BooksBarbecue
Back The Asset
Chapters (86)
  1. Foreword
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5
  7. 6
  8. 7
  9. 8
  10. 9
  11. 10
  12. 11
  13. 12
  14. 13
  15. 14
  16. 15
  17. 16
  18. 17
  19. 18
  20. 19
  21. 20
  22. 21
  23. 22
  24. 23
  25. 24
  26. 25
  27. 26
  28. 27
  29. 28
  30. 29
  31. 30
  32. 31
  33. 32
  34. 33
  35. 34
  36. 35
  37. 36
  38. 37
  39. 38
  40. 39
  41. 40
  42. 41
  43. 42
  44. 43
  45. 44
  46. 45
  47. 46
  48. 47
  49. 48
  50. 49
  51. 50
  52. 51
  53. 52
  54. 53
  55. 54
  56. 55
  57. 56
  58. 57
  59. 58
  60. 59
  61. 60
  62. 61
  63. 62
  64. 63
  65. 64
  66. 65
  67. 66
  68. 67
  69. 68
  70. 69
  71. 70
  72. 71
  73. 72
  74. 73
  75. 74
  76. 75
  77. 76
  78. 77
  79. 78
  80. 79
  81. 80
  82. 81
  83. 82
  84. 83
  85. 84
  86. Afterword

The blow almost caused him to black out and he lost his grip of her. She scrambled away from him. He reached up to his temple. There was blood there.

Agniya was struggling frantically to her feet and he grabbed her ankle. In a single motion he pulled her back to the ground. She reached back and swung at him again. She was holding a heavy, glass snow globe. Inside it was an ice skater.

He grabbed her wrist and forced her hand to the ground.

“Agniya,” he said.

“You monster,” she screamed, then with her free hand, clawed him across the cheek with her long nails.

He grabbed her other wrist and pressed both her hands to the ground. Looking down at her, he remembered the night they’d fucked. It had been in a seedy motel close to the office. She’d been surprisingly lithe for a woman her age. Afterwards, they showered together and she’d washed him.

He thought of it often. He slept with so many women, women forty, sometimes a full fifty years younger than her, but it was her he thought back to most often. Even more than his memories of Tatyana. When he was alone in his bed and there was nothing but his imagination to satisfy him, it was her he turned to.

“You betrayed me, Agniya,” he said.

“I would never betray you, Igor.”

“Tatyana was selling information to the Americans, and everyone knew but me.”

“I had no choice, Igor. I swear it.”

“How did they catch her?”

“They’ve been watching her for years.”

“Who has?”

She said nothing.

“Who’s been watching her?”

She struggled furiously.

“You’re going to pay,” he said.

She struggled again, and he squeezed her wrists so tightly he thought they might break.

“I have information,” she gasped.

“What information?”

“Spare my life.”

A sneer spread across his face. “It’s too late for that, my dear.”

Agniya spat at him. He moved up on her body so that he could pin her arms under his knees. She struggled helplessly.

He put his hands on her throat. She was so frail, so vulnerable. He could have done anything to her.

“What’s this information you speak of?” he said.

She struggled again and he began to press down on her throat.

“Give it to me and I’ll make this painless,” he said.

40

Sofia stood in the parking lot of the hospital, looking around frantically. The mood was turning fast. People had started shouting insults at the soldiers. Some were at the gates, demanding to be allowed out.

She could tell that any moment, things were going to get out of hand. After twenty-four hours of lockdown, patience was turning to anger, and panic.