Serebnitskiv cursed. Something had told him to stay on station a bit longer, and now it appeared that had been good intuition. The damned Americans had another boat up here!

There was no option. He would have to destroy it, too. No one could be allowed to return with the correct story, or a lucky guess, about what had happened here. Besides, a vicious attack on the two “innocent” Russian boats by a ruthless pair of American submarines made an even better story.

The Russian commander grinned. Oh well, just another fool to fall before his smart torpedoes. He would ambush this one just as he had done the last one, shooting him in the back as he passed by, oblivious of the well-laid snare he had slipped into.

Now he and the entire crew of Volk were awake. Awake and ready to pounce.

With the OPREP-Three message sent and acknowledged, Joe Glass ordered Perez to take Toledo back down to six hundred feet and to return to the search area. They weren’t finished there. They still had a downed Russian sub to find.

Another thought had occurred to Glass. What if the distressed Russian boat was a decoy? What if they were being set up for the same ambush that had cost them the Miami already?

“Nav, come to course two-six-zero and let’s head back to the search area. Ahead, two-thirds. And, everybody, on your toes!”

This time by, the Toledo passed directly underneath the Volk. This time, Igor Serebnitskiv heard them just fine. He made no attempt to hide his hungry grin. He waited a deliberate three minutes while the Toledo opened out to a range of a thousand meters. Satisfied the American sub was where he wanted her, he calmly gave the command to fire two torpedoes.

The ET-80As roared out of the Volk’s torpedo tubes, already at seventy knots. It would take them forty-five seconds to cover the short distance to their target. The Americans would not have a chance. Even if they somehow managed to get off a shot, there was no way their torpedo could find Volk, hiding amid all the ice like a wolf in its lair.

It was a sure thing, a point-blank pair of bullets in the back.

Master Chief Tommy Zillich was listening to the towed array sonar hydrophones, well aware that there could be a stalker out there somewhere in those dark, icy waters. His mouth still dropped open when he heard the launch transients from Volk.

There was no mistaking the sound. Torpedoes inbound!

He grabbed the 7MC microphone and yelled the words all submariners fear.

“Launch transients! Torpedoes in the water! In the baffles. Best bearing zero-nine-zero and they’re close!”

Without hesitation, Perez yelled, “Ahead flank! Launch the evasion devices! Right full rudder! Steady course south.”