“What?!” barked Borodin, grabbing the vodka and downing it in one gulp.
“Dr Surkov is on line 2!”
Borodin looked over at his phone and noted the flashing line and checked the time, it was almost 2 a.m. “Shit, what did you tell him?”
“That I’d see if I could locate you!”
Borodin considered being unlocatable but that would be delaying the inevitable.
He waved Vasiliy out and lifted the handset and, taking a deep breath for confidence, hit the flashing button.
“Dr Surkov!” he offered pleasantly.
“Ah General, I see your assistant managed to locate you, how fortunate!”
“How can I help you, Doctor, at this very late hour?” asked Borodin.
“Yes, it is rather late to still be in the office. You don’t have a crisis, do you?” asked Surkov suspiciously.
Borodin considered being upfront about the Spetznaz apparent failure but decided to see what Surkov knew.
“Not at all, just busy. How can I help you?”
“I have the president coming to Grebnevo in the morning, be here at 10 a.m.”
“Of course, Doctor,” replied Borodin smiling, things were finally happening.
As he replaced the handset, he realized for the briefest of moments that he had forgotten about Sean Fox. Something had to be done. His future was in jeopardy as soon as Surkov discovered his failure. Ten Spetznaz troops! How could they possibly fail? He had no assets on site, other than, he remembered, he had sent the assassin to deal with the SVR agents. He picked up the phone. There was still a chance Surkov would never know.
Surkov sat at his desk contemplating the conversation he had just had with Borodin. He had been trying his home number for some time, when on a whim he had tried the office. Borodin’s assistant had answered the phone as though his life depended on it. It was 2.00 a.m. in Moscow. What could be so important that Borodin was waiting for a call in the office? Surely they would call him at home. Unless they didn’t have his home number or were in another time zone, many hours behind. A time zone where a certain Sean Fox was a problem that Borodin should have dealt with. Or hadn’t he? A feeling of unease swept over him. The more he considered the call with Borodin, the more he realized something was wrong. Sean Fox, was he dead or not? Was he still an issue?
Surkov’s Sean Fox was an issue. The American one was not. But he had no idea which the live one was. When his Sean had escaped Grebnevo all those years ago, they thought he had died during the escape. He knew the plan intricately. He knew what they planned to do. He knew everything. He had also scoffed at the whole idea and laughed at how ridiculous Surkov was to believe it could even happen. He never believed in the ideology. He had embraced the American lifestyle too readily.
As events unfolded and lives progressed, Surkov’s Sean had become surplus to requirements. His life became a mirror of the real one, with no real purpose. Surkov should have seen it coming but was too busy with his other projects. The excitement of Sean’s real life was too much for Surkov’s Sean and he had escaped the confines of Grebnevo and fled. Surkov had always loved Sean like a son and had been devastated by his loss but relieved that the secrets of Grebnevo would remain protected. Until three months earlier, he had remembered Sean fondly. The realization that he could still be alive had rocked him to the core. With just about every block having fallen perfectly into place, a project only dreamt of over six decades earlier was becoming a reality.
Surkov’s move in eliminating the Governor’s wife would be a clear sign to his Sean that Surkov’s crazy plan was actually about to go into action. Sean Fox and the wife had to be killed. Whether it was his Sean or not, it was the other’s wife. By elimination, either it was Surkov’s Sean or it was his wife. It had to be one of them, either way, one of them would be aware of what was happening.
Surkov picked up his communication device and sent a message to the one woman he knew had never failed at anything she was ever tasked with, Katherine. She would find out once and for all if Borodin had succeeded and if not, deal with it once and for all. He hit 'Send’ and went to bed. It was going to be a very busy morning and the beginning of a new dawn was just on the horizon.
Chapter 60
Sean crept through the shrubbery that circled the base of the hill that led to the ranch. So far, Luis had been truthful. The pressure sensors were there and had he not known about them, he would have most certainly had the cartel’s foot soldiers crashing down the hill towards him. He reached the point as described by Luis that offered the best approach and again it seemed to be correct. Luis was a little more ruthless than Sean had realized. He obviously wanted to rule the roost and Sean was his key to doing it. Sean checked his watch. Luis should be arriving and insisting they leave immediately.
Luis did as Sean instructed. He raced his car into the forecourt and ran into the house. Drama would sell urgency. Urgency would make them move first and think second.
Luis brushed past the crowd of guards who were desperate to know where their friends were. Luis decided against explaining he had chopped them to pieces and sent them to the bottom of a lake and instead opted for the sullen silent approach as he pushed through. The noise had alerted El Jefe to Luis’ arrival and he stood at the main entrance to the ranch, Juan by his side.
“Luis, where is your friend?” asked El Jefe putting a menacing emphasis as he said friend.
“He is not a friend uncle but he has arranged for us to meet the men we need to meet?”
“We do not need to meet anyone,” announced Juan to the men that were watching the interaction and scoring a point with El Jefe.
“Of course, forgive me, he has arranged for a meeting with the men that wish to meet with us!”
“Excellent, when will they arrive?” he made a show of checking his watch.
“I am to take you to them,” explained Luis his resolve was beginning to falter; this had not gone anywhere near as easily as Sean had suggested it would.
“Surely they come to me?” announced El Jefe, strongly and received a cheer from his men.
Juan watched as Luis squirmed. He knew there was no way on earth the men would come to them.
“May I speak with you privately, Uncle?”
“Whatever you have to say, you can say to my men!” he announced to another cheer.
Juan leant into El Jefe’s ear and whispered something to him. Luis did not hear but a nod from El Jefe resulted in Juan walking to Luis and pulling him aside.
“OK, what is the plan?” he asked quietly.
“I’ve to get El Jefe and yourself into the car and we will be given directions to the meeting. Once you are happy with the contacts, we have to release the boy and then after the meeting, if we are happy, the woman.”
“We both know there are at least two problems, the boy will be dead in sixteen minutes and myself and El Jefe will not be getting in your car.”
“But they have got your contacts for you?” pleaded Luis.
“And I gave them a deadline, I will not renege on a deal, I never have and never will,” he smiled. His word was his bond.
Luis hadn’t discussed the prospect of failing to get both in the car with Sean but figured if it was going to be anybody, best he removed El Jefe.
“Well I better get going, I have a deadline to keep too,” smiled Luis. “I’ll just grab El Jefe,” he moved to go past Juan.
Juan stepped in front of Luis. “El Jefe!” he shouted. “I will go with Luis and meet with these men that wish to deal with us!”
El Jefe waved in agreement and received another cheer from his men.
Luis walked back to his car. Juan turned to one of his men and whispered in his ear, the man listened and ran off at a sprint. Juan ignored Luis’ offer of the front passenger seat and instead opened the rear door and took a seat in the back.