"My name is Michael Westen." "I used to be a spy until" " We got a burn notice on you." "You're blacklisted." "When you're burned,you've got nothing- no cash, no credit, no job history." " You're stuck in whatever city they decide to dump you in." " Where am I?" "Miami." "You do whatever work comes your way." "You rely on anyone who's still talking to you  a trigger-happy ex-girlfriend" " Should we shoot them?" "an old friend who's informing on you to the F.B.I." "You know spies." "Bunch of bitchy little girls." " Family too" " Hey, is that your mom again?" " if you're desperate." " Someone needs your help, Michael." "Bottom line:" "Until you figure out who burned you... you're not going anywhere." "Whoa!" "Mike, easy." " That'll kill you, you know." " Yeah, no kiddin'." "No, the bucket of trans fat you got there." "Did Veronica call you?" "'Cause if you're taking her side on this whole cholesterol thing... it's gonna put a serious strain on our friendship." " No, you can binge in peace, Sam." " Yeah, well, thanks." "But that's not the only reason why I'm here, you know." "I got a job offer." "Uh, here we go." "Pete- one of my buddies from the SEAL teams- he's got a lady who's got some problems." "She called him 'cause he's in Special Forces." "But he's got this blood pressure thing... so he called me." " What do you say?" " My plate's a little full, Sam." "What, you mean with this whole Philip Cowan thing?" "Mike, you're doing armed sit-ups." "I'm worried about you." " I thought this might get your mind off it." " Cowan burned me." "Cowan sent someone to kill me." "Now he dropped off grid." " I need my mind focused on this." " All right." "Fair enough." " You mind if I run with this?" "The money's not bad." " No." "Knock yourself out." "All right." "What's that?" " Well, it looks like your buddy Cowan finally made contact." "You want me to come with, back you up?" " Sure." "Bring your bucket of fat." " I'll bring my chicken too." "Oh, yeah." " Yeah, Sam." " Well, it's the witching hour." " Looks like your buddy didn't show." " He wouldn't just not show up." " He's watching." " You think?" "Where do you think he would be?" "I know where I'd be." " What do you think he wants, Mike?" " Think he wants to meet." " So why not just meet?" " He doesn't trust me." "Fair enough." "I don't trust him." "The first step in dealing with a covert op... is establishing a way to communicate privately, a code." "Could be a key-encrypted cipher." "But, really... all you need is a base ofknowledge that you share." "He knows my entire career- falsified a good bit of it." "It shouldn't be too difficult for him to figure out a way to talk to me." "Ah, the mating dance of the spy." "It's a wonder spies ever get close enough to kill each other, isn't it?" " Oh, gotta go." " Veronica has you on a pretty tight leash, huh?" "Hardy-har." "I'm meeting with a prospective client." "Mike, buddy, you call me if you need anything." "Fiona,just keep doin' whatever it is you do." "Thanks for meeting me." "I" " I thought there were two of you." "Uh, yeah, usually, but my partner's on somethin' else right now." "But it's fine." "So, um, Pete says you're having some trouble?" "Uh, I'm a supervisor at S.X.G." "We build planes, satellites, weapons systems." "Government contracts." "Been working there 10 years." "It's a good job." " Are you okay?" " I" "Look, it's okay." "I'm like a doctor or a lawyer." "Well, not a lawyer." "But the point is... you can tell me whatever you want, just between the two of us." "My friend Melissa-we work together." "She was having an affair." "Her husband, Kent, is abusive, controlling." "The only time she has alone is at the office." "But to sign in guests, you have to have security clearance, so" "So you did her a favor." "Her boyfriend stole files... took photos of them together in the building." "I'm the one who signed him in." "I could lose my clearance, my job, go to jail even." " He's blackmailing us." " What does this guy want from you?" "I have to sign for packages, and Melissa smuggles them out." "Any idea what's in these packages?" "They're from a subsidiary of S.X.G. in Turkey." "I checked one." "It's" " It's drugs." " I don't know what kind." " Well, that part of the world, it's probably heroin." "There's another one coming in this week." " I just want to get out." " I'll see what I can do." "I" " I" " I don't want help." "I" " I want to keep my secret." "I have to." "I don't want to get anybody in trouble." "I'm not here to judge." "I've made plenty of mistakes myself, God only knows." "Listen." "I was lonely." "And Dave was- I made a mistake." "I just" " I want to put it behind me." "Okay." "Dave" "Uh, Gillian was saying that you met this Dave at a bar." "Which one?" "I don't know." "I" " I don't" " I don't remember." "My husband's home." "Come on, please." "You have to go." "Okay." "You know how to get ahold of me." "Don't worry about it." "We'll just fill in the blanks ourselves, I guess." "Now, listen, when was the first time Melissa ever talked about her new friend Dave?" "Mom?" "I got here as fast as I could." "What's the problem?" "I got a phone call, Michael." "I was scared." " Phone call?" "What kind of phone call?" " It was for you." "Some man." "He wouldn't leave his name or his number- nothing." "All he said was, "Van Buren Avenue," and then he hangs up." " What's that supposed to mean?" " Oh, it was probably just a friend." "That isn't how friends behave, Michael." "All right?" "The way he said it scared me." "Ow!" "Michael!" "Ma?" "I lost my key." "Worried it was your friend?" "Hey, Bro." "You look tired." "Hey, Nate." "You look clean." "You shaved the ferret off your face." "So what couldn't wait, Ma?" "I had to walk out on a really big investor." "What do you mean by investor?" "Yeah, a buddy of mine, he's got a process that recycles titanium golf clubs." "It's gonna totally revolutionize the golf club" " Forget it." " Mom, why did you call Nate?" "I called your brother too because I was scared." "What's goin' on here?" "A strange man phoned here." "Michael won't tell me anything about him because it's all a big mystery." "It's just better if I don't get into it." "Trust me." "I know what I'm doing." "There's nothing to worry about." "This man who called-he just wants to talk." "But you can't talk to us?" "You know, in 20 years, Michael, I have never asked any questions." "But this is my home." "It's not like it's some war off in some country that I've never even heard of." "This-This is your family." "Oh, I know." "Okay." "You can tell me." "Seriously, what's goin' on here?" "Nate, I need you to watch Mom." "It's just a precaution." "I need you to lay low for a while." "Keep a low profile." "Don't leave the house." "You can do that, right?" " Yeah." " Safety's off." "Course, I-you know, I will be taking time off work... and