Clare blew out her cheeks. ‘Jesus, that’s all we need. I’ve heard of him but I thought he’d retired. He’s one of their grey wolves from the old days. A hardliner.’ She frowned. ‘Hang on. He did retire, I’m certain of it. He fell out with his new bosses when the FSB took over from the old KGB. He didn’t like the new touchy-feely approach and thought they’d lost their edge.’
‘Ballatyne said he disappeared for a while, then came back recently.’
She raised her eyebrows. ‘It happens. But only in special circumstances.’
‘Like what?’
‘Well, think about it: if someone’s needed for something deniable, he’d be ideal. He’s retired and has no provable link to official operations.’
‘That’s a bit lame, isn’t it?’ Rik said. ‘Like anyone would believe it. Once FSB, always FSB, I thought.’
She gave a hint of a shrug. ‘You asked. I told you. They’re deniable or. .’
‘Or what?’
‘Or they’re here without sanction. Completely off the books.’
‘Is that likely?’
‘If the right man gave the order, yes.’ Her tone of voice told them who she thought that right man was. There was only one.
The Russian president.
‘They did Litvinenko,’ said Rik. ‘So why not Tobinskiy?’
‘But this time,’ Harry pointed out, ‘they know the world is watching.’ He thought it over. Tobinskiy had been murdered, according to early suspicions, although there was no guarantee that the UK authorities would come out and say so. The scandal would be immense unless they could provide solid proof to the world’s court of opinion. If not, there would be a diplomatic and trade backlash from Moscow. Without it, they would have to sit on their hands, powerless to make a solid case.
But Clare Jardine was the proof; she was the only witness who could put the Russians at the scene of Tobinskiy’s death. And their clumsy attempt to kill her in Pimlico would only add fuel to the suspicions.
Unless they could silence her for good.
He turned back to Clare, trying to find a way of convincing her to help. He had run several ideas through his mind, but nothing seemed to fit. Because ever since last night, he’d been thinking of only one way to find the two Russians and stop them coming after them. ‘There must be a way to stop them. If we don’t, they’ll keep coming. And if they’ve got inside access to security and intelligence personnel files, they’ll know your details. . and they’ll soon know ours.’
Her eyes were unfathomable, and he wondered if she wasn’t suffering some kind of sensory overload. He would have been in similar circumstances. But somehow he had to reach her.
‘You’re in danger,’ he said. ‘The only way to stop this is to catch the hit team or to blow it wide open. Or threaten to, anyway. Then you have to disappear. For good.’
‘How?’ Her voice sounded distant, tired. Lost.
‘We get in touch with the one person who might be able to help you.’
‘Who?’
‘Katya Balenkova.’
There was no reaction. In fact Clare showed no signs of having heard him. The silence in the flat was total.
‘Clare?’ Rik spoke up, one eye on Harry.
Harry’s phone rang. He ignored it. Now wasn’t the time to break the spell. They had to get her to respond.
‘Are you saying Katya wouldn’t help? Or couldn’t?’ he said carefully. ‘Think about it. She’s in the Federal Protective Service. She might be able to get word to someone who could stop these bozos.’ He didn’t want to mention that there had once been a relationship of sorts between the two women; that in times of dire need you used what you could, real or tentative. Neither did he want to find out that they had parted in hate and he was wasting his time.
The phone was still ringing. Then it stopped, leaving a note hanging in the air.
Almost immediately, Rik’s landline began ringing. And his mobile.
Harry’s radar twitched. Something was wrong.
He reached across and hit the audio button on the landline base. It was Ballatyne. He sounded terse, his voice bursting hollowly in the room.
‘Harry, you have to get out of there. Two men paid an early morning visit to Jardine’s old address. The owners were away, but the place was trashed as if they were searching for something. A neighbour called it in and the address showed a red light. If they’ve got her old address, we’d best count on them having yours and Ferris’s, too. There’s a squad on the way to your place and another on the way to Paddington to intercept, but you’d better not wait. Call me when you can. Now go.’
