He would also have to clear Elena of any wrong doing. She should not be held accountable for her actions. She had only done what she could in the circumstances. He knew he had some in-house cleaning to do. If what SAC James Fitzgibbon said was true - and he had no reason to believe otherwise - there was a breach at the highest level.
Chapter 22
She caught his eye and stopped. He winked at her from across the corridor. She waited for him to finish talking to a fellow agent. She didn’t have to wait long before her tall, dark and handsome husband stepped towards her. She met him half-way. She looked into his eyes and felt herself drowning in the dark pools. He always had this effect on her. Had she met him on the street she would have thought him dangerous - not that Nikolai wasn’t dangerous, given the right circumstances - just not to her, never to her. He gave her a sexy smile as he came near. Knowing what thoughts he would provoke in her mind by doing so.
She kept her face impassive.
“Am I going to be seeing you tonight?” she asked.
She noted the guilty look on his face.
“I’ll be home,” was all he said.
She nodded. “I’ll see you then.”
He leaned over and kissed her. It was something he did not often do at the office. He obviously knew he was up shit creek. She watched as he walked away, back to his office and never once thought that that would be the last time she would ever see him alive.
She had worked late that evening, time getting away from her and by the time she exited the Metro station and was walking towards her apartment it was long past nine pm.
She opened the door to hers and Nikolai’s home and involuntarily stepped back. She knew something wasn’t right and vaguely recognized the harsh scent emanating from the depths of the apartment. She could practically taste the metallic tang of blood in her mouth and she fought to control her rebelling stomach. With the feeling of dread deep inside her she moved slowly into the room. Her body quivering with knowledge she did not want to admit.
She caught sight of Nikolai face down on the floor, blood soaking the carpet around his head.
No. No. No. No. No.
Please God no, she thought as she ran to him. There was nothing to be done for him but her heart would not let her admit that to herself. She sank to her knees beside him, barely noticing Nikolai’s cold blood seeping into her pants. Tears fell from her eyes as she took in the sight of her husband.
Elena jerked awake, her breathing harsh. Her heart was pounding in her chest. She could still feel the effects of her dream, her hands quivering in shock as if she had only just found Nikolai’s body. The dream was always the same, so real it felt like she was reliving the event night after night.
“You okay?”
She looked over at Lucas who was watching her closely, concern on his handsome face. She nodded and leaned back against the seat in the cabin of the train.
“Yes. Just a bad dream, the night I found Nikolai. It’s been a while since I last had one. I guess with everything going on and with Nikolai being involved it’s only natural for me to start dreaming about him again.”
She looked out the window, not seeing anything. The circumstances of them being on the train coming back to her, washing away the aftermath of her dream. It all seemed so out there. More like the plot of some movie than real life, her life, hers and Lucas’s. She had never once thought in her entire that she would end up here. She had never expected her husband to be murdered nor did she expect that she would wind up being an integral part of an assassination conspiracy against the President of both her country and the President of the United States. Not the kind of life a liaison officer was ever trained for. She was never supposed to be an active field agent.
Lucas stood up and stepped across the cabin and sat down beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her close to him. Elena placed her hand on his chest as she snuggled into him. She closed her eyes praying she would not again see Nikolai, taking from Lucas his strength and heat. The dream had cooled her body and was now only beginning to thaw. She breathed in Lucas’s scent and immediately felt safe. She savored the moment. The feeling of contentment and joy, not knowing when she would feel this way again. Perhaps Dmitry was right and she was keeping her head in the sand.
“Have you ever been married?” she asked after a few minutes of silence.
Why had she asked that? It was none of her business. What was it to her if he had been married before or married now? Please God, don’t let him be married. She hadn’t spotted a wedding ring or wedding ring line on his finger so she guessed he wasn’t. But who knew, maybe he took of his wedding band when he went on missions. She only hoped for her sanity that he was single. She would hate to think she had been lusting after an attached man. She knew how she would feel had someone done that to her and would move heaven and earth not to cause that type of pain to anyone. Although she had to admit she was curious and wanted to know more about him. He was an interesting man, she hadn’t known him for very long but with everything that had gone on it felt like they’ve known each other forever. Chalk it down to being stuck with nothing to do for the next few hours.
“No,” he replied.
She looked up at him. “Ever gotten close?”
He took his time to answer. She wondered if he was deciding what to tell her and what not to tell her.
“No, once the women of my life realize that they can’t change me and that I won’t change on my own they pack it in.”
Elena frowned. “What is it that they want to change about you?”
Lucas shrugged. “You’d have to ask them.”
She couldn’t think of anything she would change about him. But then again she had never lived with him. The man could be a giant slob leaving discarded socks about the place and never replacing the toilet roll for all she knew. There could be a million and one things wrong with him that doesn’t show on the outside. Which she freely admitted was a very nice package.
“And before you ask, no I haven’t got any children.”
