Critical Play (Michael Cailen Book 3)

by Mel LeBrun

  With a million questions going through his head, Corvo took a deep breath and tried to think of how they could accomplish that. “How far are you from the nearest large city?”

  “At least twelve hours.”

  Corvo ran his fingers through his hair. Hearing Jessica's voice and knowing she was alive and safe, his mind was scrambled eggs. He couldn't think of anything but her. He wanted to see her so bad he could taste it. His arms ached to hold her again. He was going out of his mind.

  “Give me a few minutes. I'll call you back,” Corvo said. “What number can I reach you at?”

  Dmitri recited his number and Corvo hung up the phone. Though he didn't think Corvo would betray him, not knowing how the mercenaries found them left Dmitri feeling uneasy about the communication.

  Jessica was the complete opposite. She felt relieved that Corvo was involved and it showed in her whole countenance. For her, it meant more than just receiving some much needed help. It meant the possibility of speaking with Michael again or at least maybe getting an update on how he was doing. More than anything, she wanted to hear his voice again.

  Ten minutes passed before Dmitri's phone rang.

  “This may not work,” Corvo warned. “To buy you some time, you'll need to call in your arrest through the police radio. I'll tell you what to say. Then you're going to need to disable the car's GPS. I'll walk you through that as well. Once that's done, you'll have to move the car somewhere where it won't be seen. Not sure how you want to handle releasing the cops. They won't survive in the trunk for long and you can't risk them being found before you've had a chance to change vehicles.”

  “We can handle them.”

  “So are you in?”

  “Yeah, we're in.”

  “What town are you headed to?”

  “Does it matter?”

  “I'm going to meet you there.”

  “That's not necessary.”

  “You're going to need me to get across the border.”

  “What makes you think we want to come back to the States?”

  “Because you're about to have every law enforcement agent in all of Canada looking for you.”

  Dmitri groaned. As if they weren't wanted enough already. “I guess we'll meet you in Toronto.”

  “Great. Let's get started.”

  With Corvo coaching him on what to say and how to talk, Dmitri was able to report their arrests and that they were headed back to headquarters with the detainees, thus buying them some time to get clear of the scene. Next they disabled the vehicle's GPS. When they finished, Corvo asked to speak with Jessica again.

  “Hi, Lance,” Jessica warmly greeted him.

  “It's so good to hear your voice.”

  “I wanted to call sooner but Dmitri wouldn't let me. He thinks someone told where we were.”

  “He's just looking out for you.” Corvo didn't want to tell her over the phone that it was Jinx so he brushed it off. “How have you been feeling? How is the morning sickness?”

  “It had been better at my dad's but since we left it's gotten worse again. How is everyone? Have you talked to Michael?”

  “Everyone is fine. I talked with Michael not too long ago. He's fine. Worried about you but we can let him know we talked to you.” Though Corvo was anxious to know what happened at her father's, he wanted to wait until they were face to face before they talked about it. Hearing about what happened to Jinx would be hard to handle. “Look, I'm heading to Toronto right now. I'll be seeing you shortly. We can catch up on everything then.”

  “Tim said you could come?”

  “I didn't ask. I'm just coming. I took time off from the Bureau. Tim can yell at me all he wants. It's not going to change what I do.”

  “Lance, I really can’t thank you enough.”

  “I'm just so glad you're safe, Jess. I'll see you soon.”

  Once the call was over, she handed the phone back to Dmitri. He then turned to the guys and told them to get going. Ivan got back in the truck while Dmitri and Timur put the cops in the back of their own cruiser. Timur then got in the driver's seat. Everyone else got in the truck and they began driving toward Toronto.

  Chapter 30

  Michael and David continued to monitor Grekov's phone calls while David's men tried to track down the burn phone of the man Grekov called. The burn phone was a dead end. Calls to the phone were forwarded to an Internet number which was then bounced around between proxy servers and finally forwarded to a phone that was currently off and had been since Grekov's call. They figured the caller ditched the phone and got a new one. They only thing they learned was that the mystery caller was in Moscow, same as Grekov. But with a population of more than 11 million, that bit of information was hardly helpful.

  Grekov was getting desperate. He called his friend who was connected with the SVR and awkwardly questioned him on the status of the investigation into the missing nuke and whether or not they had located Dmitri and his team. The anxiety could be heard in his voice. He was nervous.

  A few hours later, Grekov made a frantic call to the head of his security detail demanding that they question everyone in his girlfriend's apartment building until they found who had been sheltering the men who attacked him. His guards saw the men leave, but no one had entered the building while they were there. They were sure the men were already waiting inside when they arrived. Grekov wanted someone to pay.

  Michael was immediately concerned that Irina wouldn't withstand an interrogation. He knew they would suspect her first. He expressed his concern to David.

  “She could blow our cover if she tells them anything,” Michael said.

  “There's one way to make sure that doesn't happen,” David replied.

  “Out of the question,” Michael answered.

  “Do you have a better idea?”

  “Yeah, I'll talk to her. Warn her.”

