Update

Hi all! Just wanted to let you know how the book is doing. I have sent dozens of query letters to literary agents and have had several rejections. I have also had two agencies offer to represent me. They don't have the best reputation so I'm not going with them. The really great news is that an agent from Writer's House requested my manuscript! I am so excited because they are the best agency in the business. They represent the Twilight series, Fablehaven series, all of Janet Evonovich's books, Nora Roberts, Sherrilyn Kenyon, The Eregon series, Captain Underpants, ets. I should hear back within eight weeks. I'll keep you posted on all the goings on with my book.

Fallen Angel

Welcome to my first blog!! I am posting the first five chapters of a novel I have written entitled Fallen Angel. Enjoy and let me know what you think. Any input would be appreciated.

Fallen Angel
By Katharine Drake
Chapter One
Andrew McDougal was very concerned. He had no idea how he had gotten into his current predicament. He was on his way to live in southern Russia. This fact alone did not scare him. Seven years prior he had lived in the same area for two years. The last time he had been a Mormon missionary, a soldier in the Army of God. That and the fact that he had only been nineteen the first time he left the United States made him fearless. This time he was definitely not in the employ of God. He was a member of The National Clandestine Services or NCS, headquartered at The Central Intelligence Agency in Washington, D.C. NCS had desks in every intelligence department in the US Government as well as several foreign posts. Andrew reported to the director of NCS who reported to the Director of the CIA. Andrew’s job was to collect human intelligence, preferably by convincing someone else to do the collecting for him. But that was the ideal not the rule.
Still, it wasn’t his employment that scared him, he had been recruited specifically for this job and he knew he could do it. No, he was afraid of her, his new “partner” Katharine Wallace. Partner was a stretch because she had never kept anyone for more than six months and that was only once. When he found out who he would be assigned to he had checked her out. He did not see this as an intrusion; after all, he was a spy. It wasn’t as easy as running a background check; after all, she was a spy. He had to personally do the leg work; fortunately, he had a lot of sources. Katharine was a bit of a myth within the intelligence community. Everyone had heard of her, but Andrew found it difficult to find someone who actually knew her. He started with her last partner and worked his way back.
Six months ago Katharine sent her last partner home; he had lasted six weeks, about par for the course. His name was James and the only thing Andrew found out was that James hated her. In fact, James didn’t even refer to her as Katharine or Agent Wallace or anything else remotely acceptable, he called her Hell Kat. Hell Kat, like it was the name her parents christened her with. Apparently, Agent Wallace sent him home because he refused to swim in the Volga River in the middle of winter. Andrew thought that was a little harsh, but believed there were always two sides to every story.
The next partner was Edward. When Andrew asked about Agent Wallace, Edward started to laugh. He told Andrew that if he lasted longer than he had, he would learn more from Hell Kat in two months than in two years with anyone else. At least that was positive, but there was that name again. Andrew asked Edward how long he had been partnered with Agent Wallace. “I was in the presence of the she devil for exactly twenty-four days and I have been in mandatory counseling over the ordeal for the past twenty four months.” Another negative, this was when Andrew started to feel the first twinge of fear.
The next partner on Agent Wallace’s hit list was someone Andrew actually knew. He thought he would get a real answer from Xander. Xander was a big, tough, vulgar, gorilla type that relied on his brawn more than his brain. When Andrew asked him about Agent Wallace, Xander responded angrily. “I’m gonna give you a nickels worth of free advice. Watch your back and sleep with one eye open. Look, I only fear two people in this world and Hell Kat is one of them. That broad may look little, but Hell Kat kicked my ass more soundly and more often than any man ever has.” Again with the name, it wasn’t looking good. Xander had lasted as Hell Kat’s partner for ten whole days. Andrew smiled as he remembered his conversation with Xander.
“Who’s the second person you’re afraid of?” Andrew asked just out of curiosity.
“Chuck. Norris.”
“Huh?”
“Dude, have you ever seen Walker, Texas Ranger? That guy could kick your butt. He’s where I learned all my best moves from.”
“Maybe that’s why a hundred and ten pound girl kicked your butt on a regular basis.”
Xander pointed his finger at Andrew and backing away slowly said, “Chuck Norris, brother.”
Andrew remembered thinking, maybe the guy should be in mandatory counseling.
After Xander, the list went dry for two years. This could mean one of three things. One, the activities of Agent Wallace were so covert that no one had access to them. Andrew thought this was very unlikely because of the length of time Kat had been in Russia. Although she had been posted in Russia many years after the Cold War ended the CIA was no longer conducting covert operations against them. Two, she could have been loaned out to another agency, domestic or foreign. This was a possibility, but what could she have been doing for such a long period of time? The last option was medical. Again, maybe, she could have been wounded or had an illness that needed treatment. Usually the agency forced you to ride a desk if you were out that long, but Agent Wallace went from nothing to a senior field agent. She had only one partner before this and he had been killed. This is where he hit a dead end. He was unable to find anything about the man’s death. He couldn’t even get a name.
All of this information made Andrew’s natural suspicion peak. It didn’t add up. Agent Wallace had been an active field agent for the last seven years and her partner history did not fill five years. If you assumed her first partner was the one and only that had lasted six months her partner history couldn’t crack the year mark. No matter which avenues he tried, he hit the same wall; finding personal information on a spy was next to impossible. Andrew had one last option which was his official briefing with deputy director Webb and the CIA file on Agent Katharine Wallace. This sounded good, but Andrew knew better. Katharine’s personal information would be confidential; he would be informed of his assignment and her ongoing assignment. That was all and even that could be full of holes. His briefing had taken place the day before he left for Russia in the office of Deputy Director Webb.
Andrew arrived at Webb’s office early and anxious. He had met the Deputy Director only once before when he accepted the offer from the CIA. Webb had the reputation of being an honest, loyal man who watched out for his employees. Andrew never heard anything bad about him and everyone had a great deal of respect for the man. Webb had been a field agent during the Cold War. Rumor had it he had disappeared several times behind enemy lines, each time escaping unscathed. He had a reputation for not waiting around for the agency to enter into diplomatic negotiations. He was an icon in the espionage world.
“You can go in now Agent McDougal.” Andrew jumped in his seat; he hadn’t been expecting Amy, Webb’s secretary, to say anything to him. It’s not that Andrew hadn’t noticed Amy, she was fascinating. Andrew had interacted with her during training and respected her. She may be a lowly secretary but the woman commanded respect. She was at one time beautiful, however the deep wrinkles had stolen her youth. Her bleach blond hair was teased into an outdated beehive and she smelled like she bathed in Channel No 5. Andrew stood up and walked through the oak doors leading into Webb’s office.
“Have a seat.” Webb seemed pleasant enough, not friendly, but pleasant. Webb was an imposing man with broad shoulders and a barrel chest. He had long ago lost all the hair on his head, but he made up for it with a bushy silver mustache. He handed Andrew a file containing the information on Agent Wallace and her ongoing mission. Andrew noticed how light the file was in fact it only contained two pieces of paper. Both papers detailed his assignment. Detailed was probably not the right word, rather it was a brief outline. In summary, it told him his job was to pose as the husband, companion, bodyguard, assistant, colleague, or any other role that would be beneficial to supporting his partner. Their purpose was to obtain intelligence from several sources regarding several topics. It was very vague and ambiguous.
Webb gave Andrew time to read through the information, which only took a minute. When Andrew looked up Webb could see the questions in his eyes. “I know that file isn’t helpful, but that is why I’m doing your briefing rather than your case officer. The fact is, you don’t have a case officer on this one. Katharine reports directly to me and no one else. Being a curious and thorough agent I know you researched Katharine, but there is a reason you couldn’t find anything on her. I am the only one with that information.”
Andrew was stunned and didn’t know what to say, he just looked at the Deputy Director. Andrew was very shaken inside. A lack of information is every spy’s worst nightmare. He managed to cover up his unease and confidently said “Why?”
Webb laughed, “I’m going to be as honest as I can, but know that you will have to get some information first hand. You don’t have a specific mission; you are given the task of aiding Katharine in whatever way she may need help. She will give you your role and your instructions. The two of you are to be stationed in the Samara Russia area and will gather any relevant intelligence.”
“Forgive me sir, but that still seems somewhat vague.”
“It’s supposed to. Katharine is one of our top five producing field agents. We have learned she works best with a long leash. She knows what to look for so we let her. She develops her own leads, her own assets, plans her own ops, and determines the relevance of the intelligence she should collect.”
“Isn’t that outside agency protocols? Aren’t you afraid she’ll go rogue. I mean isn’t that unheard of, she operates with no supervision whatsoever?”
“First of all, it’s rare, not unheard of. She has supervision, me and no I am not afraid she’ll go rogue. Katharine is the single most dedicated, loyal agent I have ever recruited.”
“You personally recruited her? Weren’t you the Deputy Director at the time?”
“Yes on both counts, Katharine was a special case.”
“What do you mean by special?”
Webb smiled at Andrew amused at his attempt to ferret out more information. “I told you I would be as honest as possible.” Andrew knew Webb had picked up on his attempt to interrogate the Deputy Director and he felt chastened. “I recruited Katharine directly out of Oxford. She comes from a family of Intelligence officials. I started watching her while she was studying in one of the Oxford libraries. I was intrigued by her before I got there; I quickly became fascinated and shocked. I watched her for several hours that first day. The second day I watched her again. But I was shocked to see her watching me.”
“I was posing as a professor, blending in well, but somehow she detected me. She sat there at the table with her books closed just looking at me. She must have known I was about to leave because she caught my arm as I turned to leave. She asked me what I wanted and who had sent me. I wanted to know why a young college student would be so paranoid. I told her I was a professor and just researching. She countered by asking what kind of professor studies ancient warfare one day and abstract mathematics the next.
“I hadn’t paid attention to the section I was in each day because I thought I was watching your average highly intelligent young woman. I was wrong. I fessed up as much as I could. I told her I was there to offer her a position with the government agency that I worked for. She then asked me what the CIA would want with her. By this time I thought I had completely lost my edge. However, she continued talking, so I let her. She told me my accent “sucked” which revealed me to be an American. She also said that by referring to my government job as an agency rather than a ministry or department could only mean I was CIA. This ‘untrained’ schoolgirl amazed me with her knowledge and ability to pick out an experienced agent. In that moment she said, ‘do you think my grandfather taught me nothing.’ Her grandfather was a famous British Intelligence operative during WWII and later the head of British Intelligence.
“I then asked her if she would sit down and talk to me. She sat down and we talked, but I could tell she wasn’t telling me everything. That last thing I asked her that day was her age because she looked young, younger than the information we had. Her answer was ‘old enough to know you have been watching me for two days.’
“I started catching her between classes and I would walk her home at night. I used her grandfather to endear her to me so she wouldn’t tell me to get lost. In the next several weeks I learned she wasn’t highly intelligent, she was a certifiable genius. She was in the masters program studying anthropology. She knew ten languages without a discernable accent. She was the most observant prospect I had ever met. She could recall every person we walked passed with uncanny accuracy. This was due to the fact that she had an honest to goodness photographic memory. We have never tested any one with her ability.
“I asked her if she would join the agency in the spring after her graduation. For the first time Katharine hesitated and said ‘I can’t.’ I asked her if anyone else had tried to recruit her. She said she had but refused them immediately. She told me she would have to say no because she didn’t think she was old enough to join the agency. I was relieved and asked her how old she was. She looked at me and said she was seventeen but to keep it to myself. Her grandfather had called in a lot of favors to cover up her age so she could attend Oxford without being any more of an oddity. I was stunned. She had enrolled at Oxford at the age of fourteen and three years later she was graduating with a master’s degree. She told me her birthday was in September and I asked her if she would join us then. She said she would think it over.
“Little did I know it had been her intent her entire life to work in the intelligence world and that she really wanted to work for the CIA. But, like she said she was taught by the best from the time she could walk. This seventeen year old girl had worked me like an asset and I had no idea. She called me a month later and accepted the offer.
“Now I will give you some advice. I know Kat better than anyone here. If you try to outthink her you will fail, if you try to out maneuver her she will know and she’ll twist all your planning around just for fun. If you try to stab her in the back, she will see it coming, if you try to betray her you won’t succeed and you will probably end up in a foreign prison. Finally don’t try to out shoot or fight her, you will be embarrassed. Just go in to this knowing she is probably better than you in every way and she is a year younger than you.”
Andrew felt a twinge of fear. He didn’t know what to say, he just sat there for several seconds. He finally said, “Thank you for the vote of confidence, sir.”
“I have all the confidence in the world in you. In fact, you are the best candidate we have ever come up with when it comes to Katharine, she needs someone like you. You are an intelligent, brave young man with unwavering integrity. Also, you have amazing diplomatic skills and she could definitely use that. Now, if you don’t mind, I have work to do.”
Andrew did mind, he had a million questions. He had no discernable assignment and his entire life would be determined by a woman who probably already had the title of most difficult partner and loved it. He knew he had been dismissed so he stood up with his pathetic file and left the office. He passed Amy’s desk and without looking up from her computer she said “good luck.” Andrew knew he would need it.
He had been researching Agent Wallace and talking to Webb all morning so he went to the cafeteria for lunch. He was early and found an empty table near the exit. He wasn’t alone for long. He was soon joined by several of his colleagues who were also going to their first assignment soon. Andrew quickly realized he should have used more discretion when checking out Kat. For the place that kept the nation’s secrets no one at the CIA could keep their mouth shut.
“So, we heard you’ve been assigned to Hell Kat. Who did you piss off?”
“Yeah, no kidding, I don’t know if I could put up with her. You’re stuck in an awful place with awful food, and you have to put up with the queen bitch as your boss. I heard she has sent agents home before they left the airport.”
“That’s nothing I heard she once made a guy she was interrogating jump out of a fifth floor window totally naked. He survived, but he sucks his meals through a straw now.”
“I heard that when it comes to psychological and physical torture she is the best the Agency has and she’s ruthless about it. I also heard she uses it on her partners to a degree.”
“I heard she is like some body builder and that she sent Xander to the hospital.”
“I heard she uses her womanly assets to get all that information she collects.”
“I heard she sent some poor sap to a Russian prison labeled as a Suki. Whatever that means?”
Andrew had reached his limit. This conversation was over. He considered himself Katharine’s partner she deserved his loyalty. “Ok enough!” the scuttlebutt stopped. “None of you know what you’re talking about, you know nothing about her. I don’t know about the torture, but I know she isn’t a body builder she’s a twenty five year old petite young women who kicked Xander’s butt, but never sent him to the hospital, and that came directly from Xander. She uses her brain not her body and Suki is Russian for bitch. I don’t know if she sent someone to prison labeled as one, but if she did, he probably deserved it. Webb trusts her completely and so do I.”
With that Andrew left the table. He had to go home to pack his belongings and calm down. The day had been stressful and he was leaving the country in less than twenty four hours for an undefined amount of time. He only hoped he wouldn’t be coming back in forty eight hours.
“WHAT!” Agent Katharine Wallace yelled at the Station Chief in Samara. “You know I don’t want or need a partner, thank you.”
“Kat you know this isn’t your choice and ranting and raving isn’t going to prevent this from happening.”
“I know you’re sending me a rookie, this is his first field assignment, for crying out loud! He is completely untried.”
“As you said you know of him, do you really think he can’t handle the job here?”
“My job is not to break in new agents. My job is to protect The United States!”
“You know, it really must be lonely up there on your high horse, why don’t you climb down with the rest of the mortals. Your job is to follow orders and your new orders are to make this work with McDougal and don’t try to pull that crap where you send him home at the airport. That will not fly this time.”
“I won’t have to, he won’t last…”
“Now Kat, stop! Sabotage won’t work either. He is extremely dedicated, as you should know, he does not sway easily. There is something else you need to know, he is coming over here using his own identity.”
“You aren’t giving him a cover! Are you trying to get us all killed?”
“Relax, it would have been pointless. He made a lot of powerful friends last time he was here and they all would recognize him. Some people are able to use kindness to influence people, not everyone feels the need to pummel people into a bloody pulp or blow their knee caps out to impress them.”
Sensing defeat Kat asked, “Does he know about me?”
“Webb told him a little bit, but you’ll have to fill him in on the finer points.”
That was good, Kat thought, she can be anything she wants.
Special Agent Katharine Wallace was terrified. She had thought she was mad, even furious, but the more she thought about it she knew it was intense fear. She had spent the last several years doing a good job convincing the CIA she didn’t need a partner. Even so, they still felt compelled to stick her with one, again. She was allowed a good deal of freedom when it came to her job, but sometimes, she couldn’t convince Deputy Director Webb that the partner issue was ridiculous. This was one of those times. In the past when her superiors tried to send her a partner she would send them home for one reason or another, but that probably wouldn’t work this time.
