Although Khordikofski would never be considered a security risk, he gets a security detail for his own protection, which can make things a bit challenging. His Mercedes S class sedan comes complete with a coveted blue flashing roof light, and an armed and skilled driver, allowing him to speed through the crazed Moscow traffic. It makes for a nice life, most of the time.
The material he wants to pass on is time sensitive, which makes it even more of a challenge, meaning that he may have to fudge some of his own security rules, like planning. So he wings it. “Sergie, I need a good fuck,” he tells his driver.
Sergie looks at his passenger in the rearview mirror. With a smile he diverts to his bosses’ favorite cathouse. He doesn’t mind the side trip. Although Sergie could never afford the girls there, the boss always springs for a few drinks and a lap dance, the price for his silence should Mrs. Khordikofski ask. After all, we all have our secrets.
Once they arrive at the lavish flat, Anton disappears behind the beaded curtains while Sergie relaxes in the spacious and well appointed waiting room. Before he knows it, the thirty minutes are up and Anton emerges with his usual big smile. Sergie downs the rest of his drink, gets the boss his coat, and leads the way out into the chilly night.
“A short one, boss,” Sergie comments.
“I think the young lady would beg to differ, Sergie.”
Khordikofski smiles, thinking not only of the adorable young woman, but also of the small flash drive he left behind.
Chapter 2
Abington
After seeing her boys off to school, Kate has an appointment to keep. She’ll park far from the meeting location and run from there. She normally doesn’t run with a fanny pack; they come loose and throw her balance off, but she has to make the exception today to carry her gun.
Elayna follows, thrilled by how cute she looks in her running outfit.
“And she has two children? Astounding shape!”
While Elayna tails Kate, Kreichek has the two mechanics and Hutnikov the bicycle man.
She follows her to the campus of the local college, where Kate parks next to the track. After a stretch, she begins by running around the oval.
Elayna sips on her coffee as she watches Kate runs off the track, then out of the lot and out of sight.
“Shit! Where are you going?”
She starts the car and pulls off after her. At the entrance to the main street, she sees her receding down the rolling country road.
“Damn it!” If she follows, she’ll be spotted. Elayna calls her partners.
It is a perfect day for a run, not too hot, not too cool. Kate wears the right balance of clothing. Her black spandex running tights keep her warm while her yellow and black trimmed running jacket’s front zipper regulates the upper body. Her long blond ponytail keeps time to her pace, and her yellow tinted shooting glasses add a warmth and clarity to morning sunlight. She loves the area, the last real stretch of country, holding off suburbia. The sight of the dazzling red maples set against the cloudless cobalt sky thrill her. The road takes her past horse farms and estates, their big pastures framed in white fences, the grass mellowing to autumn gold.
Kate goes through her morning prayers, expressing her gratitude. But now she must break a rule, one that’s she’s tried to hold herself to since she’s received her gift of sobriety.
She prays for herself.
“Dear God, I don’t ask for a lot. Will you give me the courage to accept what it is you have planned for me?”
She must have prayed a zillion times for those who do dark things so that others can live in light. Only now does Kate finally realize she’d been praying for herself all along.
Chapter 3
Ezekiel Baptist Church
“I want to read to you an e-mail I received from James,” Reverend Ellwood Wall says from his pulpit while putting on his reading glasses.
“Dear Ellwood, I hope this finds you and yours in good spirits. I just now had an opportunity to call home, but couldn’t get through to anyone. So the next best thing to a phone is an e-mail. Today is a good day, believe it or not. There was a time when I thought this place was broken for good. I know you always told me to never give up hope, and I feel ashamed that I’d forgotten that. Not anymore. As long as it’s alive in someone’s heart, it will grow and spread like the morning light. I can see it now every day, like in the smile from a child, a thank-you from a shopkeeper, and every now and then, some halfway decent BBQ ribs.”
That makes everyone chuckle. Wall waits for them to quiet down.
