Lone Wolf

by David Archer

  “First, I want everything you can tell me about Vladimir Sokoloff. He and I need to have a little chat. Can you tell me where he lives?”

  Pendergrast groaned. “Oh, come on, you know damn well that if I tell you that, it will get me killed for sure. If he finds out I gave him up, I'm dead.”

  “Well, you don't need to worry about that. He won't be going anywhere or telling anyone anything. I plan to get information out of him, and then I plan to kill him.” Noah stepped closer to where Pendergrast was now sitting on the edge of his bed. “You can either tell me where to find him, or I can take you back to the farm for a little while.”

  “Okay, okay,” Pendergrast said. “He has a large house on Palace Garden Mews, just a few blocks from the Russian Embassy. It's the last house on the left heading away from the Embassy, you can't miss it.”

  “Does he have security there?”

  Pendergrast rolled his eyes. “Of course he does, he's a Russian! He hires local security, though; I think he's afraid the Russian guards would spy on him and report back to the Kremlin. At night, there are probably a half-dozen guards on duty. I spent a few nights there, and I never saw a lot of security guards wandering around.”

  “I know Sokoloff,” Dimitri said suddenly. “If I asked him to come with me somewhere privately, he would do so. If this is part of your plan to reach Nicolaich, I will assist.”

  Noah gave him a grin. “That sounds like a plan,” he said. He turned back to Pendergrast and said, “Jeremy, old buddy, I can't take a chance on you tipping Vladimir off. I'm afraid you're coming with us. If you don't give me any trouble, I’ll let you put some clothes on. Otherwise, you're coming with us just the way you are.”

  SIXTEEN

  Pendergrast stared at him for a moment, then shook his head and got up out of bed. Moose kept his gun trained on the man as he opened a closet and began putting on street clothes. Moments later, the four men walked out the front door together, and anyone observing would have thought they were all old friends.

  Unfortunately, the Land Rover had bucket seats in the front, and wasn't big enough for all of them. Dimitri pointed to a sedan a hundred yards up the street. “That is my car,” he said. “If I am going to bring Sokoloff out, I would do best to have only one of you with me. I realize that you do not trust me yet, so if one of you wishes to ride in the backseat where you can keep a weapon trained on me, I would understand.”

  Noah looked at him for a moment. “Do you anticipate any problems in bringing Sokoloff out of his house? Getting past the security?”

  Dimitri shook his head. “No. Vladimir and I have done business many times, and it is not unusual for me to need his assistance even in the middle of the night. He will come with me, and if there is someone waiting in my car, he would think nothing of it. It would not be the first time.”

  “Neither of us speaks Russian,” Noah said. “Is that going to be a problem?”

  The Russian smiled and shook his head. “Not at all. No one there will speak to you unless I introduce you, which I will not do. You will not have any reason or opportunity to speak.”

  Noah turned to Moose. “You three take Jeremy on out to the farm. Blindfold him so he doesn't know the way, but you don't have to tie him up in the barn. I don't think he's stupid enough to try to run away, but keep half an eye on him anyway. I'll go with Dimitri and bring Vladimir as soon as we can.”

  Moose eyed Noah as if he wanted to argue, but turned and got into the Land Rover, ordering Neil into the front seat so that he and Pendergrast could sit in the back. Noah turned to Dimitri and motioned for him to lead the way.

  The sedan was a Jaguar XE, and Noah chose to sit in the front with Dimitri. He didn't bother to draw a weapon, but Dimitri seemed to understand that Noah didn't particularly need one. As the car pulled away from the curb, Dimitri said, “May I ask what to call you?”

  “Alex,” Noah said. “Alex Colson.”

  Dimitri looked over at him for a second, then turned his eyes back to the road. “Colson? That is the name used in Kubinka, but I do not think it is your true name. No matter. You are Alex.” He grinned. “I have a brother named Alex, or I did. He died during a mission to Syria.”

  “Dimitri, if I succeed in my mission to kill Nicolaich Andropov, what will happen to you if the SVR finds out you helped me?”

