Nick’s eyes blazed as he got to his feet. “I don’t know,” he said, “But it’s going to be better than she has now. Maybe the agency gives her to a new couple.” He looked down at her. “She’s out there somewhere. Are you coming, or am I doing this myself?”
She stood up. “Of course I’m coming with you. My papa and cousin are out there, too.”
“We need to go after Alexander’s men first.”
“I thought you wanted to get Andrei away from Alexander?”
“I do, but what’s the first thing Alexander’s going to do when we attack?”
She nodded. “Call for help.”
“Yep. And they’ll already be on their way, because they’ll have heard the shots. So we need to take out the cavalry first.”
She almost smiled. “OK, so we go to the warehouse.”
The warehouse was off to their left, near the river. They stayed behind the line of cars until they were close to the water, then ran across an open space to the corner of the huge building. Once pressed up against the metal wall, they heard a voice inside. One voice, shouting orders. It sounded as if it was just on the other side of the wall.
They backtracked and ran around the side of the structure. They found a cracked door facing the river and eased themselves in. The voice had ceased shouting but they could hear sounds of men moving in the front of the warehouse. It was quiet where they were, but they hid behind a pillar, pressed against each other, weapons pointing towards the catwalks crawling across the ceiling.
They were surrounded by tall shelves, probably ten or twelve feet high. Tall, but less than halfway up to the catwalks. Items perched on the shelves in haphazard fashion. Boxes here, open lights or pipes or flanges there, unidentified bulges under gray or blue tarps. It looked like Gorev handled a lot of industrial components coming down the river. But he didn’t handle them very efficiently.
“What now?” Anya whispered.
Nick motioned towards the front of the warehouse. “Alexander’s guys probably outnumber Gennady’s by two-to-one, right?”
Anya nodded.
“And nobody’s firing.”
Another nod.
“So your papa’s guys are probably down. But the winners are moving around like they’re not done yet. So they’re either looking for someone or something.” He glanced around at the items on the shelves. “But they won’t want any of this stuff. So, unless papa’s hiding money in here, they’re looking for somebody.”
“Fair enough,” Anya said. “Either they know somebody got away or they’re mopping up.”
“So let’s make sure they find somebody.”
Anya nodded. She slid around to the other side of the pillar and looked out. “We can stay hidden here until they walk into us,” she said as she pointed to a cluttered area. Boxes, a tarp. Ideal for an ambush, Nick thought. Anya continued to circle the pillar until she faced Nick.
Her eyes slipped down to his chest. She froze.
“Don’t. Move.” Her face remained still as she whispered the words, her lips barely moving.
Nick instinctively glanced down, moving his eyes as much as he could without moving his head. “What? Spider?”
“Worse.”
“Not to me. I hate spiders.”
“No, this is worse. Left breast.”
He tilted his head down as little as he had to, and moved his eyes to the left. He felt a chill go through his body.
In the middle of his left breast, five or six inches down from his collar bone, his shirt was lit up with a red dot.
He knew those dots well. He had used them many times when aiming on a sniper scope outfitted with a laser sight. Typically whoever wore one of his red dots had seconds to live.
“Shit,” he mumbled.
“Don’t move,” Anya said again.
She was right, he knew. There was no chance he could duck out of the way fast enough. He’d be dead before he moved an inch.
He breathed in. He breathed out. He felt sweat roll down his side.
And then his phone rang.
Chapter 41
The phone buzzed in his pocket. He didn’t move, except for an initial jump. It rang three times and stopped.
“What?” Anya whispered.
“My phone rang.”
“You’re busy.”
“No shit,” Nick said. If they were going to shoot, why didn’t they do it? Unless they wanted to kill him by heart attack, which was a distinct possibility.
The phone buzzed again. It was in his right pants pocket. He slowly moved his hand down to the pocket. He didn’t reach in. He didn’t want whoever was on the other end of the scope to think he was reaching for anything lethal. He placed his palm over the phone and felt it buzz twice more before it stopped again.
The rod dot began to move. It slowly drifted down and to the right, before coming to rest on top of his hand.
The phone buzzed again.
“I think they want me to answer it,” Nick said. He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled the phone out slowly. It was on the third buzz before he hit the talk button.
He just as slowly lifted the phone to his ear. “Who is this?” he asked.
“Bang,” said a voice.
Nick paused. He knew the voice.
“Pyotr?”
“Da. I thought you could use some help.”
“Are you at the other end of this dot?”
“Da.”
“You ain’t helping.”
Nick heard a quiet chuckle. “But I got your attention,” Pyotr said.
Nick exhaled into the phone loudly. “You sure did,” he said. He looked down at the light again and then up, towards the center of the warehouse.
“Further up, towards the ceiling,” Pyotr said.
Nick looked at the catwalks. The light was low near the ceiling, but he could make out a vague shape about halfway across one of the structures. It moved slightly and when Nick looked down again the red dot was gone.
“Thank you,” he told Pyotr. “And thank you for coming. I didn’t think you would.”
“I wasn’t going to, and I’m not doing it for you, but I’ll help you,” Pyotr replied. His voice was a whisper in Nick’s ear. Nick assumed he had a headset. “Tom called me as well, so I thought it must be important.”
