by Natalie Grey
As if on cue, their earpieces crackled.
”Stephen, Jennifer, Irina—Stoyan would like to speak to all of you. He says one of the evacuees from Naryn has been contacted by Emeric,” ADAM told them.
“Right on cue,” Stephen murmured. He smiled at the other two. “Let’s go figure out this guy’s plans.”
18
QBS ArchAngel
Stephen looked up as Aibek came into ArchAngel’s conference room. His niece, Gulnara, was still asleep in his arms and he gave an apologetic smile.
“I didn’t want to wake her.”
Stephen smiled and nodded as Aibek settled himself carefully into one of the conference room chairs.
“I hear you were contacted by Emeric,” he began.
“Yes.” Aibek grimaced. “I…lied to him.”
Aibek was scared. It was clear from the way Stephen and the others behaved themselves that honor was considered important to them. He knew that his original acceptance of Emeric’s offer had not been to their liking.
Still, he reassured himself, they had understood that. They had given him a chance to join their side.
Now, Stephen asked only, “What was the lie?”
“He asked how the extraction had gone.” Aibek shot a worried look at his niece, afraid the story of her rescue would frighten her, but she slumbered on. “I told him that you had shown up and that we did not want to anger you, as you had more people and more weapons than we did. I told him that you had fixed our people up, though.”
Stephen considered this. It was a self-serving lie in some ways, instead of the desperate truth Aibek had given him at the facility: that he would make a deal with anyone and anybody who would help him get his family back. On the other hand...
“Why did you lie?” Stephen tilted his head to the side and watched Aibek.
“I was scared.” Aibek looked down at the table. “And…well, I failed, but I was trying to find out what he wanted to do next. He told me that we would need to help him with other attacks once we were done at the facility. I knew it was wrong, but I also knew I would be indebted to him. And I was angry. So I said we were angry at you, too. That you had my pack but that if we could sneak away, we would try to get revenge. All he would tell me was that the first attack was coming soon and that if we were back to talk to him in person after it, he might accept our help again. He…threatened me.”
Aibek’s fury was apparent to everyone in the room, but a moment later his shoulders sagged.
“We might be able to figure it out, however,” Stephen said carefully. “What did he tell you about the attack? Exactly?”
“He told me that it would make a statement and show people that looking the other way wasn’t the same as being blameless. He said he would hit the guilty people and scare them.”
“The guilty people...” Stephen stared off into space. “Not the people at the facilities and not Hugo, as they’re all dead. So who else is there? He talked about looking away. Maybe the people near the facilities?”
“Hugo also bribed numerous politicians,” Jennifer said quietly.
“Good point.” Stephen sank his chin onto one fist as he considered. “And he wants to scare people and make a statement. Would it make more of a statement to slaughter a village or kill a politician?” He shook his head. “There’s a question I never thought I’d ask.”
“I believe I might have found it,” ADAM announced. “When Jennifer mentioned politicians, I began searching for politicians who might have been bribed by Hugo. One who has received many anonymous transfers of cash is giving an interview tomorrow in Madrid.”
“I always forget how fast you work,” Stephen said, amused. “And what do you think, ADAM, that he’d kill this man during the interview? Could he get there by tomorrow morning?”
“The interview is at noon, and I believe he is already en route back in the same plane.”
“I don’t suppose we could just take out the plane?” Jennifer asked.
“Unfortunately, there appears to be a pilot.”
“Damn.” She leaned forward on the desk and clasped her hands. “Is there any way to find out where Sidonie and the rest are?”
“I am not certain,” ADAM responded. “After the trucks left Gordes, those in them dispersed. Some went into shopping centers or apartment buildings, and not all of those have video surveillance I can reach. Sidonie could have returned from Istaravshan by now, but it is difficult to know.”
Jennifer squeezed her eyes shut.
“We can almost certainly track the phone that was used to call Aibek,” ADAM offered. “The only way I would not be able to do that is if he were to turn it off. If he uses it to call anyone, I will inform you.”
“Thank you, ADAM.” Stephen laid his hands flat on the table and considered. “Everyone should be ready to leave within five minutes. I don’t want to compromise our advantage by putting us in the middle of a busy city if that’s not where the attack will be. It’s just guesswork at this point.”
Everyone nodded.
“Now, Arisha.” Stephen looked at her. “You said you were going to Sofia?”
“Yes.” Arisha raised her chin and ignored Stoyan’s sudden look. “Alone,” she added. She pushed herself up from the table and smiled at everyone, avoiding Stoyan’s eyes. “I’ll go get ready.”
“And I,” Stephen said quietly, “will go contact Jean-Marc Carre on the off-chance that he’s heard from his son.”
“I am also monitoring the roads into and out of Gordes,” ADAM informed them. “I will let you know if there are any immediate changes.”
“Excellent, thank you, ADAM.” Stephen looked at the rest of them and felt a rush of pride. Every one of the people at this table was exhausted, with shadowed eyes and healing injuries. Every one of them had forced themselves to go into hell itself to free others, working through the night and the day without complaint, and they were nearly dead on their feet.