I'll need to get some, you know, supplies... in case things get dicey around here." "Recycled titanium, huh?" "What is that, a name of a horse?" "Well, Fiona." "Hey, how you doin'?" "Thanks for comin'." "Wow, you look great." "Sit down." " So, to what do I owe the pleasure of this invitation?" " Am I to be your new drinking buddy?" " Ah" " Yeah." "Uh, it's this job that I'm on- I need some backup." "And Mike's mind is pretty much on this whole Cowan business." "So I thought" "Of me." "I thought of you." "Yes, that's what I thought." "What's the job?" "Well, it's a blackmail thing." "And one of the victims got spooked, so she's not saying where she met the bad guy." "But I think I got enough to put it together." "She met him out at a bar, and I have an approximate date." " That's not much to go on." " I got a guy who's pulling her credit card statement." "Find the charge, find the bar, find the guy." " And you need a wingman." " Damn straight, skippy." "My fee is 500 up front, expenses, and an hourly as we go." " You never charge Mike." " Oh, I expect other things from Michael." " Yeah, Fi." " Sam just hired me for a job." "I thought he was gonna be ill." "It was so much fun, Michael." "I wish you could have been there." "Cowan sent me a message." "I'm searching the cafés of South Beach for a cutout." "Don't you think he'll come himself?" "He seems eager to meet you." "I doubt it." "He'll send someone." "I did something similar in Belgrade years ago." "Long story." "Have fun." "There's a reason I never had the patience to be a spy." "All right." "The truly paranoid don't go to meetings themselves." "They use a cutout- someone unrelated to them... hired to show a prearranged sign and deliver a message." "The sign is something innocuous but hard to miss." "My favorite is the tourist guide for Madison, Wisconsin." "No one will look at it twice... but unless I'm in the Midwest..." "I know they're waiting for Michael Westen." " You here for the envelope?" " Who are you?" "Ain't nobody, man." "Look, some guy gives me a hundred bucks." "He says give this to the first guy that comes by and bugs me." "You are buggin' me." "So this is where Melissa met her boyfriend." "Seems a little unlikely." "But she definitely paid for drinks here." "How do you want to handle this?" " Well, I think the balls are in your court." " Oh, great." "The hell am I paying you for anyway?" "Hey, how you doin'?" "Um, I'm looking for a friend of mine." "Just want to see if you can help me out." "Handsome guy right there." "Hey." "How you guys doin'?" "How about those Dolphins, huh?" " So how did we do?" " Well, uh, my new friends have informed me... that the mysterious Dave is actually a hustler named Ray Wagoner." "So he was just stepping up to the exciting world of blackmail and smack dealing." "Yeah." "I guess he's broken a few hearts and lifted a few wallets here." " But I have his address." " You know, Sam, I have to say... you were captivating over there." "Well, hey, a free drink is a free drink, baby." "They liked the shirt." "That's not a very nice way to say hello." "Let's try that again." "I'm Sam." " Now you say, "Hi, I'm Ray. "" " What do you want?" "We want you to find a new way to import your heroin." "I seriously don't know what you're talkin' about." "Gillian Walsh, Melissa Fontenot" " You're gonna leave 'em alone." " Her?" "I never messed with her." "We went on a couple dates." "All she ever wanted to do was take pictures in some building." "Hundred bucks a shot." "She took the pictures?" "Yeah, and her husband paid." "Some guy- flattop." "It was weird." "I didn't ask questions." "Melissa lied to us." " I knew it." " You did not." " I suspected." " Suspected doesn't count." "We gotta talk to Mike." "If she was setting me up, why would she be in the photos?" "Why not just steal the files?" "Well, she's the only one who could get the packages out." "If Melissa wasn't being "blackmailed," you'd know that she was in on it." "Oh, my God." "I" " I can't believe I fell for this." "Don't be so hard on yourself." "Double blackmail's a classic." "It's as old as the pyramids, you know." "You pose as a fellow target of your own blackmail scheme." "That way, you'll always know what the victims are up to." " Pros use it all the time." " So what do we do?" "We gotta get near Kent." "If we can get some evidence linking him to the heroin... we can do our own blackmail, get you off the hook." "You know, start fighting fire with fire." "But Melissa knows I hired you." "We'll have to make her think that the investigation's stalled." "Plus, we're gonna get some more help- a little relief from the bullpen." "Well, do whatever you need to do." "I'll pay more." "I'll dip into my savings." "Don't worry about the money, Gillian." "We gotcha covered." " Hey, Mike." "She running' again?" " More or less." "How's your dance with Cowan goin'?" "I don't know." "It's hard to trust someone under these circumstances." "But I don't have a choice, do I?" "That part of the job, I don't miss it." "You guys set a meet yet?" "I think so." "He sent an article about a job I did in Budapest." "I met a contact there under the steps of city hall." " I assume that's where he wants to meet." " Wow." "Cowan gets the gold star for clever, doesn't he?" " Or he just likes watching me run around in this heat." " Want me to come with you?" "Thanks, but I think he wants a little alone time with me." "Ah." "Yeah, hey." "Uh, listen, Mike." "Um, this new client of mine, Gillian- she's in kind of a tough spot." "I was just giving her a ride home, and, well, uh... there she is, i- in my car right there." " Shameless, Sam." "Even for you." " Look, Mike, I know you're busy." "But I need a fresh face on this." "It's a tiny little bit part." "You'd be posing as a Green Beret." "Like falling off a log." "What's the job?" "Well, it turns out that Melissa's husband, Kent... is running all of the smuggling down at S.X.G." "It's a double blackmail thing." "I gotta tell ya, I saw it comin'." " Really?" " Yeah." "What I need you to do is make friends with Kent." "Okay?" "Just encourage him to expand his business, open his horizons a little bit." "So we threaten to tell his bosses and get him killed unless he lays off." " Exactly." "See?" "You're way ahead of me." " You call that a bit part?" "Well, look, Mike." "Come on." "I'd do it for you." "Fine." "Sweet." "It's black." "It's a Charger." "I haven't seen it before." "Hold on for a minute." " Yeah." "No, I'll call you back." " Nice phone." "What is that, the Razr?" "Want to get off my truck?" " Sure." "I noticed the sticker." "Marines?" " Used to be." " Rod Bucksey, Green Beret." "I got out in '97." " Congratulations." " Get outta my way." "I'm in a hurry." " Sure, Kent." "I just want to talk a little business first." " How'd you know my name?" " I know more than your name, Kent." "I