“It’s not that difficult.”
“Pardon me.”
Anatoly slunk in his chair, embarrassed that his comment slipped out. “That came out wrong. It’s not what I meant. What I meant to say was—”
“Better quit while you’re ahead, Anatoly. If you keep digging, you might find yourself in a hole you can’t crawl out of.”
He nodded and sat up straight in his chair. “So, have you spoken with the leaders of the European Union Bankers Guild? They seemed really anxious to talk with you today.”
“As a matter of fact, I was able to conduct a short discussion with several members. This whole fiasco in Germany has them running scared, as they should be. They’re afraid of who might get hit next. Several countries have canceled their yearly gatherings.”
“Private security getting too costly these days?”
Petrov shrugged. “And deadly. One agency I’ve contracted with in the past told me that they’ve lost six agents over the past twelve months.”
“No wonder it’s becoming such an expensive field.”
“Yes, to risk your life for someone you don’t know, there must be a handsome and commiserate financial award. Unfortunately, the recent events in Germany are creating a greater demand when the supply has reached its lowest.”
“I trust your stunt in Stuttgart helped usher more players to the table,” Anatoly said.
“They’ve practically come running, begging me to have a seat at the table,” she said. “And of course, I’m happy to oblige them as long as they abide by the set of rules laid out for them. Everyone needs to understand who is in control here.”
“I’m confident that much is made clear.”
Petrov reached out and snapped her fingers. Without hesitating, Anatoly handed her the cigarette case and held out a lighter. After she selected her smoke of choice, she leaned toward Anatoly, who flicked his lighter and waited for Petrov to get her vice sufficiently lit.
“I think it’s also quite clear their precious financial institutions are all going to fail if they don’t join The Chamber,” Petrov said. “At this point, it’s little more than a foregone conclusion, which is why they want to jump into the lifeboat I’m offering. The only thing they don’t know is just how much it’s going to cost.”
“Not that they’ll care.”
Petrov forced a laugh. “Not that these types of people ever do. It’s quite odd how money is no object to them, yet in the end, it’s the only object they fancy. You’d think some of them might be happy to be relieved of such a burden, but that albatross hangs around their neck as if it’s an adornment of fine jewelry.”
“The Chamber will be more than happy to help ease such difficulties.”
Petrov smiled. “Yes, we will.”
She took a long drag on her cigarette before her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she waved it at Anatoly.
“If you’ll excuse me, I need to answer this. My work is never done.”
She slipped back inside and walked until she found a quiet hallway.
“I thought I gave you specific instructions not to ever call me at this number,” Petrov said. Vadim, her top assassin, often ignored her directives, but she couldn’t argue with his results.
“You also said to call you the moment I laid eyes on Hawk and his team,” the man said. “It was quite the dilemma for me.”
“You found them already?” Petrov asked.
“It didn’t take long.”
She laughed. “You’re better than the FBI.”
“That’s not much of a compliment, if that’s what you’re trying to do there. They couldn’t even gather enough evidence to—”
“It was meant to be a compliment, but I’m not going to explain myself.”
“Better than the FSB would’ve been my preference.”
“As a former KGB officer, I wasn’t sure how you’d take that comparison.”
“At this point, I don’t care,” Vadim said. “I simply want to know how to proceed. Should I tip off the FBI so they can ride in like great American cowboys and take all the credit? Or would you like for me to handle it myself?”
“Where are they now?” Petrov asked.
“Getting questioned by airport security.”
“So maybe the Americans won’t bungle this thing in the end anyway.”
“It would make their removal from play much neater.”
Petrov sighed. “True, but I don’t trust the American government either way. Follow them, and as soon as you get a chance, take them out in a remote location where you can get away cleanly. I don’t want to let the narrative of these American rogue agents to get turned around on us. We’re controlling this story so far—and it’s turning into quite a beautiful one.”
“No problem,” Vadim said. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Good. Call me when it’s finished.”
CHAPTER 10
Washington, D.C.
HAWK STEADIED HIS BREATHING as his pulse quickened. His options were limited in such a public place. He could knock out the guard and hustle out of here, but that would leave an easily traceable trail. Hawk tried to keep his cool.
“Just heading home after a long flight,” Hawk said.
The guard eyed him carefully, studying the access badge and Hawk’s face equally.
“Everybody’s gotta be a smart ass these days, don’t they?” the man said.
Hawk took the question as rhetorical and refused to answer. It was clear by responding to the literal question the guard asked, Hawk put himself and the rest of his team at risk. Small talk wasn’t Hawk’s thing. He needed to get better at it for obvious reasons.
The guard held out the credentials and gently shoved them back. “Have a nice day,” he said, waving Hawk through.
Hawk looked over his shoulder to see if Alex and Samuels were getting through hassle free. They were.
Once they were in the parking lot, Hawk flagged a shuttle down and rode it to the location he’d left his car. It wasn’t registered under his name, but he thought it safe to take precautions and split up. Samuels and Alex waited for the next shuttle and rode it several minutes later. When they met back up, Hawk had the trunk open and was waiting for them to place their items inside.
“What did you do?” Hawk