  The other man shrugged. “Russia today is not as bad as the old Soviet,” he said. “In those days, my entire family and I would be executed, but today it would only be me. There are what you call death squads, and no matter where I went, they would hunt me down. If we can avoid letting my involvement become known, that would be good.”

  Noah nodded. “I'll do my best.”

  It took almost an hour to make their way across the city to the area where the embassies were clustered together. Dimitri drove straight to Sokoloff's house and turned into his gated driveway. A security guard stepped out of a guard shack and approached the driver-side window.

  Dimitri spoke to the guard in Russian, while Noah attempted to look bored and uninterested. There was a brief moment when the guard seemed to pay a lot of attention to Noah, but Dimitri barked an order and he quickly returned his attention to the driver. Dimitri sounded angry, and a moment later the guard went back into the shack and picked up the telephone.

  Dimitri turned to Noah. “He tried to tell me that Vladimir is sleeping and cannot be disturbed. I informed him that if he did not notify Vladimir that I wanted to see him, then he would be far more disturbed by the screams of the guard as I disemboweled him.”

  Noah grunted. “I'll have to try that technique sometime,” he said.

  The guard hung up the phone and returned to the car. He seemed thoroughly chastised and even subservient, and while Noah could not understand his words, it was obvious that he was telling Dimitri to go on into the compound. Dimitri didn't even bother to respond other than with a curt nod, putting the car in gear and driving away quickly enough to make the guard jump back a couple of steps.

  “I told him to tell Vladimir that I was forced to kill someone and need to show him where I left the body. If it were true, then tomorrow morning he would send people out to clean up after me. That is part of his duties here in London.”

  “Have you done that with him before?” Noah asked.

  “Yes, on two occasions. He knows that I do not trust anyone else here. Vladimir and I served together in the 45th Guard a few years ago, and became friends. We are not so much friends today, but I have always been able to trust him. For his part, he worries about repercussions from those above me if he does not cooperate with me when I ask it. In that, he is wise.”

  “I can imagine so,” Noah said. “Okay, then I just sit here in the car, right?”

  Dimitri nodded. “Yes, and when you see us coming, moved to the back seat. It is what he would expect.”

  They came to the circular parking area in front of the house, and Dimitri parked the car directly in front of the door. He looked at Noah. “There is something about you,” he said, “something that makes me believe you are as deadly as you claim to be. I have just driven you directly into the mouth of the bear, but I sense no fear, no anxiety. I will do nothing to betray you here, but if Vladimir becomes suspicious, it will be necessary for you to control the situation. While he is not as dangerous as I, he is an accomplished killer. If he gets the upper hand for even a second, he will not hesitate to kill you or me.”

  “Understood,” Noah said. “I just want to get out of this estate before I let him know what's going on. If he figures out that I'm not one of yours before we make it past that gate, things could get bad.”

  “I will cover you. If Vladimir speaks to you, I will interfere. I will say to you in Russian to keep your mouth shut, and tell him that you are with Nicolaich, sent to observe and learn from me. He knows that I detest training others, so he will probably laugh, but he will not be surprised that I want you to be quiet.”

  Dimitri got out of the car and walked up to the front
door. It opened as he approached it, and he stepped directly inside past the armed guard who had opened it for him. As soon as he was inside, the door closed once again.

  A pair of guards appeared from around the side of the house, and came to stand only a few feet from Noah's side of the car. They looked at him, but said nothing. Noah let his eyes rest on them for only a second, then leaned his head back and lowered his eyelids until they appeared to be closed. He heard one of the guards snicker, but resisted the temptation to look at them again.

  Dimitri was inside the house for nearly half an hour, and Noah began to wonder if he was being betrayed, after all. He had paid close attention as they came up the drive, and had already planned out various scenarios in his head if he had to try to escape. Beneath his nearly closed eyelids, he kept the two outside guards in sight, ready to shoot both of them instantly if it became necessary.

