by Mike Ryan
“How?”
“We’re not sure yet.”
“So what exactly is the issue?” Lawson wondered.
Sanders stared at Cain for a moment before proceeding. “The issue is this man,” Sanders told them, putting the man’s face on the big screen.
“Who’s that?” Cain asked.
“His name is Dmitri Kurylenko.”
“Kurylenko?”
“Yes. I know what you’re thinking and you’d be correct. He is related to Andrei. He’s his brother.”
“That wasn’t in his file,” Cain stated. “There was no mention of a brother.”
“That’s because we had no information on him. Technically, he’s his half brother,” Sanders told the pair, handing them info sheets on him. “As you can see, he’s a former member of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service. He left the SVR about two years ago to go into business for himself.”
“Which is what?” Cain asked.
“Apparently he’ll do whatever you have the money for,” Sanders responded. “Security, assassinations, guns, drugs, he’s into pretty much everything.”
“Why are we just getting this information now?” Lawson wondered.
“He’s been flying underneath the radar,” Sanders replied. “I just got most of this information this past week and got official confirmation this morning, which is why I’m bringing this to you now.”
“This is all very informative but I’m still not seeing the complication,” Cain said.
“As I said, he’s been flying underneath the radar. I imagine his background in intelligence has benefited him in laying low. Until now,” Sanders told him.
“How so?” Lawson asked.
“He’s made it known to several sources, some of whom work for us, that he intends to find his brother’s killer. And he says he will stop at nothing to find him.”
Cain took his eyes off the screen and looked at the information on Kurylenko before glancing at Lawson. They couldn’t believe the revelation.
“There’s more,” Sanders said. “In retaliation for the death of his nephew, Sergei, he has vowed to exact revenge on his death by killing the family of the man responsible.”
“So what are we going to do?” Lawson asked.
“We’re going to find Dmitri and take him out before he has a chance to make good on his plans. These are photos of his latest work,” Sanders replied, tossing them on the table. “He believed they knew who his brother’s killer was and tortured them.”
Cain and Lawson studied the photos for several minutes. They were of two men and a woman in various poses of pain and punishment. They were bound, bloodied, tortured, and eventually killed.
“How’d we get these?” Cain wondered.
“They were taken from the crime scene a few days ago. It was actually a little bit more involved than that, but we’ll just say we got them in an exchange of sorts,” Sanders answered.
“So how do I find him?” Cain asked.
“We’re in the process of verifying an address right now. While it is unlikely he still resides at that location, it is a starting point,” Sanders responded.
“When do I leave?”
“As soon as possible. Within twenty four hours if practical. We need to find him. For all of our sakes.”
“OK.”
“Let me be clear. This cannot come back to us. Don’t come back until you’ve found him or all possible leads are exhausted.”
“Understood,” Cain replied with a shake of his head.
“Any other questions?”
Cain sighed deeply as Sanders gathered up his folders and left the room.
“Well that was a big kick in the chins,” Lawson stated.
“A kick somewhere. But it ain’t the shins,” Cain said.
“Go home and get ready. I’ll get the flight ready and as soon as Sanders gets me the address I’ll forward it to you.”
Lawson pushed her chair out to get up but noticed Cain still seemed troubled by something. There was something on his mind that he wasn’t saying.
“What is it?” Lawson asked. “You look like you’re worried about something.”
“I am.”
“What?”
“If Kurylenko has vowed to kill the family of the man who did this…” Cain began.
“You don’t have any family. What are you worried about?”
“Do girlfriends count?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Lawson told him. “We’ll have tabs on him, we have a picture now, his info’s on file, and if he shows up within our border we’ll know it.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
“Concentrate on finding him first and the rest doesn’t matter.”
Lawson left, leaving Cain alone with his thoughts. He sat there thinking about how it could’ve come back to him and he was sure he made no mistakes. Then it dawned on him. There was one person who knew he was there…Raines. Cain thought of all the possible scenarios and though he didn’t want to believe it at first, he had to admit the possibility that perhaps Raines decided to terminate their deal. Raines could’ve killed him in Syria if he had wanted to so it was a mystery as to why he’d try to take Cain out now, if in fact he was responsible for letting the information slip out to Kurylenko. But he also knew that Raines was a strange fellow who did things unconventionally. The moves he made couldn’t always be understood at first glance. While Cain didn’t want to jump to conclusions, and wasn’t certain that Raines had betrayed him, he at least had to consider the possibility.
Cain went home to pack for his trip. Heather was cleaning the apartment when he got there. She could tell something was wrong by the expression on his face. He was trying so hard to put on a good face for her that she could tell he was faking it.
“What’s wrong?” Heather asked, stopping the vacuum.
“Nothing,” he replied, pretending to look for something in the drawers to avoid her questions.
“I know you better than that. What’s wrong?” she insisted.
