“You gentlemen want some?” Reskova halted at her doorway, raising her hands in a beckoning gesture. “Any witticisms you want to lay on me before Cold gets up here?”
Both men jumped out of her way. Barrington pointed at Rutledge comically with an ‘I told you so look’ as Rutledge still patted her nose hesitantly. Reskova opened the door into the hallway in time to surprise McDaniels. He was in dress uniform, but leaned on a cane slightly as he walked up. Reskova looked around the hall. When she saw they were alone for a moment, she simply hugged him.
Chapter 21
New Mission
“Hi, babe,” McDaniels stroked her hair with his free hand. “You ratted me out to Abe. He brought over his portable DVD player just so he could rag me with the Cold Mountain news broadcast.”
Reskova looked up at him, her eyes moist. “That’ll learn you to give out no visitor decrees. Besides, you’re a Colonel for God’s sake. Show some backbone.”
McDaniels kissed Reskova lightly on the lips. “I missed you too. I just didn’t want you all screwin’ around when you should be working. Now, can we go inside and get some coffee? I have some business to discuss with you straight from Dreyer.”
“Sure, come on in.” Reskova pulled him into the office. “Is it serious?”
“Just something Dreyer came up with concerning your Russian courier,” McDaniels answered, greeting Rasheed, Barrington, and Rutledge, as they waited in a greeting line inside the doorway. “Hey, nice to see you all. Thanks for the great info you provided Abe with. He and his unit are having a very entertaining time with it.”
“He gave us some great info on your time in Fallujah too, Cold.” Rutledge grinned. “We had to return the favor.”
“That ain’t like Abe,” McDaniels said, his face decidedly more grim. “I…”
“Take it easy, Colonel,” Barrington cautioned. “I think he just needed to share it with someone.”
“Yes, my friend,” Rasheed commented. “The young Marine seemed relieved to talk with us.”
“Yeah, I get that,” McDaniels replied thoughtfully.
“You’re not mad, are you?” Reskova asked with some apprehension.
“No, not at all - I should have noticed the Gunny wasn’t feeling right,” McDaniels explained. “Abe and Bocelli are the kind of sergeant an officer dreams of having in a rough situation. Anyway, I have something to talk over with Diane so who made the coffee?”
“I did.” Rasheed hurried over to pour McDaniels a mug.
McDaniels took it from him gratefully and sipped it with pleasure. “Yeah, Kay, now that’s how it’s done. You should have tasted that cow urine they served me at Walter Reed. Let Diane and I go over this thing Dreyer has for us. We’ll clue you all in if she thinks it appropriate, okay?”
* * *
There was a chorus of acknowledgements. McDaniels and Reskova walked over to her office. No one commented on the cane but Rasheed watched McDaniels speculatively. He waited until the door to Reskova’s office closed before looking at his companions. They were already watching him. Rasheed shrugged.
“It is not a good thing to see the Cold Mountain with a cane, even after surgery,” Rasheed explained.
Barrington and Rutledge nodded in agreement before turning quietly to their respective desks.
* * *
Inside Reskova’s office, McDaniels sat done in the chair fronting Reskova’s desk. Reskova noticed the relief he could not keep from his features.
“You’re hurting,” Reskova sat down behind her desk.
“It’s just soreness. That damn piece of metal I’ve been carrying around came nearer the surface rather than deeper in so they took it out. I already feel better just knowing it’s gone. I’ll be fine in a few days.”
“So what’s the cane for?”
“Just to keep from making the wrong movement. Some of the muscle in my back’s pretty tender.”
“Did you see Dreyer before you came up here?”
“He came to Walter Reed to see me. It seems he outranked my no visitation orders. Dreyer just wanted to see if I was up to a little work.”
“How little, and what do I have to do with it?”
“Dreyer wants you and I to team up again with the Russian courier. He thought we could pull off a meeting since that Muhyee guy turned and gave us all the contact info. Dreyer believes the Russian’s keeping a low profile, but if we’re convincing enough, we may be able to find out if he’s a Chechen contact or a Russian one.”
