Critical Play (Michael Cailen Book 3)

by Mel LeBrun

  He had no choice but to confront them. Though if he was going to do that, it would be on his terms. He threw his body against the door where they were standing in hopes that he would capture enough of their attention to investigate without calling it in. He then grabbed a chair by the door and waited. As expected the door opened. He swung the chair knocking one guard completely out while the other simply lost his balance. While he was dazed, Michael grabbed hold of his head and brought his knee up into the man's face. Michael pushed him to the floor and ran from the room. He had minutes to not only to get outside of the airport, but also away from it before it became impossible.

  Knowing most of the security staff wouldn't know what he looked like since the phone tip had pegged him about to board a plane, Michael reentered the public area of the airport. He grabbed a luggage bag from a family that was too distracted with purchasing food and walked quickly through the airport. The luggage helped him to look like a hurried traveler rather than an escaping convict. He left the luggage at the main entrance and took off outside. He flagged down a taxi and was soon on his way. He directed the taxi driver to a location that was near a series of bus stops and the subway. He paid with cash from the security guard's wallet and stepped out. He didn't take the bus or subway though because he knew it was only a matter of time before they tracked down the cab that brought him there. Besides, that Mossad and the Russians would be watching all public transportation. So instead he walked to the only place he could think where he might find safe haven.

  He finally arrived at a familiar apartment building. He took the stairs up and stood in front of the apartment, wondering what kind of reception he would get. He knocked and waited. The door cracked open and he smiled warmly at the tenant. It was Irina, the elderly widow who lived across from Grekov's girlfriend. With Grekov dead, there wasn't much likelihood of his men returning to the apartment or that David's men were still monitoring her.

  “Why are you here?” she asked.

  “I need your help. Please.”

  After taking a moment to think about it, she opened the door and let him in. Michael gestured for her to remain quiet as he walked in. He began searching her apartment, gathering the listening devices that Mossad had placed.

  “What are you doing?” she whispered, not understanding what he was looking for.

  He responded with another gesture to be quiet. After he found the first listening device, she understood why. When he had gathered all the devices he tossed them into the dishwater in her sink. Though he didn't think Mossad was still listening, he didn't want to take the risk. Her phones were still vulnerable but he didn't plan on making any calls using her phone anyway.

  “I'm sorry,” Michael turned to her. “I know I'm intruding.”

  “What were those things? And why were they in my house?” she asked somewhat indignantly.

  “The men I was working with placed them there to watch over you,” Michael answered. He didn't want to tell her it was because they didn't trust her to hold up her end of the bargain. “We were listening when those men came to your apartment. If they had tried to hurt you, we would have stepped in to protect you.”

  The woman had mixed feelings about being spied upon. Michael could see from the expression on her face that she was disturbed by the news.

  “I'm sorry. You were never meant to know. Please don't be angry. We did it to protect you.”

  Irina shook her head and waved him off. “I am an old lady. I don't have time to be angry. What do you need from me?”

  “Some money. A place to stay for a little while. I will compensate you for your trouble. You have my word,” Michael assured her.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked, apparently not requiring any further explanation.

  Michael smiled. “Very.”

  “Go wash up then. I will warm you something to eat.”

  Michael came back into the kitchen after washing his hands and face in the bathroom and took a seat as she finished at the stove.

  “I really appreciate your help, Mrs. Sokolov.”

  She looked back at him and smiled. She began putting the food on a plate for him as she replied, “You may call me Irina if you like.”

  He smiled. “I really appreciate your help, Irina.”

  She set the food in front of him. “To be honest, it feels good to be needed.” She sat in the chair across from him as he began to eat. “I have thought about you a lot since you left. You reminded me so much of my grandson. So polite. So helpful. I miss him very much.”

  “I can't even imagine.”

  “Do you have children?” she asked.

  Michael hadn't planned on revealing any personal information and took his time responding as he weighed the pros and cons of doing so.

  Feeling awkward with the silence that followed her question, Irina shrugged it off. “It's OK. We don't have to talk.” She started to leave the table.

  “I have a daughter,” he finally admitted.

  Irina was pleased that the conversation wasn't over.

  “She's adopted,” he continued. “But I love her so much. I couldn't imagine life without her.”

  Irina smiled and relaxed back into her chair. “What made you decide to adopt?”

  “She was abandoned. She had been through a lot of trauma. My wife and I wanted to give her a good home.” Michael lost himself in his own thoughts as he spoke. “Give her the best chance at a normal life.” As he said the words he felt sick to his stomach. Normal wasn't fleeing across the continent with strange men who were wanted for terrorism. Normal wasn't watching her mother deteriorate while her father was on the other side of the world.

  Irina saw the change in him. “Is something wrong?”

  “No,” Michael replied and tried to continued eating.

  “If you don't want to talk about it, I understand. But you are clearly troubled.”

  Michael sighed. “I should be home with her.”

  “When will you be able to do that?”

  He shook his head. “I don't know. Soon, I hope.”

  They sat silently as Michael finished the last few bites of his meal.

  “Is there anything you need?” Irina asked.

  “A phone.”