Andrew McDougal was a special case. Kat knew him; she had watched him off and on for two years while he was a missionary. She had submitted glowing reports and even recommended him for work in the agency. She wouldn’t have been so kind if she knew it would come back to bite her. The fact was, she liked Andrew. He had a lot of the qualities she most admired and there was something else about him she couldn’t put a finger on. He carried himself with a grace and nobility that you just don’t see every day. When she had been watching him, she referred to him as Leonidas, the legendary Spartan King. Not only was he physically imposing, he was dignified, diplomatic, courageous, intelligent, and when he spoke, people listened. Everything one would need to defeat the Persians.
This was what made the situation scary rather than infuriating. Kat knew, of all the people the agency had sent, Andrew would be the best partner, but that didn’t guarantee he would stay. She liked him, respected him, and loved the way he cared for the Russians, however, this made him dangerous. If she had been honest with herself she would have admitted she wanted him there, but Kat would never do that. Kat was vulnerable and that was not a useful emotion in her mind so she had avoided it like the plague.
Fortunately, she knew just what to do in these situations. She would make him leave. She wouldn’t treat him like the others, forcing him to leave by her own decree; she would make him leave of his own free will. She would make life so miserable that he wouldn’t be able to live with himself much less stay in Russia. She had watched Andrew for two years, she knew his weaknesses and she would exploit them. Andrew had an unshakable moral character, this would be his downfall. Kat was already plotting against him.
She remembered the first time she saw Andrew. She had been in Samara for only one day, but she already knew a very influential man in the city. His name was Sergei Smirnovsky, and he had been a friend of her grandfather. Sergei was of average height and above average weight. He had a full head of silver hair with a silver goatee to match. He wore the same uniform every day, a handmade Italian pinstriped suit. He had dozens of them. He was the local crime boss; he referred to himself as a godfather. He loved his country and wanted to see national pride restored. He wielded an immense amount of power and used that power to make his part of Russia better. He made sure the people had power, water, food, heat, medical care, everything they may need to survive. Sergei loved and took care of the people and they loved and protected him. His criminal enterprises were always overlooked due to his public service.
Kat was sitting in Sergei’s fur shop when Andrew walked through the door. Kat nearly ran, she wasn’t planning on seeing him until later that day. She was afraid her cover had been blown, why else would he stride into this shop at this exact time. He wasn’t alone, missionaries never go anywhere alone. He was with his companion, who was trying to pull Andrew out of the shop. Andrew was almost twice the size of his companion so his efforts were futile. Andrew walked straight up to Sergei without any fear in his eyes. Then he spoke, it was the best Russian she had ever heard. Andrew asked, “I’m interested in a pair of fur lined gloves.”
Sergei knew something was up when Andrew walked in, but relaxed a little after Andrew asked about the gloves. Sergei moved to show Andrew a selection of gloves. Kat watched them interact. She and Andrew’s companion were the only ones who looked nervous. Andrew tried on several pair of gloves and then chose the most expensive pair. As he was paying for them Sergei asked, “Where are you from?”
“I’m from America,” Andrew answered, again in flawless Russian.
“No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No, you sound almost like you’re from the Baltic States.”
“I’m not. I’m from The United States.”
“Look I’m an important man, don’t lie to me.” Sergei was getting irritated.
“I’m telling the truth, here’s a copy of my passport. I’m from America.”
Sergei took the paper and looked at it carefully, then handed it to Kat. Kat took the paper and nodded. Sergei was good; in one little gesture he had verified Andrew’s identity and legitimized Kat sitting there. This was why her grandfather had worked with him. Kat looked at Sergei and nodded as if verifying the passport. Sergei was amazed and looked at Andrew with a healthy level of respect. He had to respect him. He had learned flawless Russian before he even entered his beloved country. He had never encountered any one like Andrew.
Sergei handed the paper back to Andrew. He took it and then asked “Do you get a lot of American’s in here?”
Sergei shrugged and said, “Some.”
“Do they look like me? I mean are they young men traveling in pairs?”
“Mostly. Why?”
“Oh nothing, they’re my friends. If I send them to you for their winter clothing will you treat them well?”
Kat noticed he hadn’t asked Sergei if he would give them a fair price, Andrew had asked him to treat them well. American’s were overcharged all the time and Kat thought the request was odd. Sergei seemed to know more than he was letting on and slowly nodded, “Yes, I will treat them well.”
“Thank you,” Andrew said, “You are a fair man, I will send them in to see you.” The two men stared at each other for a moment and Andrew left with his companion.
“What was that about?” Kat asked.
“I don’t know, but I think I just signed a truce.” Sergei wouldn’t elaborate on his statement which made Kat even more curious about the strange American she had been sent to spy on.
Kat left the store and headed toward the apartment she knew Andrew would be living in. She was deep in thought and almost ran into the two young men arguing on the street. It was Andrew and the mystery companion. “What just happened in there?” The companion bellowed.
“Nothing, I was trying to help everyone out, that’s all.”
“Help us! You practically insulted the head of the Russian Mafia in this city, how would that help us?”
“I guess we’ll just have to see. I don’t know about you, but I like my enemies to know that I know their face. Also, I didn’t insult him if you practiced your Russian you would know that.”
“Are you saying I don’t know the language? I’ve been here for eighteen months, I speak better Russian than you,” the companion was still yelling.
“Really, then maybe you could answer a question that has been bugging me? If you are such an accomplished linguist and versed in every aspect of Russian culture, why were you charged three times the price for the cab ride here? The fact is the cabbie spotted you as an American and knew you would never know he overcharged you. Think about how much money you could have saved over the last eighteen months if you had lowered your pride enough to study the language and perfect your accent.”
“The cabbie overcharged me?”
“Yes, he did.”
“Ok, from now on you talk.”
Andrew smiled and turned the corner with his companion. The two had not realized Kat was listening to them. She now understood why Sergei seemed to like Andrew, even respected him. He had definitely earned points in her book. Kat followed Andrew around for the next several days, changing her appearance regularly. She watched him go about his daily life and interact with the people around him. He was a missionary so he actively looked for people that he could teach or help in some way. He treated everyone with respect and courtesy, no matter their station in life. Every one paid attention to him, everyone listened when he spoke. He could command an entire audience with a whisper, it was powerful. Maybe this was what Sergei saw that Kat had missed. She didn’t know for sure, but there was definitely something different about Andrew McDougal. Kat didn’t realize it, but she was becoming invested in him. She wanted him to succeed.
This made him dangerous. It made Kat involuntarily lower her guard and she could not allow that to happen. Kat worked very hard on her defenses and wanted to keep them strong. Andrew was a liability, but at the same time, she wanted him around. These were all unacceptable feelings, she had no choice, it was now a matter of survival; he would have to go.









Fallen Angel
Chapter Two
Andrew McDougal sat in his seat on a British Airways flight now landing in London. He seriously considered the consequences if he refused to exit the aircraft. They couldn’t physically harm him, could they? No, any way physical harm he could deal with, the humiliation of being too afraid to meet Katharine Wallace, he couldn’t handle.
So he decided to be a man and walk up the airplane and into the airport. Yes, he was facing certain doom; at least he would die on his feet. He didn’t look for her when he left the skyway, he knew no one could pick him up past security; this gave him a bit of a breather. Then he saw the sign, the sign with his name on it. That was impossible, he seriously considered ignoring it. Someone was standing there with a white sign in front of their face, beckoning him forward. How could anyone get passed the security check points? He should probably keep walking and ignore it. He decided, however, it was better to know the face of the enemy.
He walked forward, with one mission in mind, the person behind the sign. The sign lowered when he entered the personal space of the sign holder. “You McDougal? Kat sent me to pick ya up. My name’s Grey. You ready, I already got your bags off the plane. Follow me.”
Andrew looked at Grey, for a moment and then decided it would probably be good to follow the mysterious Grey. “Where are you from? You don’t sound American.”
“Well thank ya, I’m from Liverpool actually.”
“Why did Katharine send you to pick me up?”
“Oh you know, she desn’t do this kinda thing.”
“Where are we going?”
“Don’t worry we aren’t leaving the airport, just goin to a different plane.”
Great, Andrew thought, he wasn’t going to make it past the airport. He wouldn’t even make her partner list. His career was over before it started. Suddenly, Grey turned into an unmarked door and the two of them started down a long corridor. There weren’t any doors, the hallway just ended in a T, this is where they turned right. The next corridor was even longer. “How long have you been working with Katharine?”
“Who, me? I’ve known Kat since she was a kid; she uses me every now and again.”
“And what do you do for her?”
“Whatever she’s needs. I’m all inclusive for one low price. I’m gonna give you some free advice. Only her grandfather and Webb call her Katharine. Everyone else calls her Kat.”
Andrew thanked Grey for the insight. They continued down the corridor until they walked through another door. “How far away is this plane?”
“A bit yet, it uses a special terminal.”
Andrew was starting to wonder what was going on. Grey was seriously adept at giving out no information while still answering your question. “Will Kat be at this new plane?”
“Probably not yet, but she’ll show up.”
“Do you like working for her?”
“Yeah, I like it a lot. You just need a tough skin, a blind eye, a deaf ear, and a forgiving nature. She’s a piece of cake.”
Andrew wasn’t sure if he was going to make it or not. “Are all those rumors true then?”“I don’t know nothin’ about no rumors. I only know what Kat and I have been through. I don’t care if she’s accused of killing babies and puppies, I watch Kat’s six, end of discussion.”
Suddenly they walked out into the blazing light, unusual for this time of year. The sun made it impossible for Andrew to see ten feet in front of him; he kept walking, following Grey closely so he would know when to stop. Grey stopped much sooner than Andrew expected and he almost ran into him. Andrew heard Grey say, “Here she comes.”
Andrew looked, but the sun was still in his eyes. Kat kept walking and came into Andrews view. Andrew had never seen anything like her. She was strong, beautiful, and young; he couldn’t believe she outranked him. She stood at five foot four without heels and had a slim athletic build. With her olive skin, dark hair, and dark eyes she had the coloring of a Spanish princess. She was dressed in a black leather vest, black leather pants, black leather boots, and a floor length white leather coat. This woman was obviously not a member of PETA. Her hair was in a severe bun , she wore big dark sunglasses, and an expression that suggested she was in no mood to be messed around with. She walked with a purpose, like Wyatt Earp walking into the OK Corral.
Andrew took a step back as she got close enough to kiss him. Kat made him very uneasy, but he decided she was just trying to make him uncomfortable. She looked him up and down, as if inspecting him for the blue ribbon at the fair. He was very self conscious all of a sudden, he wasn’t sure if he would measure up. The great Hell Kat certainly lived up to his preliminary assessment of her, she loved to test people. He still didn’t believe all the rumors that float about the D.C. headquarters, at least not completely. He didn’t believe them at all when he left, or he didn’t want to. He now believed that they were only, in part, false.
Kat finished her inspection and looked Andrew in the eyes; she snapped her head and said tersely, “Get on the plane.” Kat stepped to his side and walked up the steps to board the plane. She spoke briefly to the pilot, Bishop, and his co-pilot, and then disappeared into the depths of the aircraft.
Andrew followed her instructions, relieved he wasn’t being sent home. He hadn’t really looked at the plane prior to boarding, he was too worried about the stalking tigress strolling up the tarmac, but now that he looked he saw that it was no ordinary airplane, it was a luxury jet. Kat clearly traveled in better style than he was used to. The interior was a neutral beige color; all the seats were leather and looked closer to a recliner than a typical airline seat, there was also a couch that doubled as a bed against one of the walls. Andrew was thoroughly impressed; he noticed a mini-fridge against one of the bulk heads and opened it. He was dying of thirst and needed something to drink; he grabbed a bottle of water and sat on one of the plush chairs.
He scanned the interior looking for Kat but she had disappeared. Andrew thought she must be in the restroom. The pilot closed the door and entered the cockpit. A few moments later the plane started to taxi on the runway. Andrew knew Kat would have to make an appearance for take-off. The plane continued to taxi and she didn’t show up. Andrew was starting to worry, it was dangerous not to be in a seat belt during take-off, wasn’t it. Just as the wheels left the runway, Andrew heard the distinct sounds of a shower running. He couldn’t believe it, not only did this airplane have a shower; Kat was actually using it during takeoff. She clearly thought she was above the ridiculous FAA regulations that kept a person safe and alive; she probably didn’t turn her cell phone off either. As if on cue, it rang. The phone rang and rang with no answer, he looked around and saw Kat’s coat lying on the couch, she had left her phone in one of the pockets. Andrew didn’t know if he should answer it or let it ring. After deliberation he decided, until told differently, he would respect her space and let it ring.
The shower turned off and Andrew braced himself for her entrance. He waited and waited but she didn’t emerge. Several minutes later he heard a blow dryer switch on. “You’ve got to be kidding me,” he whispered under his breath. He thought she was completely outrageous and irresponsible. Then it struck him, the whole time he had been sitting there he hadn’t opened his water, he had been sitting at rigid attention, and he had been holding his breath. She was playing with him, testing him, making him as uncomfortable as possible. Was this her game? With James she made his life a physical hell, with Edward she tortured him emotionally, and with Xander she attacked his pride making them all hate her and want to leave. Maybe she did this on purpose; maybe she didn’t want a partner at all. This had never occurred to Andrew, he had assumed her gaps were the result of national security or something like that. He never once thought it was by choice. She was an independent woman and wanted to stay that way, but why no partner. Andrew had come to one conclusion at least; she was making him uncomfortable on purpose. She was going to try to force him to leave. Kat had no idea what she was getting into, Andrew did not quit, no matter what. She would not win.

Kat let the shower run over her allowing it to release the tension in her body. She didn’t want to see Andrew; she needed to build her defenses. After today they were severely depleted, she never liked funerals. She just stood there, crying would accomplish nothing. Kat loved her grandfather; he was the last member of her family, now she was truly alone. She knew people had a tendency to turn to strangers for company when faced with this situation; but she was not most people. Her grandfather had trained her from the time she was five years old; a poor picked on me attitude would not have been tolerated. His death did not disturb her, he had been sick for a long time; the responsibility that came with being the last of his family was a bit intimidating. Kat was now faced with more responsibility than she had ever wanted. “Shake it off,” she muttered, “back to work.”
She stood there until the hot water ran out; when she stepped out of the shower she was a different woman. She looked in the mirror and reflexively examined her scars; a painful reminder. She dressed and was about to walk out the door when she lost her nerve. “Hair,” she reached for the blow dryer and went to work. She wasn’t a high maintenance woman but a helmet never hurt anybody. She finished smoothing the loose waves with her hand and headed for the door again. She lost her nerve, again. “Makeup,” she walked back to the mirror, a face mask never hurt anybody. She inspected the mirror again; with nothing left to arm herself with she walked out the door.
She saw him immediately, sitting in one of the chairs; she sat on the couch across from him. “Someone called your cell phone,” Andrew informed her.
“You didn’t answer it?”
“No, I wasn’t sure if you wanted me to.”
“Tell me something, Agent McDougal; if you discovered a cache of nuclear weapons would you wait for me to tell you to report it?”
“Since you are the senior agent here, I would report it to you so you could report it to your superiors. Isn’t that the proper chain of command?”
“It is, but we don’t always do things by the book here. You are expected to use your brain and make intelligent decisions in a split second, failing to do so could mean your life.”
Andrew looked at her with a knowing smile, “Ok next time I’ll answer your phone and take a message.”
Kat’s voice and expression didn’t change, it was full of hostility when she said, “No you won’t.”
Andrew knew she was trying to goad him, but he refused to let her faze him. He knew what she was trying to do and it wouldn’t work. He casually asked her, “Why were you in London?”
“Is this where we get personal? I don’t do personal; you probably won’t be here long enough for me to care.”
“I was unaware that was personal, I was just curious if your visit pertained to our assignment. If it doesn’t I understand you wanting to keep it private.”
“I didn’t say it was private either, never assume in our business.”
“So it was business?”
“No.”
“Well now that we have cleared that up, maybe you could tell me what you’re currently working on.”
“I don’t see why you need to know? Just because we’re partners doesn’t mean you’re going to here every classified detail.”
“OK, need to know, I get it. Is there anything I need to know?”
He was starting to infuriate Kat; usually she would have her partner at least riled by this time, but Andrew was actually enjoying their sparring match. She really didn’t know how to handle him. She had been given orders to make it work with him, but even if she hadn’t she was compelled to keep him. Kat hated this, she didn’t know what she was feeling; she was going to have to turn up the heat. “Your first assignment is going to obtain a target named Sasha. He can get very valuable information for us.”
“Obtain a target? Are you telling me you couldn’t convince him to help you with your witty banter?”
“We don’t speak the same language.”