“I feel good that in a small way I’ve made a difference here, regardless of the why. If I can leave this place just a little bit better than I found it, then I’ve done my job. I don’t know the Lord’s plan, but I’m starting to see the results, and what they mean for everybody at home.”
Edwards gives McDowd a sideways glance.
“Speaking of home, I’m counting the weeks left, and this time, it should be for good. With luck, I might even be home in time for Christmas. Tell my Mom to keep an eye out for a package I’ve sent, and tell her it’s got a nice letter in there. When you see my boys, surprise them with a hug for me. Please tell them how much I miss them, that I love them and to mind their Grandma. I am so thankful for them all, and for your friendship.
Godspeed, James.”
Wall folds the letter. “Thank you James, and Godspeed to you son.”
The choir gently starts singing “Amazing Grace.” It is getting tough for even a hardened delinquent like Edwards to keep a dry eye. Ellen and the boys go up to the casket, a magnificent deep cherry wood, for one last look at Bone. The boys steady their grandmother, her resolve to be strong terribly tested. The sight is gut wrenching, but both men are hoping the same thing, that Bone did not lose his life in vain.
Sometimes hope needs a hero.
]
Chapter 4
Huntington Valley, PA
Kate runs down a wooded path in the nature reserve next to the big cathedral. Its tall white towers peek through the bright foliage. It is not far now and she slows to a jog, and now stops to listen. Voices in the wind drift in her direction, guiding her. She is calm, although she is about learn her fate, like walking into a doctor’s office for the results of a biopsy.
At the top of the rise, she sees them standing under a large oak, passing around a bottle. They fall silent when they see her.
“You should kill them all. You won’t have the chance again,” Katrina warns.
The well-tended spot overlooks a sea of tall amber grass glowing in the autumn sun, a twisted contrast to the horror the small group has in mind.
“At last, the party can begin!” Eddy says.
Kate keeps her mouth shut, fearful of what might come out. It becomes harder to control her fear—and Katrina’s rage; she wants to come out and play so very much.
“Enough pleasantries,” Misha the mechanic says. He turns to Stani. “We’ve got a business to run. What’s going on?”
The big gardener makes sure he has everyone’s attention. “We have orders to proceed,” he tells them.
Stunned silence falls over them as they all make sure they heard right. Kate sits down on the bench, her hands between her legs.
Val suddenly bursts into laughter. “Ha! You almost had us, you fuck!” The others look hopeful, thinking that perhaps it is just a sick prank.
Stani smiles sadly. “No joke. I have received the orders. Our nice little vacation is over.”
“Stani, this is impossible. Things might get a little testy at times, but an all-out attack? That’s impossible,” Eddy says.
“There’s no way it can be real,” Val adds, offering the bottle to Kate. She shakes her head, making him raise an eyebrow.
“It doesn’t matter. The order is clear. We have seventy-two hours. “
“This has to be a mistake, Stani,” Eddy presses.
“We do not question orders!” Stani says with an
annoyed edge. “Obviously you have forgotten who we are. We are Spetsnaz! Our nation, our brothers and sisters and their children are depending on us to do what we have been trained to do.”
Kate can no longer hold back. “Stani, I have children here.”
“Ha! See? I warned you, Stani, they should have spayed her like the stray she is!” Eddy laughs. “Do we have to drown the kittens?”
She snaps.
With blinding speed, Kate moves from a sitting position and springs at Eddy. With a sweep to the legs, she takes his feet out from under him and spins him face down into the dirt while pulling out her gun. With her knee in his back, she pulls his head back by the little hair he has, placing the barrel on his temple.
“Say it again, you shit!”
Before he can answer, she hears the unmistakable sound of another gun being cocked, just behind her ear. “Kati, ease up,” Stani says soothingly.
Kate shakes, trying to control the rage.
“That’s an order, Lieutenant,” he says more firmly.
After a beat, she drops his head and eases the hammer back. Then, spitting at the ground next to him, she springs back to her feet like a gymnast.
