Black Rose (The Project Book 9)

by Alex Lukeman

  After a long pause, Selena said, "You're sure this is authentic?"

  "Yes," Elizabeth said.

  "I have a sister who is a Russian agent, an assassin?"

  "Half sister. Yes. She works for General Vysotsky."

  Nick had enough sense to keep silent.

  "I don't believe this. I can't believe it."

  "I'm sorry, Selena," Elizabeth said. "I wish it weren't true."

  "How could he? How could my father sleep with a Russian whore?"

  "It's an old trick," Elizabeth said. "The KGB used sex to compromise a target all the time. Moscow Center was better than anyone at exploiting human weakness. It would have taken a saint to resist. Your father didn't know she was a Russian agent until it was too late. Remember, he was assigned to West Berlin. Every time he crossed into East Germany he risked his life. He would have been threatened with arrest and execution. It doesn't excuse him, but you can understand how much pressure he was under."

  "You're right, it doesn't excuse him."

  "If you read the file carefully, you'll see that there's no conclusion your father betrayed his country."

  "What about the meetings with Russian agents? What about the bank accounts?"

  "On the surface that looks bad," Elizabeth said. "But all of it could easily have been part of his assignment. Why would the Russians kill him if they thought he was giving them good intelligence? It's much more likely they discovered he was reporting back to Langley. There were people on the seventh floor who knew what was going on. One of them was Aldrich Ames. He sold out a lot of our agents before he was caught. Your father may have been one of them."

  "Then why doesn't it say so in the file?" Selena asked.

  "The file was closed in nineteen eighty-seven," Elizabeth said. "Ames was still there. He would have seen it as an opportunity to deflect suspicion away from him."

  "We'll never know, will we?" Selena said. There was bitterness in her voice.

  "I'd like to talk with Hood about this," Elizabeth said. "He was there at the same time as your father and Ames. He might know something that would cast a little more light."

  "It would make a difference to know that he wasn't a traitor. Nothing will change the fact that he cheated on my mother."

  "No."

  "This woman, Valentina. Where is she now?"

  This woman, not my sister, Elizabeth thought.

  "I don't know. All we know is that she works under Vysotsky. Stephanie will try and find out more."

  Selena stood and dropped the file on Harker's desk. She walked out. They heard the door to the downstairs level slam behind her.

  "She's pissed," Nick said.

  "Your powers of observation are astounding," Elizabeth said. "I never would have guessed."

  "Why did you tell her about her sister?"

  "I thought about it and I decided it's too important for Selena. Even if it wounds her to learn that her father was unfaithful, now she knows she has some family left in the world."

  "A Russian assassin," Nick said.

  "Yes, but still family. She deserved to know."

  "I don't think Selena is looking forward to the family reunion."

  "It's unlikely that they'll ever meet," Elizabeth said.

  "You don't know Selena like I do, Director. Don't count on it," Nick said. He got up off the couch. "I'd better go see how she's doing."

  He went down the spiral staircase to the lower level and heard pistol fire coming from the range. Selena stood at one of the stations, bent forward, pistol straight out in front of her, firing at a man sized target fifty feet away.

  Ronnie had worked on her Sig 229 to lighten the trigger pull. He'd brought the pull down from four plus pounds to just a touch under three. It made rapid fire easier. Nick watched Selena empty a twelve round magazine in seconds. She wasn't trying for a perfect score, she was shooting for combat accuracy. All except one of the twelve rounds were somewhere in the silhouette's upper body. Most were clustered near the center of the chest.

  The slide locked back on her pistol. Selena ejected the empty magazine and laid the gun down in front of her. She saw Nick and took off her shooting glasses and ear protectors.

  "He's dead," Nick said. "Nice shooting."

  "What am I going to do, Nick?"

  "About what?"

  "You know what. My father's bastard. My sister."

  "I don't know if bastard is quite the right word," Nick said.

  "Don't try to make me feel better with your bullshit humor."

  "You're right, I'm sorry. It's an old habit when I'm not sure what to say."

  "Then don't say anything."

  Selena went over to a bench by the wall and sat down. Nick sat beside her.

  She looked out the floor. "I thought I didn't have any family left after uncle William died. Now I find out I have a half sister who's a Russian assassin. How the hell do I deal with that?"

  "I don't know. I guess it depends on what it means to you. Finding out that you have a sister."

  "I want to hate her, but I can't. It's not her fault my father couldn't keep it in his pants."

  "You heard what Harker said. Your father was only human. Everybody's got a weak spot and the KGB was really good at setting people up."

  "He should have resisted."

  "Yeah, but he didn't."

  "I wonder if my mother knew that he had an affair."

  "I doubt it," Nick said. "Your father was good at concealing what he did and who he was."

  "She must've known he worked for the agency."

  "She probably did but that would've been about all she knew. He wouldn't have talked about his work."

  "What am I going to do?" Selena said again. "I want to know more about her but I can't very well call her up and introduce myself. It's not like she's working in a regular job somewhere."

  Nick draped his arm around her shoulders.

