“Oh, you would’ve still found a way, but I’m more concerned with you. Are you on painkillers?”

  “Tylenol. Extra strength,” she added with a smirk.

  “That’s not painkillers. You might as well be on Flintstone vitamins. I mean real painkillers.”

  She frowned. “I’ve considered it, but they can be highly addictive. I’ve seen the damage they can do.”

  “May I make a suggestion?”

  “What’s that?”

  “Get the prescription and just take one a week. Even if you only get a few hours where you feel normal, that might end up doing wonders for you. And I promise, if I ever see you popping them like House, I’ll kidnap you myself and put you in a facility.”

  She laughed. “I think you would.”

  His phone vibrated with a message and he checked to see it had come through the secure network. He logged in and his eyebrows shot up.

  “Something wrong?”

  He wagged his phone. “Dylan says he needs me in Warsaw ASAP. OTB.”

  Thorne eyed him. “Off the books? That’s odd.”

  “With him, not so much.” He rose. “If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a flight to catch.” He waved her off as she began to stand. “I’ll show myself out. You take care of yourself and consider what I said. Don’t suffer because you’re afraid of what might happen, when what is actually happening is making you miserable.”

  “Wise words, my young friend.”

  He grinned at her as he ran his hands down his body. “All this and brains too.”

  She giggled and batted a hand at him. “Get the hell out of here. Don’t forget, I need you in Belarus in two days no matter what Kane needs you for.”

  “I’ll be there, don’t you worry.”

  K

  35 |

  Presidential Executive Office, The Kremlin Moscow, Russia

  Peskov sat behind his desk in his office, two of Nikitin’s men setting up equipment for the expected phone call from Victor. The president had agreed to allow Nikitin to be read in, and once he realized what was truly going on, he had been furious at being kept out of the loop, listing a myriad of things done incorrectly, not the least of which was employing Firouz as the courier. But that was spilled vodka. It didn’t matter anymore. What mattered was what they did next.

  Victor had admitted he was the leak. That had been a shock, but no one, including the president, believed that the boy’s father had put him up to it. It was a crime of opportunity, and the president had authorized the exchange—Victor for his family, for the young man was correct. His father’s future in this country was over because of what had happened and the story they had put out earlier. The man’s reputation was destroyed and the Kremlin couldn’t admit to what was really going on, so they would act as if he were guilty and confiscate all of his assets and imprison him. The president was more concerned with containing the leak and placating the Chinese so the deal could go through.

  The phone in the outer office rang and his secretary answered. “One moment, please.” She poked her head through the door. “It’s him.”

  Nikitin rose from his perch in the corner. “Are you ready?” His men nodded. “Put it through.”

  Peskov’s secretary disappeared and Nikitin closed the door, but not before he dismissed the two men who weren’t cleared to hear the conversation. The phone rang and Peskov picked it up, Nikitin listening in on an extension.

  “Hello?”

  “Hello, sir. It’s Victor Stepanov.”

  “Yes, I’ve been expecting your call.”

  “Have you had time to consider my offer?”

  “I have. And if you hand yourself over with the intel, we’ll free your mother and your sisters, but not your father.”

  “That’s not what we agreed to.”

  “We didn’t agree to anything, son. You made a proposal. I’m telling you what we’re willing to do. Hand yourself over with the intel and we’ll set your mother and sisters free.”

  The line went dead, and Peskov cursed, hanging up the phone.

  Nikitin regarded him. “Well, that was unexpected. Just when were you going to tell me you had changed the agreement?”

  “I hadn’t decided to until I heard his voice. He’ll call back. It’s a good deal.”

  “He’d be a fool to agree to it.”

  “Oh, it’s negotiable. We’ll put his mother and sisters on a plane and let him hand himself over after the fact. His father’s the bargaining chip. It’s believable we wouldn’t want to let him go so easily.”

  “But I think we did learn something,” said Nikitin.

  “And what’s that?”

  “He’s being advised.”

  Peskov’s eyes narrowed. “How do you figure that?”

  “He ended that call too quickly. Somebody told him to hang up. A twenty-two-year-old is going to panic in a situation like that. He’s going to plead his case. Instead, he just hung up. He’ll call back, like you said, but he’s going to have a new position.”

  “Who’s advising him?”

  “It has to be the Americans.”

  “If he’s with the Americans, then why are they letting this happen?”

  “I think it’s quite clear that he’s already handed over the intel, so the Americans don’t care. They’re probably helping him out of the goodness of their own heart.”

  “If the Americans already know, then there’s no point in this exchange. We’re wasting our time here.”

  “No, you’re forgetting one thing. Our aim here is to show him to the Chinese, to show them that we plugged the leak. If we bring him in, even if we have to release his family, we can show to them that the leak is plugged and the deal can go through. They don’t need to know that the Americans are aware of what’s going on. And if you want, as soon as we have him in custody, we can either terminate his family or bring them back, but we need to control him. He’s the wild card.”