But they would keep fighting if he told them it was necessary. Not one of them would say a word about that. They would gear up and go to the next fight now if he asked them.
He was lucky to fight alongside such people.
“Get what little rest you can as soon as your gear is prepped,” he told them. “All of you. Go on.”
Arisha combed her hair with her fingers, trying to get the brown waves to settle into something approaching a reasonable hairstyle. A day and a half of racing through facilities while jumped up on adrenaline had made her look both tired and disheveled.
And she had to look attractive.
She knew from experience that looking desirable was one of the best ways to start a confrontation. With Dedov, who she’d caught looking at her more than once, looking good might confer a serious advantage.
She really needed that advantage, too. Dedov’s call, and his accusations had terrified her to her core.
“You look…nice.” Stoyan leaned in the doorway, his arms crossed. He frowned as he looked at her.
His face was so dark that she had to ask, “What?”
“Is this man an ex-boyfriend?” He raised an eyebrow.
Arisha burst out laughing. “Oh, God, no. I just know the best way to throw him off is to look nice. Of course, right now I think the best I can manage is not to look like a huge mess. Everything I have to wear is covered in dirt.”
Stoyan came in, wrapped her in his arms and kissed her. “You look beautiful,” he told her. “Say you were hiking.”
“In Bulgaria, in the middle of winter?” Arisha gave him a look. “No one goes hiking in the middle of winter.”
“Ecaterina does,” Jennifer called from the other room, where the others pored over communications that might shed light on Emeric Carre’s plans.
“Uh…I don’t know who that is, but…thanks?” Arisha looked at Stoyan and shook her head. “I just have to lie,” she said simply. “That’s all, I just have to lie.”
“I want to go with you,” Stoyan told her. “I want to protect you.”
“We’ve been over this. You being there would be terrible. They know about you.”
“Arisha, if you hadn’t had that experience with the big wolf when you were little, what would you think when someone said werewolves were real?” Stoyan smiled. “You’d think they were crazy. If you ever said it, based on as little evidence as those people have, you’d also feel pretty embarrassed. They don’t have to know any part of it is real. Having us both just laugh in their faces will show them that we’re not frightened.” He paused. “But, wait, what are you planning to tell him you were researching?”
Arisha gave him a small, secretive smile. “I’m telling him that I was conning the newspaper.”
“I…don’t get why that helps. It makes you look terrible.”
“No, no, hear me out.” Arisha held up a hand. “One thing he said was that he knew I had seen inside the big suites in the Sofia Hotel. I did write about them, so there’s reason to think I was actually there. So, I’ll say I padded my receipts for flights and so on so I could live it up on all of my trips. I’ll offer him my post as a travel writer if he keeps his mouth shut.”
“Uh-huh...”
“And he—because he’s stupid—is going to try doing the thing I said I did and get caught. But by then I’ll be long gone, and he’ll have forgotten the werewolf thing.” Arisha gave him a dimpled smile and returned to fixing her hair, giving herself a Cheshire cat smile in the mirror.
Stephen stuck his head around the door. “While I do approve of your plan,” he said carefully. “You must remember that if this person doesn’t believe your werewolf explanation, there will be problems. Promise me that if you can’t get him to agree, you will get him somewhere safe so that we can wipe his memory.”
“You wipe people’s memories?” Arisha felt her heart flip over. “Like…mine? Are you going to wipe me?”
“No, absolutely not.” Stephen shook his head. “You’re part of the team. TQB has many humans on-staff. The issue is confidentiality. You want to help us. Dedov wants to expose us.”
Arisha nodded.
“I’d like to go with her,” Stoyan said.
“I told you—” Arisha began, but he shook his head.
“Hear me out. These are two men who are sure you’re hiding something, and you said yourself that they’re absolute jerks. I know you got away from Gerard, but I don’t want to rely on any luck. They could slip something in your drink or hire some woman to lure you away or anything. If they’re sure you have some big secret and they want a payout, they’re not going to behave well.”
Arisha bit her lip and nodded.
“Just come back soon,” Stephen told them both. “We may need everyone we can get to head off Emeric’s plans.”
Both nodded and left for the Pod bay.
With every step, Arisha replayed her conversation with Dedov.
“Dedov.” She had felt a surge of adrenaline, mingled with a strange relief. Finally, this would come to a head. “Why are you calling?”
She did not mention that her cousin had told her of Dedov’s visit.
“I am so glad to hear you are well.” Dedov’s tone was unctuous. “We all feared for you.”
“Surely not.” Arisha tried to laugh it off. “I haven’t been gone very long. Viktor knew when I would be back.”
“Viktor says he hadn’t heard from you in days,” Dedov said, although his confidence had clearly been shaken by her rebuttal. “He sent me to look for you.”
“He must have missed the email. Anyway, I’m fine.” Arisha forced a smile, even knowing that he couldn’t see her. She had to project confidence.
“Arisha…I’m in Sofia.” Dedov’s voice was soft.
Her blood ran cold. “Why?”
“Tracking you.”
“Surely Viktor told you that I was in Spain.”