know you got a sweet smuggling racket over at that S.X.G. facility." "Packages leave the building completely unchecked." "Unchecked is something I'm interested in." " You don't know what you're talkin' about." " Sure, I do." "My service buddies over in Istanbul clued me in to what's goin' on." "What's goin' on is none of your damn business." " I don't care who your friends are." " Calm down." " We're just talkin' here." " Oh, no, no, no." "You show up out of the blue." "You know about me and my operation." "We're not just talkin' here." "Sure we are." "And I'm telling you I'm willing to pay top dollar for your hook at S.X.G." "Look, I've been where you are, takin' orders." "Everyone else sits back while you do the heavy lifting'." "I can change all that." "It's like they teach us in combat training- you look for the opportunity, you take your shot." "Listen." "The guys I work for" "Don't ever have to know about it." "We're not steppin' on anybody's toes." "And nobody, besides your bank account... will ever know the difference." " I have to think it over." " You take your time." "You think it over." "You call me when you're ready." "We'll talk terms." "Semper Fi." "Fi, gimme that little tweezer up on the dash, will you?" "That's okay." "I got it." "Thanks." "You about done there?" "He usually goes out for a run between 7:00 and 8:00." "Well, I'm hoping for 7:00." "As much fun as it is hanging out with you... this little stakeout's costing me a fortune." "Can't you at least cut your hourly?" "I bought the snacks." "I'll reimburse you for the snacks." "Oh, yeah." "There we are." "Okay." "Let's make this count." "Oh, hey." "I'm glad I caught you." "What are you doing here?" "If my husband sees you here" "I understand." "I'm sorry." "I know that you wanted to be discreet so I waited for him to leave." "I just thought you'd want the update." " What?" "Did you find something?" " No." "I mean, if you don't give me any leads on Dave, there's not much I can do." " You got anything?" " No, I told you." "I don't know anything." "If you want to bug a cell phone wirelessly... you'll need a lot of specialized scanning equipment... and a computer to deal with the encryption." "I prefer a hands-on approach." "You just bug a duplicate phone and swap out the SI M card... so the new phone has the same number." "Your target will talk all day... certain that no one could possibly be listening." "I bumped into the guy when I was on my way out to the store." "I'm telling you, he's just some half-assed P.I. or something." "He's not helping Gillian anymore." "Good." "I don't need anyone sniffing around." "I got that meeting tomorrow." "Don't you think you should talk to our connection about the Green Beret guy?" "Hell, no." "Hell-Are you crazy?" "Yeah, buddy." "Yeah, you're good to go." "Kent's keeping our little meeting a secret." "I think he's terrified of his supplier." "I don't even think he knows the guy's name." "I'll back you up." "Let's get this chump on tape." "Yeah, about that." "How much are you paying me on this job, because my rates are a little" "Ooh, I gotta go." " Mom, what are you doin'here?" " You gave your brother a gun?" "I'm sorry." "I tried to stop her, but she found it." " What is going on?" " Nate, I told you" " I know what you told me, but you know her." " What are you doing?" "Stop it, both of you!" "Stop it!" "May I have a moment?" "Michael, what is this about?" "It's complicated." "I've had enough of "It's complicated"..." ""It's a secret," "It's for my own safety. "" "Enough." "What do you think I do, Mom?" " You think I'm playing games here?" " No." "No, I don't." "We're your family, Michael." "I'm asking that you trust us." "And when would I have learned how to do that?" "Well, sometimes trust is something that you work on." "You were gone for a long time, Michael." "And you were the one who left us." "I left you?" " Mom, I" " And you still got the car." "Michael." "I have a meeting to get to." "So if we could wrap this up" "Let's go, Nate." "He's got a meeting." " Don't forget your gun." " Mom." "Get yourself some furniture." "I didn't raise you... to live in a warehouse and eat off a bench." "You ready to get rich?" "Let's talk about that." "Before we go any further, we need to go over a few details." "First shipment comes in next week." "Your cut is 10 grand a shipment." " Aw, damn it." " How do you like those details?" "I need to know who told you about me... specifically." " It doesn't really matter who" " It does matter to me, the men I work for." "They'd kill me if they found out I was running product for someone else... found out you heard about me, a loose end." "That's the point." "They don't know." "This is yours." "Not another score you gotta cut them in on." "Not another score you gotta cut them in on." "Having a gun to your head is all about timing... finding the right moment to make your move." " Who told you about me?" " Take it easy." "Take it easy." "Best to snap the trigger finger first." "After that, it's mostly downhill." "Oh, man." "I just fixed that." "A minute after your deal went sour, Kent and Melissa were on the phone." "Son of a bitch had backup." "Someone put three slugs in my engine." "Son of a bitch had backup." "Someone put three slugs in my engine." " How much does he know?" " Too much." "We need to shut this down." "Can't." "Not yet." "There's another package in lockup." "Have her get it out, and I'll clean up this mess." "Can't let them know we got sloppy." "Kent's running scared." "Makes things complicated for us." "Was he talking about me when he said "clean up this mess"?" "Yeah." "That's what our little dance at the construction site was all about." " Mike was their first clean-up project." " I am so sorry." " Kent" " Busted my windshield." "I'll just repair it, again." " He tried to kill you." " Happens all the time." "Don't worry about it, especially with the part-time help on easy jobs." "The problem is, we don't have enough evidence to use against him." "So what do I do now?" "You could run." "Kent might not find you." "But you'd have to stay on the move for five, 10 years." "Plus, he still has all the blackmail material, so he can still take you down." " But if you help Melissa get that package out of S.X.G." " You want me to do it again?" "I know you're afraid." "But I'm gonna be outside the whole time watchin'." "Once Kent has that heroin, we can use it to bring him down." "You need to trust us." "Okay." "Oh, come on." "Aw, crap." "Goddamn cell phone shielding." "Whether you're protecting a client... monitoring electronic surveillance" " Hello?" " Can you get the package today?" "I told you." "Gillian's signing for it." "We can get it tonight." "or meeting the man who burned you... you've got to be patient." "In the real world, covert ops doesn't involve many car chases or gunfights." "Mostly