“And you think I do?” “It’s a local dialect and you are the Russian language expert so, yeah I do.”
“OK, can you at least give me a description and his location; I’m not going to go assaulting every Sasha in Samara?”
“Sure, he’s a blond and I’ll have the location information and picture waiting when we land. You will need to dress in your night combat wear; I’d hate to tip him off, he has literally slipped through my fingers several times.”
Andrew could tell something else was going on but couldn’t put his finger on it. He didn’t care he would do what she asked until she could trust him. A foreboding feeling told him that was a very long time away and she would make life hell for him until then. He didn’t mind, he knew he could out last her.
Kat lay down on the couch to go to sleep; she was extremely smug. This “kidnapping” was going to push Andrew to the edge; he would be gone by the end of the week.
Andrew saw that Kat was sleeping so he decided to sleep as well. They had a long flight and he had no idea when Kat would give him another opportunity. It felt as though he had only been asleep a few minutes when his internal clock startled him awake. He was momentarily panicked, thinking he had slept to long. He wanted to change before they landed so that he looked prepared for his first mission. The mission sounded important but the way Kat had told him about it, he was not taking it at face value; there had to be more.
Andrew got up from his chair to look for his luggage. He looked around the main cabin, the bathroom, and the galley but couldn’t find it. He figured it must have been put below and went to the cockpit to ask the pilots.
“I can’t find my luggage. Do you know if it was put below?”
“Grey put it in the cargo hold. If you need something before we land you can use the stairs at the rear of the plane.”
Andrew followed their instructions and headed for the stairs. He had seen the stairs earlier but thought it best to get permission first. He opened the door to the stairs and headed down. The cargo hold was dark, cold, and noisy. He found a light switch and turned on the overhead lamps. The hold was much more crowded than he had anticipated. It was filled with long wooden boxes that looked suspiciously like weapons crates. It also had several larger crates to one side. He spotted his luggage at the far end and headed toward it. Just as he passed one of the large wooden boxes he noticed something move in the shadows. No one should be in the cargo hold. He pulled his weapon ready to engage in a battle for his life. Suddenly a scared voice said, “Don’t shoot, don’t shoot!! I’m unarmed!”
“Grey?”
“Yeah it’s me don’t shoot!”
“What are you doing down here?” Andrew asked lowering his gun.
“Nothing, nothing bad anyway, look I want to be one of you guys. I want to run into the face of danger without a care, I want the glory and respect that come with being a spy.”
“If you’re a good spy you don’t get glory and respect, because no one is supposed to know you exist.” Andrew said through gritted teeth. The little stowaway had scared him to death and he was determined not to be nice.
“You still get to live the adventure and see the world. Can’t I just tag along?”
“No! Are you trying to get me, you, and Kat killed?”
“No no I want to help you. Look I’m really good at making things, fixing things, inventing stuff or improving old stuff. I could be a help, an asset. I don’t need to follow you everywhere but can’t you give me a shot?”
“You’re asking the wrong person, you have to ask Kat. If she says yes then I don’t see a problem with it. But you have to do the asking, keep me out of it. Now stay here while I get my stuff.”
Andrew went to his luggage and pulled out his night combat wear and all his gear. His clothing was all black, he had extra weapons both lethal and non lethal, he also grabbed his body armor. He didn’t know what he would be facing so he thought he should be prepared.
The two men walked back up the stairs together; Andrew could tell Grey was nervous. He acted like Kat didn’t scare him but he was about to ask a favor Andrew already knew the answer to; Kat would say no. They climbed the stairs and entered the cabin of the airplane; Kat was still sleeping on the couch. Grey walked toward her like a death row inmate taking his final walk. He stopped at the couch and leaned over her; he paused steeling himself for the wrath that would follow. Suddenly Kat spoke, “What do you want Grey?” She hadn’t opened her eyes, yet she knew who he was.
“Uh, I, um, just wanted to ask you a question.”
“That’s wonderful but you have to answer my question first, what are you doing on my plane?”
“Well that is the question actually. I wanted to know if I could join you guys in Russia, to help out ya know?”
“Grey, this is not a job for the untrained. It can get very dangerous and I can’t be responsible for you.”
“You won’t be responsible; I just want to be involved in something.”
“So join the fire department, I am not the wet nurse of the intelligence world. I wasn’t sent here to take in every lost stray.”
“Come on Kat, you know I have skills you can use, let me prove myself. I really want to help, I’ll stay out of your way, you won’t even know I’m there. Please” Grey started sounding like a whining child begging his mom for a sweet.
“OK Grey, here’s what I’ll do, I’ll let you come to the apartment with us, you will never leave without my permission, you will do everything I say when I say without question, you will stay out of our way, and if you disobey any of these orders you will be sent packing faster than you can blink. Understand?”
“Yeah I understand, this is awesome! I seriously thought you were going to throw me out of the plane right here and now. I never thought you would agree! This is the coolest thing that’s ever happened to me! Thanks Kat!”
Andrew stood there stunned; what was she doing? This was totally against regulations; she was trying to get the poor boy killed. He had snuck onto a CIA plane and stowed away, this kid was never going to do what he was told; his curiosity wouldn’t allow it. Kat must know this, she had known him since they were kids; why is she doing this? The whole thing confused Andrew to no end.
Andrew walked past the lounging Kat and the giddy Grey to the bathroom so he could change. He shook his head thinking “This can only end in tears.” He reached the bathroom and sat down on the edge of the small bathtub. His head fell into his hands; he was exhausted both physically and mentally. He had had it! The stress of meeting Kat, the unknown target he was supposed to abduct, being on guard for Kat’s tricks, Grey, and being awake for forty hours was not conducive for mental health. His mind and body were not conditioned for this. Most agents were recruits out of the military and then trained further with the agency. He was recruited during his mission, then finished college and CIA training. He had been trained in weapons and tactics by the military. He had earned a sniper rating and could fly anything with a rotary blade. But he still thought of himself as an intellectual, not a soldier. He, again, wondered why he was doing this.
He let his mind wander back to his mission and the events that led him here. He had been serving a mission for the LDS church for eighteen months when he was transferred from a small town named Marks back to Samara. He had been sad to leave Marks; he had fallen in love with the people and the slow pace of the town. Samara was a large city on the bank of the Volga River 750 miles southeast of Moscow. It was vibrant and busy. Samara desperately wanted to be as cosmopolitan as Moscow or St Petersburg, but no one outside Russia had ever heard of it. It remained “local”; filled with proud Russians and very few foreigners.
At one time it had been dangerous for the missionaries; they were often the victims of assault by local thugs. The church had tried to pay off the local criminal underworld but that just provided the missionaries with a place to live. It didn’t guarantee their safety. Andrew new of the danger before he left the Missionary Training Center in Utah; he didn’t want to be beaten up and hoped his six foot five inch frame would be a deterrent. Making sure he was safe wasn’t enough for Andrew; he wanted all his fellow missionaries to be safe. He decided to use his best asset to help them, his brain.
He knew the Russian Mafia was involved in the attacks; he would try appealing to the highest ranking member he could find. His Russian was very, very good and he knew Russian mannerisms and culture as well. He would completely immerse himself and become Russian. He would treat them with respect and in turn, hopefully they would respect him. Yes, it was a dangerous plan; but Andrew didn’t see any other option.
When he reached Samara, at the beginning of his mission, he was picked up by his companion, Elder Richards. They dropped his luggage off at the apartment then Richards offered to take him on a tour of the city. Richards was a bit pompous but Andrew didn’t hold that against him; he exploited it. He asked all sorts of questions in the cab designed to allow Richards to showcase his knowledge of the area. Andrew praised him and stroked his ego so he would reveal more and more; not just about Samara, but about himself.
When Andrew could see Richards was enjoying this, he knew he had him. Andrew finally asked the questions he really wanted to know the answers to. “I heard missionaries were being attacked. Is that true?” Andrew deliberately asked this with a touch of fear in his voice.
“Yeah it happens all the time. You have to be smart about where you go and who you talk to.” Richards answered in a tough guy tone. Andrew wondered how many times Richards had found himself in the wrong place talking to the wrong person.
“How can I tell the wrong place or wrong person?”
“Well, just like any other city, you stay out of the bad areas and don’t go out after dark. Also, if you see someone driving a new Peugeot or wearing designer clothes, don’t talk to them; their probably mafia. If you see a Mercedes parked outside a business, don’t go in; it’s usually a front for high ranking mob members and some of them can be pretty brutal.”
“Really, is there, like, a boss, a mob boss?”
“Yeah sure, there’s one in every city. Definitely, stay away from them.”
“How can I tell the difference between them and just another ranking member?”
“They usually have a couple brand new Mercedes parked in the front of their business.”
“Would you mind showing me where he is? I want to make sure I know.”
“Sure, it’s on the way. I’ll point it out to you.”
“Thanks, I’m glad you’re my companion Richards. It’s nice to have someone who knows so much.” Andrew nearly puked. He hated making this guy think he was so learned in Russian culture. It was clearly evident in his speech and mannerisms, Richards had no desire to respect the Russians. His language skills were terrible. He made more mistakes than a three year old and his accent was terrible.
They drove mostly in silence for a few miles. Andrew didn’t ask any more questions but Richards felt the need to point out everything he knew about Russia and Samara. They drove into what appeared to be the historic district. On one side the street was lined with shops, on the other was the river. The river was huge; it made the mighty Mississippi look like a babbling brook. The river traffic consisted of everything from small fishing boats to ocean freighters delivering cargo to the docks along the length of the river. The shops were stunning. The architecture looked like it dated back to the Romanov era. The last Tsars built buildings that would have been at home in Paris as much as Imperial Russia.
The Elders passed through a stop light when Richards finally said,” Ok look up here, you see the black sedans in front of the fur shop? The furrier is a man named Sergei Smirnovsky, he’s the local godfather. He has the best fur around, but don’t shop there, it could be dangerous.”
“All right, that’s all I need to know.” With that Andrew yelled orders at the cab driver, “Stop; just up here across from Smirnoff’s Furs.”
The cabbie gave him a very wary look and said, “Are you sure, I won’t wait here for you?”
“I’m sure just drop us off.”
Richard’s brain finally kicked in again, “Are you insane!? What are you doing?”
Andrew shrugged and said, “Missionary work, making friends, establishing contacts. Don’t worry we’ll be fine.”
“No we won’t! We’re going to be killed! Stay in the car!”
“Come on Elder, where’s your faith? God will protect us.” The cab stopped, Andrew opened the door and started for the fur shop. He looked over his shoulder as he crossed the street, “Are you coming Elder Richards?”
Elder Richards paid the cab fare and exited the vehicle. He ran after Andrew, only catching up to him as he entered the shop. Richards grabbed Andrew trying to pull him back out to the street. He was unsuccessful; Andrew continued to stroll up to the counter. The fur boutique was small and inviting. The walls were lined with fur coats of varying lengths and colors. The center of the shop was a sitting area and at the far end was a checkout counter and cash register. An old man stood behind the cash register leaning against the counter and a young woman sat on a chair off to the side in a long white fur coat. Andrew inquired about a pair of gloves. He had come to Russia without winter clothing. The winter wear you can buy in the states is not sufficient for a harsh Russian winter, so he planned to buy it all locally. After choosing a pair of gloves with Sergei, he walked back to the counter to pay for his selection. Sergei asked Andrew where he was from. When Andrew told him the United States Sergei got upset and accused him of lying. Andrew produced a copy of his passport and verified his nationality. Sergei was obviously impressed and anyone could tell he liked and respected Andrew immediately.
Andrew asked Sergei if any other missionaries shopped in his store. He also asked Sergei if he would treat them well as they were Andrew’s friends. Sergei agreed and Andrew promised to return to purchase the rest of his clothing. With that simple exchange a nineteen year old kid opened negotiations with one of the most feared organizations in the world. Andrew kept his word and returned often to the fur shop by the river and each time he brought different missionaries with him. At first he brought missionaries that had recently been attacked and still bore the marks to prove it. Each time he brought a bruised young man into the shop Andrew would say the same thing to Sergei,” My friends are not being treated well”. Over several weeks the beatings became less and less frequent until they stopped all together. Andrew would use this technique in every city he visited to stop the abuse against the missionaries.
When he was sent back to Samara, Andrew was promoted to a zone leader. An LDS mission was separated into zones, districts, and areas. He was responsible for the welfare of over twenty missionaries. He took his job very seriously and often joined his missionaries to teach religious discussions in people’s homes who were interested in the church. On one of these occasions he accompanied two young Elders, Elder Grant and Elder Young, to teach a man named Ivan, who was the brother of a local Branch President. Andrew knew Grant and Young very well because they shared an apartment with Andrew and his new companion Elder Hart. Grant and Young were very young and very cocky. They thought they were better than other missionaries stationed around the world because they were sent to Russia. They walked together to Ivan’s house and taught the lesson. The lesson itself was uneventful and when they finished the Elders walked back to their apartment.
Through the lesson and the walk home Andrew had a foreboding feeling. He had been around long enough to know when someone was truly interested in the gospel and when someone was wasting his time. This feeling was something more; a grey cloud hung in the air all the way home. Andrew felt concerned for Grant and Young and asked them to let him know when they planned on meeting with Ivan again. The Elder’s agreed and went on with their day. Andrew knew the Elders respected and trusted him so he believed they would let him know. He went on with his day, still he couldn’t shake the horrible feeling he had.
A week past and Grant and Young still had not made plans to return to Ivan’s house. That day Andrew was scheduled to teach a discussion to a young married couple. As he and his companion prepared for the day Grant and Young came in to tell him they were planning on meeting with Ivan. The dark cloud returned and Andrew asked them to be careful. The four elders left the apartment together. The two companionships went their separate ways going to their respective appointments. Andrew couldn’t focus on his lesson. His mind kept wandering; worrying about his elders. His lesson finally ended and he and his companion practically ran home. When they finally walked through their front door Andrew searched the apartment for the Elders. They weren’t home; Andrew wasn’t overly concerned and sat down to eat lunch. He finished his lunch and still the Elder’s weren’t home. He was starting to worry.
Andrew was supposed to teach a language class that afternoon to newly arrived missionaries. He cancelled it at the last minute because the Elders still weren’t back. Extremely concerned now, he asked his companion, Elder Hart, to go to Ivan’s house with him in an attempt to locate the missing Elders. Ivan’s house was only a few blocks away so it didn’t take long for them to arrive. They knocked on the door and waited. No one answered, so they knocked harder and waited. Still no one answered. Andrew looked through the windows and couldn’t see anyone inside. He told Elder Hart no one was home and they needed to return to their apartment and call the mission President, President Hastings.
President Hastings was responsible for the entire mission and every missionary in it. Andrew and Elder Hart reached their apartment and quickly swept it for the missing missionaries. They still weren’t home. Andrew picked up the phone and called President Hastings. The Elders had been missing for ten hours. They weren’t technically late, yet, but Andrew knew something was wrong. President Hastings answered the phone and Andrew told him what was going on. The president told him not to panic but to call him back either when Grant and Young got home or curfew passed, whichever came first. For two excruciating hours Andrew waited, he knew the elders weren’t coming back. The second the clock struck 8:00, curfew, Andrew called President Hastings and told him the Elders still weren’t home. President Hastings kicked into crisis mode. He ordered all missionaries to stay in their apartments, he contacted local police as well as local church leadership, he contacted the FSB and FBI, and finally he called the church headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah. He promised to keep Andrew updated and asked him to let him know if they came home. Andrew couldn’t sleep that night he sat at the kitchen table waiting for the door to open or the phone to ring. Finally at 5:00 in the morning his phone rang.
It was President Hastings, “Andrew?”
“President, have you found them? Do you know where they are?”
“Andrew I received a video tape this morning. It was left on my front steps. Elders Grant and Young have been kidnapped.”
“NO! President I know who did it or at least I know who was involved.” Andrew felt like someone had just kicked him in the stomach.
“Don’t start jumping to conclusions; they could have been grabbed on the street. The kidnappers said they know the church’s financial position and are demanding a $250,000.00 ransom. If we pay them, missionaries around the world will be in danger. Do you understand?”
“Yes of course. Were the elders on the tape? Are they ok?”
“So far, they said they were. So that is good at least.”
“Did the kidnappers give a deadline?”
“They said if they didn’t get the money in forty-eight hours they’ll kill them. Listen, don’t panic, I’ve informed the FBI. Whenever an American citizen is killed or abducted overseas the FBI takes jurisdiction. They’re on their way to find the boys. I need you and your missionaries to stay inside and I need you to start praying if you haven’t already. Those boys are going to need it.”
“Of course I’ll let everyone know. President, can you keep me in the loop, they’re my responsibility.”
“I’ll call you as soon as I know anything.”