“No one will be happy if he’s playing on the Russian side. We investigated him pretty well. He most definitely has Chechen ties. We were surprised the Russians haven’t found him out. After the school bombing, I thought they were going to get serious. Now I’m starting to wonder.”
“They may not know he has Chechen ties. Where’d you pick up on them?”
“Through the Mercado bust which we confirmed on Muhyee’s hard drives. What does Dreyer have in mind?”
“He wants us to approach him through the Internet at the online drop that C.A.I.R guy was using. We’re supposedly eager to set up a meet with him and organize another cell here in Washington.”
“No way he’s going to buy you as a terrorist, Cold. You’re famous. Hell, they had pictures all over the papers of you after the Mercado deal.”
“Yeah, but did they have pictures of me in a suit with a beard?”
“You’re kidding, right? So that’s why you didn’t shave. Come on. We can trap this guy some other way. All that will happen if we even get a meeting is he’ll recognize you and go underground or get the hell out of the country altogether.”
“Dreyer thinks we can deal with him the same way Kay helped you do with Muhyee.”
“What’s our bargaining chip once we know he’s valuable?”
“We’ll tell him if he doesn’t cooperate we’ll turn him over to the Russians. If he does cooperate, we’ll treat him like a prisoner of war after he disappears. The Russians won’t take kindly to it if they know we have him.”
“And if the Russians have a hand in it?”
“Then he can deal with us or die. Those clowns over in Iraq stirring all the shit up in Ramadi and the rest of the Sunni Triangle ratholes are getting financial assistance from more places than Syria and Iran. A lot’s being funneled from here in the states to Iran and Syria from these damn charity fronts and lobbying groups like the one Muhyee ran. They’re not only looking to surprise us like the Mercado cell planned, they want a continuing money source.”
“If you think it’ll work, I’m in. Can I play the drunken Russian housewife again?”
“Sure, we can practice a little tonight.”
“Oh, don’t talk like that,” Reskova whispered, leaning forward. “I may have to start practice early.”
“Later - we still have to bring your crew in on Dreyer’s plan if you think it’s okay. I appreciate the offer though.”
“You don’t know what a ragging I’ve been taking from Jen. This place is more like a high school hallway than a terrorist hit squad.”
“Yet look at all the team’s accomplished,” McDaniels replied. “Dreyer told me about how much progress you made just in the short time I was gone. You guys are giving me an inferiority complex.”
“That’ll be the day. We’ve worked all the angles on the rest of our Mercado leads. Whatever you do don’t mention undercover or Jen will bring out the needle for the next three weeks.”
“It’s good for team morale.”
“At least I’ll get to spend time with you.”
“That was my thinking when Dreyer approached me about his idea. He didn’t seem all that enthused. He probably had some help with the plan from Aginson. Anyway, like you said, we get to spend some time together.”
“Before I get sidetracked too far I wanted to ask you something. I know about your knowledge of Fallujah, but how does a full Colonel in Army Special Forces manage to play scout for the Marines?”
“I wouldn’t have done anyone
any good sitting in a bunker somewhere staring at a map. You’re forgetting my CIA status. I’m a wildcard officially. The Marines were happy with the arrangement as soon as I explained their chain of command would not be going through me.”
“That’s probably the only way you could have pulled it off. Let’s bring in the rest of the gang so they can tell you how goofy this plan sounds.”
Half an hour later, the agents were still hashing out the pros and cons of Dreyer’s idea. No one thought McDaniels could pull it off because of his previous publicity. Rasheed made the more sober observation the Russian courier could arrive at the meet with some of the Russian mob, guns blazing.
“All Diane and I need is enough dialogue to find out if we can turn this guy like you did Muhyee, or better yet, get him to take our idea of another cell to whoever he’s fronting for,” McDaniels argued. “If we’re as short of time as Dreyer thinks, we need to touch base with this guy quick.”