  “You can use my phone,” she offered.

  “No. I need a phone that can't be traced to you or anyone else.”

  “You need to buy one then?”

  “Yes.”

  “I suppose you need money for that?” she said.

  “Yes,” he answered again. “But I will go tomorrow to get it. I'm really tired.”

  “Sure. You can stay in the guest room again.”

  “Thank you.”

  The next morning, Irina gave Michael some money and he set off to buy a phone. He had thought about asking her to get it to minimize the risk of him being spotted. But on the off chance that he got caught or his phone became compromised, he didn't want images of her on a security camera purchasing the phone. The KGB might be gone and the Soviet Union dissolved, but Russia's shadow agents were still among the most brutal in the world.

  He left the store and was about to phone Gatti when he remembered the time difference. He groaned and headed back to Irina's to wait for a more decent time to call. Irina was making breakfast when he returned. He ate and watched the news before finally calling Gatti.

  “Hello?” Gatti answered, sounding like he hadn't even had one cup of coffee yet.

  “Tim, it's me.”

  “Michael?” Gatti looked at the clock on his nightstand. “You couldn't have waited another hour?”

  “Yeah, kinda anxious to get back to my family, Tim. Be glad I waited three hours.”

  Gatti sat up and rubbed his eyes. “Yeah, I know. Look, Martin wants to come help you. Jinx was released from the hospital yesterday. She's doing much better. Josh doesn't need him as much.”

  “I'm on my own, Tim. If he wants to help, I'm not going to turn him down.”

  “OK. I'll make the arrangements. I'm not sure
how much help he will be if you're still going with the terrorist angle.”

  “I don't know if that's going to work. We may have to come at this from another angle. I've been running through different scenarios in my head. When Martin gets here, we can settle on one.”

  “All right. We'll talk after he lands then.”

  Chapter 36

  The time arrived to bring Jessica to the airport. and they vacated the hotel. Dmitri, Ivan, and Timur took their positions in the back seat of the truck behind the dark tinted glass where they would be difficult to spot. Tatiana sat in Timur's lap while Jessica was in front. Corvo's first stop was to pick up Jessica and Tatiana's fake passports. He drove to a little book store downtown. It looked quaint and individually owned.

  Corvo entered the store and came out a few minutes later with what looked like a purchase. He handed the bag to Jessica, told her it was her new ID and plane tickets, and that she needed to get very familiar with it on their way to the airport. Despite feeling carsick Jessica memorized both she and Tatiana's passport. With Tatiana's being mostly a reflection of her own, it wasn't as difficult as she had thought it would be and she was feeling fairly confident by the time they pulled up to the passenger drop off.

  Corvo kept the truck running as he stepped from it and came around to the passenger's side to see Jessica and Tatiana off. Tatiana climbed through the front seat and joined Jessica and Corvo on the curb.

  “Be careful,” Jessica said to Corvo.

  He smiled as he looked in her eyes. “I will.”

  “I wish you could come with me,” she said. She was very tired of traveling alone.

  “Me too, Jess.” Unable to retrain himself, he pulled her into his arms and held her. Feeling her hug him back made it almost impossible to pull himself away. He just wanted to hold on and never let go. But with Dmitri and the others watching on and the likelihood that Jessica would start to think something was up, he managed to pull himself together and do it.

  He gave her some last-minute instructions on how to get through customs without raising any suspicion and quizzed her on her ID. Satisfied that she would be OK, he told her to go in and watched as she and Tatiana entered the airport. His heart was pounding with each step she took. When they finally disappeared from sight, he returned to the truck and drove off.

  Jessica entered the airport alone with her eight-year-old daughter, feeling worried about how they would pass through customs, if anybody would be there to meet them when they landed, and if they would be safe. She worried about Michael. How was he doing? Was he making progress? Would he be home soon? She forced herself to focus on the task at hand as she approached the security checkpoint. With only one carry-on filled with electronics and very few clothes, she wondered if they would give her trouble. She tried to smile as she handed their passports and tickets to the security agent. As the agent closely scrutinized their travel documents, Jessica couldn't help but feel anxious. But then the agent smiled and handed back their documents and allowed them to continue on to further screening. As they were passing through security, Jessica starting feeling unwell, which actually worked in her favor this time. Instead of looking anxious and suspicious, she simply looked sick. They passed through without incident. Before long they were boarding the plane to Boston.

  After getting Tatiana settled and buckled in, Jessica had a moment to relax before the plane took off. She watched the people as they struggled with their luggage, searched for their seats. Some looked happy. Some looked stressed. A family caught her eye. A husband and wife with their two boys, maybe 5 and 8 years old. They seemed happy, carefree almost. The father took charge making sure all their luggage was stowed away while the wife settled the boys into their seats.

  The sight of the cheerful family compounded the loneliness Jessica was already feeling. She looked down at Tatiana who hadn’t been right since the incident at her father’s and felt resentful that Michael wasn’t there. She missed Michael terribly and worried for him. She tried not to think about what would happen if he never came home but the thought relentlessly and mercilessly pursued her. As the plane began take off Jessica tried to push thoughts of Michael from her mind. That became much easier once they were in the air and her morning sickness kicked in.