it's just hurry up and wait." "Not too exciting." "But you wait and you watch and you stay alert... because, at any minute, the job can get way too exciting." "I just wanted you to know we're good to go." "We're gettin'it out today." " And the woman?" " I set her car this morning." "It's done." "It's not done until it's done." "Get a visual." "Then tell me it's done." " Can I call you back, Fi?" " We got a problem." " Kent's gonna hit Gillian tonight." " Call Sam." " I can't." "There's no cell reception." " All right." "I'm on my way." "It's always tough to reschedule a covert meeting." "You can't exactly leave a note." "So you have to leave behind... just enough to get them where you want them to go." "Okay." " Working late tonight?" " Yeah." "You know engineers." "Gotta get this crap down to the machine shop, get it fixed." "Have to have it all done by tomorrow." "So my husband's here to take me down to Bal Harbour." " I hear you." "Good luck with it." " Thanks." "Can't we just go home?" "I don't want to watch." "Then don't." " Miss me?" " Oh, yeah." " Kent wired Gillian's car to blow." " Jesus." "Well, that's why he's watchin' then." "The white van, 10:00." "We have to warn her when she comes out." "You think Kent's gonna sit there on the sidelines for that?" "Great, Sam." "So we sit here and we do nothing, and she winds up dead." " That's not what I meant." " Guys." "Guys." "Which one's her car?" "It's the blackJeep over there." "Keep the guard busy." "I'm borrowing your floor mat." " Hey, good evening." "How you doin'?" " Evening." " Listen." "We have a reservation for 8:00 p. m." " A reservation?" " Yeah." "Well, this is the Chart House, right?" " The Chart House?" " Yeah." "It's a restaurant." " No." "What?" "No?" " I told you not to get off the freeway." " Oh, hush, muffin." "This guy's just having some fun with us." "Chuck Finley, party of two." "Oh, hey." "Hey, come on." "A little service here." "I'm trying to eat." "I'm hungry." " This is not the Chart House." " This is not the Chart House?" "There's no reservations here." "I need to clarify something here." "There are two basic ways to blow up a car." "Use the gasoline in the tank, or provide your own explosive." "They're two techniques that use opposite ends of the car... and are disarmed differently." "Some people prefer the gas tank." " Tends to look more like an accident" " Come on!" "but it's less reliable." "Others prefer plastic explosive on the battery, wired to the ignition." "Come on." "Come on." " I thought you said you rigged the car." " I did!" "There must be something wrong with the detonator." " They're gonna be pissed, Kent!" " Don't you think I know that?" " They really tried to kill me?" " I'm afraid so." "With that, under my car?" "Well, yeah." "It's a car bomb." "This may be hard to get your head around, but this is a good thing." "They're scared of you." "That's why they put this little toy next to your engine block." " Scared of me?" " They're afraid of a lot of people- police, the people they work for." "And now they've got a big box ofheroin they have to get rid of." " So what should I do now?" " Take a vacation." "By the time you come back, we'll have your problem sorted out." "New Hampshire's nice." " Vermont." " Okay." "And what'll you do?" "Kent and Melissa are going to have a little well-documented transaction going on- a buy." "Uh, we're going to take that evidence, go to Kent... get him to shut down his little operation and have him back off." "Thank you." "I" " I can't believe you did this for me." "Well, we haven't done it yet." "Why don't you go, um, make your arrangements?" "Okay." " This deal- the timing" " I know, Mike." "You got this whole Cowan thing." "It's good." "We're covered." "You're okay." "Don't sweat it." " You sure?" " Yeah." "We're just taking pictures." " You're the one who needs backup." " No, I'm doing this alone." "Okay." "I get it." "Good luck." "Don't look at me." "I don't get it." " I don't get why you're so dead set on getting back in." "Why go back to work for the people who've put you through all this?" "I want to clear my name." "I want to know who did this to me." "I spent my entire career doing something I believed in, Fi." "Something important." "You're doing something important here, Michael." "Think about it." "Next time you're risking your life to talk to this Philip Cowan fellow... you think about it." "Fi." "All right, that's where Kent's little meet is goin' down." "I'm gonna take the car down there on the opposite side... use the telephoto lens on the camera so we get something." "Okay." "No rush." "I'm on the clock." " I'm gonna work on my tan." " I want a flat rate next time." "Mm-hmm." " You sure you told 'em 3:00." " Yes." "When you're communicating in code... sometimes you just have to hope that whoever you're talking to... is smart enough to figure out what you're saying." "Use a code that's too simple, and it will get broken." "Use a code that's too complex... and you're just talking to yourself." " No greeting card." "I'm hurt." " Glad you made it." "Yeah." "Something came up." "Sorry I missed our meeting." "SaintJohn's at 3:16, clever boy." " Are you ready to meet?" " Are you here?" "We'll meet on my turf." "Thanks." "I'm back where you got my first message." "Come alone, or I leave- unarmed, or I leave- in 10 minutes, or I leave." " It's over a mile away." " Yeah, well, guess you better run." "Please calm down." "They were supposed to be here 20 minutes ago." "Something's wrong." "I'm sure they're on their way." "Maybe the boss was right." "Maybe we're compromised." " Kent, you told them?" " Melissa, yes." "These are very serious people." "They would kill us if they thought anything was wrong." "It's better to hear it from us." "Better to hear it from me." " What are you doing now?" " I'm calling the buyer." "He's got five minutes." " Come on." "Get in the car." " What?" " Come on!" " What?" "What is it?" "Go!" "Just get in the car." "Hurry up!" "Son of a" " Out of the car!" " Wait." "Hey." "Move it!" "Let's go!" "Sh" "MichaelI" "Hello again." "I always find my hand shakes a little after a run like that." "Any advantage I can get- Well, you know, can't be too careful." " I'm not here to kill you." " Really?" "Slept with a gun under my pillow every night since I heard you were hunting for me." "To hear you say that now- it's almost disappointing." "I want to know why you burned me." " You think I burned you?" " I know you did." "Why, because you read it on a file?" "WowI You really unraveled that little mystery, didn't you?" "You think this is about me." "One man watched you, targeted you, burned you?" "Froze your accounts?" "Cut off your travel?" "One guy did all that, and then he decided to come to Miami and explain himself." "You tried to have me killed." "Nothing personal." "Do the same in my