“I have to leave on an assignment.”
“I can’t say I’m not disappointed but I knew it’d be coming soon after having some time off.”
“Yeah.”
“When are you leaving?”
“Waiting on flight information now. Probably within the next twelve hours I’d say,” Cain replied.
“Oh. So soon. Where are you headed?”
“Umm, Russia.”
“Again? Didn’t you just come from there?” Heather asked.
“Yeah. Just cleaning up some loose ends.”
“Be careful,” she added, walking over to him for a kiss.
“Always am.”
Cain was kind of surprised she was not upset about him leaving. He assumed that she was starting to come to grips with the fact he was going to have to go on these trips sometimes. The vacation probably helped to clear her mind also as their relationship grew. He thought about telling her about Kurylenko but decided she didn’t need to know yet. If the threat proved to be credible and Kurylenko found out about them then he’d discuss the situation with her. But he didn’t believe her life was in danger yet. Besides, he intended to find Kurylenko before it reached that point anyway. They spent the next few hours just hanging out together, avoiding any topics about his work or him leaving. Heather knew that complaining about his leaving wouldn’t change anything and would just put a strain on them so she was trying to be more supportive and accepting. They were sitting together watching a movie when Cain’s phone rang. He saw it was Lawson and assumed the plans were finalized.
“What’s the word?” Cain greeted her.
“Hope you’re already packed cause you’re plane leaves in three hours.”
“I’ll be ready.”
“Good. You’ll be flying into Pulkovo Airport in St. Petersburg,” Lawson explained. “I’ve also got you booked for a room at the Grand Hotel Emerald. Just a few minutes from the Moskovsky Train Station.”
“Where am I
going from there?”
“You’re going to meet a contact in a café near the entrance of The Hermitage Museum.”
“What for?” Cain asked.
“He’s got information on Kurylenko. He was worried about his phones being tapped and was only willing to give the information in person.”
“Who is he?”
“Not sure. He’s one of Sanders contacts.”
After getting the rest of his trip information Cain got ready in just a few minutes. This was one trip he was actually anxious about getting underway for. He was hoping for a smooth trip and wanted to take Kurylenko out of the picture quickly and not let it linger. He embraced Heather for a few minutes, kissed her, and told her he’d be back as soon as he could though he didn’t know when.
“Be OK without me?” Cain asked.
“I’ll just immerse myself in work,” she replied. “Hopefully that’ll help and you’ll be back before I even realize you’re gone.”
St. Petersburg, Russia--Once Cain touched ground in St. Petersburg he immediately got in the taxi that was waiting for him. It was pre-booked to expedite time. The cab dropped him off at the famous Heritage Museum. The museum is St. Petersburg’s major transaction, a palace sized museum that houses a collection of over three million pieces of art and artifacts. It is considered one of the world’s greatest museums and is home to classic works by artists such as Rembrandt, Michelangelo, and Leonardo. Cain was told his contact would be wearing a white hat with the letters CKA on it with a star underneath it. The hat was in reference to the SKA St. Petersburg professional hockey team. He entered the café and scanned the crowd. Toward the back of the café to his left he noticed a man in a white hat with CKA on it sitting by himself reading a newspaper. Cain removed his cell phone and took some pictures of the surroundings, pretending to be sightseeing. He also grabbed a snapshot of his contact sitting at the table. Cain quickly moved to his location, maneuvering past a few couples getting up from their tables. He sat down as if he’d been directed to do so, blending into the environment.
“Anything interesting?” Cain asked, not knowing if the man spoke English.
The man broke his concentration of the paper and looked up at his newfound acquaintance sitting across from him. After studying Cain’s face for a few moments he focused his eyes back on the newspaper. Cain was slightly annoyed and looked at all the people around him as a calming mechanism to make sure he didn’t lose his temper yet. After sitting there for another minute without a word from his contact, Cain was beginning to lose his patience. He’d had enough of the silence and decided to bring an end to it. He slammed his hand down over the paper, flattening it on the table.
“I didn’t come here for the pleasure of your miserable company,” Cain angrily stated. “I don’t know if you can understand me but I came here for one reason, Dmitri Kurylenko. I came here because I was told you had information for me. You will either share that information or I will make you regret ever laying eyes on me.”
“I understand you very well,” the man responded. “I just want to make sure you are the man I’m supposed to talk to.”
“Who else would it be?”
“I need to be very careful. The man that sent you is?”
“Sanders.”
“OK then.”
“And who are you?” Cain asked.
“It is not important. What is important is the information I have.”
“Which is?”
The man looked around at the crowd while he simultaneously reached into his coat pocket to pull out a white piece of paper. He didn’t look at it and placed it on the table, pushing it in front of Cain. Cain turned it over, revealing an address and some numbers written on it.
“What is this?” Cain asked.
“You wanted Dmitri Kurylenko,” the man replied. “There he is.”