Nick smiled. Good old Tom.
Pyotr continued. “I won’t shoot because they’ll trace the bullet back to me, but I’ll spot for you.”
Nick nodded. He knew Pyotr would see movement through his scope. “Fair enough. What do you have?”
“Six men,” the detective said. “I have eyes on three of them working their way towards you. The other three are off to my right.”
“I thought there’d be eight.”
“Possible, I haven’t been here long. I think I saw them all.”
“Any of them together?”
“No. They split up. Oh, and there are two bodies near the door.”
Damn. “Noted,” Nick said. He put the phone down but kept the connection open. He placed his gun on the floor gently, took out his knife, and extended the blade. Anya glanced from the blade to his face. He said, “Three guys coming our way. I want to take them out without noise.”
“OK.”
“Three more on the other side of the warehouse.”
“OK.”
“And two of your papa’s men are down.”
She pursed her lips and nodded.
Nick picked up the phone again. “OK, where are they?”
The first was on the other side of a bank of shelves, working his way to the end where Nick and Anya stood. Nick motioned Anya back behind a large stack of boxes, turned his phone off, and put it in his pocket. He crept along the side of the shelves until he came to the end, hidden from the target by the shelves. Unless the man was psychic he wouldn’t know what hit him.
Nick glanced at the shelves he was pressed up against, trying to see through them to his target. The shelves were stacked with metal rods. No
use trying to see through them.
He looked closer at the rods. They were two feet long and easily gripped in one hand. They looked to be iron. Nick figured they were plumbing supplies, and the Russians hadn’t made it to PVC piping yet.
He grabbed one of the pipes, careful not to make any sounds, and hoisted it in his hands. He swung it around at his side, getting a feel for it.
He liked it. Alexander’s men didn’t deserve to die. Not yet. He put the knife away.
Nick held the pipe in his left hand, the hand nearest the edge of the shelving unit, and waited. He slowed his breath, calmed his nerves, and visualized what was to come.
The phone in his pocket buzzed. Instantly Nick swung out into the aisle, pipe headed right for the unsuspecting face of the enforcer. The man was looking off to the side, and his brain didn’t have time to recognize the threat before Nick was on him.
The iron pipe hit the side of the guy’s skull with a sickening thud. Nick finished his swing and clamped his other hand over the man’s mouth as they both dropped to the floor.
Nick gently placed the guy’s head on the concrete floor. His eyes were rolled up in his head, but he had a pulse. Faint and fluttery, but a pulse.
Nick stood up and pulled the phone from his pocket just as it vibrated again.
“Spasiva,” he told Pyotr. “Good timing.”
“There’s another one, two rows over, towards me. Heading in the same direction.”
“Got it,” Nick said. He pocketed the phone again and crept quickly across the two aisles. He pressed up against the edge of the shelves again, pipe ready, and waited for the phone to buzz.
“Two down,” he whispered to Anya a moment later as he returned to their hiding spot. She looked at him with something close to anger in her eyes.
“What?” he asked.
“You just knifed two people to death,” she whispered.
“No,” Nick said. He held up the pipe. “I didn’t kill anybody. Not this time, anyway. They’re going to have a hell of a headache when they wake up, but they’ll survive.”
Anya smiled. “I’m glad. They aren’t the enemy.”
“Well, they kind of are, Anya. But they don’t deserve to die because they were unlucky enough to sign on with Alexander.”
“Agreed. And they might be on our side tomorrow.”
Nick looked at her sideways. “So you aren’t really concerned about me killing two bad guys. You’re more concerned about me killing two potential good guys.”
She shrugged. “I’m a realist. I only like to kill bad guys.”
Nick shook his head, then jumped slightly as the phone buzzed in his pocket. He popped it open quickly and put it to his ear. “Third man?” he said.
“No,” Pyotr said in a rush. “Fourth. He just popped up and is moving towards you. Fast.”
“Does he know we’re here?”
“How the hell would I know?”
Nick put the phone down and said to Anya, “New guy, heading our way.”
“Damn,” Anya said. “One of Alexander’s?”
“We have to assume so,” Nick said as he eyed the pipe in his hand. “I hope I find out for sure before I brain him.”
This guy was noisier than the others had been. And faster. Nick hit the edge of the shelving units just as a shape appeared around the corner. Nick swung the pipe but the other man had sharp reflexes. He raised his left arm and blocked the thrust. Nick felt a thud as the pipe connected with the man’s forearm. The man cursed.
Nick pulled the pipe back and was ready to swing again when he caught a glimpse of his opponent’s face. The scar was visible even in the low light.
Mikhail swung on Nick and raised his gun. He didn’t fire, though, when he recognized the American. His eyes narrowed and the Glock was steady in his hand. It looked like a cannon pointed at Nick’s forehead.
They stood that way for a long moment, Nick looking like a knight, with his pipe held in front of him. Mikhail calmly pointing his gun at his opponent. Nick knew he wasn’t going to win that duel.
Anya ran up and stopped to the side of them. Neither man moved, neither man looked at her.
