“I’ve been working with the police and we’ve found the bastard. Maxim is hiding out at some factory in Beaconsfield. If we raid it now and find drugs, or anything else illegal, we’ll have him bang to rights.” She leant forward and put both hands on Thomas’s desk. She looked him in the eye, trying to appear frantic. “He’ll be in a jail cell by the end of the night.”
Thomas checked his watch, but Sarah knew it was nine-thirty. They had both been on duty for way too long, but she was hoping his tiredness would work against him.
Just believe everything I tell you. Don’t question it. Be dumb, be stupid.
Be my puppet like you’ve been Maxim’s all this time.
Thomas nodded and tried to seem pleased, but it looked more like he was holding back vomit. “That’s, um, great news. Let me make a call and get everything set up. You have an address for me?”
“Of course.” Sarah slid a piece of paper across the table with the Beaconsfield address on it, which she assumed Thomas would recognise.
He stared at the address, unblinking, then gathered the paper into his hand. He nodded towards the door, indicating a desire for privacy, so Sarah obediently moved away. She wrapped a hand around the door handle and lingered, hands sticky with adhesive.
“Sarah, is everything all right?”
She froze, and turned back with a confused smile. “Yeah, I’m fine. Why do you ask?”
Thomas squinted at her. The piece of paper was in his hand, and he was rubbing his thumb over it in a circle. “I just asked you to leave and you obeyed without question. Not even a sarky comment. Also, you’re asking me to assemble a strike team instead of just going over my head like normal. It’s unlike you to consult with anyone, least of all me.”
Sarah’s foggy mind swirled. She tried to speak without pause, to find clarity amidst the grey tendrils obscuring her thoughts, but it took her a moment to put things in order. “I’m just tired.”
“We both are.” He rubbed at his eyes. “In fact, I don’t think I’ve ever been this tired in my life.”
“No, I mean, I’m tired of fighting with you. You hurt me, more than you will ever know. More than I can ever convey.”
“Sarah, I—”
“Don’t interrupt. You hurt me so badly that I could barely take a breath. But I understand how hard it must have been for you, to do what you thought was right, and to go through what you have gone through. Despite everything that’s happened, I know you still love me. Maybe I still love you, too, but that’s beside the point. I’m here because I want your help. No more going over your head, okay? Let’s work together on this.”
Thomas slumped back in his chair, eyes agog. “You have no idea how much that means to me, hearing that. I can accept that we might never be what we were, but I don’t think I can take any more of us having this wedge between us. Can we start afresh?”
“Big picture, Thomas. Can we just find Maxim Ivanov and lock the son-of-a-bitch up first? We can talk about us later.”
Thomas leant over the desk and grabbed his phone. He shook his head like he was snapping himself out of a daydream. “Right, of course. I’ll call the Home Secretary and get everybody working on this, but in the meantime, I want you coordinating with the local police. Make sure they keep eyes on Maxim.”
Sarah snapped off a salute. “Already on it.”
She grabbed the door handle again, feeling the small square protuberance she had glued to the rear side of it. Confident all was going to plan, she stepped out into the hallway and pulled out her phone, opening the app Howard had sent her. It was linked to the listening device she had just placed on the door handle. She kept a small stash of bugs inside a secret pocket sown into her Sig’s leather holster. Howard said it was impossible to predict a perfect time to plant a listening device, so it was best to always have a couple on hand. It had worked perfectly, because Thomas was about to eat the final crumb of cheddar before the trap sprang closed and snapped his neck.
How do I feel about that?
I can’t think right now.
The app loaded and Thomas’s voice came over her phone with impressive clarity. Maxim was talking too, sounding busy and annoyed. “I don’t have time right now, Thomas.”
“Just listen to me. I need you to—”
Sarah opened the door carefully and silently stepped back inside Thomas’s office. This time, she pulled out her Sig and pointed it at his startled face. He spluttered and pulled an all manner of faces, but she kept him quiet with a finger on her lips. She had already prepared a second piece of paper, so she slid it across the desk now.
