“We’ve made it look like you killed him in the field. China is angry at you. Not Dai.”
Court’s jaw muscles flexed in anger, but he smiled. “You are a bitch.”
“You felt bad about Fan’s family. But just by you being you, you saved Colonel Dai’s family. That should make you feel good.”
“And yet I don’t.”
“You brought us Fan Jiang, and you brought us Zoya Zakharova. You helped us get Colonel Dai. You kept Don Fitzroy alive, and deeply indebted to you, which could be of some use to us in the future. By any measure you’ve done one hell of a job, even taking into account your insubordination, your double cross, and your general misbehavior.”
Court said nothing.
“I would prefer an asset who obeys all directives at all times, but I will settle for one who overdelivers on his objective as an end result.”
“So I get a gold star?”
“The only gold stars the CIA gives out are for death in the field, and then only to actual employees, not contracted assets. You get my appreciation.” She smiled. “You’ll get a gold star in a forgotten file when you die. It will have to wait for now, but I doubt it will wait for too long.”
“With friends like you.”
“All your friends fucked you over, Court. Face it, you are better off with a straight shooter like me managing you.”
Court just stared back at her blankly.
After a moment she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. Court saw her wince when she did it. He looked at her leather boots and wondered if they were too tight, or if she had some sort of an injury, which she was trying to hide for some reason.
“So,” Court asked. “What now?”
“We’re stopping off in Germany for fuel and to pick up some analysts who will help with Fan’s initial debrief. We can drop you there. You can drift off into the mist if you want. That’s your thing, isn’t it? We’ll give you cash, documents, whatever you need.”
“I figured you’d tell me you had another job for me.”
“I do, but I didn’t think you’d take it.”
“You’re right. I won’t. You’re always right, aren’t you?”
Brewer said, “You’re getting the idea.”
He rubbed his eyes. “What’s going on with Zoya?”
Brewer smiled. “Did she tell you her father was Feodor Zakharov?”
Court cocked his head. “I don’t know who that is. She just said he was in the military.”
“Yeah, like Patton was in the military. Colonel General Feodor Zakharov. The head of GRU. He was killed in Dagestan. The highest-ranking military officer killed in Russia or the Soviet Union since the Second World War.”
Court didn’t imagine that acclaim had been well received by a teenage girl who had already lost her mother and was soon to lose her brother. He was still thinking about this when Brewer spoke again.
“I can see you have feelings for her. I see it in her eyes, too.”
“See what?”
“She has feelings for you. More. Hell, she’d jump in front of a train for you.” When Court said nothing to this, she added, “She had one request. A demand, really.”
“What’s that?”
“That she got to see you again before we pulled her in. She knows she will spend the next several months locked in a safe house undergoing vetting.” Brewer smiled. “Kind of like Fan. And Dai.
“She’s really rather lovely. First ex-SVR operative I’ve ever met that I didn’t want to go have myself steam-cleaned after the conversation. I look forward to working with her once we get her operational.”
“Wait. She is going to work for you? As an asset?”
“Eventually, yes. If we can get her vetted, she will be a singleton agent under contract, kind of like you.”
This bothered Court. He thought it was too dangerous, but he held his tongue.
Brewer, however, vastly misread his silence. “Look, Violator. Don’t go getting anything in your head about you and your new girlfriend running around the world together fighting the good fight. If she works for CIA, you’ll probably see her once in a blue moon, if ever.”
“You mean we won’t have annual conferences for singleton assets? Team-building retreats?”
“You joke, but I read people, Violator. Even people like you. I see how you feel about her. I can’t see into the future, but I don’t envision any operational situation that involves the two of you working in concert.”
“I didn’t take this job to meet girls.”
Brewer laughed. “When we get to Frankfurt, she’ll be waiting. She’ll get on this plane for the trip to D.C., and you’ll be free to melt into Europe.”
For the first time since the tarmac in Kuala Lumpur, Court felt better. Not good, just better.
EPILOGUE
The covert CIA flight landed in Frankfurt in the early evening and taxied to a hangar used regularly by U.S. military and intelligence aircraft.
Twenty minutes after touchdown Court walked through the space-age-looking Hilton Frankfurt Airport, opened the door to a small conference space on the second floor, and entered the sterile room.
Zoya sat on the table, her legs hanging off the side.
Court hadn’t showered in twenty-four hours and other than a quick washup in the aircraft lavatory he’d done nothing to mitigate the fact he’d been living in cheap guesthouses in the jungles of Southeast Asia for the past week. Zoya Zakharova, in contrast, wore a dark blue business suit; her dark brown hair was pulled back in a short ponytail. He couldn’t see her wounded shoulder through the clothing, but her face gave off no hint of the damage and pain she’d suffered six days earlier in Phuket.
She smiled at Court as she slid off the table and walked across the little room.
“How are you?” she asked.
“I’m okay. How about you? Your shoulder is okay?”
“Hurts a little. Not a lot.”
“Good.”
Zoya said, “I’m sorry, Court.” She sat in a chair and Court sat next to her. Close, but not close enough to touch.
Court looked her over. “What did you do that I don’t know about?”
“Nothing. I just mean… I’m sorry your operation didn’t turn out exactly how you wanted it to. Still… I agree with Brewer. Fan needs to come to the U.S. The Chinese will kill him in Taiwan, and the West needs the intelligence he has.”
After a long time, Court said, “I feel bad for Jiang, though. This isn’t his world. He’s just a goofy kid who’d rather be playing video games or something.”
It was silent for nearly a minute. Court wanted to kiss Zoya, but he wasn’t sure if he should.
Finally he said, “I’m sorry. Sorry for leaving you in Thailand.”
Zoya nodded. “Brewer explained why you did it. You were protecting me. You were about to run off with Fan Jiang, and you did not want me to be an accomplice to your action.”
Court said, “I’m pleasantly surprised Brewer told you the truth and didn’t spin that for her own benefit.”
Just when he felt like he had to, she turned and looked up at him. Before he could react she took his face in her hands, leaned in, and kissed him hard.
It was another full minute before they pulled back and looked into each other’s eyes. She said, “You and I made a good team over there.”
“Damn right, we did.”
Misty tears formed in her eyes. Court cocked his head; he didn’t understand what was wrong.
She understood his look. “Brewer won’t let us be together,” she said. “I wanted you to come visit while I am held in isolation. Could be for months. She said no. I guess I understand. But still… I don’t trust her. I think she’s hiding something.”
“Everyone I’ve ever met is hiding something,” Court said.