“Well, Tom and I can do the Internet hacking you’ll need to make initial contact,” Rutledge offered. “After that, I guess we’ll just follow your lead if the Russian bites on the bait. Are you sure you’re even up to this, Colonel?”
“We’ll have you three as backup if things go astray. I’m fine. Lying around won’t get me rehabbed any faster than doing what Dreyer wants.”
“It’s getting late,” Reskova said. “If there’s nothing else, let’s call it a day. We’ll start on this fresh tomorrow morning. Maybe the Russian will want to set up a meet right away. He can’t be all that comfortable with the Mercado cell gone. With his Detroit contact hit, he’s a very lonely guy.”
“Dreyer didn’t mention anything about Detroit,” McDaniels said with some surprise. “Man, you four really did a number on the bad guys. No wonder Dreyer thinks we can turn this guy. I guess all his outgoing stuff since has been intercepted.”
“The Russian can’t even blow his nose without us knowing about it, Colonel,” Barrington replied. “He hasn’t been attempting anything other than his regular job with the Russian office.”
“That makes sense. He knows if the Russians get wind of what he’s up to, they’ll ship him back to the Motherland for a little information gathering.”
“If the Russians are actually in the dark about his activities,” Rutledge said caustically.
“It makes little sense with the problems Russia has with the Chechens for this man to be representing them. The Boss is right. Ansa will skin me alive if I do not get home tonight at a decent hour. She is going shopping with Suraya.”
They left within minutes of each other. In Reskova’s car while underway to her apartment, McDaniels spoke after a few moments of riding in silence.
“How’s Dino?”
“He’s terrific. God, I am so glad you coerced me into taking him. Even the walks twice a day are a pleasure and he’s so funny. You have to watch what you say because his vocabulary gets bigger every day. If someone’s over you have to spell walk or car. Otherwise, Dino will break down the closet door to get his leash.”
McDaniels laughed appreciatively. “I missed him. Dogs grow on you as fast as kids. Have they messed with you about his being pretty much inactive?”
“The guy from where we got him called the office to see if everything was okay. He was glad we were keeping Dino. It seems Dino was not very popular over there. I guess some dogs need a real home. Those K-9 units with the police stay together. Maybe they should rethink how they’re handling the special dogs.”
“They have too much money tied up in the program. You have to admit, ol’ Dino really knew his stuff. Just with what he did at the Mercado place he should get special treatment forever.”
“He’s good company too.”
“Whenever you have a dog, and the dog greets you at the door, you know things are good inside your place. If the dog ain’t there to greet you, you’re in trouble.”
“We’ll take him for a walk together when we get to the apartment. He won’t settle down for a second until we do. Will a walk be too much for you?”
“Nope - I need to stretch my legs and back out as much as possible. When we get through with our walk though, I might need a little medicine.”
“You mean like Vicodin or like Jack Daniels?” Reskova asked, half seriously.
“Just Jack if you have any left.”
“I haven’t touched that jug you left behind after your last stay. I’ll have one with you, and then we’ll really get you stretched out.”
“I have a headache, Dear,” McDaniels whined.
“Get over it, Mr. Mountain.”
Two hours later, Reskova and McDaniels were sitting on her couch, sipping their drinks with Dino lying contentedly at their feet. They had returned only moments before after a long walk with the dog. Dino had danced around them excitedly nearly the whole way through their walk together. Reskova leaned into McDaniels as he reclined on the sofa. Reskova had a CD playing a classical sounding strain.
“This is Andrea Bocelli, isn’t it? I’d recognize his voice anywhere.”
“Very good,” Reskova replied, slightly surprised. “I meant to ask you the other day if that young Marine staff sergeant was related to him but I figured you wouldn’t know who I was talking about. You don’t know Italian too, do you?”
“I’m thinking of taking it up. I know Spanish. I’d have a head-start becoming fluent in Italian. In answer to your question, I did ask him. He gave me this look like I just dropped in from another planet. I assumed the answer would have been no.”
Reskova chuckled and sipped the last of her drink. “Bocelli makes me horny.”