“He resides at this address?”
“As of three days ago, yes.”
“How far away is this?”
“From here a ten minute walk or so,” the man answered.
“Can you take me there?”
“Me? No. I’m afraid no.”
“Why not? You were supposed to help and give information,” Cain said.
“Information I have given you. A tour guide I am not.”
Cain reached into his pocket and took out a handful of money, quickly placing it underneath the newspaper. The man reached under the paper, quickly sized up how much it was and grabbed it, putting it in his pocket.
“I will take you there,” he told Cain.
“Let’s go.”
“First you must know this. I will take you to the building. Once we arrive I will go my separate way. You are on your own from there.”
“OK.”
“Second, Dmitri Kurylenko is very dangerous man. You must tread carefully if you are to beat him.”
“Treading carefully is not what I do,” Cain warned.
“That is up to you. I have done my duty and warned you. From there it is your call.”
The pair got up to leave the café and started walking toward Kurylenko’s apartment. Cain followed the man but kept looking around in case something wasn’t right. Though he was hopeful, there was a part of him who had doubts about the information as it seemed too easy. He kept his eyes open in case it was a setup. The two didn’t share another word as the Russian led Cain to his target. After ten minutes of walking they arrived at Kurylenko’s apartment. It was a large building with five floors and a brick exterior.
“This is where it ends for us,” the man stated.
“What about getting in?”
“The other numbers on that paper is the code to get in the building. As for getting into his place I cannot help you.”
“OK. Thanks,” Cain said.
“Good luck.”
The man turned and left, quickly walking away like he was afraid something bad was going to happen before he was able to leave. Cain watched him for a few minutes as he walked away to make sure he really was leaving, not totally trusting him. Satisfied that the man had no interest in coming back, Cain entered the building and saw a silver metal box on the wall. He took out the paper with the code on it and punched the numbers in. The door buzzed, signaling that it was unlocked and Cain quickly opened it before it locked again. He went inside and walked down the hallway, passing the elevator until he got to the end, reaching the stairs. Cain disliked using elevators as he never knew if someone would be waiting for him when the doors opened. There was less of a surprise factor when using the stairs. He walked up the steps until he reached the fourth floor. He went to the end of the hall until he found door 42.
Cain slowly turned the handle of the door in case it was unlocked, trying not to alert anyone inside of his presence. Since it was locked he decided to just knock on the door to see if someone was there. He waited for a few minutes but nobody answered. He looked around to make sure no one was coming and then jimmied the door open by picking the lock. He took his gun out in case someone was waiting inside to surprise him. The apartment was remarkably clean, almost like it wasn’t even lived in. There was no excess junk anywhere to be seen in the living room. There were no paintings on the wall, books or magazines on the tables, or a single picture anywhere. The couches didn’t even seem to have any creases on indents from people sitting in them. He moved on to the kitchen. He opened the refrigerator but there wasn’t much in there. A container of milk along with some juice and fruit lined the bare shelves. He checked the freezer which had just as little inside it. The cabinets contained a loaf of bread and a few cups. Either Kurylenko barely lived here or he’d been clearing the place out and moved just prior to Cain’s arrival. Cain went to the bedroom and discovered more of the same as the rest of the place. A bed that looked like it wasn’t slept in much and no clutter on the floor.
He checked behind the door to see if anything was behind it. He noticed some pictures pinned to the door and closed it to get a better look at them. Once he saw them he to
ok a step back as he frantically shifted his eyes toward them all. He gulped and stared at them, eyes widening by the second as he stared at them in horror. They were pictures of both him and Heather, about twenty in total. Some were of them individually and some were of them together. He could tell they were recent as in a few of them they were holding hands. A couple pictures were of Heather in the lobby at her work. Cain was horrified that Kurylenko had apparently been watching them without their knowledge. He took a few steps back and took a few photos of the collection adorned to the wall. He removed the pins that stuck them to the door and stacked them in his hands, carefully going through them one by one. With each one he looked at his temperament turned from anger to concern and back to anger again. He wished Kurylenko was standing right in front of him at that very moment so he could strangle him. Well, he wouldn’t have killed him by strangulation. He would’ve let him recover his breath just long enough to put a bullet between his eyes. There was nothing else that he wished for more than just getting Kurylenko in his sights as soon as possible. He took the photos into the living room and continued looking at them as he paced about the room. Cain then thought about his contact and wondered if he knew what he was going to find. He scrolled through his cell phone numbers until he got to Shelly’s.
“Hello,” Lawson answered.
“Hey. I need you to do something for me.”
“Sure.”
“I’m sending you a photo. Need you to see if you can identify him for me,” Cain said.
“Send it over.”
“OK,” Cain said, attaching the picture into a message. “Sent.”
“I’ll see what I can do.”
“Umm, one more thing. Try to keep this between us,” Cain told her.