  “You already made it clear she was not to tell anyone. Would more could you say? She will either listen or not. Talking to her again won't change that.”

  “We have to do something,” Michael said.

  “We will listen,” David offered. “See what she says and decide if we have to intervene.”

  “How are we going to do that?”

  “We bugged her place before we left. We've been keeping tabs on her to make sure she hasn't told anyone about us.”

  “We'll have to be close in case we need to step in.”

  “Yes,” David agreed. “We should probably get going.”

  Michael and David parked up the street from the apartment building and listened to the bug in Irina’s apartment. The only sound was the radio.

  “She hasn't spoken to anyone since we left her apartment,” David remarked.

  “That's because she has no one,” Michael replied.

  David looked curiously at Michael. “You barely know this woman, Michael. How is it you seem to care about her?”

  Michael didn't answer. He knew David wouldn't understand.

  “Family life has made you soft.”

  “You say that like it's a bad thing,” Michael replied. “Someday, David, you're going to realize there are better things in life than covert ops. I just hope you'll still be young enough to enjoy them.”

  “Someone has to do it, Michael.”

  “And that's exactly who I'd like to leave it to. Someone else.”

  David shook his head. “When did you change?”

  Michael took his time as he reflected on the question. “When I met my wife,” he finally answered. “There was no way I could do this work and still be there for her. I changed when I realized I wanted her more than this.”

  “Still no word on your family?” David asked.

  “You know there isn't. Why would you even ask?” Michael replied disgusted.

  “I can help you, Michael. Just let me.”

  “It's fine, David. Stay out of it.”

  With neither having anything more to say, they sat quietly waiting for Grekov's men to arrive, which
happened just moments later. As expected, they went to Irina’s apartment first. They heard the knock on the door followed by the sound of it opening.

  “What is it?” the widow asked.

  The men briefly flashed their badges, not really giving her a chance to inspect them. Not that she would have known if they were real or not anyway.

  “Some men were here yesterday. They broke in and attacked your neighbor across the hall. Do you know anything about it?” they asked.

  “No. I don't know anything.”

  “Did you see or hear anything?”

  “No. I listen to the radio. I didn't hear anything else.”

  Grekov's men were on the fence about whether or not to believe her. Though she spoke confidently there was a nervousness about her that made them suspect she knew more than she was saying.

  “May we come in?”

  The last thing she wanted was these men in her apartment, but she felt she had no choice. If she said no, they would probably come in anyway. So she opened the door and let them come inside. They quickly assessed the rooms, looking for signs of recent company. Nothing stood out.

  “Are you satisfied?” the widow asked. “I'm very tired. I don't feel well.”

  Her body language and eagerness to get rid of them only cemented their suspicion.

  “If I'm going to be completely honest. No. I'm not satisfied. I think you're lying to us. I think you do know something and if you don't start talking, things are going to get very uncomfortable for you.”

  Irina couldn't hide her fear. Corruption was a plague that affected nearly every police force in the country. There was no telling what these men were capable of and she didn't really want to find out.

  “We know someone in this building helped the men who attacked your neighbor. Was it you?”

  She was visibly distressed and Grekov's men knew she was hiding something. They were ready to take it to the next level if she didn't comply.

  “Some men did come here,” she admitted.

  Michael anxiously shifted in his seat while David began readying his gun. There was a good chance they would have to take out Grekov's men before they could report back whatever the widow was about to tell them.

  “What did they want?”

  “They said they just needed a place to stay for a few days. They didn't tell me what they were going to do.”

  “Why did you let them stay with you?”

  “They offered me money.” The widow began to cry. “I needed it so I said yes.”

  “How much did they offer you?”

  “Three hundred euros,” she answered.

  Michael grinned when she gave them the wrong amount. He knew then that she wasn't going to tell them anything important.

  “Where is it?” the man asked, wanting to verify her story.

  She opened a drawer in her kitchen and pulled out a wad of bills. It was just over two hundred euros.

  “Where is the rest of it?”

  “I used it to buy food.”

  Still holding the money in his hand he asked if there was anything she could tell them about the men. She shook her head and said they stayed for a few days and then left. She didn't know they had attacked the neighbor.

  “How many men were there?”

  “Five.”

  “And did they all speak with an Arabic accent?”

  Michael and David were nervous again as they waited to hear what the widow's answer would be. Michael hadn't used the accent when speaking with her. His Russian was perfect. That little piece of info, if divulged, could completely blow their cover.

  To David's surprise, the widow lied. “Yes. That was them.”

  Michael wasn't surprised she had lied, just that she had been able to put enough together to know to.

  “Did they say where they were from?”

  “No. They barely spoke to me at all. It's just as well. I was glad when they left.”

  Grekov's men seemed satisfied that she had told them everything. The man holding the money folded it up and slipped it into his pocket.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. “That's my money.”

  “It's ours now. Consider it payment for not having you arrested.”

  Though she wanted to curse them out, she bit her tongue as they left, grateful that she had hid the bulk of the money earlier and only lost a small portion of it.

