relief. If the CIA hadn't gone after a disposable "consultant" like him, then things hadn't escalated to the worst-case scenario. It seemed Jack's contingency plans wouldn't be necessary after all.

Sure enough, just as Jack lit a celebratory cigar, his phone rang again. This time, it was Rossi, who had received Justin's message and contacted him directly.

Rossi had much more detailed information. The BAU team had returned to Dallas and resumed investigating the supermarket bombing.

The focus of the investigation had shifted completely. According to the BAU, the four suicide bombers were all U.S. citizens with no foreign ties. The authorities had refocused their attention on domestic threats, leaving the CIA sidelined while the FBI took the lead.

Rossi couldn't say much over the phone but assured Jack everything was fine. Isabelle's identity wouldn't be an issue either, as the Federal Witness Protection Program would give her a new life.

Jack asked Rossi to pass on a message to Emily, letting her know that her nightmare was over. Ian Doyle had become part of the Mexican soil, but unfortunately, Jack couldn't fulfill his promise to return Emily's necklace—it was still wrapped around his wrist.

Hearing this, Rossi burst into laughter and ended the call on a cheerful note.

Jack finally felt the weight lift from his shoulders. After making one final call to a Texas Ranger to finalize the details of their "border crossing" the following night, Jack finished his cigar and headed back inside.

Entering the cabin, he found Isabelle sitting on the bed with teary eyes, her bare feet showing signs of distress. Sure enough, she had a large blister on her foot that had likely terrified her.

Prepared for this, Jack took out a first-aid kit, used a needle to puncture the blister, drained the fluid, applied some Yunnan Baiyao powder, and wrapped her foot in elastic bandages like a makeshift cast. Isabelle curled her toes in relief, her tears finally drying up.

Now that she was clean and bandaged, Isabelle began to regain some of her former vitality, her big eyes once again darting around mischievously—at least until she saw Jack slicing carrots and tossing them into a pot with several cans to make a stew.

The two sat down to a meal, grimacing through each bite. Despite their hunger, it was undeniably bad. After they finished, they burst into laughter, both acknowledging the dinner as a disaster worthy of being enshrined in Jack's culinary failures.

As night fell, Jack grabbed a shovel and headed to the backyard. There, he dug a pit and buried the assault rifle, its magazines, and any other unnecessary equipment.

Tomorrow, they'd need to travel light. Jack kept two handguns for defense, which would be more than enough for most situations.

[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! Only $5 per novel or $15 for all!!] [www.p@treon.com/Mutter]

[+50 Power Stones = +1 Extra Chapter]

[+5 Reviews = +1 Extra Chapter]