“President, one more thing; the Elder’s families, they need to know and they’ll need support.”
“I’ve taken care of it. Apostles are on their way to the boys homes. They’ll stay there until this is resolved.”
“Thank you. I’ll take care of things here.”
“Thank you, good bye.”
“Good bye.” Andrew hung up the phone. He started calling his other missionaries to let them know what was going on. He gave them President Hastings orders to stay inside and to pray. Everyone could tell the situation was serious and agreed without question. After the last call Andrew went to his bedroom; he wasn’t going to sleep, he was going to pray. He reached his bed and fell to his knees. He begged the lord to spare his missionaries and to guide those searching for them. He began to weep and continued to pray. He prayed for hours; he couldn’t do anything, except pray. He had never felt so helpless. Andrew fell asleep kneeling before his bed. He had no idea how long he’d been asleep when the phone jarred him awake. He fell over himself running to the phone. He pulled the handset off the base and choked “President?”
“It’s me Andrew. I got another tape.”
“What does it say?”
“The kidnappers are being more forceful in their demands. The Elders left us a message; they said they feel like Job.”
Andrew sucked in his breath. This was bad, “What do we do now?”
“Keep praying.”
When they said goodbye, Andrew’s stomach felt like it had dropped to his feet. The Elders had said “they feel like Job.” This was bad, it was a code. President Hastings had developed several codes so they could communicate if someone was listening. Grant and Young were using a code to express imminent danger. Saying you felt like Job meant you weren’t being physically tortured but you weren’t being treated well. It also meant you expected your situation to get worse. If the Elder’s said they feel like Paul their captors had escalated to physical torture. Finally if they said they feel like Christ, their death was imminent. Andrew’s legs felt boneless; he was stuck in an apartment and couldn’t do anything to help his Elders. His Elders, he was responsible for them he had to do something. Praying no longer felt like it was enough. He went back to his bedroom; he was exhausted and needed to sleep. He lay down on his bed trying to think of a brilliant plan to get his Elders back. At some point he fell asleep; again he was awakened by the phone. The sun was just starting to come up. He reached the phone and croaked “hello?”
“Andrew, it’s President Hastings, I’m coming over.” Click, he didn’t even give Andrew a chance to respond. The Presidents home was only fifteen minutes away. This gave Andrew enough time to shower quickly and get dressed. He was pulling a shirt on when someone knocked on his door, it was President Hastings. He looked awful. His eyes were red and swollen, his shoulders sagged, and he looked like a defeated man. He had tears streaming down his face. “They feel like Paul. I ditched the authorities to be here. We don’t have much time.”
“What can I do? Please let me do something.”
“That’s why I’m here, is Elder Hart still asleep?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Sit down, let’s talk.” They sat at the kitchen table and President Hastings continued. “I know you have befriended Sergei Smirnovsky, I also know you rendered him a great service and he owes you a favor. I need you to appeal to him to get our boys back. I’ve exhausted all my options. This is the last ditch effort and I need you to succeed. I can’t lose them. Can you do it?”
Andrew took a deep breath. To be honest this idea occurred to him after the first tape arrived, but he didn’t want to consider it. To him it had not been an option; he didn’t want to be indebted to the mob. Yes Sergei owed Andrew; he had saved Sergei’s sons life twice, but would this count as a deposit or a withdrawal. He nodded and said “I can do it, but it would be best if I went alone. Sergei doesn’t know Elder Hart and Hart doesn’t know of my relationship with Sergei.”
“I understand. This one time I give you permission to go alone. Wear casual clothes and don’t wear your name tag. I want anyone who sees you to think you’re Russian.”
“No problem, should I go now?”
“Yes,” President Hastings grabbed his hand, “Andrew you are the only one I would trust to do this so get our boys back. I’ll stay here with Hart.”
Andrew pulled his boots and jacket on then walked into the cold morning air. He headed to Sergei’s store. He knew Sergei would be there even at this hour. He ran as fast as he could to the shop. When he finally reached it he burst through the door completely out of breath. Sergei rushed toward him, “Andrew, what’s wrong?”
Andrew was still huffing and puffing when he said, “I need your help.”
“Of course, what do you need?” Sergei called for a chair and one of his men emerged from the back with one.
Andrew sat down and caught his breath, “Two of my friends have been abducted and their being tortured. I need to get them back.”
Sergei’s voice changed from the gentle father figure to hardened criminal in an instant “When did this happen?”
“Two days ago. We only have twelve hours left before they kill them. Can you help me?”
“I don’t understand you Andrew, I owe you so much and never you come to me, until now. Why didn’t you come to see me when they first disappeared?”
“I didn’t want to inconvenience you, I’m sorry.” “You should be, I can’t tell you where they are right now. But I can find out. I am a very powerful man and men like these kidnappers fear me, as they should. I will find your friends and punish the men who took them.”
“No they have to stand trial, don’t hurt them, please.”
“As you wish, you’ll have your friends back before the end of the day.”
“Thank you, I am in your debt.”
“No, I am still in yours.”
Andrew shook Sergei’s hand, “Call me if you find out anything.”
“Naturally, Andrew, watch yourself, if anything happens to you the perpetrators would not make it to trial.”
Andrew nodded and left. He walked home slowly, praying the entire time for a miracle. When he arrived Hart was still asleep and President Hastings was still sitting at the kitchen table. Andrew told him what Sergei had said. President Hastings decided to stay until Sergei called. They sat waiting, expecting to spend the day in agonizing limbo. It was only two hours later when the phone rang. They both jumped and Andrew answered the phone, it was Sergei.
“Are these friends of yours named Grant and Young?”
“Yes.”
“Excellent, I found them and the men who took them. They will all be at my shop in an hour; you can pick them up then. I also called a contact at the FSB, he’ll be here to take the rodents into custody. Unless you’ve changed your mind about my offer to punish these men,” an audible sneer curled around his lips when he said men.
“No,” Andrew said suddenly, “I apologize I didn’t mean to sound rude or ungrateful. I just wasn’t expecting your call so soon.”
“I told you, I am a powerful man.”
“How did you find them so fast?”
“You are asking if I had anything to do with this, are you?”
“No, of course not, I was just curious the FBI and FSB had no leads and you found them so quickly; I’m impressed.”
“Well, I am a powerful man. People will talk to me that won’t talk to the FSB or FBI. People with questionable backgrounds are often the best resource when looking for people with questionable backgrounds.”
“I understand. Thank you Sergei, I don’t know what to say. You saved their lives.”
“See you in an hour.”
“Yes, good bye.”
Andrew dropped the phone and told President Hastings everything Sergei had said. The man’s demeanor immediately changed, hope returned to his eyes and a smile stretched across his face. He hugged Andrew and thanked him over and over.
“We better wake up Hart he’ll have to come,” said Andrew.
“Are we all going?” asked President Hastings.
“Yes, these guys are big on respect, it would be only appropriate for a church representative to meet the man who saved their missionaries.”
“Of course, I’m just surprised that’s all.”
With that Andrew walked down the hall and woke Elder Hart. He briefly told him what was going on and Hart jumped out of his bed and into the shower. They didn’t walk to Sergei’s shop this time, they rode in President Hastings’ car. He parked outside the fur shop and they went in with Andrew in the lead. Andrew made the introductions. Just as he finished the door to the shop opened and the missing missionaries walked in. They were obviously terrified. In the last forty hours they had been abducted, tortured, had their lives threatened, rescued by mafia thugs, and brought to the mob boss’ store. It would have rattled anyone.
President Hastings threw himself on the missionaries nearly knocking them to the ground. He did an initial assessment of their condition they seemed ok. They were bruised and battered, and it looked as though Young had a broken hand. He hugged them again and then stuck his hand out to Sergei, “Thank you, we would have lost them if it weren’t for you.”
“I would do anything for Andrew, it was nothing.”
“Thank you, I better get these boys to a doctor. They look ok but I’ll feel better after they have been examined.” President Hastings, Grant, and Young left the shop.
Andrew stayed behind to thank Sergei. Before he could say anything he was suddenly caught in an embrace with Sergei. Sergei whispered into his cheek “you will always be under our protection.”
Andrew stepped back surprised at what Sergei had just said. Sergei patted his cheek and turned away. Outside, President Hastings finished talking to the FSB, “They want to speak with you” President Hastings said.
“What , why and who?”
“The FSB and some representatives from our government.”
“Why?”
“Well, because you knew the person who kidnapped Grant and Young and you have a close personal relationship with Sergei Smirnovsky.”
“I’m not going to betray Sergei’s trust in me.”
“I don’t think they will ask you to.”
“Then why do they want to talk to me?”
“They’re impressed with you. They want to know how you did it.”
“Did what, exactly?”
“Infiltrate the Russian Mafia without being a member of the family, so to say, and somehow have managed to become a practical god son to the head of the mafia in this area.”
“I just introduced myself and treated him with respect.”
“That and learning the language flawlessly helped. The FSB have been trying to plant guys in that organization for years and haven’t been able to do it. Then you stroll in with no fear, walk right into their shop and are instantly welcomed in.”
“Maybe it’s because they have been trying to plant an agent into the mafia and they hadn’t tried coming at them honestly.”
“Well whatever it was it worked, you’re in.”
“When do they want to talk to me?”
“Now, you and Hart are going with them to the regional headquarters, remember these guys are KGB they just changed the name when communism fell, be on your guard. Just tell the truth and you will be ok.”
Andrew was suddenly worried, he hadn’t planned on talking to the FSB, but when he thought about it how could he not, in fact, he was surprised they hadn’t talked to him sooner. A black sedan pulled up beside him and he and Hart got in. They were in the car for fifteen minutes when they were instructed to get out. They got out of the car in a covered parking garage where several other agents were waiting. The agents motioned for them to go through security then were led to a room in the sub basement of the office building. They were put into a room with two other agents one Russian and the other was American. Andrew pegged him as an American because of his body language and stance. The Russian asked Andrew several questions, how he came to know the assailant, why he was in the country, could he identify the assailant, would he be willing to testify in court. He answered yes. Elder Hart hadn’t said a word. Then the American asked him how he was able to get in to the mob so easily. Andrew recognized his accent immediately and decided to put the guy out of his misery, he wasn’t fooling any one.
In English Andrew answered, “I didn’t know he was who he is when I met him. I just walked into his shop and bought a pair of gloves and then I went back to buy a hat, then a coat, then a scarf, and each time I talked to him, treated him no better or worse than any other guy. I paid full price for his stuff and didn’t try to haggle with him. For some reason he respected me for it. “
“And they have never asked you to do a “favor” for them?”
“No I’ve done a couple favors because I’m a decent human being.”
This peaked the Americans interest, “What kind of favors?”
“Well twice last winter this young guy was passed out drunk on the sidewalk outside my apartment. I knew he would freeze to death if I left him there so I dragged him into my apartment to sleep it off. I gave him breakfast in the morning and off he went. The second time this happened Sergei came to pick his son up. He asked me if I knew that was his son, I said no. He asked me why I helped his son if I don’t know who he was. I told him that where I’m from we don’t let our dogs freeze in the winter and I couldn’t let another human being die. His death would be on my conscience for the rest of my life it didn’t matter if it was your son, your boss, or a prostitute, no one deserves to die that way. So Sergei said as he was leaving ‘we now owe you two life debts.’”
The American asked him when he figured out he was an America. “From the first moment I saw you. You were in a black three button jacket, black vest, and a black tie all made of worsted wool. Russians don’t where that. But the most obvious mistake was you‘re mannerisms. The Russian people prefer to keep their head down in a menacing position so that everyone would know they’re in command. When we walked into the room you were casually leaning against the wall not sitting next to the interrogating agent. You acted as if you were on a business trip and you were hoping you’d make the next available train, am I correct.” The American Agent stood up.
The Russian had been silent for the previous exchange, ”You speak Russian very well?”
Andrew said “It shows a great deal of respect for the host county, so I learn it.”
“Learning it is an understatement you speak flawlessly our experts are listening to everything we have said and they claimed you were born and raised in the Baltic States no one guessed outside the old Soviet Union.” The American said.
“Well maybe I have the gift of tongues,” Andrew said with a laugh.
“You have more than that, your mannerisms, the way you carry yourself, you assimilated seamlessly into the Russian culture. So much so that you are able to work with the local mafia and not be of the mafia, if you know what I mean.”
Andrew started to get uncomfortable. He would not spy on his friends. “What do you want exactly?”
“Me, nothing, the Russians want you to testify at the trial of the kidnappers, but I don’t want you for anything.” Someone knocked on the door, the American answered it and told Hart and the Russian to leave. They all walked out of the room. They were replaced with an older man, he wasn’t Russian but Andrew couldn’t place his origin either. Then he spoke, in English with a southern accent.
“Andrew we are very interested in you and your abilities. You speak five languages fluently, you can think on your feet, you’re resourceful, you command respect, and you blend in with the local population.” He handed Andrew a card, it had a government seal on the top and the words “Central Intelligence Agency” below it. “We’ll be in touch, think about it.”















Fallen Angel
Chapter 3
The captain turned on the fasten seatbelts sign for the landing in Samara. This brought Andrew back to the present. He stood up from his perch on the edge of the bathtub, quickly changed into his night wear and left the bathroom. Kat was still lounging on the couch. She was no longer sleeping, she was reading a file. When she noticed Andrew she quickly put the file away. Andrew took his seat across from her and buckled his seatbelt. Kat hadn’t buckled hers yet.
“Don’t you think you should put your seatbelt on, we are landing.”
Kat lifted one eyebrow and said “What are you my mother?”
“No I’m your partner and I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Kat sat up glaring at Andrew, “You are not my partner!”
Andrew kept his cool. “Ok then, what am I exactly.”
“An inconvenience.”
“The deputy director doesn’t see me that way.”
“Yeah, well I’m not the deputy director.”
“That’s obvious,” Andrew said under his breath.
“What?!” Kat had heard him and she was now mad.
“I didn’t mean anything by it, you know how he is. He gets along with everyone.”
“And I don’t?” Kat was fuming.
“I haven’t known you long enough, but from what I have seen you could work on your people skills.” Andrew said with a laugh hoping to diffuse the situation. It didn’t work.
Kat was now shouting. “What do you mean work on my people skills? I have people skills I just don’t use them on people I deem insignificant.”
“So I’m insignificant. You really shouldn’t goad people who are here to assist you and watch your back. Not to mention we’re going to be living together and after all a partnership is like a marriage…”
Kat interrupted him yelling, “This is not a marriage, it’s a …”
This time it was Kat’s turn to be interrupted by Grey, “Relax Kat he’s only trying to help you out. Cut him some slack why don’t you.”
“I can’t, I do that and he dies.”
Grey was his usual calm, cool, collected self. “So this isn’t about him, it’s about..”
“Don’t go there Grey or you will be thrown out of the plane right now!”
“Ok I get it I won’t mention him again, but Andrew seems like a good guy, give him a chance.”
“Oh, he’ll get his chance.”
Andrew didn’t like the sound of that. The exchange wasn’t all bad. He had found something out about Kat. There was a mysterious “him” in her life that she didn’t talk about. Andrew would file that away and wait for someone to explain it to him. They touched down and the airplane taxied to the private hanger used by private planes. The door opened and Grey was the first one out followed by Kat and then Andrew. By the time Andrew had disembarked Grey was nowhere to be seen, Kat was kissing a man on both cheeks. They were standing in front of a big black Mercedes. Andrew thought he must be the driver, Kat wasn’t the kind of girl who drove herself anywhere.
Andrew walked around the nose of the plane hoping to find Grey. He found him directing the unloading of the cargo hold. A fork lift was transferring the big wooden crates to a large truck. Andrew wanted to know why anyone would need so many weapons. When the fork lift operator finished his job Grey and Andrew moved the luggage to the Mercedes. Kat was inside the car, Andrew opened the passenger door to get inside as well.
“What do you think you are doing?”
“Getting in the car.”
“You aren’t riding in here. You’re riding with the truck.”
“With the truck?”
“Yes, the crates in the back are filled with expensive highly classified items. You need to make sure they get to their destination intact.”
“OK what about the information on Sasha. Don’t you need to brief me on the situation.”
Kat produced a file, “everything you need to know is in here. We will be stopping at a storage facility to get rid of the crates then we will go get Sasha.”
It was 9:00 in the evening and Andrew was exhausted. It was going to be a long night. He took the file and without saying a word left the car and returned to the truck. He climbed into the cab of the truck, it was filthy. The floor was covered in trash and old porno magazines, the seats were torn and the springs poked through in places, and there was a layer of thick, greasy dust covering everything. The driver entered the cab and pulled out of the hanger into the darkness.