  Grekov's men called him as they left the building and informed him of what they had found. Irina's story corroborated that the men were of Middle Eastern decent.

  Michael turned to David. “That is one shrewd woman.”

  David just grunted and started the car. He drove back to their place but didn't get out of the car.

  “You coming in?” Michael asked.

  “I will, but I have to call in first. I was supposed to provide an update over an hour ago.”

  “OK. See you inside, I guess.”

  Once Michael left the car, David phoned his superior.

  “What have you learned?” a man asked.

  “Grekov was definitely involved. Cailen knew that going in. As we suspected, he had more intel than he was willing to share,” David answered. “But Grekov wasn't working alone. We're still trying to identify his partner. Cailen might be right about Kirsanov.”

  “Grekov being guilty still doesn't make Kirsanov innocent.”

  “Maybe not, but Cailen seems to know what he's talking about and I'm beginning to believe he's right.”

  “No one is innocent until it is proven that they are. If you find Kirsanov, your orders remain the same.”

  “Yes sir. I understand.”

  “Do you think Cailen knows where Kirsanov is?”

  “It's possible, but I couldn't say for sure.”

  “We need to know what else he knows but isn't sharing.”

  “I'm trying but he doesn't fully trust me.”

  “If we knew what happened to his family, we could use that to our advantage. It's probably his only weak spot.”

  “What would you do if you found them?” David asked.

  There was only silence as a response.

  “What would you do?” David asked again.

  “We haven't decided.”

  David wasn’t pleased. “Messing with this guy's family would not be the smart move. He's more valuable as a friend than an enemy.”

  “All that matters right now is finding that nuke. We will do whatever it takes to do that. How cooperative Cailen is will determine his fate. He's blinded by his friendship. We are not.”

  David grit his teeth and clenched the steering wheel. “We already have one of the men responsible. I'm confident in another day we will have the other.”

  “Fine. I'll give you twenty-four hours. After, that we're switching tactics.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  David joined Michael and the rest of his men, not feeling all that great about the orders he was given. Michael noticed David's troubled demeanor.

  “Things not going well?” Michael asked.

  David quickly brushed away whatever anxiety had been weighing on him. “They're just demanding more progress. Nothing new.”

  Michael nodded understandingly. He was frustrated by the slow progress himself. He wished he was back home with Jessica and Tatiana. As he thought more about his family, his distress over not hearing from them returned with a vengeance. He moved to an empty room and sat on the edge of a cot. His heart raced and his spirit groaned inside him. He held his head in his hands wanting to scream but not being able to. It was in that moment his phone rang.

  “Hello?” he nervously answered.

  “Michael, it's me.” Gatti said.

  “Tim, please tell me you have good news.” Michael barely had the strength to speak.

  “Jessica made contact with Lance. She and Ana are fine. They're with Dmitri, Ivan and Timur. Everyone's OK.”

  “You told me that already.”

  Gatti took a deep breath. “Michael, I know you're going to be angry bu
t it's going to come out anyway and I thought you should hear it from me.”

  “You lied to me about her calling earlier.” Michael had already suspected it.

  “I'm sorry. Look, I can't explain everything right now but please believe me I did what I thought was best.”

  “You lied to me, Tim. You lied to me about my family.” Michael was ready to burst at the seams.

  “I know. I know. I'm sorry, Michael.”

  “So where are they really?” Michael asked trying to keep calm.

  “On their way to Toronto. Lance is going to help them cross back into the States.”

  “Why? What happened?”

  “They had a run-in with Canadian law enforcement. We're taking care of it.”

  Michael ran his hand down his face. “I want to talk to her right now.”

  “I thought you would. I'll patch you through. Hang on one minute.”

  The phone began to ring and soon Jessica's voice came through the phone.

  “Hello?”

  “Jess.” Michael was so happy to hear her voice he could hardly speak.

  “Michael? Is that you?”

  He heard Tatiana call out to him over the phone when she heard Michael's name. It felt like a mountain had just been lifted off his chest. His eyes teared up and he took a few deep breaths to regain control of himself before he spoke again. “Yeah, baby. It's me. How are you doing?”

  “We're fine, Michael. I've been so worried about you.” Jessica was clearly crying which was hardly surprising.

  A brief chuckle escaped his lips. “Yeah. I know the feeling.”

  “Where are you?”

  “Russia.”

  “I guess I shouldn't ask how much longer you'll be gone.”

  “Might not be as long as you think, Jess.”

  “Ana really wants to talk to you.”

  “Put her on.”

  “Daddy, when are you coming home? I miss you.”

  “I miss you too, sweetheart. How is Dmitri treating you?” Michael tried to shift her focus to something else.

  “Fine. Mommy is real sick. You need to come here and take care of her,” Tatiana told him.

  Her words cut him to the core. Michael knew he should be there taking care of his family. And while he wanted to be home caring for his wife and daughter, at the same time he couldn’t turn his back on Dmitri. He felt trapped. No matter what he did, he would have to live with regret. There was no escaping it and his frustration with the situation was nearing epic proportions.