To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series)

by Aubrey, Cecilia; Almeida, Chris

  “Trevor Bauer, hacker for hire?” Her tone was almost incredulous.

  “Well, you’ll need to find me a better name,” he joked.

  Cassandra’s eyes opened wide as understanding flooded them, and he knew she had landed on the same page.

  “Yep. I’m going in the easy way. Through the front door.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Exit Strategy

  THE SOUNDS OF LIFE STIRRING in the apartment complex—a door slamming, little feet running, and moms calling out to their children—pulled Cassandra from sleep. It took her a moment to register her surroundings and the fact that she and Trevor were not at home in their own bed.

  Stretching like a well-rested cat, she felt a slight twinge along her spine, reminding her that long hours spent in front of the computer was a body killer. Making a mental note to step away from the computer more often, she reached over and flicked Trevor softly on the nose. “Wake up, sleepyhead. Time to get to work!”

  She turned on her side and leaned over him, kissing him gently on the lips as his head turned her way. His sleep-glazed eyes opened slowly and a smile glinted in them as awareness set in.

  “Good morning!” she greeted him as his arms reached around and pulled her into a tight embrace.

  “Good morning, caoimh-leannán.” His brogue became heavier as he called her “sweetheart” in Gaelic. It sent shivers coursing under her skin. He dropped a kiss on her lips and yawned. “What time is it?”

  Relaxing against him, she rested her head on his shoulder and lazily glanced at the crystal face of her watch. “It’s almost seven-thirty. We need to get moving. We have a lot of prep to get done.”

  He tightened his arms around her in a hug, took a deep breath, and slowly expelled it. “Yes, a bhean. No rest for the wicked. Just give me a sec to clear my head.”

  Smiling softly at being called “wife,” Cassandra turned her face into his shoulder and placed a kiss there, giving him the time he asked for. Time to recoup after the long hours he had put in since their boots hit the ground in Russia. Cradled in his arms, she watched the rise and fall of his chest, listened to the morning bustle of taxis and buses driving along Fontanka, the street just outside their window. St. Petersburg was a busy city and they were smack in the thick of it.

  As Trevor drifted in and out of sleep, Cassandra began to grow antsy. Unable to relax any longer and anxious to get started, she kissed his cheek and slipped quietly from the bed.

  Stepping out of the shower, she ran through a mental checklist, reviewing what they needed to do that day. She had left the cameras’ battery packs to charge overnight. The ball was in Trevor’s court to set up their transmitters and receiver. She splayed her hands on the sink and her head dropped forward as she tried to contain the anxiety churning in her gut. The understanding that Trevor would soon be knee-deep in hell rushed over her. It didn’t sit well that she would be on the sidelines, unable to have his back up close and personal or help if something went south. All she would be able to do would be to sit back and listen. Be his eyes and ears.

  Pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind, she padded back to the bedroom. Careful not to disturb him, Cassandra watched Trevor for a brief moment as he continued to doze. Last night she had fallen exhausted into bed, but he had stayed up, combing through the information George had provided.

  All she could remember was glancing at the clock when the bed dipped and his arms wrapped around her. It had been around three in the morning when he had pulled her back against his chilled body, tucking his face in the curve of her neck before he had dropped off to sleep. I’ll give him fifteen more minutes, she decided as she pulled on a pair of low-cut jeans and one of Trevor’s button-down shirts.

  Standing by her makeshift desk, she booted the computer and checked for new emails from George and Jessica, but there was nothing there.

  The sound of rustling covers drew her attention. She turned and leaned her hip back against the table, watching as Trevor dropped his legs over the side of the bed and scrubbed his face with his hands.

  Disappointment clouded his face when he spotted her. “You’re already showered and dressed.”

  “Have you seen how small the damn thing is?” she countered. “There is no way my ass is sticking out while you hog the water.”

  “I’d have kept you warm, Cassie.” His voice dropped in tone and his brogue thickened as a wicked glint filled his eyes.

