Gates of Dawn (A Jake Adams International Espionage Thriller Series Book 12)

by Trevor Scott

  “No,” Jake said truthfully. “But I trust him more than a lot of other folks in the spy game. In this case he’s sounding an alarm and nobody is listening. Better yet, the SVR has put out a hit on him.”

  “And me, it appears.” She looked even more concerned now.

  “What did your superiors say today when you mentioned someone tried to kill you?”

  She said nothing.

  “You didn’t tell them,” Jake concluded. “Why not?”

  She searched her mind for an answer.

  Jake answered for her. “You don’t trust them completely. That’s why you need to work with an outsider like me.”

  “I thought you were not still CIA,” she said. “But you obviously still have some power within your government. So maybe this is better.”

  “I haven’t lived in America for decades,” Jake told her. “But there are still people who take my phone calls.”

  He waited for her now to explain why she needed him. Patience wasn’t one of his greatest attributes. But he used the time to drink more beer and order another from the bartender.

  Finally, Sofia Sepp said, “Ivan Bragin was trying to turn me into a double agent for years. We let him think they had succeeded. Of course, that was a lie. Deep down I think Bragin knew this, which is why I think he trusts me.”

  “Because you are not able to be corrupted,” Jake said.

  “Yes.”

  The same was probably true for Jake. Ivan Bragin as much as said this at his meeting with the man in Riga.

  Now things started to click for Jake. “Bragin set you up with someone here in Vilnius. Some group. And this group has you concerned.”

  She looked shocked. “How do you know this? Did Ivan Bragin tell you this?”

  “No, you just did. This is why you believe Ivan Bragin. He wouldn’t have had you infiltrate this group if he didn’t trust you. But I’m guessing you have not given this information to your own agency.”

  She finished her beer and pointed at the glass to the bartender, who started to fill another glass of beer. Then he brought it to Sofia and took away her empty glass.

  Once the bartender was far enough away, Sofia continued, “Valstybes Saugumo Departmentas does not know about my association with Ivan Bragin and the group in question. Well, not exactly true. They know I was being recruited by the SVR and they told me to go along with them. I was concerned that they would screw me.”

  “How?” Jake asked.

  “They would charge me as a spy for Russia.”

  “Okay. But you didn’t deal with Ivan Bragin entirely.”

  “No. Bragin got me in contact with a man named Pavel Tursunov.”

  Jake had heard of that name before. And not just from Ivan Bragin earlier that morning. “Tursunov. Was his father KGB?”

  “Yes. And the son is worse than the father.”

  Now they were getting somewhere. It was time to bring in Zaiga. Jake sent her a quick text.

  “All right,” Jake said. “I’m guessing this Pavel Tursunov now knows you are not exactly in his camp.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because someone tried to kill you this morning.”

  She considered that carefully. “Oh. I don’t think so.”

  “Why?”

  “Last evening I briefed my boss at VSD about my recent meeting with Pavel Tursunov. The Russians have orchestrated this entire scenario—from the capture of Estonian intelligence officers, to the protests in all three Baltic States, to the shift in the summit from Riga to Vilnius.” She shook her head and drank some more beer.

  There was more that she knew and Jake needed to pull it out of her. But first he saw Zaiga come in from the lobby and take a seat next to Sofia, who looked completely confused.

  The two women spoke for a moment in one of their languages, but Jake had no idea which one. Zaiga took a break long enough to order herself a beer. Finally, the two women embraced for a long time and then kissed each other on both cheeks.

  “Hey,” Jake said. “I’m still here.”

  “I’m sorry, Jake,” Zaiga said. “We were catching up.”

  “I told her what we just discussed,” Sofia explained.

  “What language was that?” he asked.

  “Estonian,” they said in unison.

  Zaiga said, “From our days with the Olympic teams. When we would go out on the town, we pretended to be Estonian.”

  “Right,” Sofia said. “And my father was Estonian.”

