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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

“This was an anthrax production facility just a few days ago,” Vasily said. “Can you believe that?”

Lance thought back to the satellite surveillance Roth had given him. Four vats for production. He could see them through the fence.

“That building’s for drying and milling,” he said.

“How do you know that?” Vasily said.

“CIA footage,” Lance said.

They’d abandoned the bolt cutters at the compound but Lance simply hopped the fence and had Vasily pass him the fuel containers.

“You two stay with the car,” he said to the women.

Vasily hopped the fence and went with Lance to the control building. There were hazmat suits there, and a decontamination shower that was basically a hose and pump connected to a tank of industrial disinfectant.

“They were asking for an accident,” Vasily said. “That fucking Yevchenko. He deserves to be shot.”

The two men then poured a gallon of fuel into each production vat, did the same with the grinding equipment, then set it all on fire.

66

Roth sat next to Tatyana in the back of the Escalade.

“Nervous?” he said.

“Should I be?”

He’d only just met her, but he had to admit, he was charmed.

She was exactly the type of person he’d have hired. Someone with the right stuff.

For a split second he wondered if she’d be good at Laurel’s job, then felt a flood of guilt for having had the thought.

“You’re a GRU agent,” he said, “about to enter the headquarters of the Central Intelligence Agency. That doesn’t make you nervous?”

“To be honest, Levi,” she said, and he thought he couldn’t imagine a more sexy accent, “I’m more nervous every time I step into our building in Moscow than I am here.”

Roth nodded. “I suppose that’s one thing the Kremlin will always have on us.”

“What’s that?”

“No matter how bad things get, no matter how dire the situation, there’s really nothing we can threaten Russia with that doesn’t pale in comparison to what your own government can do to you.”

She nodded. “That’s truer than you know.”

He looked at her and wondered what it was they’d done to her. He’d get a file opened as soon as he could. He had no doubt it would make for interesting reading.

The driver pulled up in front of the building and they got out. Roth had called ahead to get a clearance for Tatyana, he’d described her as a foreign defector who was being debriefed, and the pass was waiting for her in the lobby.

They went through security and he called his receptionist. She met them as they got out of the elevator and Roth told her to escort Tatyana to a secure room.

“Just wait there,” he said to Tatyana. “You’ll be locked in but I’ll have some people come to you as soon as possible.”