  “Yeah, yeah. You, my love, are a shower hog and we both know it.”

  Laughing, Trevor tossed back the covers and rose, heading to the washroom. The view he offered as he walked away brought back recent memories of another morning not too long ago when he afforded her the same nice view of his delicious ass.

  He was still a wonder to her. Thanking the fates that brought them together, she headed to the kitchen and snorted, remembering a line from a movie: “Java, java, java.” Coffee was definitely in order.

  As the coffee brewed and the kettle heated for Trevor’s tea, she returned to her laptop and began running through a series of checks to see what systems, aside from CCTV, were out there that she could tap. Once they had a sense of Mikhailov and his henchmen’s routines and had captured some still images for facial recognition, they would be able to track them through the cameras located around the city.

  When the shower cut off, Cassandra headed back to the kitchen and poured Trevor’s tea along with her coffee. She turned when she heard the slap of his feet on the tile and almost dropped the cup at the sight of his lean, muscular hips encased in a towel. Not the typical-sized bath towel from back home, but a much smaller one. The skin of his thigh and the hint of other promises took her breath away. “Should I get you a camera, Cassie girl?”

  “What?” she asked, slightly dazed.

  “That way you can carry it with you everywhere you go.”

  “What?” She looked up at him and caught the gleam in his eyes. His words finally sank in. “Shit, Trevor, get dressed.”

  His face glowed with humor as he took the cup from her hand. “Here, let me take that. Can’t have the wife burning herself.”

  She rolled her eyes and grabbed her coffee before following him back into the studio area. She settled back at her laptop and concentrated hard on keeping her eyes on the screen while listening to the rustle of clothing as Trevor dressed. Within minutes, out of her peripheral vision, she saw him walking barefooted her way.

  Damn. I really love that look on him. She was definitely not giving him that tidbit of information. The joking and teasing would never end.

  “Good morning, again.” Trevor dropped a kiss on the top of her head before walking over to the desk. He set his cup beside the computer and booted it up. “So, where are we?” His eyes were riveted on his screen

  “I’ve just started my tour of St. Petersburg through their CCTV cameras.”

  “Do we have good quality imagery of the house?”

  She shook her head. “No, we’ll need to plant the cameras as soon as possible if we’re to get those pretty mugs for ID purposes.”

  “I plan to take a quick trip later at night. Do we have all of the equipment ready?”

  Cassandra gave him the eyes—eyes that said, Really? You need to ask? He raised his hands in defense. “I know, I know. You always quadruple check everything.

  She was barely able to keep the laughter from her voice. “I guess you’re forgiven.”

  He logged on to the satellite imaging system—a feat accomplished with a few well-placed backdoors—and patted himself on the back.

  “What the hell was that about?”

  Seeing the amusement in Cassandra’s eyes, Trevor laughed. “A geek affliction. It’s usually accompanied by a ‘Damn, I’m good.’”

  Cassandra snorted and he shrugged, returning his attention to the screen. High walls hid the large well-kept grounds from view to any outsider. Zooming in closer on the surrounding area, he took note of the locations he wanted to plant the surveillance cameras f
or the best frontal view of the house.

  They needed to get this job rolling before Mikhailov found a way to finish the decrypter. That thought was first and foremost in their minds. If finished, they wouldn’t be able to stop him from wreaking havoc with the powerful tool he would have under his control. All the blame would fall on Mark Devlin, the client, and MDS, his company, once the source of the decrypter was traced back to them. A nightmare in the making.

  Having spent most of the night reading through the latest transcripts and monitoring the house for more details, Trevor was confident they were on the right track to accomplishing their goal—even with the added complication of having to infiltrate the organization physically. He pushed from the desk and walked over to the equipment case. He picked up the cameras and hooked up the battery packs. Placing them at the selected locations was the only thing left on their surveillance checklist.

  Setting aside the exact number of cameras needed for that night’s excursion, Trevor double checked each by switching them on and adding their individual signal to the receiver for a quick test. Cassandra had been thorough, as always. She had already set the range to the correct distance between Mikhailov’s house and their own little pad.