position." "Michael, you keep thinking that this is about me." "Banish that thought." "You're on the edge of something much, much bigger than us, my friend." " People I work for, they have plans for you." " People you work for?" "Powerful, dangerous people." "And, man, are they upset with me." "I misread you, Michael." "Didn't expect you to buck quite so much." "You're making everyone nervous." " Hey, Bro." " Nate, get in your truck... and meet me at the corner of Pembroke and Fletcher." " Leave now." " All right." "What?" " Nate, get in your truck right now" " What?" " and meet me there." " But wait." "What's goin' on?" "Truth" "I have no idea." "10-4." "This Cowan guy tell you anything, or what?" "He was about to." " Think that's why he got shot?" " Maybe." "I don't know." "Maybe they thought I'd kill him." "It was a setup." "The cops were there way too quick." "Somebody called them before the shot was fired." "This is deep, Bro." "Nate, I want you to go pick up Mom." "It's about time you two got out of town." "Right." "Thank you, Nate." " I just, you know" " No, don't talk like that." "You're not good at it." "But the next time I ask you for 20 bucks for gas, remember this." "Actually, I think I'll go with you." " Michael" " Fi, can I call you back?" "Michael, Kent and Melissa's deal went bad." " They're dead." "And Sam" " Whoa, whoa, whoa." "What?" "Slow down, Fi." "Slow down." "Kent's boss is cleaning house, I think." "They were watching us." "They took Sam." " Who did?" " I don't know." "Whoever they are, they're damn good." " Where are you, Fi?" " I can't talk." "I'm in the warehouse district by the First Street Bridge." "They're coming." " You drop me off and you go." "Got it?" " It's too late." "You need me." "Sam and Fi are dealing with heroin smugglers." "They already killed two people." "Yeah." "Sounds like it's a bad time for me to bail." "No, it's a perfect time for you to bail." "Look, man, something happens to you, and Mom is on my ass forever." "All right?" "And not to get into your business... but it seems like you could use the help." "Thank you." "You're welcome." "Family first, right?" "She's in there somewhere?" "I mean, she could be in any one of those buildings, man." "She'll let us know where she is." "In any operation, communicating silently is often essential." "Chalk marks, an unusual arrangement of objects- anything that stands out from the background will do." " A piece of cloth on a window." " There." "She's there." "Hmm." "Great." "What are we gonna do about it?" "Those guys are all over looking for her." "I'm gonna need to drive." "A warehouse door is going to be reinforced..." " but the walls aren't." " Hold on." "And the areas under the windows don't have load-bearing beams." " Fi?" " Through there." "You cover that door." "You don't let anyone through." " Here." " I love machine shops." "They have polyester thermoset resins." "They should have some- Ah, here we go." "Benzoyl peroxide." "Yummy." "Guys, do you want to hurry it up, please?" "Hurry up." "I got 'em pinned down." "A good trap doesn't scare people- it makes them curious." "A speeding truck makes people scatter." "A slow-moving truck, on the other hand... makes people want to take a closer look." "Take cover!" "Go!" "Go!" "That was insane." "Those people were heroin smugglers?" "Sam had a job." "Things didn't go as planned." " You're out of your mind!" " What happened with Cowan?" "Yeah." "Things didn't go as planned with that either." "He's dead, Fi." "They shot him while we were talking." " Did you get anything?" " A little." "He said the people he works for- they have plans for me." "Yeah, well, that's intriguing." "What the hell does it mean?" "Without knowing who they are, hard to say." "They might want information." "They might have a job they want me to do." "I mean, they shot him for a reason." "Better be a good reason." " This is your place?" " Yeah." "Well, it's a foreclosure." "You know, I guess they ran out of money in the remodel." "Usually, I can hang out about three months in a place like this." "You-You know, you blew up my truck." " Anyone know you're here?" " No, no." "I got a couple clients in my golf club business." "They weren't real happy with the way the investment worked out, so" " Nate, I need you to go get Mom and bring her here." " Seriously?" "Come on, man." "When she starts smoking' in here, we're never gonna get the smell out." "The people who shot Cowan are probably watching her place." "When you go get her, bring her here." "Make sure you're not followed." "I know how to lose a tail." "And I hate to break it to you... but spies aren't the only people with enemies." "Tell me what happened with Sam." "That was pretty good." "But you gotta follow through." "Okay." "Now we're gettin' somewhere." "Yeah, that was pretty painful." "How was that for you?" "You were taking pictures." "Who do you work for?" "Me?" "I don't work for anyone." "I go out there sometimes just to- to think." "Take pictures of the birds and the local fauna." "You know." "Ooh!" "Ooh!" "You're gettin' good at that." "The guy that came for the woman- he knew what he was doin'." " Maybe D.E.A.?" " D.E.A. comes with a team." "D.E.A. brings cops." "D.E.A. does not blow up a truck." "You know, buddy, if I were you, I'd watch it with the stupid comments." "'Cause, you know, your boss just killed a lot of his own guys outside" "Let me guess." " You're trying to buy time for your team." "Is that it?" " Team?" "Uh-Well, there's- there's no team around here." " I work alone in a cubicle." " You work alone?" "Mm-hmm." "Pretty talkative for a loner." "Called this number three times when you were at the docks." " Let me guess." "That your boss?" " Nah, that's my boyfriend." "Okay, okay!" "Look, I'm D.E.A." "We've been watching you guys for months." "We got a grand jury ready to go." "I'm C.I.A. That's right." "C.I.A." "We've been tracking your Turkish heroin connection for terrorists." "Who do you work for, huh?" "Okay." "F.B.I." "We got an informant." "Your guy there- he works for us." "Isn't that right, Frank?" "Come on, tell him." "No use lying now." "He's got us." "Come on, Frank!" "You're a funny guy." "You're trained, aren't you?" "Hmm?" "Let me guess." "Special Forces?" "See, me- I'm an ex-Green Beret." "Admit nothing, deny everything... make counteraccusations." "Special Forces?" "No, no." "I was a Boy Scout for a while." "Hey, take these restraints off me." "I'll show you how to tie a slipknot." " Let's just kill him." " And then what?" "The girl saw us." "We gotta take care of the whole team, plus Gillian." "By the way, seems like she packed up and left early." "We went by her house." "Must have been in a hurry." "But don't worry." "I'll find her." "I'm really good at that." "Excuse me." "I'm sorry." "You know what?" "Show him what Green Berets are all about." "There's