DO NOT TIP OFF MAXIM!
If you warn him, I will shoot you in the face. Twice.
I know everything. You’re screwed.
Play the game and arrange a meeting with Maxim. NOW!
Love, Sarah xxx
Thomas swallowed a lump in his throat and licked at his lips. It was obvious he didn’t know what the hell to do. He just stared at her.
Sarah moved over to the phone and activated the loudspeaker. Maxim’s voice came through loud and clear. “Thomas? Thomas, why do you call and waste my time? I have young man in my possession, as discussed, and you are keeping me from him.”
Sarah felt her blood turn to ice.
Maxim has Ollie.
It’s all going to plan.
I just hope the kid stays in one piece.
Thomas found his voice and started talking. There was no way of knowing if he would play along, so Sarah had no option but to listen and hope. “I, um… I can’t speak over the phone, brother. There’s a team from the Home Office here. They’re questioning everyone. They know someone is working with you on the inside. I need to go into hiding before they find something on me, but first I need to dump everything incriminating.”
“Incriminating? What do you mean, Thomas?” Maxim did not sound happy.
“You think I don’t keep an insurance policy? I have evidence of every bad thing you’ve ever done, just in case I ever wanted to take you down. You can have the lot, but you need to help me get out of the country. Deal?”
“I should kill you.”
“You have as much dirt on me as I have on you, we both know it. It’s just business, right? Regardless, I’m screwed and I need your help.”
Maxim barked with laughter. “How this reminds me. Your good friend, Maxim, once again must rescue you from damnation. Why should I help you now, Thomas?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll hand this big box of evidence over to the Metropolitan Police. You owe me, Maxim. Without me, you would never have gained so much as a foothold in the UK. I did my job, but now my role is redundant and it’s time to pay my severance.”
“Being of no use is dangerous proposition, Thomas. Men without worth are better off dead.”
“I said I was redundant, not without worth. Once I’m out of the country, I’ll be at your mercy and I’ll do whatever you want. Right now, I need to get out of here fast, and you need these files. Please, brother, I’m begging you to help me.”
Sarah was impressed. It almost sounded like he meant it.
Perhaps he does.
Maxim breathed down the phone. “You know where to find me. Come.”
Thomas held onto the phone long after the call had ended. He stared at the table, either unwilling to look at Sarah or trapped in some kind of daze. Eventually, he asked, “How did you find out?”
“You spent five years as a dead man, Thomas. Al-Sharir would never have let you see the light of day unless he had plans for you. When it became clear Maxim Ivanov had friends in high places, there was only one person it could be.”
“You could have come to me. Instead, you’ve been working against me this whole time?”
“Maybe once I might have tried to help you, Thomas, but you came after my family. You crossed a line.”
“What are you talking about?”
“Howard.”
“Oh.” He looked down at his hands. Sarah had expected him to de
ny it, but she realised now that he was too beaten down to fight back. A toll had obviously been taken, a series of compounding moral debts. It almost seemed like he was relieved to finally get caught.
Thomas put the phone down with a trembling hand. “So, what are you going to do now, Sarah? What happens next?”
“I understand you had your reasons for the things you’ve done.” That seemed to comfort him, but she had more to say. “You’re going to spend the rest of your life in prison… for so many crimes I can’t even count them all.”
“You’re going to turn me in?”
“I’m sorry.” She shrugged. “Also, not sorry.”
“You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do. How many innocent people are dead because of the help you provided Maxim? How many did you butcher in the Ukraine and Russia at his command?”
“Sarah, I had no choice.”
She rolled her eyes. “The defence of all weak men.”
“You really do know everything, don’t you?”
“I’ve been investigating you for a very long time.”
Thomas turned and threw up into his wastepaper bin.
“Jesus Christ.” Sarah winced. “Pull yourself together.”
He wiped at his mouth and straightened up in his chair. With a curt nod, he appeared to accept his fate. “I suppose I always knew this day was coming. I died in that desert, Sarah. Without you, without my freedom… I never made it out of there alive.”
