Melinda

Chapter 4

Jasper Shepard looked at the boy sleeping in the corner of the room.

He had cried himself silently to sleep. Jasper couldn't believe that wimp was his grandson. But he knew he was from the information he had received when Banks had told him that not only was his daughter alive, but she was hunting him.

Years ago, Jasper had made the choice to fake his own death and go into business with Rene Benoit; he had kept his secret admirably, and they had had a lucrative deal running, until his brat of a daughter had worked her way up the ranks at NCIS to become director and threaten all he had worked for. Then worse he had found out the undercover operation she had pulled on his partner.

Rene had called frantic, "Jasper, we have been discovered…My daughter is dating a Federal Agent, your daughter assigned him, someone tried to kill them both…Jasper, my Jeanne, my baby…she nearly died!" he had said still in shock, "She has just been back here, she fell in love with him…He is a rat and I want him dead, he has gone and married your daughter. Send her a message, you need to stop this." He had ordered.

Jasper had that night gone to his house in Georgetown; he had moved some things in his office that he knew she would notice. If she thought he was haunting her, maybe he could send out information to make them think she had lost her mind. He made a few calls.

Months later he had heard his problem had been taken care of. She had died in a shoot out in a diner near Los Angeles.

He had begun to relax.

Then more information had come to him, she had been seen in Russia, after she had supposedly died, then she was in Italy, where she was supposed to have given birth to a son. Then she didn't have a son? He had thought he was beginning to go mad.

For years he would have months where he thought he saw her, or a woman who looked slightly like her, then nothing.

Finally in Switzerland she was seen by his contact. Jason Banks had known Jenny when she was the NCIS director, he was ex-CIA and had turned rogue he had been left disaffected by his time in the CIA and he felt that all parties in a conflict should be armed and if he could make some money whilst doing it….why not?

A month ago Jason Banks and Jasper Shepard had their first meeting in Switzerland. Passing by a small café Banks had been surprised to see Trent Kort sitting drinking coffee with a woman with dark hair, however her eyes were very striking and he had nearly had his driver stop the car, just so he could see. But in his mind there was no doubt; that was Jenny Shepard.

Having discussed the problem with Jasper, they decided to call an old contact of Banks' in the CIA. Parsons had quickly confirmed all the information that Banks suspected. After some digging Parsons had found the boy and everything Banks needed to take Jenny out of the equation.

Working together, Parsons and Banks had killed Noemi and had stolen the boy who had watched the people he thought of as his parents shot to death in front of him. They had taken him to the small no star motel that Jasper had rented a room in and left him there.

The first time they had met Jasper had looked at the boy.

"Do you know who I am?" he asked his deep gravelly voice booming throughout the room.

Jasper looked as the boy shook but said nothing.

The boy looked fearfully at the door, "You are not going anywhere, I am going to get your parents to come save you…and then I will kill them and you will come with me."

"The men killed mama and papa." Max said softly.

"They weren't your parents, your parents are my daughter and a stupid Italian," Jasper said, "I am your grandfather, you will call me Sir or General."