“He did.” Dedov’s voice took on a sly tone she didn’t like. “But I admit, I volunteered for this and went to Sofia for a slightly different purpose. You see, Arisha, I know about the shifters.”
She had to buy time to think up something good. “I think you cut out there. What did you say?”
“I know about the shifters,” Dedov said impatiently.
“What shifters?” It was hardly a Grade A deflection, but it would do. “What are you talking about? Shifting what?”
There was a long pause.
“The wolves,” Dedov said finally. “I know you’ve been researching wolves, and I know there were wolves near Sofia. Like from the old stories.”
He knew far, far too much, but she wasn’t about to give up. “Of course there are wolves,” Arisha said. “They’re all over. I think there’s some kind of government cover-up.” She cast about wildly for any sort of excuse. “I’ve been wondering if it’s something to do with Chernobyl. They’ve been spotted all over. Anyway, I wasn’t able to talk to many locals while I was in Sofia, but if you hear anything, let me know.”
There was a silence, and she could only hope she had persuaded him.
“Come see me,” Dedov had said. “Meet me in Sofia. We have a lot to talk about.”
“Dedov, I have to get back to Moscow. Especially if they think I’m missing.”
“Come to Sofia.” His voice was soft and persuasive. “I’ll make it worth your while. We can talk about what I’ve found out about the shifters.”
And that decided it. Because she had to persuade him he was wrong.
“Fine. I’ll change my flight. I’ll tell you when I’m there.”
Three hours later, she was ready. She had the plan. She had Stoyan with her.
She just had to persuade him.
Madrid, Spain
Julio Fraga whistled as he walked lightly down the stairs from his mistress’s apartment.
It had been a good evening. He had presented her with a diamond necklace, and she had been even more gracious and charming than she normally was. She always greeted him at the door in a beautiful dress, with an elegant dinner laid out and the house perfectly arranged.
His wife wasn’t a fan of the way Julio had taken to seeing Marisa since the payments started coming in. But they were rising in the world, and she had to understand that this was simply the way things would be now. After all, she hadn’t complained when he bought her diamond necklaces, and she was able to start taking private tennis lessons and visiting the clubs.
He got to have his fun, too. Of course, he had indulged. Who wouldn’t?
Then the real benefit of his office had begun. Payments arrived from all over, delivered over steak dinners from millionaires who murmured quietly that they would be so grateful if Julio would stop a regulation here, or look the other way there.
Of course, he had taken the bribes. Who wouldn’t?
Now he was living the life he had always dreamed, and not even a jealous wife could dim his mood.
Tomorrow, he would begin campaigning for re-election. He would triumphantly announce it during his interview, and he could not wait to see his poll numbers surge.
Julio smiled as he hailed his driver and slid into the back seat of the limousine. Everything was going exactly as it should.
19
Sofia, Bulgaria
It was a little after ten in the evening when Arisha pushed her way into the lobby of the hotel Sofia.
She saw Dedov at once, and it only took a moment to see the second player in the act. Another man, short and blonde, sat at a table close by. Her heart skittered uncomfortably. What was he there for? To listen? To stop her from leaving?
She was glad that Stoyan was at her side, no matter how worried she was for his safety.
They made their way to Dedov’s table and sat. Arisha was pleased to see a flicker of apprehension in his eyes at Stoyan’s height and build.
Good.
“So what’s going on?” Arisha hoped her look was one of pleasant confusion. “What were you saying on the phone?”
Dedov stared at her for a long moment. “Shifters,” he said finally
as if he thought this might be a trap. “Werewolves.”
Arisha stared at him with a look of—she hoped—confusion. She had to pretend that this didn’t make sense to her at all. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and looked at Stoyan before biting her lip and looking back at Dedov. She hunched her shoulders, as if uncertain, and gave a small smile.
“Are you…this is a joke, right?”
“There have been rumors around here recently,” Dedov insisted. “And I know you were looking at wolves.”
“I told you, I’ve been looking into a government cover-up.” Arisha leaned forward to whisper as if she were worried about being overheard. “If it is, this is dangerous, Dedov. There’s a reason I didn’t tell anyone about it. I thought…I thought I saw a wolf like that when I was little, that’s all. So when I see those stories, I think they might be true. But it’s not worth anyone getting hurt over.”
“And that’s what you’ve been hiding? With your trips?” Dedov looked around himself at the elegant lobby. “That can’t be all. This place is far nicer than you said it was.”
“Oh, come on.” Arisha lifted a shoulder. “Spain, they’re fine with me saying is all right. But they don’t want anyone to say the post-Soviet countries are doing well. You should realize that.”
“So there’s...” Dedov frowned. “There’s nothing?”
This was going to be easier than she had thought. Arisha smiled and leaned in close. “Look, I’ll let you in on a secret, okay?”
Dedov leaned forward eagerly.
“I’m going to be leaving the newspaper,” Arisha said. She reached out and put her hand over Stoyan’s looking at him with a smile. “I really liked the job. I got paid to travel around and stay in hotels. I got paid to go out to nightclubs and see how the drinks were! You have to write that it’s all terrible, but it really isn’t. I got vacations every couple of months. So when my job opens up, you should definitely apply for it.”