  "It's complicated, isn't it? Stephanie will find out whatever she can. I think you have to be careful here."

  "What do you mean?"

  "I'm probably not the best person to talk to about this," Nick said. "My father was a drunk, my mother allowed herself to be abused and my sister is a bitch. I don't have fond memories of family."

  "What's your point?"

  "Just because she's your half-sister doesn't mean she's family. She's a stranger and she's an enemy. People usually define family by blood ties but I don't see it that way. I think family are the people you can rely on, the people you know who will back you up when you need it. People who can rely on you."

  "She's still my sister."

  "Yes, she is, but she doesn't know that."

  "It could make a difference if she did," Selena said.

  "It could. Meanwhile I've got an idea."

  Selena looked at him. "What?"

  "Let's go get one of those Long Island iced teas you like."

  CHAPTER 43

  The George V in the heart of Paris had been a favorite hotel of the rich for decades. It was where Gutenberg always stayed when he was in town. He was getting dressed in his room when his encrypted phone signaled a call from Appo Thorvaldson, one of AEON's seven directors.

  "Appo. How are you?"

  "I'm fine, Johannes, but I'm afraid you are not."

  "What do you mean?"

  "We have a security breach. Your emails are being intercepted by an outside party."

  "What? That's impossible."

  "I have a man working for me who takes care of all my electronic security. He monitors everything that comes into my computer. He discovered an anomaly in your last email."

  Gutenberg looked at his watch. He was meeting Valentina for dinner.

  "Go on."

  "Someone has put a tracking program on your computer that allows them to monitor all of your communications."

  "You're certain."

  "Of course, or I wouldn't bother you."

  "How would this be done?" Gutenberg asked. "How could someone get through my firewalls a
nd plant their program?"

  "Our security protocols make it unlikely it was done over the Internet. It had to be done by someone with direct access to your computer."

  Gutenberg flushed with anger. He kept his laptop was with him at all times. There was only one other person who could have gotten to it.

  Valentina. She has betrayed me.

  "We have to deal with this, Johannes."

  "Don't worry, I'll take care of it. I think I know who is responsible. Where are the messages going?"

  "We don't know yet. If you send me a long message, we'll have time to trace the signal back to whoever is spying on you."

  "Perhaps we can turn this to our advantage," Gutenberg said.

  "In what way, Johannes?"

  "They don't know we've discovered them. Let me think about it."

  "When will you send the message?"

  "Tomorrow morning. I'll alert you when I'm ready to do it. And now, I'm going to be late for a dinner engagement."

  "Ah, yes, the lovely Valentina. You are fortunate to have such a beautiful mistress."

  "I've been growing tired of her. I think it may be time for a change."

  "Oh? Do you think she might consider a new liaison?"

  "With you?"

  "Why not? I don't mind slightly used goods."

  Gutenberg thought about what he was going to do when he talked to Valentina about the computer.

  "I don't think you'll want to pursue that, my friend."

  He ended the call.

  In a room three doors down, an SVR technician had been listening to the conversation. He turned off the recorder and took off his headphones. Gutenberg had made a mistake common to men who thought they were invulnerable, the mistake of predictability. He always stayed at the George V when he was in Paris. It had been a simple matter to determine when he would arrive at the hotel and equally simple to put listening devices in his rooms.

  The program installed on Gutenberg's computer had been discovered. The technician called the number he'd been given in case there was a problem. Across town, Valentina's handler picked up his phone.

  CHAPTER 44

  Valentina was getting ready to leave her apartment to meet Gutenberg at the restaurant when her phone buzzed. She looked at the display. It was a text from Lucien, her handler.

  She felt a wave of adrenaline ripple through her body. It was a prearranged emergency abort code. She was compromised, in immediate danger. It meant she had to run.

  Now.

  She'd dressed in high heels and a designer evening outfit from Dior for the evening. It wasn't the best outfit for going to ground. She swore under her breath, kicked off the shoes and dropped the clothes to the floor. She ran to the closet and pulled on black jeans, a shirt and a pair of boots. On the shelf was a leather belt pack with money, passports and a Glock G27. She clipped the pack onto her belt.

  Valentina checked the Glock to make sure there was a round in the chamber. The pistol had the advantage of being small and light, with nothing projecting to snag the weapon in a pocket or a purse at an inconvenient time. Nine rounds of .40 caliber hollow points were more than enough. If she needed more, she'd be in trouble.

  She pulled on a warm jacket and cracked open the door, the Glock in her right hand. It had been less than five minutes since Lucien had called. The hallway was clear. Valentina let her training take over.

  You can't go out the front of the building. They'll have that covered. Same for the back.

  She headed for the roof. One of the reasons she'd picked this building was for easy access to the roof. A door at the end of the hall led to a stairwell. She opened it and stepped through. She held the heavy door so it wouldn't slam and shut it behind her.

  The building was nine stories tall and her apartment was on the fifth floor. The stairs were brightly lit. She climbed with the easy movements of a predator, her footsteps barely sounding in the hollow space. A door slammed somewhere below. The echo vibrated up through the stairwell. Rapid footsteps sounded on the stairs, coming toward her. It sounded like two men.