  Connecting the receiver to his laptop, Trevor verified that the cameras were live and working. Once he had cleared that up, he attacked more mundane activities—checked his email and reported the latest developments to Devlin to keep him informed and out of their hair.

  Cassandra pushed from her desk and stretched her back. “Time for some recon of the area. We need to get those tickets taken care of.”

  “Good timing. I need some fresh air,” Trevor grinned at her as they gathered their jackets and headed out the door. Taking her hand in his, they walked out of the building onto the sidewalk facing the river.

  The nearby metro station was a short walk from the apartment. They made their way there at a casual pace, enjoying the sun and the brisk cool breeze blowing from the canal. At the station, Trevor purchased the tickets, communicating with the cashier in fluent Russian.

  “How many languages do you know?” Cassandra asked him as they exited the station.

  “I have a thing for tongues.” Trevor’s expression was serious, but the humorous glint in his eyes betrayed him.

  “Don’t I know it,” Cassandra’s laughter sang in the air.

  A couple head-over-heels in love on a romantic getaway in St. Petersburg. Anybody watching them would reach the same conclusion. It did help that they were indeed in love—that part was no pretense. But instead of viewing the area as tourists would, they both took mental notes of their route, the places around them that could be useful exit points, and distances to and from the metro stations. It gave them a visual to go with the details of the contingency plan they would be reviewing later.

  “We should have the debriefing after the cameras are placed so that we both know what the alternate plan and the exit strategy are,” he said softly, for Cassandra’s ears only.

  She nodded and responded in the same quiet tone, “I have it all ready for you.”

  “For us,” he corrected her.

  “Yes…for us. And we are having the debriefing before you head out. Not after.”

  Noticing the determination in Cassandra’s eyes, Trevor acquiesced. “Yes, ma’am.”

  At his poor imitation of a Texan accent, she shoved him jokingly, then wrapped her arm around his waist as they set course to their home away from home.

  *****

  “I am starved,” Cassie commented as she assembled generous ham-and-cheese sandwiches for both of them. Taking their plates, they sat at their desks and returned to the task of reviewing the operations’ details. The satellite imagery had provided them with the in-and-out pattern of the people frequenting Mikhailov’s mansion. Some parked their nondescript cars as far from the enormous house as possible and walked the distance to the front gate. Others drove flashy sport cars and parked them directly out front, or were given access through the gates. An interesting observation of the working class and the high society mafia comingling in the same house.

  They just needed the close-up surveillance for some handy pictures to ID the faces of the pawns in the game. Once they had a list of names, Trevor could have George tap into their communications. Soon the whole paint-by-numbers picture would be completed. Then, and only then, could they move forward with the infiltration plan.

  With Trevor sitting beside her, Cassandra pulled up the details gathered for the debriefing. “Are you ready, Freddy?”

  “Sure thing, Cassie girl. Better to get it done now, as you said.”

  “I’d rather you know it before going out, as a precaution.”

  Used to the debriefing procedures, she jumped right in. “Here’s the rundown. The safe house is located in Vyborg, close to the border of Finland—a plus if we need to leave the country in an E&E. It’s about two hours by train from St. Petersburg. Damn, if we were here for pleasure I would have suggested we visit. Bucket-listed it. Anyway—”

  She pushed her hair from face impatiently while looking at the metro map displayed on her laptop monitor. “I actually have two exit scenarios. One uses the Blue Metro Line called Parnas, and the other the Red Metro Line called Devyatkino.”

  No longer feeling Trevor’s presence at her shoulder, she glanced around the room and found him back working at his computer. “Oiy!” she called, and whistled to get his attention.

  Startled, Trevor’s head shot up and he rubbed his ear. “Damn, Cassie. Could you have whistled any louder?”

  “Eyes on me, Trev. I know you feel you’re invincible and we’ve never had to fall to plan B, but we have come close on a couple of occasions.” She narrowed her eyes. “There is always a first.”

