Chapter 16

CHAPTER 16

Durango

Once Davis landed the plane—like a pro—I might add, she rushed Vlad to a hospital. Harding had a car waiting for us, and we have been at a safe house outside Minsk for the past four hours.

When I helped Moose change the gauze on his leg, the wound wasn't as large as I expected. The doctor did a pretty good job stitching him up. Considering he was working from the back seat of a car, I'd say the doctor's skills are impressive.

Moose says he's fine and doesn't need a hospital, so Harding let him stay. I'm still concerned his leg might get infected.

I've spent the last several hours standing guard outside the room Sylvia and Nancy are staying in. They think I'm here as muscle in case whoever killed Damien comes after Sylvia. But really, I'm here listening to them to see if they know something they aren't sharing.

So far, all they've talked about is Nancy's family. I should say all Nancy has talked about is her family. Sylvia hasn't said much. But at no point has Nancy asked Sylvia how she's doing, considering her husband was killed and her life is in danger.

Sylvia is the one who insisted they stay together, so I thought they were friends. But they don't seem to be.

Listening to Nancy go on and on is mind-numbing.

Moose limps into view.

"Moose," I call out.

He turns toward me, and I walk away from the room so the women won't hear me.

"Hey, I need you to take over for a bit. If you're up for it." I nod at his leg.

Moose nods. "Yeah, I can do that. You've been there for a long time."

Four hours, to be exact. But who's counting? Yeah, I am. I wouldn't ask Moose normally, considering his injury, but there is a chair to sit on, and I don't think I can take another word from Nancy at this point.

"Thanks." I step away before he can change his mind.

I walk toward the kitchen and spot Davis standing next to Harding, holding the car keys.

"I'll be quick," Davis says, and then she is out the door.

"Son of a bitch," Harding says.

"What's going on?"

She shakes her head. "She's running out to get us food. Like we're on some sort of vacation and not hiding for our lives." She turns to me. "Is anyone watching Sylvia and Nancy?"

"Moose took over. Hey, are you aware that Moose is fluent in Russian?" I ask.

Her eyes widen. "Why was I not told this?"

"I wasn't, either. He said he learned it from his grandmother. He heard everything Damien told me. Which, by the way, we need to discuss."

She crosses her arms. "And what did Damien tell you?"

"A lot. Including coordinates for where the weapons are."

Her nostrils flare, which means she's angry I haven't told her sooner.

"Why didn't you tell me this the moment we arrived at this house? Or on the plane?"

I arch a brow. "Well, for one, this is the first opportunity I've had to speak with you alone."

"You could have made one."

"No, I couldn't. On the plane, too many could have overheard. We weren't here very long before Davis showed up. And she's been glued to your side from what I could hear down the hallway."

Harding leans against the kitchen table. "You're right. I should have debriefed you first, but I've been working to make sure we are all safe. Since we don't know who killed Damien, we have no idea if we are in danger." Her brow furrows. "Did Damien tell you who he was working for?"

"Yes, someone named Stanvich. Does that name mean anything to you?"

She pushes off the table and steps up next to me. "Stanvich? You're sure that's the name he said?"

"Very sure."

She turns away. "Shit."

"Who is he?"

"A thorn in my side for the past ten years. This isn't his first weapons heist. He's always one step ahead, and despite attempts, no one has been able to capture or stop him. What else did Damien tell you?"

I tell her everything he said, including the GPS coordinates.

"I need to contact the agency and get someone on this," she says, grabbing a phone I don't recognize from the table. It's nicer than the burner phones she gave us to use during the rescue.

"Wait," I say. "Where did that phone come from?"

She glances at it. "It was here in the house. It was left here for an emergency like this. I assure you, it cannot be traced."

"Before you make that call, we should consider that someone at the agency might be involved with all of this."

She frowns. "You think we're dealing with a dirty agent? Why?"

I glance around to ensure no one is coming our way. "We were in the middle of nowhere in those woods. Yet, someone found us and had a perfect shot at Damien. The shooter could have taken us all out, but only Damien. Doesn't any of that seem odd to you?"

"It's not that odd, considering Sylvia had Damien's phone. If Nancy found us, I'm not surprised someone else did, too."

"So, you're assuming that's how the shooter found Damien? His phone?"

She turns to the table and picks up a pad of paper. "No, I don't assume anything. I've been going over who could be involved."

I step up beside her and read what's on the paper. It's a list of names, and next to it is a column she labeled as motive.

"These are your suspects?" I ask.

"Some of them."

Sylvia is listed first, and her motive is money. Davis is listed next, but her name is scratched out. Interesting.

"So, you think Davis could be the shooter?"

"No. I was writing down everyone's names but stopped. I've known Davis for years. She's a good agent."

The third name is Moose. Wait, our Moose?

I grab it and hold it up to Harding. "You really think Moose is a suspect? He was caught in a trap."

"He yelled in pain after the gunshot. Before that, he was out of sight."

My mind races as I remember that morning. "He was with Sylvia, who ran into the woods to pee. That's why he wasn't with us."

"We still can't rule him out," Harding says.

"Yes, we can. I was next to Damien. I would have seen Moose."