  Valentina reached the door leading onto the flat roof and went through. Gravel crunched under her feet. Overhead, the Paris sky was without stars. The brilliant glow from the city's millions of lights reflected from a canopy of low hanging clouds. There was a smell of April rain in the air.

  The next building over was eight stories high, separated from hers by a narrow alley. It was an easy leap across the gap to the roof on the other side. From there she'd make her escape.

  The footsteps coming up the stairs were close. They'll be here before I can make the jump, she thought. If I make it before they get here, I'll be a target. Even if I get away, they'll know where I've gone.

  She pocketed the Glock. Shots would only bring the police.

  Valentina's voluptuous looks were deceiving. Her curves hid layers of powerful muscles. She stood to the side of the shed and waited. The footsteps paused, then gravel crunched as someone stepped onto the roof. She slammed the open door into the unseen figure with all her strength. The man cried out in pain.

  Valentina came around the door like one of hell's dark angels. She let go with a vicious kick of her steel-toed boot into the fallen man's head. She felt the bones of his face shatter. He screamed. His partner raised a pistol and fired. The shot burned across her upper arm as she drove her stiffened fingers into his throat. He fell backward and rolled down the steps. The body came to rest on the next landing.

  Blood ran warm down her arm but there was no time to treat the wound. Valentina turned and ran across the roof and leapt for the top of the building next door. She rolled as she hit, her jaw clamped tight against the pain of her injured arm. She came up moving and ran to the door leading into the building.

  The distinctive two-tone wail of a French police car sounded in the distance, coming her way. A second siren joined the first.

  Someone heard the shot, she thought.

  Valentina had the door open in seconds. She went down the stairs two steps at a time. She reached the ground floor, followed the hall to the back service entrance and disappeared into the Parisian night.

  CHAPTER 45

  The day after the fiasco with Valentina, Gutenberg was back in his château. He had Krivi on the secure line. They were talking about Brazil.

  "The test has gone even better than we hoped," Krivi said. "Schmidt is quite pleased. The plague is spreading nicely. Brasilia has managed to confine the outbreak to the far North for the moment, but people will continue to die. The vaccine has proven effective. My laboratories are ready for production."

  "When do you plan to announce the discovery?"

  "Later today. There will be delays while the bureaucrats clamor for further testing and safety evaluations for human use. I anticipate that regulations will delay distribution in volume for at least six months."

  "Excellent," Gutenberg said.

  "How is our stockpile of the plague agent?"

  "We have more than enough," Gutenberg said. "It will make the plagues of history pale in comparison."

  "Have you heard from Kamarov?" Krivi asked.

  "I was about to ask you the same thing. No, I haven't. I'm beginning to think something has happened to him."

  "He has many enemies," Krivi said. "I'm surprised he's lasted this long."

  "He has excellent security and government protection."

  "Even the best security can fail against a determined opponent." Krivi paused. "You didn't call me just for an update."

  "You know me too well, old friend. We have a problem. Valentina has betrayed me."

  "Ah. For a younger man? I thought you were above that sort of thing."

  "Another man in her bed would mean little," Gutenberg said, "though I do expect exclusivity from my mistresses. This is worse than that. She's been spying on me. Someone else is now aware of our plans."

  "Thorvaldson told me your emails had been compromised," Krivi said. "That certainly is a problem. What have you done with
her?"

  "Somehow she knew I'd found her out. I sent men as soon as I discovered her treachery but she killed them. She's escaped."

  "Killed them? The lovely Valentina? I never would have guessed she had such skills."

  "She installed a program on my computer to monitor my correspondence. She's working for someone with sophisticated resources."

  "One of your competitors?"

  "No. Valentina was well-trained, she was armed and she was ready to kill in order to escape. She has to be working for a government. Whoever it is knows who we are. That means they are a serious threat."

  "The others will be upset by this development," Krivi said. "Mitchell has expressed doubts to me about your leadership. He may try to use this to remove you."

  "You didn't tell me Mitchell had approached you."

  "I did not feel it was necessary. My sense was that he was exploring possibilities, sounding me out as a possible ally. I left him with the impression that I was open to persuasion. Personally, I think he's an ass."

  Gutenberg laughed. "The fact that the Americans elect people like him to run their country never ceases to amaze me."

  "He is very convincing in front of the cameras," Krivi said. "I could almost believe he was telling the truth if I didn't know better."

  "An accomplished politician," Gutenberg said. "He may be an ass but he has been effective at furthering our goals. We don't have to like him."

  "It is very easy for me not to like him."

  "In any event, this spying cannot be tolerated."

  "I have asked my man to find out who is listening in," Krivi said. "He said it will take a little time."

  "But he can do it."

  "Yes," Krivi said.

  "Good."

  "Perhaps we could draw them out."

  "What do you mean?" Gutenberg asked.

  "Because of your ex mistress they know we released the plague in Brazil. That makes us a threat to them. If I were them, I would want to remove that threat."

  "You think they'll come after us."

  "It's possible. They could target us individually but I have a better idea."