  Peskov’s eyebrows shot up. “You’re actually suggesting killing a woman and her two children on American soil?”

  “No. Which is why the exchange has to happen somewhere else. And my guess is whoever’s advising him has told him the same thing.”

  “If he’s being advised, then why did he propose a flight to the United States in the first place?”

  “Because I believe he’s telling the truth. We know he was on a city bus and that he caused it to crash. I think he ran away from the Americans, then had second thoughts. I think that initial conversation was him on a phone that he borrowed, just like he said. I think in the past hour he’s been picked back up by the Americans and the game has changed. You watch, he’s going to call you back, agree to his mother and sisters being handed over, but he won’t turn himself in until they’re safe, and he’ll propose Warsaw or someplace close, much closer than the United States.”

  “And if he does agree to it?”

  “We’ll make it clear that if he reneges, his father pays the price and that we’ll track down his mother and sisters and make them pay as well. Remember, the entire goal here is to get him into custody as quickly as possible.”

  The intercom beeped and Peskov picked up the phone. “Yes?”

  “It’s him again.”

  “Put him through.” The line flashed and he tapped it. “Hello, Victor. I take it you’ve had time to consider my offer?”

  “Yes, and it’s unacceptable.”

  “I’m open to a counterproposal.”

  “You set my mother and sisters free and put them on a plane to Warsaw. As soon as I hear from them that they’re safe, I’ll hand myself over.”

  Peskov leaned back, raising his hands in triumph. “How can I be certain that you haven’t handed the intel over to the Americans?”

  “I haven’t. I swear.”

  “I’ll tell you what, Victor, I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt. I’m going to order the release of your mother and your sisters, and have them put on the first flight to Warsaw. When they arrive there, they’ll call you, and you’ll have thirty minutes to hand yourself in. If you renege on your end of the deal, not only will I track down your family and bring them back here, but I promise your father will be beaten day in and day out for the rest of his life. And if I ever get my hands on you, the same will happen to you. Do you understand me?”

  The terror of understanding was clear in Victor’s voice. “I-I understand, sir.”

  “Very well. Then we have a deal?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Call me back in thirty minutes and I’ll let you know what flight your family’s on.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Peskov ended the call and Nikitin got on his phone. “Report.” He listened, grunting several times, then hung up. “He’s lying.”

  “What do you mean he’s lying?”

  “Voice stress analyzer says he was lying when he said he hadn’t given the intel to the Americans.”

  Peskov cursed. “Now what do we do?”

  “We honor the deal. Remember, our goal here is to get our hands on him. Whether he already handed the intel over to the Americans is inconsequential with respect to that goal. However, now that we know the Americans know exactly what this is about, we have to expect they’re going to attempt to interfere.”

  “What could they possibly do beyond rattle their sabers like they always do? It’s their ultimate weakness. All they do is talk, talk, talk. In the meantime, we act. Let’s get the three of them on a plane to Warsaw immediately, and have people on the ground there ready to pick them up the moment we have Victor in custody. I’m going to talk to the president. If this deal’s going to go through, it has to go through in sooner than forty-eight hours. We need to start rolling the assets to the Chinese border. The moment the Chinese agree the deal’s back on, I want those nukes on their side of the border, and then it’s too late for the Americans to do anything.”

  Nikitin smirked. “Oh, I’m sure they’ll still be talking.”

  K

  36 |

  CIA Safe House Moscow, Russia

  Kane watched Victor shaking like a leaf as he headed up the stairs to his room. He felt sorry for the kid. He was in an impossible situation that no 22-year-old should ever have to face. Washington had indicated it was unlikely the president would be contacting Moscow or Beijing until the morning, Moscow time. It gave Victor’s mother and sister plenty of time to reach Warsaw, then disappear with the help of Jack and Warsaw Station.

  The question now was how to save Victor. That would be easy if the young man’s free will was taken out of the equation. They would simply put him into the underground railroad and get him out of the country rather than have him hand himself over. Kane wasn’t a father, but he had to imagine any father, including Victor’s, would rather suffer what Victor faced, than have his own son be tortured in his place.

  Sherrie descended the stairs then sat beside him.

  “How’s he doing?”

  She frowned. “About as well as can be expected, I guess. Langley just confirmed that the mother and sisters are on board the flight. It lands in two hours.”

  Kane tapped his ear. “I got the same update. Jack will be on the ground in an hour and Warsaw Station is ready.”

  “What do you think will happen?”

  “My guess is they’ll renege on the terms of the deal.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean, there’s no way they’re on that plane alone, and they’ll be met on the ground as well. I’m guessing they won’t be allowed to leave until they have Victor and the intel in their hands.”

  “That would make sense. So, what are we going to do?”

  Kane chewed his cheek, slowly shaking his head. “There’s not much we can do. It’s a reasonable precaution on their part, and we can’t exactly start blowing away Russian government agents on Polish soil.”

  “What if they renege after Victor hands himself over and they try to take his family back to Moscow?”