  He raised his hands and headed over to her. “Okay, okay! I’m all ears…hands…tongue…?”

  Cassandra rolled her eyes, not falling for his boyish charm. She was very serious when it came to his safety.

  “I was listening!” Trevor exclaimed, catching her frown.

  Cassandra sighed deeply and returned her concentration to her monitor, mentally visualizing the routes as she described them to Trevor. “First route, the Blue Line. Wherever we might be, we need to make it to the Blue Line section of the metro, which ends in Parnas. If something happens and you are here at the studio, use the Metro Station in Sennaya Square.”

  She caught his eye. “That’s the one we bought the tickets from, remember?”

  “Yes, a ghrá,” Trevor answered quickly, leaning over her shoulder and pointing at the map on her screen. “That station has three metro entrances—Sennaya Ploshad, Sasskaya, and Sadovaya.”

  She grinned up at him. “I should’ve known you’d make note of all of them. Once you come to the end of the line, take the bus to Vyborg. If you need to get off the metro sooner, count the stations to Udelnaya.”

  “Why count stations?” Trevor asked in a snarky tone.

  Cassandra rolled her eyes and her mouth quirked with humor. “Don’t remind me. I know, I know. Just another picture in that camera you have for a brain.”

  “I knew it! You think I’m a genius!” His laugh was deep, warm, and rich.

  “Damn, could your head swell any bigger?” she murmured, concentrating on the map and tracing the route on the screen. “Get off there.” Cassandra tapped on the RR Udelnaya stop. “Once off the metro, all you need to do is catch the train to Vyborg.” She dragged her finger across the screen and rested on the Red Line. “The same holds true for this route, except it ends in Devyatkino. From there you can take the same bus. Your other option is to get off at the Finlandsky and catch the train to Vyborg from there.”

  She retrieved the two sets of tickets from the desk and turned in her chair to face him. “Tickets for each of the lines,” she said, raising the two bundles in each hand. “Each set includes a metro, bus, and train ticket. I have my own.” She pulled hers from her back pocket showing him. “You know the drill, but I am still g
oing to say it. Keep these babies on you at all times.” She watched him shove the tickets in his back pocket and her heart skipped a beat while she mentally crossed her fingers. I hope we won’t need them…ever.

  With the debriefing behind them, Trevor concentrated on the placement of the cameras. Cassandra’s expression was closed as she watched him grab a backpack from the equipment case and place the small wireless cameras and relay transmitter inside it.

  “Do we have zip-ties?”

  She reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a clear plastic bag of black zip-ties. He raised a brow and smiled at her organization as he continued the task, adding a small tool kit and the magnetic strips to the mix, along with the ties. He tested the backpack’s weight and whistled softly. “Amazing technology. Hardly weighs anything.”

  “Yeah…for the price we paid for those puppies they better be lightweight. More importantly, they better work,” she chimed in.

  “Don’t worry, Cassie girl. They will. Do you have the receiver set to receive the signal once I’ve enable the cameras?

  Cassandra’s hands flew over the keyboard, opening the video surveillance software. “All set,” she replied matter-of-factly, and walked to the same case.

  She removed the small two-way radio set and military-grade tactical throat microphone. “Here.” Handing him the microphone, she set the frequency on the radios.

  Trevor set it on the bed and slipped his legs into a pair of soft-shell black pants made of extremely flexible material. He jerked off his shirt and strapped on the microphone, adjusting it at a comfortable spot on his throat. Once satisfied, he pulled on a form-fitting black turtleneck. As he crossed the room to the desk, he tucked the transportation passes Cassandra had given him earlier into one of the many pockets.

  “Can you give me a hand with the cables?” She stepped around him and reached under his shirt. Her fingers skimmed his back as she tugged at the cables, drawing them between his shoulder blades. Her warm touch on his skin sent a shiver through him and his cock twitched with interest. Trevor squeezed his eyes tight, trying to rein in his desire and put some distance between them as he finished getting ready.