“Neither of us did. For what it’s worth, I loved you once for the man you were. The man who risked everything to do good. Because of that, I’m going to let you look Maxim in the eye when I take him down.”
“What?”
“You’re going to meet with Maxim, and you’re going to wear a wire. With everything we have on him already, a taped confession will give us a nice shiny nail to put in his coffin. Then, when I take him down, you can be the one to slap the cuffs on him.”
“I’ll die in prison. You understand that, right?”
Sarah nodded, knowing it to be true. Being ex-law enforcement was bad enough, but having Maxim Ivanov as an enemy was even worse. There would be a line of inmates waiting to shank Thomas. “I’ll do what I can for you, but that’s the way the shit breaks. You’ll just have to watch your back.”
Thomas waved a hand dismissively. “It’s okay. At least my final act as a free man will be a good one. That’s… comforting. Helping to bring down Maxim won’t make up for all the bad, but perhaps I won’t end up quite so deep in Hell.”
“You’re not going to Hell, Thomas.”
His eyes brimmed with tears, shock obviously giving way to realisation. “Really?”
“No. You’re going to Beaconsfield. Now stand up and do exactly as I say.”
Thomas stood up obediently. He sniffed and wiped at his eyes. “I love you, Sarah. I always have.”
“Don’t make me shoot you, Tom.” She walked out the door and re-holstered her Sig, hoping she wouldn’t have to pull it out again.
Thomas caught up with her in the hallway. His mobile phone beeped continuously, but Sarah warned him to ignore it. He was no longer head of the MCU. Right now, he belonged to her.
“People are going to wonder where we’re going,” he said, walking painfully slowly.
“So let them wonder. And hurry up.”
“I don’t think this is the right move, Sarah. You don’t know Maxim like I do. He’s smart. Dangerous.”
“I’ve dealt with worse men than him.”
“No, you haven’t. Maxim Ivanov isn’t like Al-Sharir, Hesbani, or even your dad. He doesn’t do things because of his beliefs or some larger agenda. He’s a genuine sociopath. The only thing he cares about is getting what he wants. He has no friends, no family, and no allegiances. If he realises I’ve betrayed him, he’ll slaughter everyone standing close by.”
“Then I’ll be sure to stand behind you when the shit hits the fan.”
Thomas stopped. “I can’t do this, Sarah. We can find a better way. I’ll make up for everything if you just let—”
Sarah had heard enough. She pulled out her Sig and buried it in his back. “The only chance you have of anything resembling redemption is shutting your mouth and doing what I tell you. You’re screwed no matter what you do, so forget trying to talk your way out of this and help me do the job you’ve been too weak to do.”
He tutted petulantly. “You going to shoot me in the middle of the earthworm? Try explaining your way out of that one.”
“You want to play? Maybe you’re forgetting what a crazy bitch I turned into after you faked your own death and I lost our baby. I don’t give a shit. Oh, and there’s one more thing, too.”
Thomas rolled his eyes. “And what’s that?”
“I built this place. When the MCU brought me in, it was days away from closure. Then I took down Hesbani, Al-Sharir, and my own goddamn father. Now everyone here worships me like a goddess. In fact, I’ve built up so much goodwill, I could probably shoot you right in the face and no one would dare arrest me for it. And once I dump a shitload of files on everyone’s desk, revealing you to be the most corrupt official in the entire country, I’m pretty sure the team will have my back.” The startled look in his eyes suggested he believed her, which was wise, considering she wasn’t kidding. “This isn’t about you or me,” she said, “or even Maxim Ivanov. It’s about a seventeen-year-old named Ollie Simpson. I’ve seen too many souls degraded by hate and fear, but I can still save this kid. If you truly love me like you say you do, then help me. I need this.”
Thomas swallowed. “Okay. I’m sorry. I’m just facing the end of my life and it’s a lot, you know?”
“I wish I could say that it’s going to get easier for you” – she prodded him in the back with her Sig – “but it ain’t. Now move.”