  “Why Estonian?”

  Sofia said, “Not as many people speak it. They didn’t know what we were saying.”

  He didn’t guess that many would know Latvian or Lithuanian either. “Anyway, back to work. Sofia was just about to tell us what she knows about the upcoming attack on the summit.”

  Sofia let out a heavy breath. “This man is relentless.”

  “Tell me about it,” Zaiga said.

  Sofia Sepp explained how she had been introduced to Pavel Tursunov, who had been trying to get her to divulge information on certain security measures.

  “Did Tursunov introduce you to any of his SVR people?” Jake asked.

  Nodding, Sofia said, “Yes, but they were mostly just stand around men.”

  “His muscle.”

  “Yes.”

  “Damn it,” Jake said. “Tursunov is the key. My guess is he’s called in specialists for the attack.” He thought about their next option, and decided to make a radical move. Turning to Zaiga, he said, “Do you still have your phone turned off?”

  “Yes, of course,” Zaiga said.

  “Turn it on,” he said.

  “But they will come for me.”

  “I know. I’m hoping for that.”

  Zaiga shrugged as she pulled out her phone, clicking it on.

  Now Jake considered Sofia and asked, “How does Tursunov get in touch with you?”

  “Dead drop in the Old Town,” Sofia said.

  Old school. “All right. Leave a drop for him saying you have something for him.”

  Sofia nodded agreement.

  Jake finished his beer. Then he said, “Let’s go.”

  29

  Karl Adams sat in the back seat of the charcoal gray rental Skoda they had picked up at the Tallinn airport. Hans Vaino was driving and to his right was Estonian Internal Security Officer Kadri Kask. They had decided to not use one of their KAPO cars, since they had a feeling the Russians knew every one of them. The SVR probably had all of their cars tracked electronically by GPS.

  The three of them had been traveling for six hours, had gone through Latvia, and were now closing in on the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius.

  Karl had been grateful that the Army allowed him to continue with his temporary duty with Estonian Internal Security. He had a feeling his father had something to do with his good fortune.

  While Karl kept his mind on their current mission, he kept his eyes on Kadri in the front seat. Since his rescue from the Russians the two of them had become even closer. He was sure she felt it as well. She kept turning to glance at him in the back seat, or to engage him outright.

  “Where are we staying again?” Karl asked.

  Kadri turned and smiled. She knew he already must have known this. “The Radisson Blu. It’s a very nice place. There are two in Vilnius. The one where we are staying is older, converted from some other building.”

  He had been staying in a Radisson Blu in Tallinn since his assignment with KAPO.

  “We have two rooms next to each other,” Hans said. “Kadri gets her own room.”

  “That’s sexist,” Karl said with a smile.

  Hans looked at Karl in the rearview mirror. “We are here to provide advance security for our president, not to make sexy time.”

  “Easy for you to say, Hans,” Karl said. “You just got some with the wife before leaving Tallinn.”

  The driver’s eyes shifted toward his partner in the passenger seat and then back to Karl again. “Not exactly. It is her time of m
onth.”

  Karl moved on to the case at hand. “We’ve traveled all day and you still haven’t told me our mission in Vilnius.”

  Kadri turned back to Karl and said, “Our president has a force much like your secret service. They are already on the ground checking out the Radisson Blu and the routes from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the Presidential Palace. They work with the local police and the Lithuanian and Latvian presidential security details. We will be working with the other intelligence agencies from the Baltic States, along with the American CIA.”

  “In what capacity?” Karl asked.

  “To counter the Russians in Vilnius,” she said.

  He understood that much, but was wondering more about the details. “How?”

  Hans took that. “We have a meeting tomorrow morning at the State Security Department of Lithuania.”

  “We understand the VSD has had encounters with the Russian SVR deputy director for the Baltic States.”

  “Pavel Tursunov?” Karl asked.

  Both Hans and Kadri looked at Karl with wonder.