Elena blushed. She hadn’t meant to be so intrusive. She never liked delving into people’s private business because she hated when people did it to her. Time to change the subject, she thought.
“What can we expect from Ducane?”
It was time to get back to the matter at hand. Until SAC James Fitzgibbon got a hold of Alexei Dimitrovich they were on their own.
“A large radius explosion most likely, that is what he seems to favor.”
Elena nodded. “Fantastic. So how many people do you think are involved in this plot?”
“Inside or outside your government?” he asked.
“Point taken, I was just wondering if we should be worried about snipers and guns.”
Lucas looked down at her, something in his eyes she didn’t dare to recognize.
“Whatever happens today Elena, know that we tried our best.”
But what if their best wasn’t good enough?
She hated the fact that they were alone in this. She and Lucas were both a part of great agencies, they should have had the world at their disposal. Not using aliases to purchase train tickets and using back doors and favors to get their warning out. She had a right mind to swap sides when this was all over.
“It’s unfortunate when you can only trust two people in the entire world,” she said ruefully.
“I assume one of them is me?”
She nodded. “Yes of course.”
Lucas pulled her in closer to his warm body. “That reminds me. There’s a question I’ve been meaning to ask since,” he took a moment to think. “Yesterday morning. God has it only been a couple of days? It’s seems longer, much longer. Anyway I was going to ask you why you decided to put your trust in me.”
She thought back to when she had first known she could trust him. It sort of came to her as a flash. One minute she was still unsure the next she knew he would protect her with everything he had. He was just that sort of man - a man
like Nikolai.
“Don’t take this the wrong way but it was because you reminded me of Nikolai.”
Lucas smiled. “Well then, I’ll take that as a compliment.”
She closed her eyes once more. “Good you should, because it was intended to be that way.”
Chapter 23
The bullet-proof car convey pulled up out the front of the Winter Palace. Alexei Dimitrovich exited the first car and stood watch as the President exited his car and made his way into the palace, stopping briefly to wave at the news cameras gathered in Palace Square to film the event. Sergei Smirnov was a fit man of fifty-something and was dressed in a form fitting steel gray suit. His brown hair was styled carefully and his Slavic face was clean shaven.
Sergei slipped inside the doors of the palace, surrounded by Alexei’s men. Men who would gladly give their lives should the need arose. Men trained for any eventuality. The Palace Square was overrun by protestors voicing their objections about every UN decision since its inception. Alexei’s eyes never stopped moving, scanning every angle for a sniper. He noted FSB’s own snipers ready to take a shot with their VKS Sniper Rifle’s. Satisfied there was no imminent danger needing to be attended to, Alexei followed the President through the palace gates and then stood by the entrance. The first part of his job was done, now he had to wait for the American President and have a few quick words with the Secret Service.
The drug dogs were out, sniffing the exterior for explosives. Another agent was carrying a portable metal detector and was diligently searching for hidden weapons, leaving no place unchecked. The interior of the palace had already been swept prior to the President arriving and would continuously be done throughout the meeting. The palace had been closed to tourists for the past week to accommodate for the UN meeting.
He watched from inside as the protestors tried to push past the police barriers. Fucking fantastic, he thought. It might as well been Cirque du Soleil with the crowds. It was going to make his job so much harder. He spoke briefly into his radio. His fellow agents replying that their checkpoints were secure. So far so good, Alexei thought. He would be happy once this was all over.
Michael Ducane stopped behind a thick hedge and listened as a guard announced into his radio that checkpoint four was clear. Michael knew from his employer’s instructions that this was one of his men and the guard would ensure his safe delivery to the inside of the structure. So far he had encountered very few problems and had on the most part found his designated route unguarded. Ducane knew this was his employer’s doing, directing his men to other sections of the garden when Michael was due to cross from one check point to another.
Michael heard the crackle of the radio as checkpoint five declared themselves clear and stepped out from behind the hedge. The guard surveyed him from head to foot, most likely checking that the American had got the borrowed uniform on right and would not be questioned should someone come upon him. He nodded sharply, Michael obviously having passed inspection. The guard shifted his rifle in his arms, allowing the long thin barrel to rest over his left arm while the right hand remained close to the trigger.
The guard began walking confidently towards the palace and Michael fell into step behind him, his olive green duffel bag hooked over one shoulder and resting on his back. He froze briefly when another guard turned the corner of the building where he had been until that moment hidden, a large German Shepherd trotting beside him, his snout to the ground. The dog looked up, locked eyes with Ducane before continuing his task of sniffing. Michael wondered for what since he hadn’t been able to detect the explosive residue off Michael’s body or even in his bag. He didn’t particularly care but had to admit he was curious as to what had been done to the dogs.
The two guards didn’t exchange words nor did they nod at each other in acknowledgement as they walked past each other. They both had jobs to do and apparently neither felt the need to stop for a chat in the cold. Barely a minute later the guard and his dog had disappeared out of sight and Michael’s heartbeat slowly returned to normal. He was not used to infiltrating such heavy security and feared he would be caught at any time. But he had to have faith in his employer, Michael thought. He had yet to disappoint and Ducane doubted if the man would’ve gone to so much trouble for everything to fall to pieces at the last minute.
