redialed the office number and was immediately connected with Deputy Director Beryutov’s secretary.
“Science Division.”
“I’d like to speak with the Deputy Director, please.”
“Of course, may I ask who’s calling?”
“Pyotr Travkin.”
“And will she know what it is regarding?”
Travkin assumed he misheard the secretary’s use of the word 'she’ in reference to the Deputy Director.
“He will yes!”
“I’m sorry were you looking for former Director Beryutov?” asked the secretary.
“Former Director?”
“Yes I’m afraid there was a terrible accident this morning. He was killed in a car crash on the way to work,” she said with little emotion.
“On his way to work?” confirmed Pyotr.
“Yes,” a suspicion entered her tone, which hadn’t been there previously. “It’s terrible, we are all very shocked,” she added quickly realizing she had dropped her guard.
Pyotr had a list of questions he wanted to ask and check, including whether the secretary could have sounded any less caring. However, the less he got involved the better and the sooner he ended the call the better also.
“Please pass on my condolences,” offered Pyotr in an attempt to end the call.
“Of course,” she replied without any thought. “Shall I put you through to Deputy Director Borodin?” she added quickly.
“Borodin? As in GRU Borodin?” Pyotr almost choked as he spoke.
“No, as in Dr Helena Borodin,” she replied.
“Of course, there are lots of Borodins!” he replied, laughing off the ridiculousness of his question.
“I believe she is his niece!” she added matter of factly. “Will I connect you?”
Pyotr struggled to garner his thoughts. “Hmm, no it’s OK, it really wasn’t important and is no longer necessary,” he managed, despite himself.
The secretary having done her job gave him a clipped goodbye and ended the call.
Pytor slumped onto the bed as the repercussions of the call reverberated throughout his mind.
First things first though, they had to move. He packed his bag and made his way to Alexa’s room. It took almost a minute of hard knocking to wake her up. Eventually her door opened, a long white t-shirt managed just to cover the roundness of her very pert bottom, something Pyotr, under normal circumstances, would have paid far more attention to as he followed the half asleep figure back towards her bed.
“What do you want Pyotr? I really need to sleep,” she whined.
Pyotr didn’t sit or speak. Instead, he approached the window and pulled the curtain back slightly allowing him to check the parking lot below.
“What’s wrong Pyotr?” prompted Alexa, his behavior bringing her out of her slumber.
“Deputy Director Beryutov is dead!”
Alexa looked at him, speechless.
“Killed in a car crash on his way to work this morning,” added Pyotr.
“That’s terrible!” Neither was under any illusion of what really happened.
“But we’ve had the all clear from Borodin,” she offered in comfort to a very nervous Pyotr.
“Yes but we have a major problem. I know how this works. A quick action followed by a thorough clean up.”
“We’ll be fine!” she confirmed again with confidence.
Pyotr pulled out his cell phone and handed it to Alexa. The screen showed the name 'DD Beryutov’.
Alex clicked the name and a text message appeared.
'In office, meeting with Director — stand by for orders.’
The date and time were that morning in Moscow at 6.54 a.m.
Alexa didn’t need Pyotr to spell out what it meant. She got up and packed her bag. They needed to move. Pyotr and Alexa had proof that Deputy Director Beryutov had not died on the way to the office but had in fact met with the Director prior to his death. They of course knew that GRU was involved via General Borodin. In short, they were walking corpses at least as soon as the telephone records for Beryutov were checked and the message to Pyotr was uncovered.
As she packed her bag, Pyotr updated her on the identity of the new Deputy Director, Helena Borodin, niece of General Borodin.
“Jesus, we are so fucked!” she offered unnecessarily as they fled the room.
As they got into the car, both looked at each other for ideas of where to go. They sat silently as both considered all the options. The world was a big place but whether it was big enough to evade the SVR and GRU was an entirely different question.
It was Alexa who uttered the word they were both thinking. “Defect?” she asked.
Pyotr mulled it over before nodding his head slightly. It really was the only option if they wanted to stay alive. If they gave the Americans enough Intel, they would be placed under their witness protection program, something which offered all previous Soviet and Russian traitors a modicum of security.
He looked at Alexa. She nodded more firmly. Decision made. Pyotr turned the ignition key. The car spluttered but didn’t start. He tried it again.
“No, don’t!!” screamed Alexa but it was too late, the key was fully turned and the car’s engine started.
The look of panic on Pyotr’s face turned to laughter as the low hum of the running engine allayed Alexa’s worst fears. Her paranoia was also replaced with laughter, as both realized how ridiculous they were being. The Russian system was not that efficient.
They were, of course, correct. The Russian system was not that efficient. It was only after Pyotr’s call that the Russians were alerted to any issues with regard to Pyotr and Alexa. The secretary was certain that the reference to 'on the way to work’ had somewhat surprised Travkin and she had conveyed this to her boss Helena Borodin. They quickly tracked down the reason for Pyotr’s surprise and a team had been dispatched to deal with the loose end.
However Pyotr and Alexa were already in the car with the engine running as that order was issued.
“OK, nearest US government agency it is then!”
“Yep,” agreed Alexa.
Pyotr selected reverse and hit the accelerator. Whether it was selecting the gear or pushing the accelerator that ended his life, he’d never know. The explosion that destroyed any link between Borodin, GRU, SVR and Sean Fox was massive and incinerated Alexa and Pyotr instantly.
General Yuri Borodin, Head of Russia’s GRU, didn’t hold power in one of Russia’s most powerful offices by chance. The text message from the freelance assassin he had hired the previous day informed him that his loose end had been tightened. He checked the time. His own team would be arriving in Laredo shortly. One of the other benefits of being the boss of GRU was that you had your own 'private’ army on call — Russia’s Spetsnaz troops, over twelve thousand special forces, were under Borodin’s direct control.
Chapter 24
As the door crashed open, Miguel’s corpse answered Luis’ first question. At least he knew Miguel wasn’t being disrespectful or stupid. Death was pretty much the only acceptable reason for not answering the call.
His two men moved cautiously into the hallway as Luis waited by the front door for the all clear. The sound of footsteps from upstairs caught their attention and Luis’ men had their weapons swinging towards the staircase as they both crouched ready for whoever was going to appear.
“Come down with your hands up!” shouted Luis authoritively, peeking his head into the hallway. His Desert Eagle.50 pistol also drawn and ready. Its size was ludicrous in comparison to Luis but as a drug dealer and nephew of El Jefe, he liked to look the part and the power it projected helped his confidence and standing with the men, or so he believed.