Andrew stretched his hand across the seat to introduce himself to the driver. “I’m Andrew,” he said. The driver stared at his hand and grunted. “OK,” thought Andrew, “He must be related to Kat.” Since it was obvious they weren’t going to have a deep, significant conversation, Andrew opened the file and pulled out a pen light.
The first item in the file was a photo, a photo of a Pomeranian, a blond Pomeranian. Kat had to be kidding; surely she didn’t expect him to kidnap a dog. She had said Sasha could get very valuable intel for them. What kind of intel could this dog have, the best food, the groomers to stay away from, his territorial boundaries. The next item in the file was the animal’s address and owner information. He belonged to someone named Nicolai Fedorov. Andrew closed the file, this was low even for Kat, abducting a dog. What was she playing at any way?
Kat and Grey were in the Mercedes behind the truck that held the crates. “So what does Andrew know about you, anyway?” Grey asked Kat quietly.
“Nothing and I want to keep it that way.”
“That’s a bad attitude to have Kat.” Grey had no fear of her.
“Maybe, but it’s the safest attitude to have.”
“You sound like your grandfather.” This stung Kat but she shoved it aside.
“Well it worked for him. He lived to be eighty five which is ancient in our line of work.”
“I know Kat,” Grey grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze, “it’s not going to happen again ya know. He’s not Jackson.”
“Well you have that right.”
“That’s not what I meant and you know it, I was talking about Jackson’s tendency to go headfirst into the shallow end of the pool.”
Kat laughed, “Let’s hope not.”
“Listen Kat, I checked up on Andrew he’s one of the good guys, like you. He’s smart, compassionate, and did you notice how you couldn’t get a rise out of him on the plane. He might be able to handle you.”
“Handle me! Are you going to tell me I need to work on my people skills too?”
“No, I know better. Just don’t push him away like you do everyone else, he may be your last chance.”
“Last chance for what exactly?”
“The last chance to heal your soul. Not everyone is going to hurt you or leave you. I’m still here and I think Andrew would stay to if you don’t push him away.”
“I can’t risk a personal relationship on any level. Every time I do and they disappoint me I relive it over and over again. The pain never dulls.”
“I’m not saying you have to marry the guy, on a professional level, he would be good for you.” Kat shook her head.
“I know you see your talent as a burden, but can’t you recall the good things too.” Grey was referring to Kat’s perfect photographic memory. In a way he could see why she had so many defenses, her memory wasn’t just able to call up everything she has heard or seen, it registered all the stimuli she gathered, including emotions. She could perfectly recall every bad thing that has ever happened to her in perfect detail, relive exactly how she felt no matter how old the memory was.
“The brain doesn’t work that way. It remembers bad experiences as a defense mechanism. It’s the reason you don’t pick up a hitch hiker, go out after dark, or drink milk past the expiration date, self preservation.”
Grey couldn’t argue with that. He was saved from commenting when they pulled into the storage facility. A fork lift was waiting for them and had already set to work unloading the truck before Kat got out of the car. Andrew stalked toward her with an unreadable expression on his face. He had the file in his hand and Kat was sure he had looked through it. She was expecting him to complain about the assignment; maybe he might even be mad at her. She wasn’t expecting what came next.
“Is the subject an inside or outside canine?” Andrew had decided to treat this mission as if they were intercepting a nuclear payload.
“Inside,” Kat said with irritation. There was no way to get to this guy.
“Do we have a key or will I need to find an alternate entrance.”
“No key.”
“Alternate entrance then,” he pulled a paper from the file that had scale drawings of the interior of the home. “I think the best way to enter would be to breach the perimeter here,” he said pointing to the back gate. “I will then make my way to the back of the residence and enter through the sliding door, here. I’ll locate the subject then render him unconscious with a tranquilizer dart. I will exit through the sliding door and back through the back gate. The car will be parked here, running. I don’t want anyone to be able to identify me so we will need to leave as soon as I enter the vehicle with the subject. How does that sound.”
Kat didn’t say anything to him she just walked away in a huff. A smile spread across Andrew’s face. He caught up to her and walked with her to the car. He opened her door for her and Kat sharply inhaled but didn’t say anything to Andrew. She climbed into the car and he shut her door. How could he be so nice to her? She was trying to make his life a living hell and he hasn’t even shown agitation. She ordered him to complete a ridiculous assignment, she hasn’t said a kind word to him, and she treated other people better than him every chance she had. What was wrong with him? Did he completely lack a sense of dignity? She had deliberately tried to make him as uncomfortable as possible, but nothing seemed to have an effect on him. She knew the rumors that floated about Washington, she started some of them and refused to confirm or deny the rest. Surely he knew of her reputation. She was confused.
Andrew walked around the car to let himself into the backseat with Kat. He was a little smug. He knew Kat was trying to push his buttons every chance she got and he was not playing into her hand. He opened his door and climbed into the car. He glanced sideways at Kat, her mind was obviously busy. He hoped it was because of him. He would not give her any excuse to send him home. The driver got in a short while later and with Grey in the front seat they departed for Andrew’s abduction mission. They drove the entire way there in silence. Andrew wasn’t worried he had a fool proof plan and Kat knew it.
They parked the car where Andrew had specified, he got out and told the driver to keep the car running. He walked up the street and found the house he was looking for. He scanned the perimeter to make sure no one was watching him. It was clear; he went through the gate and into the back yard of the house. Andrew paused for a split second; this yard was huge and immaculate, not a common feature in Samara. Who was this Fedorov that lived here? He glanced around again to find the sliding door. He froze, it was open. Maybe Fedorov left it open at night so Sasha could come and go as he pleased. Andrew looked around the back yard again hoping to see the yappy dog; he wasn’t outside so he knew he would have to enter the home.
He slid sideways through the open back door. The house was dark. He waited just a moment to acclimate to the lack of light and then started to move through the house. He made it into the hallway when he heard the annoying yap all small dogs have. He followed the sound praying the noise wouldn’t wake anyone in the house. He found the dog under a table in the living room. He raised the tranquilizer gun and fired. His first shot missed and the dog ran for it, yapping the whole way. Since stealth was no longer an issue he chased Sasha down the hall and picked him up. The dog continued to yap as Andrew left the house and the back yard. He scanned the perimeter again; it was clear so he walked toward the car. When he got in with his prey Kat glared at him.
“I thought you were going to render him unconscious, I believe those were your exact words.”
“I was going to but I missed the first time and after that I figured speed was the best option. I’m surprised he didn’t wake anyone up and get me caught.”
“That would be difficult considering no one was home. You didn’t clear the scene! How could you not clear the scene? That is basic trade craft. I should send you home for that you could have been killed.”
“Kat, I’m touched, were you worried about me.”
“No! In fact it’s too bad no one was there to put you out of your misery.”
“Yes but then you wouldn’t have the elusive Sasha as an asset. What kind of intel can he get you any way? What are you working on a new fur dye for dogs?”
“Very funny.”
“What is it then, I have to tell you I’m stumped. Why do you want this dog?”
Kat glared at him, “If you must know, I have his owner Fedorov in custody. We caught him communicating on a cell phone with a local al Qaeda cell. I’m going to use this dog to make him talk.”
“What are you planning on doing with the dog?”
“I’m going to demonstrate the methods of coercion I could use on him on his dog.”
“Are you kidding? Kat that is sick! Why don’t you drag his kids in there and hook them up to electrodes? Why stop with the dog?”
“Well to be honest his children would have been my first choice but they aren’t his.”
“Excuse me?”
“They aren’t his kids. They all have clefts in their chins. Fedorov and his wife are both cleftless. When I threatened the kids he told me he would hunt me down and cut me into tiny pieces if I touched them. When I threatened his dog he actually broke down and started to cry begging me to leave his dog alone. He clearly loves the dog more than the children.” Kat said this with a chuckle in her voice. Andrew couldn’t believe what he was hearing.
“You are sick, you know that right?”
“I know I’m very good at getting people to see things my way.”
“Are you really going to torture the dog?”
“Would you rather I tortured a human being? Look he’s lucky I don’t send him to Guantanamo Bay. His communicating with a terror cell is considered an act of war, how do you think they would treat him in Cuba?”
“So this is for his benefit.”
“Definitely! You know as well as I do confessions received under physical torture are unreliable at best. Psychological torture on the other hand is perfectly fine.”
“Are you going to let him go when you get the information you want?”
“That depends, if he agrees to spy for us I will let him go, with a very short leash, if he doesn’t he will be setting sail for Cuba.”
“You would send him to Gitmo even after he cooperates?”
“Yes, why give him the chance to hurt and kill more people.”
“Don’t you think he would be missed by someone?”
“Most definitely, he owns the largest chain of electronics stores in Russia.” Andrew stared at her with his mouth slightly open in shock. “What? I got out clean no one would guess I did something with him and any way you know how the government works here, a large enough bribe and they’ll dredge up some old, partially decomposed body from the river and claim it’s him. I always have a back-up plan.”
Andrew just stared at her and shook his head. She was ruthless. But could he blame her working alone for so long, not having any one to depend on. He might have a screw loose as well. What was he thinking! He couldn’t defend her actions she was still human she should have a thread of compassion in her somewhere.
They drove without speaking for about fifteen minutes. Sasha was still yapping; Andrew was able to block it out, Kat wasn’t. She ordered the driver to pull over. He found an empty curb and stopped the car. “Give me the dog.”
“Are we here already?”
“No but I’m sick of listening to that dog.”
Andrew pulled the dog away from Kat’s grasp, “What are you going to do with him?”
“I’m going to put him in the trunk.”
“No you’re not, he could be killed back there. Besides it’s full of our luggage.”
“When did an order become a debate? Give me the dog.”
“No, I’ll put him back there. That way I’ll know he’s safe.”
“Be my guest.” Andrew stepped out of the car and around to the open trunk. The trunk was big enough that he was able to make a little corral for the dog. It would have to do. If it had been up to Kat she would have thrown him in the trunk and everyone driving behind them would see a fluffy blond tail sticking out of the closed trunk. Andrew closed the trunk and got back in the car.
“Are you happy now it’s quiet?”
“I wouldn’t say happy but my mood is improved now that I don’t have to listen to that mutt.”
They rode in silence for a period of time when Andrew thought of something genius. “Kat, I think I deserve a reward for completing my first mission.”
Kat stared at him stunned, “What do you want? I could staple a gold star on your forehead that way everyone who sees you will know what a good secret agent you are.”
“Maybe next time; I was thinking you should have to answer a question.”
Kat couldn’t believe the audacity of Andrew; no one broke through her defenses and here he was trying to get her to lower her guard. “You think just because you snatched a small dog from an empty house you deserve to ask any question you want?”
“Come on Kat, what can it hurt answer the man’s question.” Grey had remained silent until this point and Andrew was quickly counting him as an ally.
“Grey stay out of this.”
“Nope I’m here and I won’t be silenced. You’re not scared are you?”
“No, I am not scared,” Grey had gone for the jugular he knew how Kat hated to think she had any inferior, human characteristics like fear.
“Then prove it, answer the question.”
“Fine one question.”
“And if you don’t answer honestly, I will step in and tell him everything.” Andrew was impressed with Grey; he was fearless. Andrew asked, “Why were you in London?”
“I was attending my Grandfathers funeral and putting his estate in order.”
“Kat…”Grey probed.
“I was also picking up some merchandise.”
This earned another rebuke from Grey. “And the merchandise was…”
“A crate of sniper rifles, a crate of various assault rifles, ammunition, C4, and detonators.”
“And…” Grey said again.
Kat rolled her eyes and let out a huge breath, “and a crate of clothing and supplies for some children in need in Samara.” She said this very fast as if she were embarrassed by it. Leave it up to Kat to freely admit she was transporting weapons across several countries borders but hide the fact she was helping someone in need. Andrew was not expecting that at all; did Kat have a soft, compassionate side? She couldn’t be all prickles and thorns.
“I’m sorry about your grandfather,” Andrew said, “Were you close?”
“You’ll have to complete another mission to get another question answered.”
“Ok I can wait, I’m a patient man.”
Andrew heard Grey say in a quiet whisper, “You’re going to need it.” Kat kicked the back of his seat. She had obviously heard him as well. Grey just laughed.
They finished the ride to the safe house where Kat was holding Fedorov in silence. The car stopped in front of an old Soviet era concrete apartment building. Kat opened her door and paused looking back at Andrew. “You speak German, right.”
“Yes,” Andrew answered tentatively.
“How’s your accent?”
“Good, Germans think I’m from Bavaria. Why?”
“Assignment number two.”
“What do you expect me to do?” Andrew didn’t relish torturing another living creature.
“Nothing” Andrew raised his eyebrows. Kat let out a sigh and said, “I’m not going to ask you to get your hands dirty, yet. You’ll be there as an observer. My cover is as a German operative, you’ll be my assistant. My name’s Greta, yours will be Stephan.”
“I’ll go with you because I want to check on the condition of your captive,”
“Look Andrew, this is part of the job. The Vienna Convention doesn’t apply here. We are covert operatives; we are illegal by definition. If we get caught they won’t let us off with a stern warning; they will execute both of us. We operate outside the law, therefore, our captives don’t have a right to remain silent, they don’t have a right to an attorney, and there is no limit to the techniques I can use to get the information I need.”
“I know, I know; I thought I would be prepared for this; but now…”
“Well, they say the first time is the hardest so you might as well get it over with.” With that she got out of the car holding a large canvas bag. Andrew did the same. “Get the dog,” Kat ordered. Andrew retrieved the yappy dog from the trunk, and followed Kat inside the building. She handed him a pair of sunglasses and a radio.
“What are these for?”Andrew asked holding up the sunglasses.
“Put them on and don’t take them off until we leave the building.”
The room was on the fifth floor. They started up the stairs and Kat filled Andrew in on the rest of the plan. They reached the fifth floor and headed to the appropriate door. Kat went inside while Andrew waited outside with Sasha. Andrew had been through CIA training he should be able to handle an interrogation. He didn’t think Kat was the type of agent that went by the book. She was far too independent.
He stood outside for what seemed like forever when his radio crackled to life. “Bring him in.” Kat said in German. Andrew opened the door and went inside with Sasha keeping to the shadows as much as possible. The apartment was small and dark. He found Kat and Fedorov in the living area. Andrew took in the scene; he was taken aback by the condition of Fedorov. He was cable tied to a chair, he looked weak and broken. Andrew asked Kat in German “How long has he been here?”
“Ten days,” shrugged Kat.
“Ten days, and he hasn’t given you anything yet. Maybe he doesn’t have anything to give.”
“I know he is a fanatical member of Islam. He keeps saying ‘death to the west’ and has been begging me

to kill him so he can complete his Jihad.”

“Have you given him food and water?”
“I gave him some water before I left for London.”
“But, no food.”
“No, I need him to be in a fragile psychological state. Starvation is an accepted method to induce that state.”
Andrew stared at her for a moment and stepped back into the shadows. Fedorov had been too weak and slumped in his chair with his head hanging down, he didn’t even notice Sasha who had stopped barking a moment before Andrew entered the apartment. Kat stood from the chair she was sitting on, “you know you are making this very difficult on yourself.” She back handed him across his face hard enough to cause the legs of the chair to come off the floor. “I think it’s time we employed a few new reasons for you to cooperate.”
For the first time since Andrew had been in the room Fedorov raised his head. He had no fear in his eyes, only resolve. Kat raised one side of her mouth into a half smile. “So dedicated, so much belief in your God. Do you really think the seventy two virgins are going to have anything to do with a man so weak?” Fedorov spit at Kat. Andrew was impressed that he could still be defiant after ten days of torture. He thought Kat would ask for the dog now but she didn’t. Instead she went into a different room and returned with a bucket of water. For the first time since Andrew saw him, Fedorov had fear in his eyes.
“No, no, no,” he said.
“Are you ready to tell me what I need to know?”
Fedorov just stared at Kat. “Ok,” she said and grabbed the back of his head forcing it into the bucket of water. She held him there for at least twenty seconds, then pulled his head out of the bucket. “Are you ready to tell me what I want to know?” Again no response, and again his head was pushed into the bucket of water for thirty seconds this time. She pulled his head out of the bucket and said “are you ready to tell me what I want to know?” Fedorov glared at her, she took a deep breath and sighed “Nicolai, Nicolai, Nicolai.” She shoved his head into the bucket of water for a third time. Fedorov held still for the first forty five seconds as he had on his two previous trips down the bucket, then he started to thrash around. Still Kat held his head in the bucket, she held it there until he stopped thrashing. Andrew thought he had drowned or at least passed out; but he came out of the water coughing and sputtering. “I can do this all day, Fedorov.”
“I don’t care what you do to me; I will not betray my God and my brothers.”