more... stashed under a Fort Lauderdale overpass." "For any operative... stashing weapons is second nature after a while." "Spies hide guns like squirrels hide acorns." "You never know when you'll need some firepower... or where you'll be when you need it." "If we need more than this, we're doing something very wrong." "Or something very right." " Hello?" " I've got someone here who says he knows you." "Sam?" "Yeah, he works for me." "Oh, yeah?" "And what kind of work do you do?" "Choosing a cover I.D. on the fly is always a challenge." " My work?" " Yeah, your work." "What was your man doing down at the docks taking pictures, huh?" "When there's no time to think... it's best to go with something simple that keeps your options open." "I'm in the same business you're in." "We're interested in your operation." " I sent Sam down to do some research." " Oh, yeah?" " That's not what Sam says." " I don't train my employees to talk about my business." "Listen to me, not to him." "Who am I talking to?" "Hmm." "I think you know enough about me for now." "Let me ask you a question." "You thought what?" "You could just come down here and rip me off?" "I'm just checking out the competition." "You know, move to a new market, check out the lay of the land." "Point is, the man you have is a valued employee." "I want him back." "I'm willing to deal." "Let's set a meet." "We'll figure out a price." "I'm happy to negotiate, but I do not pay for damaged merchandise." " I want proof of life." " You got e-mail?" "Wake up, Sammy boy." "Picture time." "So, uh... probably gonna be my last photo, right?" "I mean, you got these plans to kill everybody." "So I'm thinkin', I should look good for this, huh?" "Let's see." "Nice." "I'll send it to your mama." "Freon is available at most computer stores." "Buy a can of screen duster, turn it upside down, and you've got it in liquid form." "It's cold enough to crystallize the metal in many commercial locks." "A hammer can take care of the rest." "So this is Sam's storage locker." "Phew." "We're looking for an old photo." "It'll be from the mid-'90s when we were working together." "You really think Sam is sending us a message?" "He's trying to get us any information he can." "It's the pose in the photo." "I've seen it before." "One advantage of working with the same team... is that secure communication is simpler." "You don't have to work out a secret code." "If you have enough history, the code is in every picture... every memento, every autographed leg cast." "What is it?" "Sam led a hostage rescue operation in Venezuela for some U.S. businessmen." "It was a setup." "The hostages were bait for Sam's team." "He lost a few men." "He's saying stay away." "He's not getting out of this alive." " Good." "You made it back." "Was anyone there?" " Government types, Bro." "Suits." "There was a few plainclothes guys there too." "I didn't even see 'em till after I got Mom." "Michael, I was just getting in the shower." "He shows" " In a sec." " Soon as we left the house, they came out like roaches." " Did you get rid of'em?" "Did you ditch 'em?" " Oh,yeah." "I drove around Little Haiti for an hour, out to Virginia Key and back." "It was a bitch and a half." "But unless they got invisible helicopters, I lost 'em." "And the car." "Did you leave the car unattended when you went inside?" " Don't worry." "I ditched that car." "I picked up a new one." " Uh-huh, stole it." "It was, like, a 15-year-old Pontiac, Ma." "I did the guy a favor taking it." "Point is we lost 'em." "We're clean." " You think they're the same guys that shot Cowan?" " Yeah." "Michael, what is going on?" "I'm not sure." "All I know is this isn't just about following me anymore." " They want to bring me in." " Who?" "Who is it?" "I don't know what you're talk" "I don't know." "Covert intelligence agencies... don't call you up and tell you why they're hunting you." "Mom,just for now, I need you to stay here." "No calls until I figure out what's going on." " Here?" "Are you serious?" " Mom,just until I know more." "Nate, I need you to pick up some disposable cell phones for emergencies only." " What are you gonna do?" " Fi and I are gonna probe these guys... see how serious they are." "Well, it's not a perfect location, but it's not bad either." "Just need something nice and traceable- a trail that the guys that killed Cowan can follow." " Who you gonna call?" " My old handler." "If they're not listening to his line, they don't deserve to catch me." "Hmm." "Hi." "Yes." "Dan Siebels, please." "Oh, this is Michael Westen." "I need to talk to him." "It's urgent." "I have government agents following me- I'm not sure what agency they are." "But I need help." "Could you send a helicopter?" "Okay." "Good talking to you too." "Surveillance is a two-way street." "If you know someone's looking for you, you've got an advantage." "They follow your lead, go where they think you are." "Nice response time." "Ten minutes." "They're good." "Not that good." "They're staring at a pay phone." "Oh, no, Fi." "They are that good." "Those guys are just to keep us busy." "They know we're here." "Tires." " It's armored." " I'll see you back at Nate's." "Who drives armored cars?" "People who expect gunfire." "Usually people with some firepower of their own." "HeyI What are you doing?" "HeyI" " Sorry about that." " What are you talkin' about?" "Hey, you!" "Gimme my keys!" "You ready to talk about how to get your guy Sam back?" " Yeah." "You got a price?" " We'll get to that." "First, I want to meet you and the girl together." " The girl?" " You forgot already?" "Sure went through a hell of a lot of trouble to get her back." " She has nothing to do with this." " She's part of your operation." "I want to know who I'm dealing with." "Those are my conditions." "Fine." "But it's gonna take a couple of days to track her down." " A couple of days?" " After what happened, she went underground." "If you want to see her, you're gonna have to wait for me to find her." "Don't take too long." "I'm not sure Sam can hold out." "He's got decent stamina." "But everyone's got a breaking point, and I'm good at finding them." "In a hostage situation, you have to be cruel to be kind." "The more you care, the more leverage they have." "Like buying a car- you have to make them think you can walk away." "Just so we're clear, I don't take damaged goods." "You break it, you buy it." "Got it?" "Call me when you find the girl." "I take it you just bought us more time." "Won't do us much good unless we find out who this guy is." "All we know now is he's got Sam and he intends to kill us." " Any ideas?" " Well, it's a pretty small world... when you're importing heroin at that level." "I'll make a call." "Well, it's your lucky day." "Your boss really wants you back." "Guess that's loyalty for you." "You think he's gonna deal for me?" "He's