“I’m not done taking my medicine,” McDaniels informed her, holding up his glass. “Barkeep, pour me another.”
“Okay.” Reskova stood up and walked away with McDaniels’ glass. “If you flake out on me, I’m going to be more than mildly irritated.”
“I’m not tired, I’m sore.”
“Good,” Reskova said from her little bar as she poured McDaniels another drink.
“Just for that tomorrow morning I won’t be the only one who’s sore.”
“Oooooooohhhhhh… I’m so scared.” Reskova handed him the drink.
“Not yet you’re not,” McDaniels sipped his fresh drink with a smile of satisfaction. “Later on my dear you may not be so fearless.”
“Dino will protect me if you get too rough.”
“Let me know tomorrow how that works out for you.”
* * *
Rutledge walked into Reskova’s office with a freshly printed sheet in her hand. “We have contact! I… hey, earth to Reskova.”
Reskova looked up blankly for a moment and blushed when she realized she had not heard or seen Rutledge enter her office.
“Sorry, what did you say?”
Rutledge laughed. “I get it. These mundane matters of national security stings pale in comparison to a night with the Cold Mountain, huh?”
Reskova sat up stiffly. “Jesus, when he goes away, I’m going to kill myself.”
Rutledge looked back into the main office for a moment and then sat down in front of Reskova’s desk, handing her the paper. “Looking at you, I don’t know whether to be jealous or grateful. We all thought you were here early getting a head start on what we gave you yesterday. We didn’t want to disturb you until we had a chance to try contacting the Russian. I put a message into his special drop box on the Internet last night. You’re holding the reply that just came in. He’s biting like a big guppy.”
“Sorry, Jen,” Rekova said absently as she scanned through the message.
“Forget it, where is Cold anyway?”
“Abe picked him up early this morning to work out together with some of the other Marines.” Reskova looked up from the paper. “This looks serious. How do you think we should play it?”
“We’re going to feed him little bits and pieces from the C.A.I.R. stuff we’ve already deciphered, just to get the hook in deep. I’ll get together with you again when we have
him flopping on the surface. Colonels and grunts working out together in the gym - must be something’s changed in today’s military.”
“Cold claims he’s a CIA wildcard or something - not that being told not to do something would do any good. He’ll be in the office this afternoon.”
“He must be feeling better.”
“Mr. Mountain is insufferable.”
“Meaning he ate your breakfast, lunch, and dinner.”
“And then some. Worst of all, he knows it.”
“Or best of all.”
“That too - pipe everything you’re doing in here and let me follow along. Maybe we can get a meet set up by the end of the day or sooner.”
“Will do,” Rutledge acknowledged, standing up. “Tom and Kay are going over to touch base with Muhyee. They’ll show him the correspondence and see if he thinks it looks legitimate.”
“Good idea. Have Tom record the interview. Everything he’s given us has checked out. Tell Kay not to cut him any slack. I want Muhyee thinking he’s one step away from a dungeon with Kay unpacking his torture implements.”
“I’ll tell him.”
Chapter 22
The Basics
Reskova sat quietly, staring unseeing at the message paper Rutledge had given her, thinking again of the night spent with McDaniels. Reskova had never considered a life outside the FBI. She had dedicated every moment since she was recruited out of college to her career as an FBI agent. Nothing until now had come close to the excitement and challenges she had experienced in the FBI. Some of her work was mundane, repetitious, and boring - but the thought of her team’s long hours and tedious investigative work leading to the arrest of dangerous killers made the job a constant tantalizing roller coaster ride.
Since becoming intimate with McDaniels, what had been unthinkable was now a daily contemplation. The possibilities of a family and life beyond the FBI competed with her job for the first time. Seeing children now excited her. She believed seeing him with the child kidnapped by Hughes had touched something deep within her. The sight of McDaniels carrying the little girl into their camp had brought on a momentary longing so deep Reskova had lashed out at him to cover for it. Reskova glanced up as she heard someone cough politely. It was McDaniels. He waved at her with a big smile on his face.
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