The phone went dead.
THIRTY-EIGHT
‘Out,’ said Harry. ‘Grab and go.’ He snatched up his gun and checked the load. Rik was already doing the same and reaching for his car keys and a panic bag. Clare was slower in moving, but it was obvious her training was kicking in. Neither of them bothered asking why; they knew.
‘Down the fire stairs,’ said Rik softly, closing the flat door behind them. He set off along the corridor to a plain maroon door in the corner. He eased it open, allowing the air to move without any movement or sound. He peered through the gap into the stairwell.
Empty.
With Harry helping Clare and watching their backs, they descended the stairs, listening to sounds coming from the other flats and from the outside. More than anything they were listening for the sound of footsteps.
They reached the ground floor and Rik pointed to a door at the side of the building. It had a fire bar and a glass panel, and a view across a path to a gate in a brick wall. Through the gap they could see pedestrians and cars and an adjacent street.
Rik nodded towards the gap. ‘Go. I’ll get my car and meet you in the street.’ Then he stepped towards the fire door and pushed it open, checking that all was clear before signalling the others to follow. The moment they were out in the open, he moved away and was gone, striding across a small car park with his mobile pressed to his face and his gun held inside his jacket.
His Audi was parked in the far corner. He reached it and opened the door, climbed in and started the engine. Placed the gun on the passenger seat, covered with an old newspaper.
As he went to drive forward, two men appeared at the entrance to the car park. One was tall and slim, the other was heavyset, like a wrestler. The tall man continued walking towards the front entrance; his colleague turned and entered the car park. He had one hand inside his jacket.
Rik watched, hardly daring to move. He was parked in shadow here, and unless the other man looked directly at him, he should avoid detection. Even so, he reached for his gun and slipped the safety in readiness.
The wrestler approached the main rear door, through which most residents came and went, and which was too often left open. Like now. He reached out with his free hand and pulled the door open, hesitated, then stepped inside and disappeared from view.
Rik let out his breath and put his gun back on the seat, safety on. Go or stay?
This could all end now, if he played it right. Up behind the wrestler, take him out and wait for his colleague to come down the stairs. No more need for Clare to run, no need to wait for the knock on the door. Except that things didn’t always go the way you planned. The tall man might go for broke and take a hostage, or shoot his way out. Others could get hurt. And what if the squad Ballatyne had sent turned up right in the middle of it? They were unlikely to ask for ID before opening fire on a man with a weapon in his hand.
He left the gun where it was and started the engine, drove out of the car park and into the street, turning right to complete the square and bring him back down the street where Harry and Clare were waiting.
Harry, meanwhile, had moved through the gap in the wall and found himself on a quiet one-way street. Cars were parked on one side only, with a line of wheelie bins huddled across the other side, awaiting collection. He beckoned Clare to come out, and she emerged, holding her stomach but moving freely.
Ever
ything was quiet.
A car started up behind the wall. Harry recognised the throaty hum of Rik’s Audi. It idled for a few moments, then moved away and was gone.
Harry looked back at the block of flats. There was a chance if they stayed right here that anyone looking out of a rear window at the top might see them. He grabbed Clare’s arm.
‘Come on,’ he said, and led her up the street towards the top where Rik would have to enter. By the time they got there, Rik was waiting.
Two minutes later they were out of the street.
Harry texted Ballatyne. Away amp; clear. We need to meet now. Richx
‘What the hell are we doing here?’ Clare stared around her with a look of disbelief at the decor of Richoux in Piccadilly. She was huddled in a corner seat, arms crossed tightly over her middle. ‘I thought we were going to see Ballatyne.’
After a fast drive from Paddington, with Rik taking a series of diversions in case they had been followed, they had ended up in the restaurant and grabbed a rear table well away from other customers.
‘We are,’ said Harry. ‘But he’s shy about introducing us to his colleagues. He thinks we might put our feet on the table. Anyway, the coffee here is better.’