  A few hours later the plane was touching down and Jessica's next concern became getting through customs. Traveling with a young child and a bag of mostly electronics was bound to look suspicious. She also had to contend with a new wave of nausea as the flight had not done her any favors. She used more than one air sickness bag, and by the end of the flight just wanted to lay down.

  Corvo had coached her on what to say. Even though the agents gave her a bit of a hard time, she was able to pass through, much to her relief. As they headed towards the exit, Jessica looked down at Tatiana walking next to her. Quiet and calm, one would never know the harrowing events that she had recently endured. Jessica feared that it had set her back. When she and Michael adopted Tatiana she had come from a life of fear and uncertainty. In the two years since then, she had made remarkable progress, in spite of the occasional nightmares.

  Michael had been instrumental in her developing a sense of security. Though Jessica was nurturing and loving like any good mother, Michael was able to comfort her in her mother tongue, something Jessica simply could not do. Seeing the gentle and kind way that Michael dealt with Jessica also helped to rebuild Tatiana's trust in men. She saw that not all men were horrible monsters, inflicting their whims on those weaker than themselves.

  As Jessica reflected on all the progress they had made with Tatiana, she feared it may all be lost as her daughter numbly walked beside her. She shuddered to think of how Tatiana would cope if something happened to Michael and he never returned home. Though she also wanted to help Dmitri, she wondered if perhaps the price they might have to pay would be worth it in the end.

  As Jessica was wondering where they would go and how they would get there, she caught sight of someone who she never would have expected to see. There, like a godsend, was Timothy Gatti. Standing near were two bodyguards. She smiled when she saw him, feeling relieved to see a familiar face.

  “Tim, I didn't expect to see you here,” she said as she extended her arms to hug him.

  “It didn't seem right to send someone else,” he answered as they embraced. “Do you have any luggage to claim?”

  “No. Just the bag I have.”

  “OK. Let's go.” Gatti put his hand on her back and gestured toward the door.

  They stepped outside the airport to a black SUV with more agents in a second SUV parked just behind it. One of the agents took Jessica's bag and placed it in the back while she helped Tatiana inside. Gatti took the front passenger's seat while one agent got in the backseat and the other took the wheel. The two trucks were soon on the highway.

  “Where are we going?” Jessica asked.

  “Josh and Jinx are staying with Kevin at his house. We have some agents keeping watch. I thought it would be best if you stayed there too. I hope that's OK.”

  “I thought Kevin was at Disney with the girls?”

  “He was. But we've determined he is under no immediate threat. None of you are actually, but we're still taking precautions.”

  “What do you mean 'none of us are'?” Jessica asked. “How is that possible after what happened to me and especially Jinx?”

  “I really can't get into details, Jess. But intelligence is my business.” Gatti looked back at her with a reassuring smile. “Trust me. You have nothing to worry about.”

  “Then why the guards?” Jessica asked not feeling quite as confident.

  “Just an extra precaution. Like carrying pepper-spray. You’ll probably never need it but it's better to have it.”

  Jessica still wasn't convinced but she was too tired to argue. “They released Jinx from the hospital?” she asked.

  “Yeah,” Gatti answered. “Shortly after you called. Whatever you said to her seemed to snap her back. She's still medicated, an
d Josh is keeping a close watch, but at least she's improving.”

  “I'm relieved to hear it. I can't wait to see her.”

  “I'm sure she feels the same.”

  Despite Gatti's reassurances, Jessica still felt ill at ease. She looked down at Tatiana who was simply staring out the window, quiet and emotionless. Jessica hoped that being around Kevin and the girls might help Tatiana recover from recent events.

  But as she reflected on it all, she noticed they weren't headed towards Kevin's neighborhood. She furrowed her brown in confusion as they passed a familiar landmark.

  “Why are we at the hospital?” Jessica asked as they pulled into Massachusetts General.

  “You need to get a clean bill of health before you go any further,” Gatti answered.

  “I just need to rest.”

  “I'd like to hear that from the doctor,” Gatti replied.

  Jessica closed her eyes and when she opened them again she was in a hospital bed hooked up to an IV and monitors. She sat up alarmed.

  “Jess, it's OK.” Gatti sat up in the chair next to her.

  She looked at him. “What the hell happened?”

  “You passed out.”

  “When?” she asked.

  “Virtually the moment we arrived.”

  “What time is it? How long have I been here?”

  “You've only been here an hour. They ran your bloodwork. Your vitals are normal. Just dehydrated and slightly malnourished, not to mention exhausted.”

  “Where's Ana?”

  “She's just outside sitting with my agents.”

  “How is she?”

  “Quiet.”

  Jessica lay back down trying to calm herself. “She hasn't said much since ... since my father's. Have you not heard anything yet?”

  The look that came over Gatti's face told her everything she needed to know but she wouldn't believe it. He leaned forward in his seat and seemed to ponder for a long time what he was going to say next. Finally, he took a deep breath and said, “There is no easy way to say this, Jess. Your father is dead.”