A GOOD MAN ✔

SEVENTEEN

             "Jonathan you can't ignore me forever. Jon.... "

"Just drop it Penny." he cut her short "This is not the time nor the place to discuss this. We need to find a way out of this damn country"

"You're right. We also need to work together and we can't do that if you're mad at me. I already said I'm sorry"

"Sorry?"

"What else do you want me to do? Admit that you were right and I was wrong?"

"Will that undo everything?"

"No. But.... "

"But nothing Penny" Jonathan growled. The more she kept saying sorry, the more his anger spiked. "That was years and years of undercover work, flushed down the drain all because you wouldn't let me handle the situation. How many times did I offer you my help? How many times did I tell you to leave that house before Wes discovered why you were there?"

"I already said I'm sorry."

"Yeah well sorry isn't going to fix anything so please let's just find a way out of this country" he didn't want to be mad at her but dammit she'd blown his cover. He had to incapacitate Wes so he wouldn't shoot her. If he thought for one second that there was another way out of that house alive, he'd have taken it. But Wes didn't play around. He would have shot Penny on the spot or handed her to his men who would have done unspeakable things to her before they finished her off. Just the thought of it made his blood run cold. He couldn't have more blood on his hands. Not after Lilith.

Jonathan sat down on the bed running his hands through his hair. This is why he shied away from forming emotional ties with anyone. Things got complicated and messy in just the blink of an eye. All those years he'd spent being Jonathan Blackwell and this is the reason his cover was blown? He had a few ideas on how his partner would have found and he'd prepared for them. Not this. There was no way he could go back to being who he was. If he was lucky, Jonathan Blackwell will just be a name Wes would add to his list of enemies. If not, he'll have to go back to being Justin. And that was a scary thought because he didn't know if he even remembered how to be Justin. He'd spent so many years as Jonathan. That is all he knew how to be.

"I know someone who can smuggle us out..."

"Too risky. That'll be first place he checks"

"Then I'll...."

"Just shut up and let me think" he snapped and regretted it when he saw her flinch. Needing to get rid of his frustrations he got up and left. If he stayed in that room with her while he was still so mad, he'd do something stupid. "Stay here. I'll be back" he told her then left.

It was already dark outside which worked for him since he didn't want to draw attention to himself. They hadn't taken any of their things because that would have looked suspicious so all he had on was the dress shirt and pants he'd worn to dinner. There was a little chill in the air but that didn't bother him. He'd been in worse situations. What he couldn't shake off was the feeling of being a failure. He'd let emotions dictate his actions and now he'd lost his life's work. This case was supposed to define his career. Be his legacy. Dismantling the Bianchi organization would have made him earn respect from other agents for years to come. That's why he'd taken it, knowing how dangerous it was. He knew it would take a lot of time and by the time he was done with it, he would be ready to take his position at the agency.

The CIA had recruited him when he was twelve years old. He'd gotten on their radar after setting a trap for Oscar that brought down his organization. Back then he was the crime lord. Jonathan had recorded his shady dealings and him committing another murder and made copies then sent them to police and news stations all over the country. Since back then the internet hadn't been invented, that was all he could do. He'd even sent a copy to CNN over and over again until they aired it. After that a man had approached him and asked him if he was interested in becoming an agent.