Kat quickly moved to the front of the chair, “we’ll see about that.” She moved quickly toward Andrew and grabbed Sasha from his arms by the scruff of his neck. The dog thrashed back and forth with his hind legs and head, growling. A look of horror replaced the defiant smirk on Fedorov’s face. Kat held Sasha right in front of Fedorov’s face. He tried with all his might to get up from the chair. He stood on his feet with the chair still attached to him. He looked like a mutated turtle. Fedorov swung the chair around trying to hit Kat with it. At that moment something rose up in Andrew that hadn’t been there before, rage. He rushed over to the chair wielding man, picked him up, and slammed him down on the floor. Kat was slightly stunned by Andrew’s actions and even more so when he took up his post behind Fedorov. She quickly recovered, and sat down on her chair, still holding Sasha by the scruff.
“At last a reaction. I was beginning to think you had no sense of self preservation, Nicolai.” She pulled a straight razor from her bag of tricks. Fedorov started to get to his feet again, but before he had the chance Andrew slammed him back down. He planted his hands firmly on Fedorov’s shoulders and hooked his fore and middle fingers under his jaw forcing him to look at Kat and what she was about to do to Sasha. Kat started at the top of the Pomeranians head and shaved a strip of hair off its back she proceeded to shave the squirming dog completely bald. By the time she finished Fedorov was in tears. “I shaved him so that what I’m about to do to him would be more visible.” Fedorov pushed against Andrew’s hands.
“Now this is what you have to look forward to if you choose not to help yourself.” She grabbed one of the dog’s skinny front legs with both of her hands and with a swift jerk broke the poor animal’s leg. Fedorov wailed as if she had broken one of his legs. Kat had a malevolent grin on her face as if she truly enjoyed what she was doing. Andrew thought he would object to what she was doing, but from the moment Fedorov tried to attack Kat all bets were off, he wanted to see this man suffer. He knew he shouldn’t, but a primal protective nature had taken over his brain. This made no sense to him since Kat could obviously take care of herself, but he couldn’t shake the feeling he had.
Kat grabbed the other front leg of the dog and snapped it just as easily as she had the first. The dog and Fedorov let out a painful yell. The dog continued to whimper and Fedorov continued to cry. She hadn’t said anything to him since she started shaving Sasha. She held the dog around his body with both hands and suspended him over the bucket of water. “NO!” Fedorov yelled. “I’ll tell you anything you want.”
“Oh I know you will.” Kat whispered as she plunged the dog head first into the bucket of water. This caused Fedorov to completely break down, he was straining against Andrew’s hands and weeping like a little baby. Kat finally pulled the dog out of the water and said, “I want to believe you will cooperate with me, Nicolai, but I don’t think I have made my point yet.” She held the small dog over the bucket again, and Fedorov finally broke.
“No don’t I’ll tell you; my brothers meet at my store on the third Tuesday of every month to pick up new electronic equipment.”
“What type of equipment?”
“Cell phones mostly, sometimes I can get them other things,” Fedorov said in a quick panic.
“What other things?”
Fedorov hesitated for a moment and Kat pushed Sasha into the bucket again. “Stop! I sometimes can get them detonators and military grade explosives.”
“Well that is information we can actually use, thank you Nicolai. Now are you going to be a good boy and help us take down your cell or am I going to have to send you to a secret prison where the guards are free to do absolutely anything to you?”
“I’ll do whatever you want just leave Sasha alone.”
“Deal.” Kat nodded at Andrew and he cut Fedorv’s hands free. He stayed very close to make sure he didn’t try to attack Kat again. The moment his hands were free Kat pushed Sasha into his hands. He stroked and hugged the dog and cried while inspecting his injured front legs.
“He needs help, I need to get him to a doctor.”
“No need,” whispered Kat; she actually sounded like she cared about the two of them. “I have everything we need to patch you and the dog up. Come with me.” Andrew bent down and cut Fedorov’s legs free. He assisted the wounded man into the bedroom where Kat had disappeared. Andrew was surprised when he walked in, it looked like a hospital room. It was complete with heart and breathing monitors, a crash cart, and an IV stand. “Lay him down on the bed.” She pulled several items from her bag, vials of medicine, bandages, cast material, antiseptic, and an IV kit with a bag of saline. She started an IV on Fedorov and hooked the bag to the IV stand. She attached the monitors to his body then injected something from one of the vials into his IV.
“What was that?” asked Andrew.
“Morphine.” She then drew another syringe full of lidocaine. She injected the solution into a large cut on Fedorov’s head. She pulled a suture kit from her bag and proceeded to stitch the man’s wound closed. After she finished that she bandaged the rest of his face and his ankles and wrists that were red and raw from being tied to a chair for ten days. The morphine had taken affect before she started stitching him up and he was currently unconscious. She took Sasha from his limp arms making sure she didn’t do any more harm to the animal. She placed him carefully on the bed next to Fedorov. She pulled his shirt up and inspected several purple bruises on his abdomen and rib cage. “He has six broken ribs, but no internal bleeding, I think, I’ll need to get someone to watch him. Help me sit him up.” Andrew put his arm under the sleeping Fedorov and sat him up holding him steady. Kat grabbed some medical tape from her bag and taped the man’s ribs. He grunted in pain as Andrew laid him back down on the bed. Kat held his face gently in her hand and whispered, “ssshhh it’s over just rest.” Andrew started to seriously wonder if Kat suffered from a split personality, how could she be so ruthless one moment and so compassionate the next.
Then she did something even more unbelievable. She filled another syringe with morphine and stuck it into Sasha’s hind quarter. The dog yelped with pain, but grew very still quickly as the drug started to take effect. When he was sufficiently unconscious she set to work. She set the bone on the first leg, tore open the mylar bag of cast material and soaked the roll in water to activate it. She wrapped gauze around the dog’s leg and then proceeded to wrap a cast around the leg. She repeated the same process on the other leg. She left the bedroom for a moment and returned with a dish of water and food for the dog. She made a bed for him on the floor, laid him gently into it, and placed the bowls next to him so he wouldn’t have to move to reach it. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed a number. Someone answered within seconds and she said in English, “I need a medical team.” She gave the address to the dispatcher and explained it was for a cooperating witness and his dog.
Andrew almost laughed at that. He knew she had called the CIA regional office. She hung up and inspected her patients again. “Let’s go,” she said.
“Aren’t you going to wait for the medical team?”
“No, I’m writing them a note.”
“You don’t think we should stay here until they arrive?”
“No they are going to be out of it for several hours. I have better things to do then watch them sleep.” She left the apartment and Andrew followed.




Fallen Angel
Chapter 4
Andrew and Kat rode silently in the car; even Grey didn’t say anything. Andrew glanced at Kat; she was staring out the window; her reflection looked sad and depressed. Andrew was beginning to see the many layers that made Kat who she was. In the past twenty hours she had demonstrated a range of talents and personalities. She was a stalking tigress at the airport, a secretive and calculating woman on the plane, an impossible boss when they arrived in Samara, a skilled torturer during the interrogation, and a caring nurse when Fedorov agreed to help her get what she wanted. The one thing they all had in common was an undercurrent of pain. Andrew wanted to know what happened to her, but knew she wouldn’t come clean until he tracked down and captured Osama Bin Laden.
He wanted to know her history, her entire history. His talk with Webb had created more questions than answers. He knew she attended Oxford at a very young age. He knew her grandfather was a one time member of MI6. He knew that she chose to work for the CIA above any other agency in the world. He knew she never wanted a partner; that she was a loner. He knew she could do horrible things when needed. He knew she could be compassionate when needed. He knew she had been hurt by the mysterious him Grey mentioned. He knew she didn’t trust easily, although she has maintained a relationship with Grey since childhood. She was an enigma. Andrew knew she owed him an answer; he wasn’t sure if he wanted to hear it. He wasn’t sure if he had the emotional fortitude to hear her past. He glanced at her again he could feel the sorrow emanating from her. It could have something to do with the fact her grandfather just died, but Andrew had a suspicion it was more than that.
The car stopped and Kat got out without saying anything to him. Andrew followed her lead and left the car. “Grey, get my bags,” Kat ordered.
“Sure thing Kat.”
Andrew joined Grey at the trunk to collect his luggage.
“So tell me Grey, what’s up with Kat?”
Grey looked at Andrew for a moment assessing him, “Don’t know what ya mean.”
“Come on, she acts like she has multiple personalities and I won’t lie some of them are a little scary.”
Grey laughed, “She doesn’t have multiple personalities. Kat has a reason for everything she does and more times than not it’s to keep other people safe. She might push you to your limit but she won’t cause any harm to come to you, most of the time.”
“I don’t know, I heard stories about her before I left the states and some of them would definitely cause some people harm.”
“Don’t pay any attention to rumors,” Grey sounded upset. “I know more about Kat than anyone alive and I get to see it from the outside looking in and after the fact, I think I have a better handle on her than the rumor mill in Washington.”
“I don’t doubt that, I’m just trying to get a handle on her that’s all.”
“Look I like you Andrew, so I’ll help you out with anything you want, as long as you don’t ask me to break Kat’s trust.”
“Fair enough; is there anything you can tell me that wouldn’t break her trust in you.”
Grey thought for a moment, “Sure, Kat might be mysterious and even a bit hard to handle at times, but what she really needs is to find someone, other than me, she can trust and count on when it really counts.”
“Are you guys coming or are we going to stand out here in the dark pondering the deeper meanings of the universe,” they heard Kat shout from the front door of the apartment building.
“We’re coming,” Grey answered back. Andrew had already pulled his luggage out of the trunk and was walking away when Grey grabbed his arm and said, “She doesn’t trust easily. The best way to gain her trust is to roll with the punches and to never let her down.”
Andrew considered what Grey had just said. Roll with the punches; that was easy he had to put up with everything Kat threw at him. Never letting her down might be a bit more difficult. What if she asked him to do something he just couldn’t do.
Kat waited on the steps. What was taking so long? Finally Grey and Andrew emerged from behind the car and joined her on the steps. She opened the door and held it open for Grey, but let it close on Andrew. She was upset at him. She didn’t like how he had come to her rescue with Fedorov. He was supposed to stay in the shadows and look menacing, nothing more. She could take care of herself. She’d been doing it for a while now, way before she met Andrew. At one time Fedorov knew she could handle herself, now he probably thought she was a fragile little woman who needed a big strong man to rescue her. She didn’t need rescuing. If Andrew had waited just a second longer Fedorov would have gotten a kick to the side of his head and he would have sat back down like a good boy. Now she looked weak to him and to Andrew. She was sure the surprise on her face looked like surprise at what Fedorov did instead of what Andrew did. She completely lost her edge when it came to Fedorov. Andrew would have to pay for that. He liked to rescue the damsel in distress, she’d show him.
She walked up the stairs to the top floor, turned right, and opened the door at the end of the hall. She led the way in, followed by Grey and Andrew. Andrew kicked the door closed behind him. Without saying a word Kat went into a bedroom and closed the door. Andrew and Grey just stood there staring at the closed door. They heard a shower turn on. Andrew looked at Grey and said, “Should we find a place to put our stuff down?”
“Sure, it looks like there’s only one other room, let’s hope there is more than one bed.”
Andrew had noticed this as well. He opened the only other door in the apartment on the opposite wall from Kat’s door. He was surprised by what he saw. Behind the door was a long hallway with several doors and large rooms branching off from it. It appeared as though they had the entire floor to themselves. From the outer corridor no one would be able to tell all the apartments had been connected. Andrew tried to open three doors, they were all locked. He finally arrived at an unlocked door. He opened the door, it was a bathroom. He continued down the hall. He found three empty bedrooms. He chose one and dropped his luggage on the floor and dropped himself on the bed. He was exhausted and wanted to go to sleep. But of course that wasn’t going to happen.
“So what happened with the dog?”
Andrew opened his eyes and saw Grey leaning against the frame of his door. Andrew rubbed his hands over his face and said, “Kat shaved it and broke it’s front legs to get an al Qaeda cell member to switch sides and spy for us.”
“Oh, I thought something happened that upset Kat.”
“You don’t think that upset her?”
“No, Kat would break your legs if it meant stopping a bad guy.”
“That’s comforting.”
“It should be, she gets results and saves the lives of thousands of people every day, no matter the cost. Why would you think it upset her?”
“Nothing, she seemed a bit more distant in the car on the way home, that’s all.”
“What happened in the safe house? You don’t have to tell me details or spill national security secrets, just give me the finer points.”
“We walked up the stairs, she went inside while I waited in the hall with the dog, after a few minutes she called me into the apartment, she tortured the detainee by plunging his head into a bucket of water,” Andrew paused here thinking this was what upset her, Grey didn’t say anything. “He still wouldn’t break, that was when Kat grabbed the dog from my arms, she held it by the back of his neck right in front of the suspects face, he jumped up with the chair still tied to him, I ran over, picked him up and slammed him back on the floor, I held him there….” Andrew glanced at Grey, he was standing there with his mouth open.
Grey shook his head, “You didn’t.”
“Didn’t what; the guy was about to attack Kat.”
“She won’t see it that way. She’ll see it as if you were trying to help her; as if she couldn’t take care of herself. She probably meant for him to get mad at her so she would have an excuse to knock him unconscious or something.”
“Great, I stood behind him the rest of the time, she’s going to think I don’t see her as an equal, like she’s trapped in a tower and I’m the white knight come to rescue her.”
“Exactly, what you might want to do is…”

Kat flopped onto her bed. She had the largest bedroom in the apartment and the only one with an en suite bathroom. She deserved it she was senior agent. She walked into the bathroom and started the shower. She washed her face in the sink and looked at herself in the mirror. She didn’t know what to expect, she hoped she looked fragile or wounded, that would explain Andrews’s actions during the interrogation. She looked normal. Why did he come to her rescue? He should have realized she had everything under control when he first laid eyes on Fedorov. She was starting to worry; had she gone soft? She shook her head and got into the shower. She let the water run over her trying to release her tension. It didn’t work. When she exited the shower, her shoulders were stressed, her neck sore, and her back rigid. This was all Andrew’s fault. She dressed in her pajamas and went to find the two men who now lived in her apartment.
“Grey, Andrew, where are you,” Kat yelled down the hall. They looked at each other for a split second then ran down the hall toward Kat’s yell. “There you are, I need to lay down some ground rules. Rule one no one goes into my room. Rule two, Andrew you’re in charge of breakfast, I like pancakes. Rule three there are several locked doors down the hall, don’t enter or open them unless you have a reason to and you will know if you have a reason. Rule four, there is a camera positioned above the outer door and the inner door; no one opens the door unless they have confirmed the identity of the person on the other side. Rule five, and the most important rule, don’t tell anyone where you live. We have classified information here, no one is to bring anyone into this apartment. Are we clear? Do you have any questions?”
“Yes I do,” Andrew said, “when would you like breakfast served?”
“Eight, anything else?”
“Where can I set up?” Gray asked “I have tools I need to put somewhere and I need somewhere to work.”
“Follow me,” Kat ordered. They walked down the hall to one of the locked doors. Kat produced a key from her pocket and unlocked the door. The room was a decent size and had a work bench along one wall with several electrical outlets. “You can set up in here. Keep this door locked at all times. Here’s a key, don’t lose it.”
“Thanks, Kat!” Grey was like a kid at Christmas.
“Do I get to know what’s in the other locked rooms?” Andrew asked sneaking up behind Kat.
“Sure, when you need to know.”
“Ok, I’ll see you at eight tomorrow morning.”
Andrew turned and walked down the hallway to his room. He would only have four hours of sleep tonight. He was positive Kat didn’t have any food in her cabinets; this meant that in the morning he would have to assess the situation and go to the market for provisions. He found his alarm clock in his luggage and set it for 5:00 in the morning. He lay down on his bed he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.
Kat threw herself into bed. She still hadn’t gotten to Andrew, he had the patience of Job. She thought he would at least ask to get out of breakfast duty tomorrow; she knew he hadn’t slept for over two days. There was just no getting through to him. She would test him again tomorrow of course, though she wondered if it would have any effect on him.
Andrew woke with a start when his alarm went off. He didn’t have a very restful night’s sleep. He kept dreaming about tortured dogs and Kat cackling with laughter as she pushed her detainee to his limit. He climbed out of bed and gathered everything he would need for a shower. He walked to the bathroom and turned on the water, it was cold. The Russian public works system wasn’t perfect and often there was no hot water. When he was ready he ventured into the kitchen. He had been right, she didn’t have anything in the cupboards. She didn’t even have a pan to cook in. Andrew made a list of the essentials and left the apartment.
He went to the closest market to purchase his list. The market was very busy despite the hour. He paid for his items and headed back to the apartment. He started thinking about Sergei as he made his way home. He really should look in on him just to let him know he was back. Sergei may see it as an insult if he didn’t. He would have to convince Kat they needed to go; he did not look forward to that conversation.