playin' with you." " Oh, really?" " Look, I got caught." "He's gonna kill me himself." "Believe me, pal, you'd be doing me a big favor." " You got some death wish or somethin'?" " You're gonna do it anyway." "What, I gotta stay another day in this crappy metal box?" "Look, there's a sweet little park in Coral Gables." "Just dump the body." "Give me a piece of paper." "I'll draw you a map." "Yap, yap, yap, yap, yap." "He knows if we kill him his team won't show." "Nah." "We need him alive." "Fellas, you're only hurting yourselves." "I'm telling you." "Come on." "A little rat poison!" "Easy-peasy!" " So you want me to put you in touch with a heroin dealer?" " That is what I want." "Look, heroin- I'm allergic to it." "Don't need to touch it, don't need to see it." " I think about it, I get hives." "Heroin dealers- seriously." " This is not a favor." "No, it's not." "Favors don't get you killed." "I give you a name, it gets back, we're in a "Barry facedown in the river" situation." "I'm not asking, Barry." "We're friends or we're enemies here." "Well, if you put it that way." "I put it that way." "You want the biggest heroin dealer in Miami?" "This guy's as big as you say, they're probably working together." "No." "Who's the second biggest?" "Mmm, there's this club up on 22nd" " Deedo's." "It's a place usually for smack trade." "You're looking for Carmelo." "He hangs out there... does a lot of business in the V.I.P. room." "Yeah?" "Uh, Mike, it's for you." "Something about your burn notice." " Y'ello." " Come out, come out, wherever you are." " Who's this?" " We need to talk, Michael." "We've been trying to bring you in." " Talk about what?" " Your past, your future." "Oh, sweetie, I'm a little busy right now." "Can you call me back?" "Keep it." "It's yours." " We friends?" " We're friends, Barry." " Anything I can do to help in here?" " No, Mom." "Please." "We gotta get her to stop smokin', Bro." "She's making me nervous." " She just wants to help." " She can help by making sandwiches." "Making explosives, are you, Michael?" "Mom, there is some serious business going on here." " I'm not stupid." "I can see that." " Look." "I was hoping to get you back home in a couple of days... but that doesn't look like it's gonna happen." "What do you mean?" "I don't want to stay here longer." "I only brought a week's worth of clothes." "And I got a poker game tomorrow." "No, Mom." "You're going to have to leave town." " Leave town?" " With Nate." "No." "I'm not going anywhere." "I'm staying here with you, Michael." " You're obviously in trouble." " No, it's not safe." "You can't." "I don't care if it's not safe here." "I'm not leaving you." " Mom, please." " Michael, I'm not afraid." "I know you're not afraid." "But I am." "Shh." "It's okay." "I'll go." "There's our man right there." " He looks like he's ready for trouble." " I'll bring him trouble then." "There are some fights you just can't win." "A force can be so overwhelming... that no tactical approach in a fight... is going to lead to a victory worth having." "You sure you don't want me to stay?" "No, Fi." "You need to go." "Now." "You know, I'm usually all for the high risk, high reward option." " But this" " If there was any other way, believe me" "Knock 'em dead." "When you can't win in a fight... sometimes you have to settle for making sure that if you lose, everyone loses." "It works for nuclear weapons, it works for me." " Hey." " Oh, sorry." "Private party." "My bad." " You got a death wish, my friend." " Back off." " What do you want?" " Send someone out into the club." "I need them to check under the bar, under the stairs... under the chairs, for more of these." "That's exactly what it looks like- C-4 explosive with a remote detonator." "And this" "A remote detonator on a deadman switch." "You shoot me, I let go of this button... and the city of Miami gets some brand-new undeveloped real estate." "What do you want?" "I just want to talk." "What are you drinking?" "Champagne." "Would you like some?" "Please." "Ooh, that's nice." "Little dry." " But sometimes dry is a little refreshing." " Glad you like it." "That why you're here?" "Put a bomb in my club so you can drink my champagne?" "Partially." "Also I need the name and location of a certain heroin importer." "I need it quietly, and I need it now." " And I should do this because" " Because he's an importer." "He sells to your competition." "I put him out of business, it's a win for both of us." "And, if you don't do what I want..." "I will rain hell down upon you until one of us is dead." "And I am really, really good at raining down hell." "I want an answer tomorrow." " Who are you?" " I'm Michael Westen." "I used to be a spy." "You have a name for me." "The guy's name is Glenn Harrick." "He's got a boat on the river near the 27 th Avenue Bridge." "It cost me a lot of money to get that information." "You've just done yourself a great favor, Carmelo." "Do yourself one." "Don't let me see you again." "You take care of this guy, you stay out of my way, we're good." " If I ever see your face again, I'll kill you- bomb or no bomb." " Agreed." "Oh, look." "They survived Nate's exploding truck." "Think they're keeping Sam here?" "Fits the background in Sam's photo." "Lots of rusted metal." "And they probably got him down in the hold." "Well, it makes sense, a barge." "It's isolated, easy to defend." "Guess it's time to set my meeting with Harrick." " We could go in there now." " No, Fi." " We're gonna do this the right way." " Boring." " Yeah." " I'm ready to make a deal." "All right." "Let's set it up." " I can meet today." " The girl coming?" "Yeah." "I tracked her down." "Fine. 4:00." "Be at the Grove Harbour Marina." "Sounds good." "One more thing." "I talk to Sam before I come to the meeting." "If he can't talk, if he doesn't sound healthy, I walk away." "If he's anything less than a hundred percent... just kill him now and save us both some time." " We'll take good care of him." " You do that." "It'll be over today." "Hey." "I was thinkin' about it." "Maybe you should draw me a picture of the map to that park." "I'm gonna have to put your body somewhere." "Hey." "Um, did he ask to talk to me before you meet?" "'Cause I got news for you, buddy." "I'm not gonna play ball." "So you might as well just finish this right now." "You'll do whatever I want you to do." "But until then, please, keep him quiet." "Hey, um, so what were you?" "Army?" "I'm a Navy man myself." "But, you know, I've seen your boss's type before... and whatever shallow grave he dumps my body in... you're gonna be keeping me company there real soon, pal." "You know, I read in a book once that the things that make you the angriest... are the things you know are true." " Wise words, huh?" " I am getting so sick of your mouth!" "Take a good look, buddy." "'Cause this is gonna be