“Did Rapp have time to question any of the men involved?”
“We don’t know for certain. The CIA is sending people but they appear to be a cleanup crew. Our best information is that Gusev was killed in short order along with the two ISIS men with him. The American that Gusev insisted on bringing in seems to have escaped.”
So, yes, Azarov thought. Anyone would eventually talk with Mitch Rapp doing the questioning, but Gusev could be counted on to give up what he knew more quickly than most. He was a soft, self-interested criminal faced with a man who had spent his life dealing with fanatics who welcomed-even courted-suffering and death.
Krupin seemed to read his mind. “Gusev knew less than nothing.”
That seemed unlikely. He was running the tactical side of the operation and understood both its short-term goals and methods. It was admittedly not much, but that was very different from nothing.
“What action do you intend to take, sir?”
Krupin didn’t answer immediately, instead staring out across the desk.
“After a great deal of thought, I’ve decided that Rapp has to be dealt with, Grisha. The Pakistan operation has been going well since he’s been gone. Scott Coleman’s men have been reasonably effective, but the other CIA teams are faltering without Rapp’s leadership.”
“Then you’ve been successful?”
He knew little of what was happening in Pakistan and he preferred to keep it that way. Unfortunately, it was becoming clear that his continued ignorance and lack of involvement weren’t going to be possible.
“Successful? Yes. To some extent.”
“Perhaps it would be better to accept that partial victory and suspend your operation until Rapp moves on?”
“I don’t have enough material to achieve my ultimate goal. In this case, I’m afraid there are no partial victories.”
“Do you have a sense of how you would like this to play out?”
“We’re aware of a high-level Pakistani mole codenamed Redstone who is on the CIA’s payroll. We’ve used back channels to feed him intelligence that the al Badr terrorist group is going to make an attempt on a nuclear warhead being moved through Faisalabad tomorrow. Redstone has been a reliable informant for the Americans and I think that they will take him at his word.”
“So, we’re drawing Rapp into a second trap after the first failed?”
“It was a mistake to put Gusev in charge. I should have never allowed Marius to do it. That’s why I’m asking you to get involved personally, Grisha.”
“But it’s a bit like throwing a net over a bear, yes?” he said, despite knowing that Krupin wasn’t interested in his opinions or objections. “Again, I have to wonder if it would be possible to step back for a few weeks.”
Krupin shook his head. “The Pakistani warheads are being moved with minimal security because of the power struggle between its army and civilian government. This level of disorder isn’t going to last. One or the other will soon gain the upper hand and the warheads will once again be out of my reach.”
So it was Pakistan’s nuclear weapons that Krupin was interested in. But why? There could be only one answer: while Russia controlled a nuclear arsenal capable of destroying the planet many times over, it was just for show. A multitrillion-dollar deterrent that couldn’t be launched without creating an equally devastating response from the West.
The only reason Krupin would want access to Pakistani warheads was because they couldn’t be traced to him. And the only reason that he would want nuclear weapons that couldn’t be traced to him was because he planned to actually use them.
Sweat broke across Azarov’s back but his expression remained opaque. He had killed many men in the service of Krupin, but this was something very different.
“You seem reticent, Grisha. Is the simple task of killing one man beyond you? Is this to be the first time you fail?”
“If so, I would be only one entry on a very long list of dead men who tried to move against Rapp.”
“But you’re not one of those men. You’re unique.”
While undoubtedly intended as flattery, what Krupin said was true. Azarov was an Olympic-level athlete with a lifetime of training behind him. Since leaving the military, he had enjoyed a constant stream of the best instructors the private sector had to offer. Human-performance coaches from renowned European universities, championship marksmen, and world-class mixed martial artists, to name only a few. Further, he was taking a regular cocktail of performance-enhancing drugs designed and administered by a German doctor who had been banned from professional sports. It was something that he suspected would kill him one day. Things that burned bright burned short.
“I am almost ten years younger than Rapp and have suffered far fewer injuries over my lifetime,” Azarov said. “I’ve studied his techniques, psychology, and athletic background, while it’s unlikely he’s even aware that I exist.”
Krupin smiled for the first time in their meeting. “It’s nice to hear the confidence back in your voice, Grisha. It seems to become more muted every time I see you.”
“It’s not confidence, Mr. President. I have surprise on my side, as well as my youth, training, and, frankly, my drug regimen. Other factors favor him.”
“What other factors?”
“Another decade of experience. A history of surviving situations more dire than I’ve been involved in.”
“You’re far too valuable for me to risk you lightly, Grisha. And I wouldn’t be using you now if it wasn’t critical.”
“The fact remains that he has been tested like no one currently alive and has demonstrated no discernible weaknesses. His enemies-most recently the very talented Louis Gould-are all dead.”
“Very good,” Krupin said. “Confidence is desirable, but arrogance is the refuge of fools. And again, I’m taking your involvement in this very seriously. I understand the risks to you and I’m designing the operation in such a way as to mitigate those risks.”
Azarov nodded respectfully but couldn’t bring himself to thank the man. He was nothing to Krupin. A tool, to be used and discarded the moment it became convenient to do so.
Once again, he found himself caught in the trap he’d walked into so enthusiastically as a young man. The question was, would this be the time he failed to escape?
CHAPTER 8
OVER ZIMBABWE
AFRICA
“CAN I get you a soda, Anna?”
The young girl just shook her head and clung to her mother, staring at Rapp with a mix of fear and shock that was powerful enough to make him look away.
They’d been in the air for just over an hour, most of which he’d spent in the cockpit coordinating his teams in Pakistan. Dangerous moves were being made and the window to stop them was going to close fast. Preliminary intel was already coming in about a possible attempt on a nuke by al Badr in Faisalabad. Kennedy and Scott Coleman were trying to get details and corroborate them through their contacts on the ground.
“How about a cookie?” Rapp said, deciding to try again. “I think we have some in the galley.”
Another nervous shake of the head.
The girl was terrified of him. And why wouldn’t she be? Thank God Thompson had been the one to pop the Arabs. If Rapp had been forced to stand in front of her and pull the trigger on those psychopaths, she’d probably be hiding under one of the plane’s seats.
“I know that what happened today was really scary,” Rapp said, leaning a little closer to her. “Most people in the world are good. But there are some who aren’t.”