“Well then, a quick reminder of respecting rank, but I’m happy to see I’m not the only one who’s stayed sharp.”
The others had been content just to watch, but now they help Eddy up.
“Next time I will let her kill you,” Stani warns. “Now, we must complete the task before Saturday night.”
He continues to lay out the plan and issues orders to the stone-faced group.
“Our jump-off time will be four AM Saturday. Katrina and I will prep the weapons tomorrow. You three,” Stan says to the men, “are to update the target information. We will have an equipment check tomorrow afternoon.”
Then Stani eases his demeanor slightly. “Fortunately, we are lucky that we can tie up our loose ends before leaving, but don’t make me have to find you. That will not turn out well. Understood?” Major Stanislaw Rostov warns. “No one will be allowed to jeopardize the mission.”
“Yes sir,” they respond, but not very enthusiastically.
“Good, you have your orders. Dismissed,” he tells them.
As they start to move off mumbling, Stani gestures for his second in command to stay. He says nothing until the others are gone.
“Where have you parked, Katrina?”
“Over at the college track.”
“I’ll drive you over.”
They walk down a path leading to the groundskeeper’s compound.
“Not only have you kept your edge, you’ve sharpened it, Katrina.”
“How so?”
“I’ve never seen you turn down a drink.”
“I stopped ten years ago.”
“It is amazing how the time has gone by. I was worried about you back then.”
This observation chills her, but she doesn’t show it. People who worried their superiors usually ended up dead. He points to his truck and they both get in.
“But,” he continues, “I gambled that once Sasha was gone, things would turn around for you. I was right.”
They ride in silence, letting the fall countryside roll by, until Stani finally states the obvious. “Eddy is right; you should not have had the children. That was a selfish thing for you to do.”
“I know,” Kate says sadly, realizing more fully the extent of the tragedy. “It was a gamble I should never had taken.” She had put their lives at risk the moment she gave them life.
“Do I have to worry about you?”
It is a real life or death question, and how she answers is just as important as the answer itself. “Perhaps I’d be better off.”
“I know my duty, and the debt I owe the Rodina.”
“You know what will happen if they become a distraction.”
“I understand,” she says, projecting stoic obedience.
“Good girl. You’re one of the best. If it had been anyone else, we wouldn’t be having this conversation.”
She shifts in her seat. “May I speak freely, Major?”
“Always, Katrina.”
“With all due respect of your fucking rank, your being alive is proof of my commitment. So now it won’t be necessary for you to ever question my fucking loyalty again.”
That shuts him up, but makes him smile.
“If I was you, I’d worry about those other slobs. They’ve got a lot more to lose than a pair of brats and a cheating husband,” she continues, pushing the paranoia away from herself.
Stani laughs. “Hah! They’re too afraid of me to run.”
“That’s me over there,” Kate tells him as they pull into the lot.
He pulls next to her car. “Are you afraid of me, Kati?” he asks, looking straight ahead.
“I’m not afraid of anything.”
“Not even God?”
“What God?”
Now he turns to her, looking for the lie, but he doesn’t see one.
“Good! Then I’ll see you tomorrow at noon. We’ll prep the weapons,” he says.
“I will be there.” With that, she gets out.
Chapter 5
Kate lies on the hood of her car, basking in the warmth like a cat on a sunny windowsill. “I’m sorry I had to lie, I don’t do it often,” she tells God. “So, now what?”
God doesn’t answer, but Katrina does. “You’ve been such a good girl. I bet you’re happy it’s over.”
Kate closes her eyes, imagining she is standing before the door to the attic of her mind, the place where we all store the things we no longer want, but can’t bring ourselves to throw away. When she was reborn by sobriety, this is where she locked away Katrina.
Kate opens the door and climbs the stairs to the only place they can come face to face. In a dusty corner, Katrina sits on the box Kate has filled with a life’s worth of regret, illuminated only by the one small window.