She stares at me but does not scratch out his name.

I continue reading. The fourth name is "sniper," and for motive, she has written a question mark.

"Sniper. Nancy could have dropped off the sniper before crashing our site," I say.

"It's a strong possibility."

"The most likely one on this list," I say.

She frowns, staring at the paper. "There's someone else we need to consider." She writes Vlad on the paper.

"How? He didn't even fly in until after we were already at the field."

"We don't know where he flew in from. Maybe he was on that ridge, drove away, then flew in from some short distance," Harding says.

"Possible, I guess. But how would he have found us in the middle of the woods?"

I glance at her, and it hits us at the same time. "A tracker?" I say.

"If he planted one on one of us, he'll know we're here, too," she says.

We both turn to Rover's jacket, which is hanging on one of the kitchen chairs.

"He loves that jacket," I say.

"Let's see what we can feel first," Harding says.

Rover carried the jacket onto Vlad's plane when we first arrived. It was too hot to wear. Vlad took it from him and put it in a bin overhead. A perfect opportunity to plant a tracker. We feel around all parts of the jacket and come up empty.

"What's going on?" Rover asks as he walks into the room and spots us holding his jacket.

Harding tosses it aside. "We're looking for a tracker."

Rover's brow shoots up. "In my jacket?"

"It's possible Vlad is a suspect, and a tracker is the only way he would have been able to find us in the woods," Harding says.

Rover picks up Harding's list of suspects.

"Nancy said Damien owed her money. I wonder what it was for," Rover says. He points to the paper. "Why is Moose a suspect?"

Harding explains to him the way she did to me. And he agrees with me it's weak.

"Based on that thinking, Durango is a suspect, too. He was out with Damien and out of sight of the rest of us."

Harding stares at me. "I've known Durango for years. He didn't do it. I don't know this other guy." She turns to face Rover. "Did you know Moose is fluent in Russian?"

Rover takes a step back. "What? No. But this is the first assignment I've had with him."

"Durango wasn't aware until recently," Harding says.

Rover glances at me.

"Look, I realize everything I have here isn't much," Harding says. "I'm just trying to put some pieces together."

"When I told Damien we would keep him safe, he said all of us couldn't keep him safe," I say.

"All of us? Did he mean he didn't trust someone in our group?" Harding asks.

"Who did your assignment come from?" Rover asks.

Harding shakes her head. "My boss. I've worked with him for years. He's not dirty."

"Can you be certain?" I ask. "Because if anyone at the agency is dirty and you report to them what Damien told me, we all become targets."

Harding rubs her temples. "I won't report it yet." She smiles. "I'll report something else. Then we'll know."

I glance at Rover, who shrugs. "What do you mean, something else?"

"Well, I think you're wrong about my boss. And I'm going to show you."

She grabs the phone from the table and presses in a number. "It's Harding," she says.

"Go ahead," a male voice says.

"The wife is in custody. Damien has been shot and killed."

"Dammit! Did he relay the information?"

Harding meets my eyes. "No. But I believe the wife knows. I've questioned her, and she won't answer. All she says is if she tells me, it will get her killed."

The line is silent for a moment.

"All right. Send me your location, and I'll have someone bring her in," he says.

"No. Whoever killed Damien is likely looking for her, too. She's safer here for now until we can neutralize the assailant."

"All right. Check-in as soon as you've resolved that issue."

Harding ends the call.

"How is that a test?" I ask.

"He can obtain my location from this phone."

Rover cocks his head. "Where did that phone come from?"

"The phone was here in the house. This is a CIA safe house, and it comes equipped with certain things, including a phone to use for purposes like this. Each phone is tracked for a variety of reasons. If someone comes for her, they will come tonight. Which means we need to move Sylvia and Nancy. Durango, you and Moose will take them to another location. Rover, you will stay here with me, and we will monitor this house from outside."

I groan. Oops. I didn't mean to do that. We have enough to deal with, and I can suck up listening to Nancy chatter on and on for a little while longer.

Harding tilts her head. "Will that be a problem?"

"No, sorry. It's not the plan. It's just that Nancy won't shut up."

"Good. She might say something useful." Harding writes an address on a blank piece of paper, then rips it from the tablet and hands it to me.

"You have the address memorized?" I ask.

She smiles. "Not my first time in this country. That house is not on the CIA's list."

"And you're sure it will be empty?"

"I am. Now, don't say a word about this to anyone."

"What about Davis? Isn't she out getting us food?" I ask.

"Don't tell her," Rover says. "She could be the dirty agent."

As if on cue, Davis walks in the door. "Don't worry. No one followed me. I got burgers for everyone."

"Burgers?" Rover asks.

"Yes, you can get fast food everywhere, even here." Davis walks toward the kitchen with the bags.

Harding walks to a small cabinet and opens a drawer. "You will need this," she says as she pulls a map out and hands it to me.

A map of western Belarus.

"The new house isn't too far."

I pocket the map and the address.

"I'll make sure Davis stays with us so she doesn't know the address. Although I'm telling you, she's not someone we need to worry about," Harding says. "You should grab your dinners to go."