Thomas took a few steps and stopped again. Sarah was about to lose her temper but then realised Jessica was heading down the hallway towards them. She was on the phone but ended the call when she saw them.
“Are you two still on duty?” she asked. “You both need to get some sleep. Last thing we need is a pair of zombies walking around making executive decisions.”
“You’re right,” said Sarah. “Thomas and I are leaving to go get some rest.”
Jessica frowned. “Together?”
Thomas nodded. “Yeah, we, um… We’re working out a few issues, and—”
“We’re screwing,” said Sarah. “We all knew it was on the cards, right?”
“Did we? Most of the time, you act like you despise him.”
“Yeah, well, after what happened to Howard, I realised life is too short to hold on to baggage.”
Jessica’s eyes widened behind her spectacles. “Gee, y’all, I knew you had a history, but I can’t say this isn’t a surprise. Are you both sure it’s a good idea, working so closely together?”
“That’s what we’re heading off to discuss,” said Sarah. “After the screwing is over.”
Thomas’s cheeks flushed, but he played along. “Run things for me until I’m back, okay?”
“Sure thing. I’ll do a handover with the night shift when it arrives.”
“Thanks, Jessica. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Roger that.”
Sarah prodded Thomas’s spine with her Sig and got him moving again. She feared Jessica would smell the fart in the room, but she didn’t, merely bidding them good night and going back to her business.
“That was close,” said Thomas as they headed for the lifts. “I’m surprised you didn’t bring her in on your little sting operation. She’s been eyeing up my job for years.”
“I don’t want Jessica involved in any of this. She’s already going to have your stink on her, and if you bring her down with you, I’ll shank you myself long before you reach the inside of a prison.”
“When did you get so cold?”
“Do you really need to ask that question?”
“No, I suppose I don’
t.”
They reached the lifts and Sarah put away her Sig. The longer she carried it out in the open, the riskier it was that someone might spot it. Frogmarching the MCU’s director out of the building was suspicious enough.
They headed for the surface, standing in silence while it ascended. When the doors opened, the sky was a black sheet overhead. Sarah shoved Thomas out into the glare of the spotlights. “Let’s grab a car,” she said. “You can drive, seeing as you probably already know the way.”
“A moonlight drive. How romantic.”
“Yeah, except the only thing in your mouth at the end of the night will be a gun. Let’s go meet your boss. It’s time for you to resign.”
“This won’t go how you want it to, Sarah.”
“Nothing ever does, but somehow I seem to manage.”
“Don’t do this. Just send in a team, okay? You can’t always be the hero.”
Sarah shook her head and shoved him again to pick up the pace. There were various guards around the compound, but they all knew Sarah and Thomas well enough not to take an interest. “This only works if you go in with a wire,” she said, “and if I’m not at your back with a gun, you’ll make a run for it.”
“I won’t.”
“Yes, you will, because disappearing is what you do best. Taking down bad guys is what I do best.”
“Sarah, listen to—”
“Enough talking. Let’s just get this over with.”
Thomas finally shut up and did what he was told, but he didn’t look happy about it. She would need to keep a close eye on him.
They selected a car from the pool, a brand-new Range Rover Velar Hybrid, and got going. It took off like a rocket. It was time for Sarah and Maxim Ivanov to meet face to face.
Jessica strolled through the hallway, but as soon as she reached her office, she hurried to her desk. She woke her computer and brought up the CCTV feeds. Something had smelled off with Sarah and Thomas; she needed to understand why.
While Sarah’s opinion of Thomas had certainly improved over the last several years, it had done so at a glacial pace – and often against Sarah’s will. She had once admitted to Jessica, during a particularly heavy ‘girl’s night out’, that she had once loved Thomas with all her heart, but she had never once inferred she had feelings for him any longer. Despite all the work she had put into controlling her temper, there was still an ember of rage inside Sarah that would never be put out. Enough of a flame to prevent her from ever feeling anything even close to affection towards Thomas.
Terminal (Major Crimes Unit Book 4) Page 12
