“Of course it matters. I’ll come for you.”

“You have to finish the mission,” he said, gasping. “You have to get the vial.”

“I will finish it, Lance. It’s personal for me. I’ve got a score to settle with this asshole.”

“Good,” Lance said.

“But after I’m done, Lance, I’ll come for you.”

“No. It will take too much time. You have to get to the airfield.”

“I’m not going without you, Lance.”

“You have to.”

“You saved my life once,” she said. “I’m not leaving you behind.”

He laughed, a wheezy, gasping laugh.

“You have to get out, Tatyana. Every GRU agent in Moscow will recognize you if you stay.”

“Forget it,” she said. “Tell me where you are.”

“Tatyana,” he said, slurring the word badly. Then he went silent and she wondered if the connection had been dropped.

“Hello? Lance? Are you still there?”

“I’m still here.”

“You’re losing consciousness.”

“No, I’m okay. It’s just…”.

“Just what?”

“I’ve lost a lot of blood.” There was another long pause, then he said, “Did you find my friends?”

“The doctors, they were at the hotel. They’re at the extraction point now.”

“That’s good,” he said.

She could hear it in his voice. He was giving up. He wasn’t going to make it. She looked at her watch again. She had to get him to tell her his location.

“Poor Vasily,” Lance said. “He’s on his own now.”

“Lance,” she cried. “Where are you?”

He wasn’t even hearing her anymore.

“Please, Lance, tell me where you are.”

“What about Laurel?” he said.

“Lance. Stay with me. Do you hear me?”

She heard coughing.

“Lance. Remember what you did for me in Damascus?”

“Damascus?” he said. “There was something I was going to tell you in the chopper.”

The chopper? She’d never been with him in a chopper. He was losing it.

“Clarice was pregnant,” he said. “When Roth killed her, she was pregnant.”

“I’m sorry, Lance.”

“Pregnant with my child.”

“Lance, listen to me. Where are you?”

“Get Igor. That’s the only thing that matters.”

She thought of what he’d done for her, of everything she’d heard about him, and knew there’d really only ever been one way of getting his attention.

“Lance,” she said. “I need your help.”

There was a pause, then he said, “You need my help?”

“I’m hurt, Lance. Bad. I need you to save me.”

“Where are you?”

“No. I’ll come to you. Tell me where you are and I’ll come to you.”

“You’ll come?”

“Yes. You have to save me, Lance.”

“I’m off the Garden Ring, Tatyana” he said. “Do you know Krasnye Vorota?”

“Yes.”

“I’m in the park by the metro. At the pay phones.”

“You can’t wait in the park, Lance. They’ll find you there.”