‘And we don’t have to give up our weapons,’ Rik murmured.
At that moment, Ballatyne walked in and approached their table, leaving his minder by the door, watching the street.
‘If I didn’t know you better, I’d think you fancied me,’ the MI6 man said to Harry. He sat down, signalling for the waiter to bring coffee, and placed a bulky brown envelope on the table by his side. ‘Signing off a text with “Richx” is a bit risky, isn’t it? You never know who might be hacking into your phone these days.’ He nodded at Rik and received a vague hand wave in return, and gave a wan smile to Clare. She didn’t respond.
He raised an eyebrow and said, ‘So what happened?’
‘We were leaving,’ Harry replied, ‘and Rik spotted two men answering the description you gave us. We got out just ahead of them. Thanks for the tip.’
Ballatyne’s eyebrows went up. ‘Close call. I checked with the squad we sent round, but they didn’t see anyone. They were held up in traffic.’ He shrugged. It happened. ‘What can I do to help?’ He was speaking to Harry but looking at Clare.
‘Katya Balenkova. How do we get hold of her?’
Ballatyne looked surprised. ‘Boy, you don’t ask much, do you? Why do you want to contact her?’
‘If we don’t stop these guys,’ Rik replied, ‘they’ll stop us. If we do stop them, they’ll send someone else — someone we don’t know.’
‘And you think Balenkova might help you? Dream on — she’s a Federal Protective Service officer, which makes her all but FSB in name only. Why would she put herself at risk?’
‘She might consider it’s worth it.’ Harry gave a fractional tilt of his head towards Clare.
‘What — you think because of their little fling Balenkova will turn on her old bosses?’ If he thought the comment undiplomatic, he didn’t show it.
‘Litvinenko did. Tobinskiy did.’ It was the first time Clare had spoken, and surprised them all. Her voice sounded cracked and dry, as if she had got out of the habit. She was staring at Ballatyne, eyes dulled by tiredness but a firm line to her mouth.
Ballatyne didn’t respond at first. Then he said, ‘You’re ready to go along with this insanity?’
‘Not really. I think Tate’s nuts, but what choice do I have? Anyway, Ferris is right: if the two men who approached me don’t finish this, they’ll send somebody else; maybe not straight away, maybe not even this year. They’ll let the dust settle, then one day they’ll send in another team. It’s the way they do things, you know that.’
Ballatyne looked grim. ‘Fair enough. I suppose I can’t stop you trying.’ He checked his watch. ‘About now, Balenkova’s babysitting three Russian government financial heavyweights at an international banking symposium in Vienna. They’re in the city for three days, glad-handing and talking roubles, euros and dollars.’
‘I don’t believe you.’ Clare spoke forcefully, but with a tinge of uncertainty.
‘Why — you think escorting bankers is beneath her? That they don’t merit equal protection to military chiefs and politicians?’
‘Damn right. She’s one of their best people. She was heading for the top spot, guarding Putin himself.’
‘Was.’
‘Huh?’
‘After you were busted and had to be pulled out, we heard she was suspended for a year or more, under suspicion. Then she was put on a roster looking after bureaucrats and low-level functionaries travelling in and out of Chechnya. Sounds like a punishment squad to me.’
‘She would have hated that.’ Clare sounded saddened by the revelation.
‘Probably. She must have had a hard time convincing her bosses that she hadn’t got anything out of you. . or that you hadn’t managed to turn her. Whatever her specialist FSO skills, she’ll have a good head on her shoulders. She will have heard things in private spoken by her charges, got to know who has doubts, who has a taste for money, women, boys or drugs or any other weakness that can be exploited.’ He tilted his head. ‘It’s attractive stuff for the shrinks who like to know about these things — on both sides.’
‘You’ve been monitoring her?’
‘Of course.’
‘Why? It was a busted operation, for God’s sake!’ She sounded angry, with twin spots of red growing on her cheeks. She slumped back in her seat, as if distancing herself from them all. ‘What was the point?’