  The guards both turned suddenly, looking up at the door of the house. Noah opened his eyes and looked that way himself, to see Dimitri and another man step through the doorway and start down the stairs. Noah opened his door and stepped out, then immediately opened the back door and climbed back inside. Dimitri and his companion came straight to the car and got inside, with Dimitri behind the wheel again.

  Neither of them spoke to Noah, but the car started up and began moving. Noah kept a bored expression on his face until they drove past the guard shack and out onto the street.

  Dimitri and Vladimir had been talking in Russian, but Dimitri glanced at Noah in the rearview mirror and gave a slight nod, then said, “We will now speak in English.”

  Vladimir looked at him in surprise, and asked a question in Russian. Dimitri smiled and said, “Because my friend in the back seat is an American, who does not speak our language.”

  There was a split-second of confusion on Vladimir's face, but his eyes registered understanding as Noah's Glock suddenly pressed against the side of his neck. “Dimitri, what are you doing?” Vladimir asked, this time in English.

  “I am taking the only chance I have to survive, and to free my family from the sword that hovers over their heads. This man is Colson, the American assassin. He is seeking Nicolaich Andropov, and you and I are going to help him.”

  Keeping one hand on the wheel, Dimitri reached over to Vladimir and removed the man's pistol from its shoulder holster. Without a word, he passed it back to Noah.

  Vladimir slowly turned his head to look at Noah. “Do you have any idea who you have gone up against? Nicolaich Andropov is by far the most dangerous man alive today. He will never allow himself to be captured or killed by an American.”

  “Yeah, well, I don't share your opinion,” Noah said. “Nor do a lot of other people, come to that. In fact, I know quite a few folks who think that title belongs to me, so I'm willing to take the risk. You and I are going to have a little chat, because I need to know everything I possibly can about how to draw him out. He wants me just as bad as I want him, maybe worse after I killed his son. He may want my head on a platter, but I don't think he could resist the temptation to take it for himself.”

  Vladimir looked over at Dimitri. “I can understand your desire to be free of Nicolaich,” he said, “but do you honestly believe that this man has any chance of success? Western agents have tried many times just to identify Nicolaich, and none have ever gotten close.”

  Dimitri made a face that was a combination of an eye roll and a grimace. “Colson and one other man managed to take out five of our best Spetsnaz Security people when they took the girl. I have no doubt of his abilities. The only question that remains is how to get him within reach of the Boar. On that matter, I agree with his opinion that Nicolaich will want the pleasure of killing him personally.”

  Vladimir grunted. “And what is to keep this man from killing you as well, once he has used you?”

  Dimitri looked at Noah in the rearview mirror again, and then smiled as he returned to watching the road ahead. “Because he will not need to kill me. I am his ally in this, because he will help me to get my family asylum in the United States. My children will grow up in freedom, with no fear of Nicolaich Andropov.”

  Both men fell silent. Noah directed Dimitri to the M4 highway, and they rode in silence the rest of the way to Twyford. Getting to the little village took less than an hour, with another twenty minutes to negotiate the back roads to the farm. Dimitri parked the Jaguar beside the Land Rover as Moose stepped out of the house with a short rifle in his hands.

  “Okay, Vladimir,” Noah said, “step out of the car gently. My buddy there is an expert marksman, and he won't hesitate to blow you away if you make any sudden moves.”

  Vladimir nodded, then slowly opened the car door and stepped out. Moose kept him covered as Noah and Dimitri also stepped out of the vehicle, and then Noah led the men inside the house. “Let's have a seat at the table,” he said. “If we can continue to talk like gentlemen, then there will be no need for any of my less subtle tactics.”

  Vladimir glanced at him, then took a chair at the table as he was told. Dimitri joined him, and Noah sat down across from the two of them. He glanced up at Moose. “Where is our other guest?”

  Moose grinned. “Hiding in a bedroom. I think he's shy.”

  “Bring him down. Let's have a little reunion, shall we?”

  Moose nodded and turned toward the hallway. A couple of moments later, he reappeared with Jeremy Pendergrast. Pendergrast's face looked ashen when he saw Dimitri and Vladimir sitting at the table, but he didn't say a word. When Moose pulled out a chair for him, he simply sat down and looked resigned.