When he got home he settled in the kitchen putting his purchases away. He started to make his specialty, macadamia nut pancakes, when he heard Kat stirring in her bedroom. She came out of her bedroom dressed and ready for the day. Andrew handed her a plate of silver dollar pancakes with maple syrup and a glass of orange juice. Kat had smelled them from her bedroom, they smelled delicious. Naturally, she couldn’t tell him that. She took the plate and juice from him and sat down at the table to eat. Andrew sat across from her and started eating his own breakfast. He paused for a moment to say, “Don’t you owe me another answer,” Kat hoped he’d forgot about their bargain. She glared at Andrew.
“Were you close to your grandfather?”
“Yes, we were close.”
“Don’t make me get Grey,” Andrew said, “You come from a family of intelligence officers, was your grandfather involved in our business?”
“Yes he was in British Intelligence during World War II and became a field agent for MI6 during the cold war.”
“And he taught you your first lessons on intelligence gathering.”
“Yes he used to give me little missions when I was very young. He taught me code breaking techniques, ways to stay invisible, infiltration, disguise, how to develop an asset, lots of things I use on the job now.”
“You must miss him.”
“Sorrow and grief are two of the most worthless emotions one could have. They make you sloppy and vulnerable,” Kat was upset.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to upset you.”
“You didn’t upset me. Death is just a part of life and if you can’t accept that people are going to let you down and leave you, you will be in for a long hard life.”
Andrew thought that was a depressing way of looking at life. Just then Grey emerged from the long hallway in a pair of pajama pants and no shirt. He was tall and lanky with his hair standing up everywhere. “What smells so good?” he asked.
“Macadamia nut pancakes,” Andrew answered.
Kat handed Grey her empty plate and he filled it with more pancakes; they seemed to speak their own silent language. Grey made a plate for himself and sat down at the table. “So what are we talking about this morning. Are you going to abduct any more pets or torture known terrorists? Whoa! These are awesome!” Grey exclaimed as he took a bite.
“Thank you,” said Andrew, “And we were discussing Kat’s relationship with her grandfather.”
“Juan was a good old war horse. He had some of the best stories. I remember when Kat first moved into the castle, I was so excited to have another kid my age around…”
“Enough Grey.”
“I wasn’t going to say anything about you. I was just telling him my memories of you.”
“Just watch yourself.”
“Well at least you answered my question. What‘s on the menu today?”
“We’re going to speak with Fedorov again.”
“We’re just going to talk to him, right, no torture?”
“That depends on Fedorov.” Andrew was glad he was going with Kat to talk to Fedorov. He knew he couldn’t stop her from harming him, but at least he would be there to make sure he was cared for after the conversation. They finished their breakfast and prepared to leave. Kat ordered Grey to stay in the apartment.
On the way to the safe house Andrew asked Kat, “Where did you learn your interrogation techniques?”
“College.”
“You went to Oxford how did you learn torture in college.”
“I studied anthropology specifically the time period of the inquisitions. I performed an in depth study of the Maleous Malificarem.”
“You studied the Witches Hammer.” Andrew said in shock. He knew the book, published by the Catholic Church to help inquisitors identify witches, was considered the most blood soaked book in history.
“Don’t sound so shocked. People study ancient and contemporary rituals all the time. There is a tribe in Brazil that requires all the young men to wear gloves filled with bullet ants for ten minutes and they have to do his seventeen times before they are called a man. Another ritual in New Guinea requires the young men shove a thick reed down their throats to their stomach because they believe they need to rid themselves of their mothers bad blood. Bloody rituals are as alive and well today as they were four hundred years ago.”
“Yes, but it sounds like the people involved in these modern day rituals don’t have a choice, you do. No one forced you to study ancient torture techniques, why choose that as a field of study?”
“I knew I would use it someday. I knew I would be in the intelligence field since I was a young girl. It’s in my blood.”
Andrew couldn’t believe how nice and forth coming Kat was being, she was answering his questions without fighting him he decided to press his luck. “Were your parents in the industry?”
“Yes they were.”
“What happened to them?”
“Who told you something happened to them?”
“Webb did, he said you went to live with your Grandfather when you were young. That normally doesn’t happen unless something has happened to the parents.”
“What about you are your parents still alive?”
Andrew could tell she was avoiding the question, he let it go, “Yes and I have two brothers and two sisters.”
“What made you want to be a spy? I know your parents were teachers, so I know you aren’t going into the family business.”
“I was serving an LDS mission here in Samara, two missionaries were abducted and I knew who did it. They were being tortured so I asked the head of the Russian Mob to help me find them. We were friends so he agreed. After we got the missionaries back, I was interviewed by the FSB. While I was being interviewed, an American kicked the Russians and my companion out of the room. He didn’t leave his name, only a card with the CIA seal on it. He approached me several more times and when I went home he was on the plane with me. He told me I could be posted in Russia that sealed the deal for me and by the time I exited the plane I had already filled out the initial paperwork.”
“Have you told your family what you do?”’
“No, they think I work for Huntsman Chemical. Does anyone know what you do?”
“Just Grey.”
“Grey seems like a good guy. He said he’s known you since you were kids and it sounds like he’s the only family you have left.”
“Grey is loyal, resourceful, and stupid enough to follow my lead. But he’s not family, I’m the only one left.” She stopped abruptly, she realized she had revealed too much.
Andrew noticed she cut herself off. He knew it would be pointless to try to get anything else out of her. “Family isn’t who you’re related to by blood. It’s the people that mean the most to you, the people who are there for you.”
Kat grimaced at him. She hated it when people who had family tried to relate to her. They had no idea the burden she carried. She made no comment to Andrew’s last remark. They drove in silence the rest of the way to the safe house. They climbed the stairs and walked down the hall. The closer they got to the door the more noise they heard. They heard a man yelling “I’ll never betray my brothers! I’ll never give you information! I’ll die first!”
“That can be arranged.” Kat said standing in the doorway to the bedroom where Fedorov was staying. A scared nurse and doctor were huddle together in the corner.
“I…I didn’t know you would be coming back.”
“That’s obvious. I thought you agreed to help us Nicolai. Why are you saying you won’t?” She didn’t let him answer. “I think you need to be reminded just how far I can go with you.” Kat walked over to the little make shift bed where Sasha lay. She picked the dog up and sat on a nearby chair. As if on cue, the dog whimpered and Fedorov looked scared. Kat stroked the dog down its, now bald, back. “Do you know what field dressing means?” Kat asked him. Fedorov began to sweat. “I didn’t think so,” she produced a large hunting knife from her utility vest. She turned the dog over and explained, “ First, you sever the head,” she dragged the knife across the throat of the dog. “Then you make an incision from the sternal notch down to the navel,” again she dragged the knife down the belly of Sasha. “Then you remove all the internal organs from the abdomen. Next you use a saw to open the rib cage to remove the organs of the thoracic cavity. You do this so the body heat of the animal lowers as quickly as possible saving the meat so you can eat it. Of course we’re not going to eat Sasha. I would do this because I would get pleasure watching you agonize over the death of your precious dog. Shall we begin then?”
She grabbed the top of the dogs head and went for the dog’s throat. “No no no! I’ll help you do whatever you want, just don’t harm Sasha anymore.”
“Oh I want to believe you Nicolai, but you said the same thing last night and now this morning you have changed your mind. I really think I need to help you steel your resolve.” She started to cut into the skin of the dog.
Fedorov was crying in agony, “Please don’t. I will do anything you say!”
Kat paused in her cutting, the animals blood was dripping down her fingers. “I believe you, I trust you. I will be back tomorrow I hope I don’t have to remind you of your commitments again.”
“No, I have chosen my side, your side. Please help Sasha,” he begged. Kat nodded then handed the dog to the nurse. She asked the nurse and doctor to stitch Sasha up and to take care of him.
“Now we can talk,” Kat said as she wiped the blood off her hands. “I want to know what your cell is planning. I want dates, times, and locations. I want names and descriptions, pictures would be nice if you have them. I want to know who you report to and who that person reports to. I want to know where I can intercept the person you report to. Basically I want to know every bit of information you have collected over the past fifteen years. If I like what you have to say I’ll reward you, if not, I’ll start with Sasha and then I’ll move onto your children and end with you. You will be in a meeting one day opening your briefcase and instead of market projection reports you will find the intestines, liver, lungs, heart, or eyeballs of one of your loved ones. Am I clear?”
Fedorov was too shocked to say anything. Andrew stepped in and said “I’d listen to her if I were you, she’d carve up her own mother if it got her the information she wanted. Carving you would be fun for her.”
Fedorov nodded as he stared at his dog that was now being sewn up by the doctor. “Good, we’ll be by tomorrow. I want you to think long and hard about what you are going to tell me and trust me when I say I have done enough of these things to know when someone is holding back on me. I hope you don’t hold back, for Sasha’s sake.” She looked for a moment at the dog then turned and walked out of the room and Andrew followed.
“Are you trying to give that guy a heart attack? The way he looked, I thought he was going to pass out.”
“Relax he’s not going to have a heart attack, and even if he did a doctor was standing by to offer assistance. I don’t want him dead, at least not before we get everything we need out of him.
“You’re all heart, Kat.”
“Thank you, I’m glad you’re finally catching on. My heart is with the people these animals will kill if I don’t stop them. If I go easy on a detainee, he doesn’t give us the information we need and people die. Do you know how many terrorist attacks I have stopped because of my interrogations? Fifty two, that comes out to hundreds of thousands of people alive because I did my job. That is where your head should be.”
They had reached the car and climbed inside. “I agree but do you have to treat them the way you do. You left that guy tied to a chair for ten days.”
“I have a lot more obstacles to overcome than the average agent doesn’t. The fact that they are being questioned by a woman is the hardest. They’re not used to being questioned by a female. I have to show them who’s boss. I am a westerner and I am young, these are two of the least admirable qualities in a person in their culture. I have to gain any advantage I can.”
“There’s advantage and then there is abuse, and you’re straddling the line with this guy.”
Kat laughed, “I didn’t even get close to the line. Maybe, maybe if I had demonstrated field dressings on his body I would get close to the line, but I didn’t even touch him. I made sure he had medical attention. I’m not required to do that, ya know, I did that out of the grace of my heart.”
Andrew thought she really needed help. He hadn’t been paying attention to where they were going. As he looked out the window he recognized the part of town they were in, they were near Sergei’s store. He almost asked if they could stop by, but how would he ask. “Excuse me, Kat can we stop by a known mafia boss’ business. I just want to chat with him.” Yeah that would go over well. Before his brain registered it, they were pulling into an empty space in front of Sergei’s store. “What are we doing here?” Andrew asked.
“We’re going to meet with a confidential informant.”
“Here, in this shop?”
“Yes, this shop.”
“Do you know who runs this shop?”
“Of course, I’ve been working with him for the past seven years.”
Seven years. That’s when Andrew met Sergei for the first time.












































Fallen Angel
Chapter 5
Andrew followed Kat into Sergei’s store. He didn’t know how to handle this situation. Should he shake Sergei’s hand and introduce Kat? Should he keep his mouth shut and act like he’s never met him? No, that would insult him and he is big on respect so it wouldn’t be good to ignore him. Kat obviously knows him if she has used him as confidential informant. Andrew decided to follow her lead.
They walked through the door, Andrew following Kat. Andrew kept his head down, not wanting to give his relationship with Sergei away. A very familiar voice shouted across the shop, “My little Katya, so nice to see you again, it has been too long. I was very saddened to hear about my friend Juan. He was a good man. I loved working with him. He was centrally focused on the mission even if it could kill him.”
“Thank you Sergei, I know he loved you. How is your wife and children?”
“They are excellent! Tanya will be happy you are in town, you must let me take you out to dinner.”
“I would love to. I need to speak to you about a fish I recently caught.”
“Of course but who is your companion, they haven’t tried to give you another partner have they?”
“Yes they have, may I introduce Andrew McDougal.”
Andrew lifted his head and said, “How are you doing Sergei?”
Sergei stood stunned staring at Andrew. He grabbed him in a giant bear hug and said, “I’m doing great now that I know they’ve sent Kat a competent partner. When did you get here?”
“Yesterday, I didn’t know you knew Kat.”
“Oh yes, I worked with her Grandfather for years.” Andrew couldn’t believe his ears. Sergei knew Kat through her grandfather. Another tidbit of information, Kat’s grandfather had worked in Russia. Andrew looked at Kat, she was walking to the back of the store toward the counter and cash register. She sat in the chair positioned behind the counter and crossed her long legs. Andrew felt like he was experiencing deja vu. He could swear he had been in this shop with Kat. Then it hit him she was here the first time he walked into the shop. She had verified his passport. She had been sent to watch him. He thought he crossed the CIA’s radar during the kidnapping, now he was realizing he had strayed into their sites long before then.
“I am so happy to see you two together. This is a good match. You are getting along?” He glared at Kat when he said this.
“We’re getting along famously,” said Andrew in a chipper voice. This earned him a scowl from Kat.
“Wonderful! I always said you two would be good together and I was right.”
Kat’s faced turned red. Sergei had been playing matchmaker ever since her first assignment in Russia. “We aren’t together Sergei. We have just been assigned partners.”
“Whatever you say, but mark my words you are good for each other.”
“Sergei, about the fish I caught.”
“Yes of course, do you have his name?”
“His name is Nicolai Fedorov.” She handed a picture to Sergei and said, “He is the owner of The Electronics House. We have him communicating on a cell phone with known al Qaeda members. He has admitted to being involved with a local cell. We want to know what he won’t tell us about himself.”
“I know this man. He’s getting a divorce. His wife has taken his children to their dacha in the country. He lives for his work and his dog.”
“Yeah we know that already. What else can you tell me?”
“He has a bad gambling habit. He spends a lot of time at the casinos, he owes many debts around the city.”
“Does he owe you?”
Sergei smiled, “Of course. How do you think I know so much about him.”
“How much does he owe you?”
“One million rubles. Why do you ask?”
“I might need some back up for a mission I’m putting together. Can I count on you and your guys?”
“Of course Katya, you know what’s mine is yours.”
“Thank you Sergei. I’ll let you know when and where I’ll need them.”
She stood up from the chair and kissed Sergei on both cheeks. Andrew shook his hand and they left the store. They walked across the street to their waiting car, opened the door, and climbed in. “So you know Sergei?” Andrew asked.
“Yes and so do you.”
“Ah, but you already knew that didn’t you?”
“I checked you out. I knew he was on your list of known associates,” Kat acknowledged.
“You knew I knew him because you saw me go into his shop the first time I met him. How did you know I would be there? I didn’t even know until a second before.”
Kat exhaled dramatically, “I didn’t know you would be there. It was my first mission, I knew my grandfather had worked with Sergei, I decided to pay my respects and then you walked in. I was surprised to see you walk into the shop. It was obvious by your companion’s terrified actions, you knew who owned it. I was tasked with keeping an eye on you periodically throughout your mission.”
“Who sent you to keep an eye on me?”
“The CIA.”
“I figured that out for myself. I meant, how did the CIA know about me?”
“The CIA, FBI, and NSA recruit within the LDS Church because of the language skills of the missionaries, their honesty, they are usually educated, they know how to keep a secret, and they are dedicated to a cause. The CIA first heard about you from one of your teacher’s in the MTC. He was on sabbatical and thought you would be an asset to the agency. They sent me to watch you.”
“I don’t know how I feel about this.”
“Why do you need to feel anything about this? I collected intelligence on you without your knowledge, big deal. Be glad I was able to get the information from following you and going through your trash and I didn’t have to extract the information from you directly.”
“You went through my trash?”
“Yeah a couple times.”
“When exactly did you go through my trash?”
“Why are you nervous about what I found?”
“No I’m just curious as to what information you gathered from my trash.”
“I violated your privacy the first time when you first arrived in Russia,” Kat said sarcastically. “I was impressed that you ate all local food. Most people wouldn’t do that. I went through your trash when the missionaries were kidnapped to see if I could help find them. I investigated all the names I found to see if I could find a connection. The one person I couldn’t find anything on was the kidnapper. But that was when I was a rookie and I was working off the books so I didn’t have access to the same resources I have now.”
“If it was off the books why did you investigate them?”
“I didn’t want to see two young men being beheaded on the internet. I didn’t know who had them so I had to prepare for the worst. Luckily you swept in and saved the day.” The last part was said caustically.
“Why do you dislike me so much?”
“I don’t like or dislike you. I’ve told you, you won’t last long enough for me to care.”
“We’ll see.”
“Is that a challenge?”
“No,” Andrew said abruptly.
“I didn’t think so.”

They rode in silence for a few minutes. Andrew broke the silence when he said, “I completed another assignment do I get another answer?”
