Chapter 55
Gleb Solntsev was hunched over his desk at the office on Sretenka Street. He had issued his ultimatum, and now he would gather his troops. They would present a solid front, guided by his iron will. There was nothing his enemies could do about it. He knew too much about their dirty laundry to dare.
He raised his head as Pasha led Kostya and Volodya through the door. No one would get to him through these three. He walked around the desk to greet them. The personal touch never failed.
But instead of taking his extended hand, Pasha grabbed him and swung him around trapping his arms at his side. There was a yellow gleam in the big man’s eyes that Solntsev belatedly recognized as the first blow landed.
About the Authors
Michael R. Davidson was raised in the Mid-West. Heeding President Kennedy’s call for more young Americans to learn Russian he studied the language, and military service took him to the White House where he served as translator for the Moscow-Washington “Hotline.” His language abilities attracted the attention of the Central Intelligence Agency, and following his military service Mr. Davidson spent the next 28 years as a Clandestine Services officer. Seventeen of those years were spent abroad in a variety of sensitive posts working against the Soviet Union and the Warsaw Pact. In the private sector he worked as a business owner and security and economic development consultant before devoting full time to his writing.
Kseniya Kirillova is a Russian journalist who focuses on analyzing Russian society, political processes in modern Russia and the Russian-Ukrainian conflict. She writes for Radio Liberty and other outlets and is an expert of the Center for Army, Conversion, and Disarmament Studies and the Free Russia Foundation.
Other Books by the Authors
Harry’s Rules
Eye for an Eye
Incubus
The Incubus Vendetta
The Inquisitor and the Maiden
Retribution
Krystal
A Rehearsal of Life
(Репетиция Жизни)
Also by Michael R. Davidson
Did the Cold War end or did the KGB find a way to retain its power and dominate the new Russian Federation? “Harry’s Rules” is an espionage thriller set against the backdrop of post-Soviet Russia in the early 1990’s.
Who killed President John F. Kennedy? A long buried secret that could change the course of history draws murder to a quiet Washington suburb. Only an exiled CIA officer can solve a mystery that both the White House and the Kremlin will protect at all costs.
Revenge is said to be a dish best served cold. A suicide bomber and a serial killer are the instruments chosen by a deposed Russian president.
But his targets are anything but helpless.
THE INQUISITOR AND THE MAIDEN — Disillusioned by Spain’s falling fortunes in the 30-Years-War, Eduardo Macías returns home. His reputation as a valorous soldier wins him the position of Captain of the Santa Hermandad, a Spanish force charged with protecting the people and maintaining the law. He is forced to accept a mission by officials of the Holy Inquisition to investigate a charge of heresy against a nobleman with royal ties. What he discovers places Eduardo at odds with the Inquisition, and he must decide between honor and excommunication.
RETRIBUTION — The saga that began in 1492 continues into the turbulent present. An ancient enemy threatens the world with nuclear terror, and CIA officer Robert Strachey and his friend Spanish Police inspector Alberto Macías find themselves in a race against time to avert a holocaust.
KRYSTAL — Sassy Detective Krystal Murphy who appeared in INCUBUS and THE INCUBUS VENDETTA at last gets her own novel.
A controversial Miami judge is murdered in a Washington hotel room. Homicide detective Krystal Murphy identifies an ideal suspect, a person with motive and opportunity. Following the suspect’s trail to Miami, she is confronted by an unspeakable tragedy that leaves her prime suspect dead. Convinced her initial instincts were wrong and driven by guilt, she teams with a Miami detective to continue the investigation. But she encounters unexpected opposition from her own superiors who want only to call the case closed. While coping with her own personal tragedy and under great pressure from her superiors, Krystal doggedly pursues the case with the help a new ally and perhaps more than just a friend, the Miami detective. When more people associated with the case begin turning up dead, Krystal finds herself in a race against time before she herself becomes the next victim of an increasingly desperate killer.
Copyright
In the Shadow of Mordor
Copyright © 2016
Michael R. Davidson & Kseniya Kirillova
All rights reserved. No parts of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.
MRD Enterprises, Inc.
PO BOX 1000
Mount Jackson, VA 22842-1000
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016918565
ISBN 978-0-692-80520-6
Cover by Damonza
Russian-English Translation and editing by Michael R. Davidson