With renewed assurance Michael picked up his speed, listening as the snow scrunched beneath his polished work boots. Beside him, the guard surveyed the landscape and the odd squawk of the radio mixed with the sounds of their combined breathing was the only noise. In the distance, he could just make out the screams of the protestors coming from the front of the palace.
The guard stopped at the basement entrance, well hidden that had the guard not been there, Michael was sure he would’ve missed it and blown the whole plan. A moment later, the guard revealed a keypad from the side of the building and promptly entered the six digit code, the LED light turning from red to green.
Michael stepped forward and opened the heavy steel door before closing it soundly behind him. He quickly dusted off his boots, ensuring he left no sign that he had been there and walked along the concrete encasement towards the hidden opening leading to the escape tunnels beneath the Palace. The blue prints he had obtained were extremely detailed and helpful. He opened the door, nodding when it made no noise obviously having been oiled recently. His benefactor had been here, he thought and was again pleased that his job was running so smoothly. He had had very few jobs that had been this well orchestrated. His employer sure had some mad organizational skills, nothing had been left to chance.
Using his memory Michael continued on towards the West of the building, moving through the underground tunnels to St. George’s Hall. He had plenty of time to plant the charges and be gone by the time the meeting was in full swing. The US President were set to arrive in twenty minutes and would join the Russian to enter the hall together just moments before the UN Summit was to begin. It was going to be one for the history books. It was certainly going to finish with a bang.
Chapter 24
Elena and Lucas disembarked at St Petersburg’s Moskovsky Station and hit the ground running. Darkness had fallen since they had first boarded the train even though it wasn’t quite four pm yet. The snow had stopped falling and now only coated the ground, causing Elena to slip every so often. She was not used to running over the wet sludge and her shoes didn’t have sufficient grip for such an exercise. They pushed past the tired and irritable commuters, hearing a few choice phrases Elena pretended not to hear and made it to the street. She looked about the station and frowned.
“What are you thinking?” Lucas asked as she put her hands on her hips.
Elena looked at him. “I’m thinking that the President’s life is in danger. I’ve been shot at and chased by my own people. I am currently on the run and will most likely be fired for insubordination. I am really sick of obeying the law when doing so has given me nothing. I’ve just about had enough.”
She reached into her purse pulled out her badge and ran in front of the first car that was about to drive by, unfortunately that just happened to be a red Smart car.
“You have got to be kidding,” Lucas muttered when he saw the motorist come to a stop.
Elena ignored him and flashed her badge at the driver who clearly did not like the interruption.
She glared at the round man with dark facial hair who resembled a very unhappy Russian Santa Claus. “SVR I need to borrow your car…move it.”
SVR – it seemed to be the magic word around here, he thought. The driver scrambled out of his vehicle as fast as his heavy-set body would allow in the small car and Elena replaced him behind the wheel of the car and patiently waited for Lucas to get in the passenger side. His knees dug into his stomach as he sat down in the tiny space allowed for passengers. Elena waited no longer and took off down the street weaving in and out of traffic. He watched wide eyed as they almost got struck a couple times as she cut the other motorists off. Lucas sho
ok his head. And she thought his driving was bad, he thought.
Bloody women drivers.
Elena had the car speeding down Nevskiy Prospekt crossing over the river Fontanka in no time. She hit the brake hard as they came to the mass crowd of pedestrians. It reminded her of St Peter’s Basilica at the Vatican on a Sunday. Lucas placed the palm of his hand on the dashboard in an effort to stop his head from hitting the inconvenient windshield.
Lucas looked over at Elena. “So what’s the plan?”
Elena gnawed at her bottom lip as she thought of what to do next. They were rapidly running out of time.
“Get to the summit, get the President’s out of harm’s way and find Michael Ducane.”
Lucas nodded., “Any idea how we’re going to do that?”
“No, not one,” she admitted before honking the horn and when that didn’t help gunned the engine, the crowd parted like the Red Sea to get out of her way. She pressed down hard on the accelerator and the car zoomed forward, many of the public literally diving out of the way to avoid being hit. Lucas thought for a second that she had lost it and was actually going out of her way to attempt to run the people down but she did make a last ditch effort to swerve and narrowly avoided two men who took offence to almost being run over.
Maybe the SVR had it right, Elena thought. It’s easier when you don’t think of the bodily harm that might be caused. She turned into Palace Square, dodging two uniformed MVD police officers who were shouting and cursing at them. She navigated through the protestors and narrowly missed crashing into the hundred and fifty-five foot tall Alexander Column which stood proudly in the centre of the square.
“Looks like the rest is on foot,” she stated calmly.
Russian Law (Law Series ) (Volume 1) Page 14