Noble Intentions: Season Two (Episodes 6-10) by L.T. Ryan Read Free Book Online Page A

shorter bridges. After the second bridge, they passed a sign that said “Welcome to Knoxville, Iowa. Dirt Racing Capital of the World.”
    The driver turned left at a street named Kennedy and drove for a few more miles, passing barren farmland before turning left again onto a long driveway that curved behind a line of trees. Once past the trees, the old man saw a huge house with several cars parked on a paved courtyard. There were high end luxury cars by automakers such as Mercedes, Lexus, Audi and BMW. They parked next to a matching black Range Rover.
    The men in the front seat jumped out of the car. One opened Feng’s door and stepped to the side. Feng slid out of his seat and onto the pavement. He stretched his back and his legs and took a deep breath. Fletcher rounded the car and stopped in front of him.
    “Follow me,” Fletcher said.
    The old man faked a smile and nodded.
    Fletcher walked past the front of the Range Rover and turned right, following a brick walkway to a covered porch. He stopped and held out his hand.
    “Wait here.”
    Fletcher opened the wooden front door with stained glass panels and stepped inside the house. Voices rose and fell. The door closed. Feng looked behind him and saw the men from the front seat standing back fifteen feet. One held a gun in his hand. He held it low by his waist and pointed it at the ground. The other man appeared unarmed, but Feng had no doubt there was a gun inside his jacket.
    A moment later, Fletcher returned and gestured for Feng to follow him inside. The old man crossed the porch and stepped through the open doorway.
    A tall, bald headed man approached with his hand up, palm out.
    “Arms up.”
    Feng frowned but did as he was told. He extended both arms and stared the big man down as the man ran a metal detecting wand in front of Feng’s body. The wand clicked and hissed but did not beep. The big man turned off the device. Nodded. Walked away.
    “Come on,” Fletcher said as he turned and walked toward a dark hallway.
    Feng sighed and then followed. He glanced over his shoulder and took comfort in the fact that no one was following them. Then again, there might be ten men in the next room. They turned twice, once left and once right, and passed several rooms with closed doors. The house was quiet, save for the faint sound of a string quartet playing.
    Fletcher stopped at the end of the hall and turned.
    “I won’t tell you how to handle your negotiations, Mr. Feng. But I will tell you that Boris Melikov does not like to be screwed with. He does not like sarcasm. He does not like it when previously agreed upon terms are changed. He fears no man, not even one as powerful as you. He will not hesitate to take matters into his own hands to complete this deal.”
    Feng stepped forward. He threw his shoulders back and held his head high. “You listen to me. I might be close to seventy years old, but I am more powerful than your boss in more ways than one. This deal will go down the way I say it will and on my terms. Understand?”
    Fletcher shrugged. “It doesn’t matter to me, Mr. Feng.” He opened the door and nodded at Feng. “Go in.”
    Feng stepped through the doorway and looked around the room. The walls were covered with built in wooden bookshelves, each stocked with spine out books. There had to be thousands of them. They looked old. The room was at least twenty feet high and there was a sliding ladder on each wall. In the middle of the room near the back wall sat a large mahogany desk. Behind the desk was a tall leather chair facing a floor to ceiling window.
    Feng stopped just inside the doorway and cleared his throat. The chair spun around and he nodded at the man sitting behind the desk. The man stood and walked around the desk. Stopped in front of Feng. He was tall. Probably six three or four. He had broad shoulders and short blond hair. His eyes were blue and distant. He appeared to look through the old man rather than at him. He held out his hand