“I trust you know who I am?”
“Yes. Of course.” Linko wasn’t certain if the president was joking or truly making certain that he knew who he was.
“I have a task I need you to perform. One that must be done quickly and quietly.”
“Of course.”
“I have made arrangements for you on a charter plane to Herat, Afghanistan. Once there, I want you to find a man named Boris Glukov. I will send you further instructions at that point.”
“When do I leave?”
“As soon as you can get to the airport.”
“I am on my way.”
“Do this right, Colonel, and that promotion you’ve been longing for will soon be yours.” The connection broke.
Linko put the phone back in his pocket.
The woman looked at him quizzically. “You’re smiling again. You have a beautiful smile. You have good news?”
“Possibly.”
“I thought you were going to be called away to business.”
“Not yet.”
“Good. That would have made me sad.” She put on a little pout to give him a preview of her sadness. “Would you like to go now?”
“Yes.”
The woman put her arm through Linko’s and guided him out of the bar onto Tverskaya Street. The two men at the bar waited an appropriate time before following. The fact that they weren’t overeager gave proof to their expertise.
Outside, cars whisked by. Neon lights spilled out over the street and reflected from the buildings. Snow fell in small flakes, dancing as it was caught in the wind. Dirty snow lined the streets, and only half a block away, a truck equipped with a plow blade ground along, keeping the thoroughfare clear.
The winter chill cut into Linko and made him draw his coat more tightly, but not too tight. The woman leaned into him as if for warmth, but he knew she was only anchoring him, controlling him.
She looked up at him. “Do you have a car?”
“No. I do not like rentals. I took a taxi.” Which was true enough. Having a car meant potential trouble when he needed to disappear quickly.
“It’s fine. I was going to suggest using my car anyway. I have a permit for my building.” With her arm in his, she guided him to the alley. “It is just at the other end of this. Be careful. The alley is always very dirty.”
“At least it blocks the wind.”
“Yes.”
The lights behind Linko gave him all the warning he needed. They penetrated deeply into the alley and revealed the refuse piled outside of buildings. The shadows of the two men fell in behind him. Their footsteps were very quiet, but Linko heard them all the same.
“Just a moment.” Linko stopped in the alley, far enough in now that the men had no choice but to reveal themselves. His coat was left unbuttoned, and his GSh-18 rode in shoulder leather.
“What is wrong?” The woman tensed then, and some preternatural instinct must have warned her that her confidence game was no longer working.
“I want to say hello to your friends.” Linko turned and the two men came at him at once.
There was no hesitation and no mistake about what they intended to do. They worked well as a team, one automatically going to the left and the other going to the right. Combat knives gleamed in their hands, revealing their intention to kill him quietly.
Linko shoved the woman away so she couldn’t interfere, then, instead of running from the men, he ran toward them. They were already too close to stop themselves, and he’d robbed them of any time to react.
The man on the left swung his blade at Linko’s head while the one on the right tried to plant his knife in Linko’s stomach. Linko dove between them, sliding under both blades, then catching himself on his hand and rolling forward so that he came at once to his feet. He reached under his coat as the men tried to turn around to once more face him. When he drew the pistol and pointed at them, they froze and put their hands up.
Calmly, Linko put his hand in his coat pocket and took out a suppressor. As he threaded it onto the barrel, the two men ran for the end of the alley. But Linko had guided them to a trap of his own. He knew where he had chosen to stop, and he knew that over fifty meters remained before they reached the alley’s mouth.
Almost detached, he shot both men in the back of the head. Motor functions gave way immediately. They stumbled and fell, then lay still.
Trembling, her mouth wide with fear, the woman stood against the alley wall. She took a breath, and Linko knew in the next moment she would scream.
Crossing over to her, he clapped a rough hand over her mouth and put the heated barrel of the pistol up under her jaw. He spoke in Russian. “Scream and I will blow your pretty little head off.”
The woman closed her eyes, and her breath whistled between his fingers.
“Do you understand?”
The woman nodded.
Gently, Linko took his hand away. “Good. I knew about your friends in the bar. A pretty little scheme you have, yes? Pretending to be attracted to American men, then leading them out into the alley where your friends can kill them.”
“They weren’t going to kill you. Only rob you.” Tears glittered in her eyes.
Linko stroked her cheek with the back of his fingers. He knew she was lying. “Okay. That is too bad for them. But it doesn’t have to be so bad for you.”
“What do you want?”
“I want what you teased me with.” Linko turned her around to face the wall, then he lifted her coat and short skirt and tore her panties away. He was ready for her, and he took her roughly, listening to her squeal and cry out, but not too loudly. Her reaction made the moment even more exciting.
When he was finished, he put the pistol to the back of her head and squeezed the trigger. He put his clothing back together and headed for the street.
Once at the curb, he thought about the promotion President Nevsky had promised, and he felt very satisfied. He pulled his coat tighter and flagged down a passing taxi. He looked forward to getting out of Moscow. Afghanistan was never so cold as Russia at this time of year.
14
Lourds woke to an empty bed. Layla had left a note on the pillow next to his. She’d written in her language, knowing full well he could easily read it.
Dearest Thomas,
I thought of waking you before I left, but you looked so peaceful sleeping that I didn’t have the heart. I already miss you, and I know that you will miss me too. There is no reason to start that on your part any earlier than need be. And, truthfully, I don’t want to test my willpower by trying to walk out of this room while you are asking me to stay.
I’m afraid I wouldn’t be that strong. I find it harder to do each time we separate.
I took the time to put your things away. I will call as soon as I am able.
Love,
Layla
Groggy from jetlag and from the lack of sleep, Lourds forced himself out of bed long enough to sit on the edge and look out the window over the city. The blue towers in the distance looked like something out of a fantasy world. He thought of going to the Kharabat neighborhood, thinking that perhaps a casual stroll through the workshops where musicians made their own instruments and composed daily might be a diversion.
When the Taliban had been in power, the musicians left the historic quarter, but they’d been coming back since the terrorists had been routed. That section of the city had almost been destroyed during the Soviet occupation during the 1980s, but the musicians had returned then as well. Now, their sons and daughters worked to rebuild the area after the Taliban had been sent packing.