  “That’s when we can intervene. It’ll ruffle Polish feathers, but one call from the White House will settle that down, especially once things become public about what’s actually happening.” He sighed. “I’m worried about the kid. How do you weigh the value of a life? If he doesn’t hand himself over, his mother and sisters could be imprisoned and tortured, perhaps executed, his father certainly. If he does, then his mother and sisters live, and perhaps even his father.”

  “You’re not thinking of trying to rescue him, are you?”

  Kane smirked. “The thought had crossed my mind, though how we’d accomplish it, I’m not sure.”

  “We?”

  He grinned. “I figured you’d want in.”

  “Oh, you know I want in. It’s just that I’d like to be able to get out as well.”

  “Then we’ve got some serious scheming to do.”

  K

  37 |

  Operations Center 3, CIA Headquarters Langley, Virginia

  Leroux rubbed his eyes and yawned. Because of the seriousness of what was going on, the operation was compartmentalized to his team only. No relief. Earlier in the day, he had started switching off team members, one-third for four hours at a time. He, unfortunately, had only managed a couple of hours the night before. He was exhausted, but it was his girlfriend and his best friend out there, and things kept happening that needed his attention.

  It was times like these that he wished he had never given up his Red Bull habit.

  The door to the operations center opened and Sonya Tong entered, earlier than scheduled.

  He tapped his watch. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping?”

  She shrugged. “I got a couple of hours, and don’t forget, I got four hours this morning, so I’m actually feeling pretty good. You, on the other hand, need to get some sleep. I can handle things here.”

  She was right. She could handle things, but so much was happening over the next few hours that he didn’t want to miss anything.

  She sat at her station and faced him. “They’re not landing in Warsaw for two more hours, so nothing should happen between now and then. Go get some rack time, and if anything does happen, I’ll wake you up personally.”

  Something stirred below at the memory of the last time she had woken him personally, when in the dark he had thought she was Sherrie and they had exchanged a passionate kiss. He blasted air between his lips, then rose. “You’re right. If anything happens, wake me. But stay at your post. Send Randy.” He flashed her a wink. “No matter how dark it is, there’ll be no misunderstanding.”

  She giggled and he headed for the door, his entire body already shutting down in anticipation of hitting one of the beds in the temporary quarters meant for situations just like this.

  Child cleared his throat. “Um, I got something.”

  Leroux stopped but Tong beat him to the punch. “Is it life or death?”

  “Err, no.”

  She turned to Leroux. “Go. I’ll brief you in two hours.”

  She was right. He was in no condition to deal with anything anymore, and he continued out the door, already half asleep and completely useless.

  K

  38 |

  Warsaw Chopin Airport Warsaw, Poland

  “Men’s bathroom on your left, far stall on the left. As soon as you enter, they’ll leave your care package hanging on the stall door.”

  Jack suppressed a smile at the sultry voice of Sonya Tong in his ear. God, he wanted to meet her someday. She sounded gorgeous, and there was no doubt she was brilliant. She had even displayed a healthy sense of humor. But what was he thinking? Relationships weren’t for him, at least nothing that lasted beyond an assignment. To him, a long-term relationship was someone he saw once or twice a year and did the nasty with. Friends with benefits, quite often enemies with benefits. They both got what they needed out of it—a good time. He always treated them right, he always cared for them in the moment, but each side of the equation understood there was no commitment, no obligations, no expectations. A woman like Tong would expect much more, and deservedly so. She would remain a fantasy, never to be fulfilled.

  And that was fun in itself.

  He didn’t respond to Tong’s update. Talking to yourself was one good way to appear suspicious. He entered the bathroom to find half a dozen people inside, most at the sinks, the rest at the urinals. The stall door at the far end opened and a man stepped out. Jack gave him a friendly nod and stepped into the vacated stall, closing the door and locking it. On the back of the door, as promised, was a black duffel bag. He relieved himself, since he didn’t know when he would get his next chance, then opened the bag. He retrieved a Glock and three mags, plus a fresh set of embassy credentials giving him diplomatic immunity should things go to shit. He retrieved a few more tools of the trade that would allow him to bypass most of the security doors within the airport, then body armor disguised as a regular vest. He zipped the bag up and hung it on the back of the door, then put on his armor. He flushed the toilet, counted to ten, then opened the door, heading for the sinks.

  His supplier rushed in, heading for the stall and grabbing the bag off the back of the door. “I can’t believe I forgot this,” he muttered to no one in particular, disappearing as quickly as he had appeared.

  Jack washed his hands as Tong cooed in his ear. “That went smooth. Your target’s flight is arriving in forty-five minutes. So far, it’s on schedule. I suggest you get yourself a coffee and find a quiet corner. When you leave the bathroom, the food court is to your left, two-minute walk.”

  Jack dried his hands, heading for the food court, though he had no intention of getting a coffee. The last thing he needed was a diuretic when on an op. He spotted some golden arches and his stomach rumbled. He hadn’t eaten since breakfast. Perhaps it was time to take care of that problem as well.

  Quarter pounder combo coming up.

 

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