“Stop!” she whispered fiercely. “We’re good. Put your toys down. Now!”
Nick was the first to blink. He sighed and lowered his pipe. Like it would do any good anyway. Mikhail nodded and brought the gun down to his side. They backed around the corner, out of sight of anybody down the aisle.
“What happened?” Anya asked Mikhail.
“When I got here,” Mikhail replied, “there were three men. One coward ran away. We tried to ambush the attackers but there were too many. The other two were shot and I ran away.”
“Retreated,” Nick said.
Mikhail flashed a smile. “Retreated. I hid until they passed me, then I thought I could shoot them from behind.” He glanced at Nick and nodded. “But you took care of them first.”
“Only two,” Nick said. “Which reminds me, I need to check in.” He called Pyotr, hoping the man’s cell was muted. Pyotr picked up on the first ring.
“One of yours, I assume,” the detective said by way of greeting.
“Yes,” Nick replied. “Where are the rest?”
“One working your way, two aisles over. The other three made it to the far side and are now coming back. I hope your reunion is over because it’s going to get busy soon.”
“OK, thanks. Hold on,” Nick said. He pressed the phone against his chest and whispered to the other two, “One target two aisles that way.” He pointed with his pipe. “Three more coming from the other side.”
“Can you take the first one quietly?” Mikhail asked. “I can go behind the others and hit them from behind.”
Nick nodded. “Good idea.”
Anya said, “Can you take them down without killing them?”
Both men looked at her. “Perhaps,” Mikhail said. “We can aim low.”
Nick said, “Sure, if I can’t hit them I can shoot them in their knees. That oughta keep them out of commission.”
“Why?” Mikhail asked.
Anya chewed her lip. “Well, I doubt they’re married to Alexander. If we spare them…”
“They might be papa’s enforcers tomorrow,” Nick finished.
“Yes,” Anya said. “We need all the help we can get. Just so they’re, as you say, ‘out of commission’ today.”
Nick’s phone buzzed. “Company,” he said. He looked at Mikhail. “I got this one. We’ll box the others.” Without another word he ran across the aisle.
The third man went down much like the first two. Nick didn’t feel good about the unfair fight, but he didn’t feel good about getting shot, either, and at least the men would survive. He hoped Anya was right about the enforcers being essentially mercenaries, fighting for whoever would pay them. It made sense, he thought, as he stared down at the bruise forming over the third man’s temple. Plus, he hoped they’d feel appreciative at being spared.
He pulled out the phone and was dialing Pyotr’s number when a shot rang out. It was immediately answered by another. Nick swore and put the phone up to his ear. It rang three times and went to voicemail. Nick swore again and pocketed the phone.
More fire came from ahead of him and Nick heard shouts as he ran back to Anya. She was in the process of picking up her AN-94 when he rounded the corner, and jumped when she saw him. She recognized him a second later and glared.
“Sorry,” he said as he grabbed for his gun. “I guess Mikhail missed.”
“Mikhail doesn’t miss,” She said.
More shots.
“I hope the others do,” Nick said.
They ran towards the fire.
They crept along a wall of shelves, keeping as low as they could, listening for either Mikhail or one of the enemy. Nick heard scrambling on the other side of the wall, and a whispered order. Putting his finger to his lips, he motioned for Anya to stay at one end of the bank of shelves while he snuck back to the other side, behind the targets.
Nick had just enough time to register the look of surprise on the other man’s face when the guy’s head blew apart, splattering blood and brains against the cardboard boxes next to him. A split-second later he heard the whine of the bullet as it passed by him. He instinctively dropped to his knees and whirled around.
Anya came up fast behind him. Nick glanced down at his unfired gun, then turned to look at Anya. She shook her head and pointed up to the catwalk.
“Thanks, Pyotr,” Nick said quietly to himself as he glanced at the bloody mess on the floor. The body had flown several feet after the high-powered shot hit. In his shock, Nick hadn’t registered any sounds but he assumed there had to have been a hell of a clatter as the body hit the opposite shelves.
“They’ll know we’re here now,” Anya said.
“Yep,” Nick replied. He shook his head to clear it. That was damn close and he was still foggy. “Sorry, but these guys won’t be on your team tomorrow.”
Anya nodded. They checked their guns and headed towards where Mikhail should be, moving slow, weapons swinging from side to side. Nick wanted to call Pyotr but didn’t want to take his hands off the gun. He felt the shakes coming on but willed them back. The close call had unnerved him, but he knew he didn’t have time to be distracted.
Then, banging at the front of the warehouse as somebody barged through the main door.
Whoever it was shouted in Russian. There was an answering shout close to Nick and Anya. Anya groaned. “Reinforcements. At least one.”
There was another shout from the doorway, a different voice.
“At least two,” Nick mumbled.
Anya craned her neck as she listened to the voices. She smiled. “They think Mikhail’s alone. They’re pointing out where he is.” Then her smile faded. “Oops, no. Now they’re asking about you. One of the new guys says you’re probably in here.”
Nick gritted his teeth. “Then it’s showtime,” he said. No more pussyfooting around. They had to hit the enemy before they could organize. He looked at Anya. “You ready?”
Worth The Risk Page 28