‘Get over it.’ Ballatyne’s voice was flat, unapologetic. ‘You know targets are never forgotten that easily.’
Harry and Rik sat very still. Ballatyne clearly knew more about Clare’s aborted operation than he had let on, right down to the fine details. It was a reminder that he had been in the game for a long time, working his way up in the ranks at Vauxhall Cross. He would have been involved in numerous operations, either on the periphery or right in the centre. If he hadn’t, he’d have made it his business to acquaint himself with the file.
‘We were doing exactly what Balenkova’s bosses were doing,’ he continued, eyes fixed on Clare. ‘We had to play safe, so we kept a watching brief. How did we know you hadn’t got turned instead? We didn’t. The only way we could be sure was if Balenkova got busted down the ranks or suspended. Which she did.’
‘So what now?’ said Harry, after a few moments of silence. ‘We need to contact her.’
‘Tonight they’re attending an opening gala dinner. Tomorrow the Russian delegates are dining with the Russian Ambassador at the embassy in Reisnerstrasse. Balenkova and her FSO colleague, if they follow previous habits, will cut loose and do their own thing, leaving the embassy security team to play tag. Separately, I might add. The colleague likes to go and do his own thing when he’s not working, so he shouldn’t be a problem.’
Harry stared at him. ‘You knew what we were thinking of doing.’
‘Not really. But it’s what I would have done in your boots.’ He smiled at Clare. ‘Sorry, but if you hadn’t spoken up, I’d have vetoed the idea. You know her better than anyone; just be sure you’re not walking yourselves into a cold, dark cell.’
Clare shifted in her seat. ‘Does that mean you won’t help us if we get into trouble?’
‘Officially, I can’t. But I’m having Balenkova and her party watched, in case of any deviation from their plans. I can also give you a safe house to go to on the outskirts of the city, with an escort, after you make contact. The rest, though, is up to you.’ He stood up, reaching for the envelope. He took out a slim white folder and dropped it on the table. ‘Flight details and passes for each of you on a military flight out of Northolt this afternoon. Don’t be late.’ He held the brown envelope out to Clare. ‘Where you’re going, you’ll need your passport. It’s in there with the rest of your personal stuff from the hospital. Don’t say I never help you.’
He walked away, ba
ck rigid, and paid at the counter before leaving the restaurant.
THIRTY-NINE
‘I think I’m in love,’ Rik murmured. ‘What’s got into him all of a sudden? He’s usually on our case all the time.’
‘He’s helping, but it’s off the books.’ Harry turned to Clare. ‘You know what this means: you’re coming with us. Are you up to the trip?’
Clare tipped out the contents of the envelope and scooped up her wallet, passport, coins and other personal belongings she’d had on her the day of the shooting. ‘Fuck off, Tate.’
‘I think you said that already.’
‘Why would Katya talk to me, after what he said?’ She tipped her head towards Ballatyne’s departing back. ‘I caused her nothing but grief and lost her God knows how much credibility in her job. She probably hates my guts.’
Harry didn’t have a definite answer to that. But they had to try.
‘You haven’t been in contact with her since?’
She shook her head. ‘Like when? I’ve been too busy being busted, then sent to that shithole in Georgia and helping save your arses. It’s not like I was sitting on my hands doing nothing.’
It was a glimmer of humour. Not much, and tinged with a core of anger. But it was an improvement on anything they had seen so far. ‘Anyway,’ she continued, ‘I didn’t think she’d want to hear from me.’
‘You might be right. But if you meant anything to her, she wouldn’t want to see you taken out by a couple of FSB hotshots, would she? The simple fact is, she won’t give Rik and me the time of day, no matter how we dress it up. But I’m betting she’ll give you a hearing, at the very least. That’s all we need.’
‘What do you hope to achieve?’
‘She might have an answer to this problem. She might not, but it’s worth a try. And it gets you out of the country for a while and away from those two shooters.’
Several moments went by, during which Rik signalled for more coffees. The waitress brought them and left them alone.
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