  “What?” Karl said. “You think just because I’m an Army guy I don’t know certain things?”

  “No,” Kadri said. “But we were just briefed on this man this morning.”

  “I’m guessing this Tursunov is not happy after finding out that Aleksei Volkov was killed last night in Riga,” Karl said.

  “You are full of surprises,” Kadri said to Karl.

  Actually, Karl had gotten word from the Agency about the death of Volkov early that morning, while Kadri was in the shower. They had also said that his father had been involved in the Russian’s death. But he sure as hell wasn’t going to mention that fact. He probably should not have even told Kadri that Jake was his father. His dad wouldn’t be happy about that. But he trusted Kadri.

  •

  Pavel Tursunov sat at his desk in an office on the first floor of a three-story safe house on the southwestern edge of Vilnius. The safe house was only three blocks from the main train station. Later this evening another cell would come in on a train from Minsk, and be able to walk to the safe house. Other teams had already arrived from Estonia and Latvia.

  He thought about the setback caused by the death of Aleksei Volkov in Riga the night before. Pavel would make them pay for his death. Luckily that man was not supposed to be a crucial element of this Vilnius operation. But his people were essential. Just a little step backward, Pavel thought. Which is why he needed to call in more agents from Belarus.

  There was a light knock on his door and he told his man to come in.

  “Sir. Our man from Riga has something for you.”

  Pavel waved. “Send him in.”

  The lower-level SVR officer came in holding a large cell phone and stood before Pavel’s desk. As usual, the shorter man wore a wool hat.

  Pavel pointed his finger at one of two chairs, so his man took a seat. “What do you have?”

  His man lifted his phone. “The Latvian officer who was working with Aleksei just turned her phone back on. We have it traced to here in Vilnius.”

  “You knew she was here,” Pavel said. “Why was her phone off?”

  “I don’t know, sir.”

  Thinking carefully, Pavel said, “Speculate.”

  “She was on the go in Riga,” he said. “Maybe she lost her charge.”

  “She would have had all night to charge it,” Pavel reasoned.

  “Maybe she forgot to bring her charger and had to buy another one here in Vilnius.”

  That was possible, Pavel thought. “Or, she was on to you.”

  His officer shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “I don’t think so, sir. If so, why turn the phone back on now?”

  “Good point.” Pavel swiveled in his chair, his mind twirling. There were a lot of moving pieces coming together here in Vilnius. He had to make sure everything fit together right. “All right. You are sure about this woman. What is her name?”

  “Zaiga Ulmanis.”

  “Strange name. Anyway, are you sure she killed Aleksei and your other friend?”

  “Yes, sir. Her and that other man. The one that was with Ivan Bragin in the park the night we came for him in Riga.”

  Pavel smiled. “You want to take the both of them out.”

  “First I want to have sex with the woman. Then I will kill her.”

  “And the man?”

  “I don’t want to have sex with him.”

  Seriously? Where were they getting these new officers? “I would hope not. But we should talk with this man and see what he knows. Our people in Narva said they were in a shootout with a man unknown to them. He fits the description given by you and Aleksei. Take a couple of men and pick up the Latvian and the other man.”

  The man got to his feet and said, “Yes, sir. I will bring them to our location by the river for interrogation.”

  “Good. That will be all.”

  He watched as his man from Riga left the room. Then he swiveled in his chair and contemplated this new twist. Pavel didn’t like the unknown. Wild cards were for the incompetent. Pavel needed control. He demanded control.

  30

  Having walked around the Old Town of Vilnius during the light of day, Jake had gotten a good understanding of the area. Vilnius University was a small cluster of buildings compared to American universities. But this one in the heart of the Old Town was a better place for a covert meeting, with its narrow passageways and small squares. At night the place was much darker than Jake could have imagined, though.

