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

“You can’t leave us here.”

“You’ll be all right. Just stay on the train until Moscow and then go to this hotel. Get a room. I’ll find you there.”

They looked at him.

“I’m sorry we were angry. It’s not your fault Vasily went back.”

The conductor blew the whistle.

“I have to go,” Lance said.

68

The Dead Hand had a reputation for playing the long game. For watching, and for waiting.

When you feared no one, and could kill anyone, why rush?

Why panic?

Which was why Timokhin found it all the more alarming that Davidov was putting so much pressure on him.

He’d been fielding Davidov’s calls pretty much hourly since Laurel had been handed over to him.

“I’ll break her,” Timokhin said into the phone. “I just need a little more time. You know what will happen if I rush.”

He was in the back seat of his car, his driver in front, and he took a cigarette from the case on the armrest next to him. The driver passed him back the car lighter.

They were deep in a forest north of the city. It was close to the Vostochny District, where Davidov’s family kept a dacha. Davidov had given him the place, and only Timokhin and Davidov knew of its location. With something this sensitive, Davidov did not want her being brought to an official GRU facility.

“You’ve given me nothing, Timokhin,” Davidov said. “Not one single thing.”

“It’s not easy, sir,” Timokhin said. “She’ll take time to break. She’s been trained as highly as any asset I’ve ever encountered.”

“I don’t care if she was trained by Roth himself.”

“She was trained by Roth himself,” Timokhin said. “And he put extra work into her. She was his favorite.”

“I don’t need to remind you what’s at stake, do I?”

“Of course not.”

“There’s been an attack in Yekaterinburg. The lab is gone. All the research destroyed.”

“How is that possible?”

“You tell me how it’s possible, you worm. Ask the girl.”

“I am asking her, sir.”

“Roth’s down but he’s not fucking out. Not yet. The lab’s gone, that slut is still on the loose in New York, and now I’ve got Igor begging me for a seat at the table.”

Timokhin’s eyes widened.

“What?” he said.

“You heard me, Timokhin.”

“What does that weasel want?”

“What do you think he wants?”

“You’re not considering him, are you?”

“Maybe I need someone with his touch. He specifically expressed an interest in interrogating Everlane. I told him you were on it, but maybe I was mistaken.”

“You were not mistaken, sir. I am on it.”

“As far as I can tell, Igor’s never had a problem getting these sluts to spread their legs.”

“It was his agent who created this mess.”