“You used to be so good at being bad,” Katrina says with a devilish gleam in her eyes.
“I’m beyond that now,” Kate assures herself.
“Are you, now?” Katrina laughs in surprise. “But apparently not beyond delusion. You forget, your lies are no different than mine, they give us what we want.”
“I’m different now. I’m a good person.”
“Yes, a good friend, and a good mom,” Katrina agrees. “And you’re an exceptional liar and killer. It’s all right here.” Katrina taps the box. “All the lies and all the bodies you think you can erase with your new and well-intentioned life. You can’t, Kate, and it’s that kind of bullshit that’s landed us right where we are now.”
“That’s enough!” Kate warns.
“It’s done, Cinderella, just mice and pumpkins. Time to come home. Only I can save you, Kate, from them and from yourself,” Katrina reasons. “We only have each other now.”
“And the boys?” Kate asks.
“I love them too, but they can’t come with us. We’ll have to let go of them, just like our mom did, for their own good,” Katrina says. “But they’ll be safe, I promise.”
“Can you promise me that we won’t drink?”
“Stop the bullshit. That’s why never told your sponsor about me.”
That makes Kate stop dead in her tracks.
“It’s the lie of omission. Why? To protect me. You always wanted to come back, to me and to your magical glass slipper.”
That hurt. Katrina remembers everything Kate has chosen to forgot, especially the pet name for her bottles of vodka, her little glass slippers, just like the one left in the safety deposit box.
“I can change that!”
Katrina giggles again, “And spend the rest of our life behind bars?”
“The witness protection program.”
“You know they’ll find us, and the kids—that is, if Tom and Robbie will have anything more to do with you. My mother, the terrorist, the spy! My God, how you’ll break their he
arts.”
“Stop!”
“It doesn’t matter how long or how far you run. The truth always catches up to you, doesn’t it, Kate? Don’t you see, it has to be this way!”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Katrina sighs, “You stubborn bitch. You’re willing to risk it all over your stupid convictions.”
“My convictions are keeping us alive.”
Chapter 6
Elayna’s patience has paid off. Instead of freaking out, she waited for Katrina to return. After contacting Hutnikov and Kreichek, they concluded that the Spetsnaz group had met, and although Hutnikov thought it a missed opportunity to take them all out in one blow, Elayna knew better. Five Spetsnaz against one and a couple of SVR clowns were bad odds. Relaxed now, she watches as Katrina lies on the hood of her car, taking to herself, obviously upset.
“Were those bad men mean to you, sweetie? I’ll fix them, you’ll see,” Elayna says sympathetically. “Just keep it together a little longer, and it will all be over.”
Elayna knows Kate could easily come undone, having read about Katrina’s dark past. The psychological assessments indicated post-traumatic stress disorder from her training incidents, with a dash of symptomatic schizophrenia. Her behavior, the killings, the cruelty, was calculated, not crazy. That’s what makes her so unique and dangerous; there seems to be no limit to what she will do. “That’s why she’s here, one of the very rare.”
Elayna reads aloud, just because she likes to. “Lieutenant Katrina Svetlana Primorski, GRU Spetsnaz, Second Directorate. Born in Leningrad. Became a ward of the Soviet Union at age six. Parents were dissidents and sent to the Gulag. Excelled in school, a leader in the party youth corps, applied to the Bolshoi but didn’t get in, but served the state in the Red Army. Attends Frunze Military academy, top female graduate, third overall in her class. Assigned to GRU. Applies to Special Forces and survives. Special training with KGB, explosives, martial arts, marksmanship, field work in intelligence and counter intelligence. Afghanistan. Scores high on every evaluation, but no mention of the booze.”
She knows the stories of how she can drink almost any man under the table, how she took her revenge on the men who raped her, and how she got caught up with Kurtsin’s pig of a son. Then there were the killings in the labor camp, the dark ritual of Spetsnaz training, a barehanded kill.