“What assignment did you complete?”
“The further interrogation of Fedorov.”
“That’s supposed to count as an assignment. You didn’t learn anything new, you didn’t participate at all, why should that count as an assignment.” They parked the car in front of their apartment and continued to argue all the way up to the top floor.
“Not true, I learned the proper way to field dress big game and I told him he better believe your threats. Mission completed.”
“One pointless piece of information and speaking one sentence does not a complete mission make.”
“I beg to differ. Last night I completed a similar mission and you answered a question.”
They had just walked into the apartment when Kat said, “Exactly you completed an identical assignment last night, therefore, you didn’t complete a new assignment, ere go no answer.”
“What’s going on out here?” Grey had heard the argument and came to investigate.
“She won’t answer a question,” Andrew said with a smile.
“Kat, do you owe Andrew an answer?”
“No. He completed the same assignment twice that means he doesn’t get an answer.”
“You never said he had to complete a new and different assignment, you just said he had to complete an assignment,” said Grey in a tone usually reserved for an adult telling a toddler why he can’t run into traffic.
“Exactly,” said Andrew.
Kat huffed she knew she had been caught, “Fine I’ll give you an answer now, but I would like to amend the rules to this game. From now on you have to complete a new and different assignment for an answer.”
“Works for me,” said Andrew. “I would like to know what happened to your parents.”
Kat had anticipated this, she knew he would go for the jugular. She didn’t like opening this wound. “They worked for MI6. They had tracked an international arms dealer in the Soviet Union. He was about to sell a submarine to a South American drug lord. They went to intercept the sale and arrest the seller and buyer. Their confidential informant betrayed them and they walked into an ambush. I was five when they died.”
Andrew watched Kat’s demeanor change. She switched from an intelligence agent with a razor edge to a hurt five your old girl in a matter of seconds. “Did they get the men responsible?”
“No, I’ve kept my eye out for them but so far they have remained underground.”
Andrew put his hand on her shoulder, offering her comfort. “I’m so sorry. I can’t imagine how difficult that was for you.”
Kat shrugged his hand off her shoulder, “I’m over it. Grief and pain are weaknesses. I don’t have weaknesses.” Kat said this as if she was trying to convince herself as much as the other two men in the room.
“If you ever want to talk about it, I’m here for you.”
Kat scowled at him, “I don’t need to talk about it. It’s in the past. There’s nothing I can do, except catch the ones responsible for their deaths.”
Kat was wrong. That much Andrew knew, she needed a therapist not a partner. He knew she would never seek the help to heal her soul, but he vowed he would be there if she needed him.
Kat left the living area to escape into her bedroom. She threw herself on the bed and did something she hadn’t done in a long time. She broke down. She cried like a baby. Why was she reacting this way? Her parents had been dead for over twenty years; she should be over them by now. Maybe this was a reaction to her grandfather’s death. That must be it. She hadn’t cried over her parents since their funeral. She knew then tears were a sign of weakness. She remembered looking at her grandfather, he didn’t shed a tear. She wanted to be strong like him, nothing seemed to affect him.
Kat brushed the tears from her eyes and sat up on her bed when a knock came to her door. “What?” she called.
“It’s me, can I come in?”
At least it was Grey and not Andrew. “Yes.”
Grey opened the door and went into Kat’s room. He closed the door behind him and walked over to the bed in the middle of the room. He knew better than to touch her or offer her any form of physical comfort. “How’re you holding up?”
“I’m fine, why do you ask?”
“Come on Kat, it’s me. I know when your upset and I know when you are trying to be tough when you don’t want to. Come on Kat it’s ok, you can talk to me.”
“Can you take a look at a forty-five; it jammed the last time it was shot?” “Sure I’ll take a peek at it. But Kat really, you need to…”
“Grey, the gun, I left it on your work bench.”
“I’ll go take care of it.” Grey left her room in a dejected state. He wanted her to open up to him to talk about her immense loss. She had always been somewhat distant, but every since Jackson died she had been downright closed off. He walked down the hall and into his work shop. He located the gun Kat had asked him to fix. He dismantled it, looking for the defect that could be the cause of the misfire. He found the gun to be very dirty. He cleaned the gun and test fired it. He used a block of balistic clay as a target. It worked perfectly. He walked back down the hall to give it back to Kat. She was coming out of her room just as Grey walked into the living area. “It works fine now. You really need to keep your gun clean; a dirty gun kills the operator not the target.”
“I know. Thank you for fixing it.” She walked down the hall and unlocked one of the locked doors. The inside looked like an arsenal. It had shelf after shelf of weapons that ranged from hand guns to assault rifles to sniper rifles to knives to explosive material, and ammo for every model under the sun. Grey couldn’t believe his eyes; she could lead an armed assault against North Korea on her own with what was in this room. Grey located a shelf along one wall that held hand guns of all types. He had expected Kat to place the gun there, but she didn’t. Instead, she headed for the far wall where a wooden work bench lined half of the wall. Above the work bench was a shadow box with three pegs used for suspending something with in the box. She placed the gun inside the shadow box one peg under the barrel, one through the trigger guard, and the third under the grip of the gun. Grey wondered why this poorly maintained hand gun earned such a place of distinction.
Kat left the room and Grey followed. She locked the door behind them and went to find Andrew. She found him in his room looking over the floor plan of the Fedorov house that was in Sasha’s file. He started to see anomalies, walls with space between them and the next, what appeared to be secret passageways into rooms that had no other door, and stairways that lead to nowhere.
“Kat have you seen this?”
“I was the one who put it in the file.”
“Did you really look at it?
“Of course, are you accusing me of not being thorough?”
“No of course not, I was just wondering if you had thought of searching the secret rooms and passageways.”
“What rooms and passageways?”
“These ones here,” he said pointing at the floor plan.
“Of course, I was planning on going later today.” Kat knew she wasn’t fooling anyone. She was positive Andrew saw through her lie. She had never noticed the secret rooms.
“Good, shall we go now? We know no one is home.”
“Yes, get your gear together. We’re leaving in ten minutes.”
Andrew sprang into action, collecting the things he might need. He grabbed his lock pick tools, a flashlight, zip ties, duct tape, rope, audio bugs, pin whole cameras, throwing daggers, and his Glock .45. He tucked all these items away in his utility vest. He walked into the living area to wait for Kat. He didn’t have to wait long. She was dressed in jeans and a tight white t- shirt that said CIA in big blue letters. “So we aren’t going for stealth.” Andrew said pointing at her t-shirt.
“This shirt has gotten me into several otherwise inaccessible doors.”
“I don’t doubt that.”
“What, what’s wrong now!” Kat was getting huffy again.
“Nothing, you’re too right, that’s all.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Kat did you look in a mirror before you came out here?”
“No, I was in a hurry?” Kat said nervously putting her hands threw her hair.
Andrew started to chuckle, “You look really good.”
Kat never thought she was a real beauty and she didn’t spend nearly as much time primping and
preening like other women did. She had more important things to do. She didn’t know what to say. Andrew’s comment caught her off guard. She knew how to react to danger, but had no idea how to take a compliment.
Grey had just entered the living room, “Wow Kat you look hot!”
She glowered at Grey, “That’s it I’m going to change.”
“No you can’t,” Andrew said grabbing her wrist. “You said we were leaving in ten minutes and , that was twelve minutes ago. I know how you like to be punctual.” He started to pull her through the door, but Kat resisted pulling hard against Andrew.
Then Grey joined the fray, “You look perfect Kat.” He said pushing her out the door. “You look like you’re ready to conquer the world. Besides, you’ll have your vest on no one will see your…assets.”
This earned a smack to the ear from Kat. Grey and Andrew laughed, “A Russian mob boss, let’s make friends, an al Qaeda member, tie him to a chair and question him for ten days, show you have a feminine side and you act like a scared new born bird afraid it’s going to fall out of its nest.”
“I’m not afraid; I just want to be treated like a CIA field agent, not a bimbo.”Kat yelled back to Andrew. Andrew couldn’t believe the fit she was throwing, over a shirt. She was quickly becoming the most interesting woman he had ever known.
Thanks to the efforts of Grey and Andrew, they were able to get Kat out the door and into the car. She pouted the entire way to Fedorov’s house and refused to talk to Andrew when he attempted conversation. They parked across the street from Fedorov’s house. They crossed the street, scanning constantly for anyone who may be watching them. They didn’t see anyone as they walked up the stairs and they didn’t see anyone as Andrew knelt down to pick the lock of the front door. Andrew stood up and put his hand on the door knob; just as he started to open the door Kat grabbed his hand and said, “Wait, we need to check it for traps.”
“Do you really thing he would booby trap his own front door?” “Let me think. Yeah I do, he’s involved with an organization who convinces children and Ph.D.s to blow themselves up in a crowded market. You don’t think they would hesitate to blow up a house if it suits them.” Kat had opened the door just enough to fit her fingers through and started probing the inside of the door for trip wires.
“Yeah, but Fedorov is so….”
“Hah!” Kat said as she found what she was looking for. “To quote the immortal John Wayne, ‘life is tough, it’s tougher when you’re stupid.’ I know that all the checking may seem tedious to you, but it has kept me alive.”
“I stand corrected. Maybe Nicolai is in deeper than we thought?”
“You’re just figuring that out now. The fact that it took ten days for me to crack him, the secret passages in his house, that he probably bank rolls the entire al Qaeda threat in this area, none of that tipped you off.”
Kat disarmed the booby trap and they went inside the house. They paused just inside the door, “holy crap” Andrew said with a great deal of reverence in his voice.
“Do you think I’m just being overly cautious now?”
“No, from now on I will bow to your expertise.” There, suspended in the middle of the entry way, were three claymore mines. If they had opened the door, the house, and the houses on either side would have been obliterated. “Talk about over kill,” he said as he walked toward the bomb.
“There’s no such thing to these people. Come over here and help me disarm this thing.”
Andrew stood next to Kat, “What do you want me to do?”
“Hold this one up while I disarm it.” Andrew did as he was told. He glanced over at Kat, she showed no stress on her face. She went about disarming the mine with cold, calculated, accuracy. Andrew was thoroughly impressed. “Now put that one down and hold this one up,” Kat told Andrew as she completed the first mine and moved to the second. They repeated the same process on the third mine.
“What are we going to do with these?”
“We’ll take them home and trace them back to the original purchaser. That should give us an idea of who sold them to Fedorov. The scary part is they’re American.”
“I noticed that. Will we be able to track where they were supposed to be?”
“That’s the idea. Let’s start in here.” Andrew looked around for the first time since entering the house. To say it was opulent would be an understatement. It was decorated to look like a mini Versailles. Osama bin Laden was hiding in a cave in the Afghan mountains somewhere and Nicolai Fedorov was attempting to overthrow the Bolshevik revolution and become the next czar. He pulled his attention away from the front parlor and followed Kat to the first secret room. He found Kat staring at a blank wood panel.
“Is this the entrance?”
“Yes, but I’m still looking for the release mechanism.”
Andrew looked around the dining room, where the secret entrance was located, as Kat inspected the actual doorway. Andrew looked everywhere, he looked in the china cabinet, he inspected the buffet, he looked under and on the table, he inspected the potted plants, and the many square columns that lined the walls. He noticed that one of the columns had been moved. There was an indent in the carpet as if the column had been moved recently. He inspected the column closely and found nothing, until he pulled it away from the wall. Behind the column was a small button; Andrew pushed the button and two things happened at once. First, the panel opened and second, a steel shutter slammed to the ground where the only exit out of the dining room once was. “I guess we go forward,” Kat said looking at the metal barrier.
Kat took one step into the secret passageway when Andrew recognized an ominous click sound. “Don’t move!!”
Kat turned to look at him, “you heard it to?”
“Just stay in that position, it won’t detonate until you release the pressure switch. I’m coming.” Andrew grabbed a large bust of a late nineteenth century aristocrat and hurried over to Kat’s side. “Have you seen Raiders of the Lost Ark?”
“Yes, but I’m not in the mood for cinematic trivia.”
“I hadn’t planned on dazzling you with my knowledge of classic American films; I was referring to the opening act when Indy gets the golden idol. He uses a bag of sand to replace the idol; I’m going to replace your foot with this bust.”
“If I remember correctly that plan didn’t work out well for Indy.”
“True, but that temple was cursed, we’re dealing with a man made contraption. Anyway, I’m pretty sure neither of us has done anything to upset the gods. Now, when I say, slowly slide your foot back.” Andrew knelt down next to Kat, “ok slowly slide your foot.” Andrew placed the heavy bust against the toe of Kat’s shoe. At this level he was able to identify two more bouncing Betties sunken into the floor. He positioned himself so he wouldn’t activate anymore mines, “ok start sliding.” Kat slid her foot back with Andrew never separating the bust from her shoe. What seemed like an eternity later the bust had replaced Kat as the target of the cruel trap. They both stood very still, neither of them took a breath. After several seconds they were able to relax. “Can you disarm it?”
“Not after activating the pressure switch, but I can diffuse the other two you found. We have to be on our guard from now on.” She knelt down and disarmed the two remaining booby traps and stashed them in a corner. They moved slowly into the dark passageway. Andrew went first with his flashlight on. He swept the floor with the beam of the flashlight. They reached the end of the dark corridor where it opened into a large room. This room was in stark contrast to lavish rooms they had just left. The walls were solid concrete. On one side of the room materials for building improvised explosive devices lay on a work table. Across the room hanging along one wall was the green and black flag of Islam; below the flag attached to the cement wall hung a pair of shackles. On the floor in front of the shackles, a plastic drop cloth lay on the floor. In the middle of the room a camera was sitting on a tripod focused on the flag wall and there on a chair next to the camera was a machete.
“They were going to decapitate someone.” Andrew said out loud.
“It looks like I picked Fedorov up just in time. I have been in rooms like this one, usually before the target had been chosen or after the execution had occurred. I’ve never been in one just prior to it.”
Andrew started to look over the work table, he was careful not to touch anything dangerous. He felt underneath the bench and found nothing. He looked over the chair, nothing there. He looked behind the flag. Jackpot, a safe was hidden behind the flag. Safe cracking was a skill every spy needed to learn. Spies were the collectors of secrets and most people kept their secrets in safes. Andrew put his ear against the safe listening for the tell tale clicks of tumblers sliding into place. He opened the safe, inside were two files. Andrew removed the files and opened the first one. Inside was a picture of Sergei Smirnovsky. Andrew removed the photo from the file. He turned it over and written on the back was Sergei’s position in the community and the method of execution. A bomb was going to be planted in his next shipment of new furs. Andrew had to warn Sergei.
He opened the next file. Andrew gasped audibly; it was a picture of Kat. He turned the photo over, the name that was listed was Tanya Ivanovna it also listed Kat as Sergei’s mistress. The method of death for Kat was a complicated abduction scenario and the al Qaeda members would decapitate her live on the internet. Her execution was scheduled for nine days ago. Kat had no idea how lucky she was.
“What are you looking at?” Kat had started taking digital photos of the scene.
“Fedorov’s hit list.”
“Anyone we know?” Kat asked with a chuckle in her voice.
“Yes,” Andrew said simply.
This gave Kat pause, she walked over to Andrew and grabbed the files from his hand. She opened the files and without any emotion she said, “at least my cover wasn’t blown.”
“Are you made of stone? Your cover is the only thing you’re worried about. Come on Kat you apprehended Fedorov the day before he had scheduled to murder you.”
Kat looked at Andrew with a blank expression, “Do you think they are the first people to want me dead? We better warn Sergei.”
“Warn Sergei! How about we get you out of the country and set up a full protection detail.”
“I will not! My duty is to find these terrorists before they hurt innocent civilians. You’ve seen this house. The guy who owns it is an explosives super freak who has no problem blowing himself and his entire family up. If I accept protection and run home it will send a message that we can be bullied, and I’m not about to do that.”
Andrew couldn’t believe the dedication of this woman. She always saw the bigger picture and didn’t let anything come between her and the ultimate outcome. “OK no protection detail. But I would like to ask you to take some precautions.”
“Like what?”
“Don’t go anywhere alone, always carry a weapon, no more interrogating prisoners without me present, and vary your schedule. Don’t make the kidnapper’s job easy.”
Kat rolled her eyes. She didn’t like the idea of following Andrew’s rules but knew she wouldn’t get away with disobeying them. He would be watching her like a hawk. “We better go warn Sergei. We’ll come back to inspect the rest of the house later.”
“Whatever you say,” Kat was infuriating Andrew. He knew anyone else threatened by an international terrorist organization would at least look shaken and want to hide under the bed for a few decades. Not Kat, no she was too worried about saving the mob boss’s butt. He would have warned Sergei anyway, but Kat needed to be protected. He had a plan.