you real soon." "Ow." "Oh, I get it." "I kill you, your man doesn't show, right?" "Nice try." "I, uh- I got your buddy's Caddy." "I had a friend who deals in secondhand cars check it out." "Looks clean." "He also fixed the windshield on the Charger." " So Mom said that you wanted me to go away with her?" " I want you two somewhere safe." "Tell me something." "Why is it, if you're the responsible one... every time you run off and you do your spy thing, I gotta pick up the pieces?" "Please." "I like this- you coming to me for help." " It's" " It feels good." " Yeah." " It's like a fresh thing for us, you know?" " It's great." " Yeah." " You gonna do it?" " Of course, Bro." " Thanks." "You'll probably need a moderate sized blast." "The metal on that boat looked pretty worn." "I'd go with something with more direction." "But it'll do." "The sticky bomb was originally developed... in World War II for mining tanks." "For the homemade variety, tile adhesive works best." "Sticky, waterproof,and it comes in an easily portable plastic bucket." "Mom, I'll call you when- if it's safe to come back." "Here, take this." "It's a new phone." "It hasn't been used, so it's untraceable." "It's for emergencies only." "We want to keep communication to a minimum." " We're not taking your car from you, are we?" " No." "Whoever's coming after me might have eyes on it." "So I'll drive you and Nate up to Fort Lauderdale." "And that's where I'll find you another car." "I remember the time you stole your first car." "Dad was off God knows where, and I had to get Nate to the doctor." "You must have been what, 12?" "Ten." "I remember it." "You were pretty angry." "Yeah." "I was also proud." "You did a lot of things I didn't understand... but you did 'em for the family." "You know, Michael..." "I did too." "I know, Mom." "I know." "I know." " Nate, you make any calls today?" " No, Bro." "You said not to." " Mom?" " Um, I-I called home to check messages... but I used the secure phone that you gave me." "If you call a tapped phone from an untapped" "Never mind." "That's how they're following us." "I need that phone right now." "This phone is no longer secure." "From now on, let's make this simple." "Make no calls!" " Fine." " Nate, I'm gonna pull over and get out." " Wait a minute." "You said they were following us." " Yeah, they want me." " When I get out, you go." "Don't stop for anything." "You got it?" " Yeah." "Be careful." "Stay in the car." "I know this line is tapped." "I know you're listening." "I don't know who you are, but I know this- you want me to come in alive, you call me now, or I will end this right here." "Hello." "Michael, don't do anything stupid." " I have a proposal I'd like to discuss." " I'm listening." "I have a job to do." "I need 12 hours." "You give me that, I will come in alive." "If you don't" " If you even come near me before that" " I will put a bullet in my head." "You wouldn't do that, Michael." "You've got such a bright future." "Maybe, maybe not." "You give me 12 hours, you don't need to find out." "I believe we have a deal." "You think it's okay to take Sam's car on the street?" "Those government types." "I bought myself a couple of hours before they pick me up." "Might as well drive it till then." " You're really gonna go with 'em?" " Yeah, Fi." "They shot Cowan in front of you." "They didn't shoot me." "I want to know what's going on, and I told 'em I'd meet 'em." "You're a spy, Michael." "Why don't you just lie?" "That's what spies do, you know?" " If you want to run" " This is not about honor." "And I'm not running anymore." "I want answers, and this is the only way to find them." "You ready?" "It's been fun, Michael." "At least this time we get to say good-bye." "Thank you, Fi." "You get over to the Grove Harbour Marina." "I'll call, put his guy on the phone." "You wait until he gets there with the girl." " Understood?" " Yeah." "Okay." "Put two in both their heads and call me when you're done." " Got it." " Get outta here." "Let's go." "Looks like they're leaving a three-man team on the boat." "I'm off to crash the party." "A lot of people think the word "commando"means superhero... or at least something close to it." "In the popular mind, they're thought of as the ultimate elite soldier... the solution to every problem." "The fact is, a commando is just someone trained to fight... under a specific set of circumstances." "He's the guy you send in when there are more bad guys than good guys... when surprise is the only advantage you can get in an operation." "When it works, commandos seem unstoppable." "Those are the operations that make the papers." "When it doesn't work, commandos get killed just as dead as anyone else." "Hey." "You there?" "Okay, good." "Here's what's gonna happen." "When they get there, you kill 'em both." "And make sure they're dead." "You got that?" "All right." "I'm gonna call the guy now." " Morning, sunshine." " Hmm." "Here's what we're gonna do." "We're gonna call your boss." "You're gonna say "hello. "" "And if you act really nice, I'll finish you quick." " And if I don't?" " Well, then I'll have to find another way to hunt him down... which means I have to kill you little by little until I find him." " But, hey, Sam, your choice." " Boy." "They both sound pretty good." " Can I have a few minutes to make up my mind?" " No." "Kick his ass!" "Come on, Mike." "Come on!" "Hey!" "I've seen that wound before." "I don't know what ammo you have in here... but if it's Teflon-coated, you have about a half an hour." "But if they're hollow point, I wouldn't make any plans." "I thought I told you to stay away, Mikey." "I tried to warn you." "I was never good at taking orders, Sam." "That's why you were a soldier, and I was a spy." "Fair enough." "Come on, Michael." "You know, I was thinking about this car when they had me." "I thought, "I'm gonna die before the Cadillac loses its new-car smell. "" "I'd never let that happen, Sam." "Mike, uh, seriously" "You would have done it for me." "Damn right, brother." "Mike, you been using the navigation thingy?" "No, I didn't" "OnStar, Mr. Westen." "How do you know my name?" "Directions are being sent to your vehicle." " Your destination is 110 miles away." " My destination?" "Mike, what's goin' on?" "Time to get some questions answered, one way or another." "Burn notice, huh?" "Uh, I need to borrow the Caddy." "No problem." " Good luck, Mike." " Thanks, Sam." "You have arrived at your destination, Mr. Westen." " Hello." " Michael, we're so looking forward to meeting you." "When you work in intelligence,you get used to the idea... that some information is worth risking everything for." "You sign up for the lifestyle, or the chance to serve your country... or the millions of frequent flyer miles." "But, finally, it all comes down to putting your ass on the line to learn something."