Franz shook his head and handed the phone to Toni, who was shaking her head. “He knows you’re here,” Franz said.
Releasing a breath of air, Toni took the phone reluctantly. “What the hell have you gotten yourself into this time, Jake?”
“You know me. If I look hard enough, trouble can be found.”
“I’m sorry to hear about Anna,” she said demurely.
“You just found out?”
“Kurt told me a couple days ago. I was working a special project for him until recently. What’s going on here?”
Jake quickly explained what he knew about the case, including his current target.
“He’ll know you’re coming, Jake.”
“I know. That’s why I could us some backup.”
“What about Alexandra?”
“What about her?”
“Why are you two working together?”
“I had everyone coming at me at once,” Jake explained. “Not many people even knew that we knew each other. She’s been invaluable.”
“I see.”
Hesitation from both of them as they sat in silence and as Toni turned onto a major outer ring on Berlin’s east side.
“You all right?” Jake asked.
“Fine.” Was she jealous? Maybe. “How do you want to play this?”
Jake explained the set up, how they’d driven around the outlying roads to check for possible escape routes, and how they were now ready to move in on foot. He gave her an approach route that would put her on the other side of the light industrial building. He agreed to wait until they were in place.
Jake flipped his phone shut and glanced at Alexandra in the darkness of the car.
“Invaluable?” she said to Jake.
He reached over and took her hand. “Absolutely. Are you ready?”
“Of course. I’m a little concerned about your approach.”
“It’s not perfect,” Jake admitted. “But it’s also short notice.”
“We could call my people or the Polizei.”
“We’ve discussed that. This guy doesn’t give a crap about the Polizei. Besides, he has diplomatic immunity.”
“But I should go in with you.”
“No. He wants me. If things go all to hell, call in the Polizei at that point.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah.” Jake looked off down the deserted road. He guessed that during a normal work day there would be trucks making deliveries, workers coming and going, and a few people walking around. But at this hour, there were no cars, no pedestrians. Nothing. He’d really stick out if someone was watching for him. “I better get going. I’ve got five blocks to walk.”
Jake got out, checked his guns, and walked off down the sidewalk. He had one advantage. Clouds and a brisk breeze. Also, the sidewalk was not lit well. There were only dull lights on the corners, and some of them had been either knocked out by young miscreants or burned out and not replaced. He was also dressed in black, with a knit sailor’s watch cap, his hands shoved into his pockets. With every step, he tried his best to change his gate to something unrecognizable — no limp, no steady pace. But each strained step brought great pain from his knee. He didn’t even realize he’d been taking pressure off the knee for the past few days, mostly by riding in cars and trains, but also by limping unconsciously.
As he got closer to the building where he suspected Viktor Pushkin ran his operation, Jake thought about Toni and Franz coming in from the back. She’d said she would wait for him to get in place. He’d text her, without looking, with his phone in his right pocket.
The building was part of a huge structure that ran the entire block, with truck delivery doors along the street at various intervals, and simple signs at entrances indicating the businesses within those sections. Three cars were parked in the area — a VW Passat, an Audi A3, and a new black BMW. They had already done a check with the Polizei and knew the BMW belonged to Viktor Pushkin, registered to a front company at this location — a cell phone distributor.
Without hesitation, Jake cut across the street directly to the business next to the cell phone company. His back to the closed circuit camera, it took him just thirty-five seconds to pick the lock to the door. Not a record for him on that lock type.
He slipped inside and locked the door behind him, his eyes searching for a security system, which he didn’t expect to find. The business seemed to store paper and other office products.
Next he sent a text message to Alexandra, saying he was in the adjoining business and ready to move. Then he turned his phone to vibrate. Now he just needed to find a way into the Russian’s place without making too much noise. It would have helped if he had plans for the building. But every building in every part of the world had at least one vulnerable entrance. Jake clicked on a small LCD headlamp with a red filter and made his way through the building, his eyes scanning.
It didn’t take Jake long to find what he sought. Both businesses had at one time been one, split down the middle with an industrial wall, but with a door between the two locked from both sides. He considered quickly how to proceed. He could pick this lock, but that would take time and might make too much noise. Jake had to believe they would know he was coming, having not heard back from their man at the meet. He had no choice.
Pulling both guns from their holsters, Jake stepped back and with one quick thrust of his right leg, smashed the door right at the dead bolt, sending the door flying inward. He rushed forward, his guns leading the way into near darkness. It was a large storage area with shelves of cell phones. Damn it. Had he been duped? No. The man’s car was out front.
Suddenly there was movement ahead to his right.
Gun.
Jake dove to the floor just as he saw the flash and the loud report from the shots. Two. Three.
He returned fire with two rounds, rolled to his right behind a shelf and rose to his knee. Then he ripped the headlamp off, switched it off, and had an idea. He strapped the lamp around a box on the shelf, turned the lamp on again and turned it toward the shooter, as he simultaneously moved quietly to his right toward the outer wall, crouching lower to see through the other shelves, the gun in his right hand waiting for the response.
It didn’t take long. Three shots. Jake saw the blasts and aimed slightly high, returning fire with three of his own.
Silence.
Jake sat onto the floor and looked to his left at the box that had been shot from the shelf. It would have been his head.
He waited for the next round, which he knew would come soon. But he needed to move. He was pinned down where he was. If someone came around to his left they’d have a clear shot at him down the row, with him having no escape. He could use a little help right now.
34
Toni and Franz both heard the shots coming from inside the building just as they got out of their car and were walking along the back side in near darkness. She contemplated how to make their approach on the building, but now they had no choice. Toni knew they had to hurry. She quickened her pace.
“We have to make a front approach,” Franz said.
“I know. No other choice.”
They ran now around the block, heading toward the front door. It had to be on the next block. This end had no doors, only a few windows. She stopped dead in her tracks.
“Windows,” she said.
Franz looked and understood, racking his brain for a way in. He ripped his jacket off, wrapped it around his arm, and swung with a backhand at the glass. The first strike did nothing. Second did nothing. He pulled his gun and fired twice, then smashed his arm through the window. It gave way this time and shattered around him. He used his jacket-wrapped arm to knock most of the glass from the lower frame and then put the jacket over it so they could get through.