Chapter 28

CHAPTER 28

They returned to the safehouse just as Barton and Preisler were on their way out. The CIA's yacht broker had come through. A boat, fully fueled, was waiting for them in Nice.

Seeing Harvath arrive, Barton paused in the driveway and waited for him to get out of the Range Rover.

Once he did, he walked over to him, held up his phone, and showed Harvath what the broker had been able to secure. "Only you could arrange something like this," he said.

"Like it?" Harvath asked.

"Are you kidding me?" Barton replied. "We'll have no problem keeping up with Tsybulsky."

"Good."

"And, as I've seen the seven-figure price tag, I promise to do my best not to scratch it or run it aground."

Harvath smiled. "Not my problem. The CIA's picking up the tab. Just complete your part of the mission. That's all I care about."

"Roger that," said Barton as he and Preisler threw bags into the trunk of their vehicle and headed out.

Now that he was back at the villa, the first person Harvath wanted to see was S?lvi. He found her sitting on the veranda, cup of coffee in hand, staring out toward the small slice of the Mediterranean that was visible from their location.

"Everything okay?" he asked, stepping out to join her. "How'd your call go with Oslo?"

"Not well," she replied. "But I suppose that was to be expected."

Harvath pulled up a chair and sat down next to her.

"They gave me twenty-four hours to surrender myself," she continued, "along with Grechko."

"And what did you tell them?"

"I told them that until they caught their mole, Grechko and I were safer where we were."

"At which point they assured you that they could keep both of you safe, right?"

S?lvi nodded. "?‘Just tell us where you are,' they said, ‘and we'll come get you. We'll put you anywhere in Norway you want. No one will be able to touch either of you.'?"

"Then what happened?"

"Then it got nasty," she replied, exhaling. "If I don't comply, they'll consider it an act of treason, my career will be over, they'll revoke all my military benefits, as well as everything I've accrued at the NIS, et cetera."

"Could be worse," Harvath said, trying to make her smile. "In the U.S. they also would have threatened to take your parking space."

S?lvi chuckled. "It's already gone. They also deactivated my security badge and have flagged my Norwegian passport."

"They're playing hardball."

"Wouldn't you?"

Harvath nodded. "I've been in a similar situation. All I can say is, you just have to do the right thing—even if it's in opposition to what your government is asking you to do. In the end, it'll all work out. Trust me."

"I do," S?lvi said, reaching out and taking his hand. "But I don't want to think about Oslo. Let's talk about something else. How's everything coming together on your end?"

"You want the short version, or the truth?"

S?lvi chuckled again. No matter how rough things were, he could always make her laugh. "Split the difference for me."

"Inessa has agreed to meet Eva for dinner, and we've found the perfect spot. Plenty of ingress and egress points. The conversation is going to have to be quick, but it should be enough time for Grechko to make his case."

"And if she agrees?"

"If she agrees, we make sure no one, including Tsybulsky, ever comes looking for her. That's what Grechko wants, right?"

"Why does that sound like a loaded question?"

Harvath, still holding her hand, leaned back in his chair and stared out toward the ocean. "Just want to make sure we're both on the same page."

S?lvi looked at him. "You're up to something," she said. "I can tell. What is it?"

"How much do you know about Arkady Tsybulsky?"

"Billionaire oligarch. Makes his money from mining. Close friend and confidant of the Russian president."

"Correct," Harvath replied. "In fact, Russia's war effort in Ukraine is heavily dependent upon the raw materials that Tsybulsky supplies. His aluminum, titanium, nickel, and iron ore are critical to Moscow. Without them, you can't build airplanes, helicopters, armored vehicles, missiles, and a whole host of other weapons and weapons systems."

"You're certainly knowledgeable when it comes to Tsybulsky."

"The file Holidae gave me to read before we left was quite detailed. Suffice it to say that Tsybulsky was incredibly rich before Russia invaded Ukraine. Since the invasion, his wealth has exploded. Not only that, but according to the CIA, he was one of the people who had strongly encouraged Peshkov to launch the war."

"The Ukrainians must hate him with a passion," she said.

"You have no idea," Harvath replied.

"What's your plan?"

"I've decided we're not going to make Inessa disappear."

"You're not?" S?lvi replied, drawing her hand back, somewhat surprised.

"No. Instead, we're going to make her problem disappear."

"You're going to kill Tsybulsky?"

Harvath, who had turned to look at her, turned back to look at the ocean. " I'm not going to kill him."

Even though his head was turned to the side, she could see that look in his eye again. "Forget splitting the difference. Tell me the truth."

Harvath turned to face her again. "I promise you. I will tell you the full truth, when the time is right."

"What's wrong with right now?"

"I'm doing you a favor."

"By keeping me in the dark? How does that help me?" she asked.

"It'll help you keep your job."

"You mean the job that they've told me is out the window this time tomorrow?"

Harvath smiled at her. "Plausible deniability is invaluable. You've got that right now. Trust me, you don't want to throw it away."

"I think I should be the judge of that. Grechko is my defector."

"Yes, he is. And I want you to be able to focus on him."

"Please tell me you're not trying to patronize me."

"I'm not trying to patronize you," he responded. "I'm trying to protect you. Believe me."

"How can I believe you when you don't trust me?"

"I trust you implicitly. If this all goes according to plan, you can knock me afterward for being overly cautious. But, if anything goes wrong and we can't contain it, you don't want Norway needlessly getting dragged into this. I'll only be gone a few hours. Once I'm back, you can ask me whatever you want." Winking, he added, "Within reason."

Though she didn't want to, S?lvi surrendered. She could have fought a bit harder and maybe have extracted a bit more information from him, but at what cost?

They needed to trust each other—and not just when it was easy. It was when things were difficult that it mattered most.

She took his hand again. "Just promise me one thing."

"What's that?" he asked.

"That you won't make me a widow before we're even married."

Harvath smiled at her as his phone chimed. "You've got nothing to worry about."

Looking down, he saw it was a text from Staelin. He and Haney were about to arrive with the Ukrainian commandos and would meet him at the caretaker's cottage.

He leaned over and gave S?lvi a kiss. "I've got to get going."

"What's up?"

"The package I ordered has arrived."