Crime Time 4

He thought about Sarah Jenkins. He'd studied her profile, her habits, her supposed weaknesses. He'd seen photos of her - sharp, intelligent eyes, a determined set to her jaw. She was good at her job, unnervingly so. She had a knack for digging where others wouldn't dare, for asking the questions that made powerful men sweat. He'd always viewed her as an obstacle, a variable that needed to be controlled. Now, he saw her as something else entirely: a potential ally, albeit an unwitting one. She was a threat to Green, and by extension, she was becoming a threat to the very conspiracy Jimmy was now obligated to expose.

The conflict was immediate and visceral. Jimmy's primary objective had been to protect the White organization from external threats, and Sarah Jenkins had been categorized as such. But Green's internal sabotage had fundamentally redefined what constituted a threat. Now, the greatest danger wasn't an external reporter; it was the internal rot, the serpent coiled in their midst. And Sarah, in her pursuit of truth, was inadvertently shining a light on that rot.

He replayed the intercepted communications in his mind. Green's operatives discussing Sarah. The casual, almost dismissive way they spoke of her potential demise. It wasn't just about silencing a journalist; it was about ensuring that the narrative remained firmly in Green's control. If Sarah dug too deep, if she connected the dots between the sabotage, the Feds' investigation, and Arthur's weakening position, Green's meticulously crafted plan would crumble. He needed her silenced, not just for Arthur's sake, but for his own.

This presented Jimmy with a terrifying fork in the road. He could proceed with his original orders, eliminate Sarah, and potentially fulfill Green's hidden agenda, all while convincing himself he was still acting under Arthur's command. Or, he could refuse. He could try to find a way to protect her, a move that would immediately place him in direct opposition to Arthur White, and more significantly, to Dello Green, a man whose ruthlessness he was only beginning to comprehend.

The thought of using Sarah as bait, a notion that had flickered in the back of his mind as a dark possibility, now seemed like a suicide mission orchestrated by Green himself. If Green wanted Sarah eliminated, and Jimmy was tasked with bringing her to Green - dead or alive, depending on the interpretation - he would be walking directly into a trap. Green could then eliminate Sarah himself, ensuring no loose ends, and then conveniently "discover" Jimmy's involvement, framing him as the perpetrator of a botched assassination attempt or worse, a hired gun working against Arthur.

Jimmy paced the confines of his dimly lit safe house, the worn floorboards groaning under his weight. His mind raced, sifting through scenarios, calculating risks. Every operational decision he had made in the past few months, every directive he had followed, now felt tainted. He had been a loyal soldier, a reliable instrument. But the hand that had wielded him was not the one he thought.

He had to get a clearer picture. He needed to understand the true nature of Arthur's orders regarding Sarah. Was Arthur truly committed to her elimination, or was this another layer of Green's manipulation, feeding Arthur misinformation and using Jimmy as the executioner? The operative Silas, his contact within Green's organization, was his only hope for concrete, unfiltered intelligence. But Silas was also in danger, his own position precarious. Any contact Jimmy made with him was a risk, a deviation from the established protocols, a move that would undoubtedly be noticed by Green if he was truly monitoring everything.