  Vladimir sneered at him. “So they have you, too? Did you also volunteer for this suicidal mission?”

  “Jeremy didn't get a choice in the matter, any more than you did. You're both here for the same reason. I want to know everything you can tell me about Nicolaich Andropov, and how I can flush him out. Where should we begin?”

  Vladimir stared at Pendergrast, but then he gave a deep sigh. “Nicolaich is already looking for you,” he said. “Every agent of Russia, no matter where they are in the world, has been told to watch for you. We have all been shown photographs that were taken by hidden security cameras when you took the girl, and instructed to report any sighting of you to the SVR. If you want him to find you, then you need only leave a trail for him to follow.” He looked at Noah. “I do not, however, share your opinion that he will come for you himself. Nicolaich is no fool. Do you think he will not know that you're trying to trap him?”

  “You can let me worry about that,” Noah said. “The fact of the matter is, I'm not so much trying to trap him as inviting him to trap me. All I want from you is to know where I need to go to leave that trail of breadcrumbs for him to follow.”

  Vladimir shook his head. “It is not so simple, Mister Colson. Nicolaich is not a man who can be led about, he is always several steps ahead of you. You will think you are leading him on a merry chase, only to find that he is waiting for you at the end of your run.”

  Dimitri slapped the table in front of Vladimir. “Vladimir, old friend, stop this. Stop defending that monster. As long as Nicolaich Andropov lives, none of us are safe. This may be the only chance we ever have to free ourselves of his threats.” He turned to Noah. “Nicolaich takes it personally whenever something happens to any of his top people. In his eyes, I am one of those people. If you will give me your word that you will get my family out of Russia, I will volunteer myself. Kill me, and leave my body where it can be found by Russian authorities. Nicolaich will know that it was you, and it will give him a place to start looking.”

  Vladimir started to speak but Noah cut him off. “I appreciate the offer, but I think you're more valuable to me alive.” He turned to Vladimir. “What about you? Would Nicolaich get upset if something happened to you?”

  Vladimir shrugged. “I don't think I'm that valuable to him,” he said. “Men like me are easy to replace.”

  “He is correct,” Dimitri said. “My suggestion is the best one
, but if you don't like it then I have another.”

  Noah looked at him. “Let's hear it.”

  Dimitri nodded once, then flicked his eyes to Vladimir for just a second. “Let him go. He will immediately report to his superiors that you are looking for Nicolaich. That information will get to the Boar very quickly, and he will set all possible resources to locating you. Since Vladimir will also report that I am now working with you, Nicolaich will be enraged. He will want us both, and it will then become a matter of which of us is the hunter and which is the prey.”

  Noah studied him for a moment, and then turned to Vladimir. “I'm not sure I like that plan, but it might be my best option. You're not going to get off scot-free, though; your life comes with a price. I want you to give Nicolaich a particular message, will you do that?”

  “If you give me a message for him, he would expect me to deliver it. As soon as word reaches him that you are looking for him and that I survived a meeting with you, he will undoubtedly contact me directly to find out how that is possible. If I tell him that you wanted me to deliver a special message, then he probably won't have me killed, and he will take the message very seriously. What is it?”

  Noah smiled, a shark-toothed smile that sent a shiver down Vladimir's spine. “I want you to tell him that I killed Vasily as an afterthought, just because the kid was too damned cocky, and that I'm going to kill him for the same reason.”

  Dimitri suddenly laughed. “Oh, my goodness,” he said. “That will be exactly the thing to say if you want an insanely enraged Boar on your trail.

  Noah looked him in the eye. “That's exactly what I want,” he said.

  SEVENTEEN

  “It's two o'clock in the morning,” Noah said. “How long will it be before Vladimir is missed?”

  “Probably,” Vladimir answered for himself, “when I don't show up at my office in the morning. Because I left with Dimitri, none of my personal guard will think anything of it, and will expect me to go on to work or call in to say I will be late. If I do neither, our security will be alerted to begin searching for me.”