  Now, nearly ten p.m. and the university closed up tight, Jake stood back in the shadows under an arched passageway adjacent to St. John’s Church, which he and Zaiga had toured earlier in the day.

  From his position Jake could see Zaiga and Sofia at the corner of the square nearest the church. The small passageway between the church and the position of the women led to a dead end. So nobody could come for them from their rear. They would have to approach from the other side of the square and travel some 30 meters without cover. Zaiga and Sofia could cover themselves from that direction, while Jake would make the approach of the Russians impossible from his passageway or from the length of the main square. He couldn’t think of anything that could go wrong. And that bothered him.

  Sofia had provided them communications devices, so all three of them could speak freely.

  “It’s kind of cold out,” Sofia complained.

  “Don’t be a little girl,” Zaiga said.

  “I thought you two were winter Olympians?” Jake whispered.

  “A lifetime ago,” Sofia said. “And we were skiing, getting a work out. Now we are just standing.”

  “Are you sure they will come?” Zaiga asked.

  “Yeah. They won’t be able to help themselves. Hang on. Here we go.”

  Jake saw movement across the square. First one person moved from one arched entry to the next. Then came another person.

  “Two targets across the square,” Jake informed them. Then he paused to consider his options. He would send someone to his side of the square as well.

  Jake drew his gun from his holster and peered around the corner of the archway toward the long corridor. It was dark there, but he saw a figure appear for a second, moving from one archway to the next—just like those across the square. Now he saw his own error. He had given himself no escape.

  “One on my side also,” Jake whispered. “Three total.”

  If he stayed put, the man would run right into his arms. There was no other way for him to go. Reluctantly, Jake put his gun back in the leather holster inside his jacket. Now he waited, keeping his ears open to any footfalls. This man was good, Jake thought. There. He finally heard a slight shuffle of dirt or gravel.

  The man was nearly upon him. Just as the guy came out from the back side of Jake’s stanchion, Jake prepped himself, catching the man completely off-guard. Jake’s first strike caught the man in the jaw, shifting him backward behind the large stanchion. Followi
ng that first strike with a straight kick to the chest, Jake hit something solid and then he heard the man’s gun bounce to the hard cobblestones. Now Jake rushed the guy, knocking him to the ground. The two of them wrestled around on the cold stone surface until Jake put the man into a sleeper hold as he wrapped his legs around the guy’s lower body. The man wore a wool cap over his head, and it smelled like dirty hair and drool.

  The man struggled like Jake was about to kill him. Then, like a tuckered-out child in a car seat, the man drifted to sleep.

  “One down,” Jake whispered to the women.

  He felt the man for identification, but found nothing. Jake did find a cell phone, which he shoved into his coat pocket. This guy had been the driver from Riga and the man who had shot at him at the Roma Hotel.

  As Jake got up, he drew his gun again, and then leaned against the opening. There. He saw the two men moving to the edge of the church. Now they would have to scoot along the front of the church to reach the edge where Zaiga and Sofia hid.

  “They’re coming along the front of the church,” Jake said. “I’m moving in from my position to you.”

  Jake found his way through the darkness toward the corner of the church. He knew the women would not be able to see him, since there was a wall blocking their view at an entrance to the building that Jake skirted.

  By the time Jake got to the retaining wall, he could see that the two men had now passed the front of the church and were within twenty meters of Zaiga and Sofia.

  “They’re almost on you,” Jake whispered loudly. “Shoot.”

  No response.

  Damn it. Jake rounded the retaining wall, exposing himself to the two men briefly.

  One man turned and aimed his gun at Jake from some thirty meters. Just as Jake saw the flash of light and heard the report of the man’s gun, Jake fired three times.

  Jake hit the ground, his gun still aimed at the other two. Finally, the women fired from their positions. Now the men were trapped in the open, much like Jake. But the Russians were taking fire from two locations.

  Jake wasn’t sure how many shots were fired in those thirty seconds. He was stunned for a second, his head sitting against the cobblestones.