Razor

by Heather Slade

  “Stop this,” he said, moving her hands away from her face. He stood, pulling her up with him.

  “I thought you would’ve unpacked. That’s all. The clothes we bought are yours.”

  “I can’t keep them. I don’t want them.”

  Razor was about to ask why when he heard the front door open.

  “Go away,” he shouted.

  “Raze?” said Gunner. “Where are you?”

  He and Monk came around the corner. Gunner looked down at the suitcase lying open in the doorway of the bedroom, and then looked between Razor and Ava.

  “I thought she was staying here.”

  “She is,” he answered. “We need a minute.”

  Razor watched both men back away. “Better yet, you can leave, and I’ll call you in a few.”

  “Roger that,” said Gunner, waving behind him and motioning for Monk to follow.

  Ava was back down on her knees, rummaging through the suitcase, pulling out everything that he’d bought the day before, folding it, and putting it in a pile.

  “Most of it still has the tags on.”

  “Leave it, Ava.” He took her arm and helped her to her feet a second time. “Come with me.”

  He led her out to the main room of the house and sat down on the sofa, pulling her down next to him.

  “Let’s talk about this.”

  She nodded, but looked out the windows at the sky.

  “Please, Ava,” he said, and she turned to him.

  “Okay.”

  “I crossed a line that I shouldn’t have, and I—”

  “Don’t. I don’t need to hear that you regret having sex with me. I heard you the first time.” Her cheeks flushed a bright red, and she looked back out the window.

  “That isn’t what I meant.”

  “Whatever you regret about me, Razor, is something I don’t need to hear. I hate that I am so dependent on you right now. I hate having to be dependent on anyone. I feel horrible about this whole situation and what a burden I am, but…but…shit.” She wiped at her tears. “I don’t want to fucking cry. This is already the most humiliating day of my life.”

  She stood and walked over to the window. “Can you call Gunner or whoever, and just ask them to come and get me?”

  He walked over and stood next to her. “I didn’t mean I regretted having sex with you, Ava. Not at all. I know everything I said this morning made you feel uncomfortable. That’s what I regret.”

  Razor’s phone buzzed, but he ignored it. Seconds later, he heard someone pound on the front door right before Gunner came bursting in, followed again my Monk.

  “What the fuck—”

  “There’s a situation,” said Gunner.

  Razor put his hand on his gun, waiting for his teammate to continue.

  “Not here,” he said and motioned to Monk. “Ava, I need to talk to Razor.”

  She nodded and looked over at Monk warily. Razor hated leaving in the middle of their conversation, but Gunner wouldn’t have burst in the way he had if something wasn’t urgent.

  “I’ll be right back,” he said to her before following Gunner downstairs.

  “Just heard from Doc. We’ve lost contact with the sister and their two friends.”

  “What?”

  “You heard me. There’s more, Petrov has ghosted as well.”

  “Who’s on the three women?”

  Gunner rattled off a couple of names Razor didn’t recognize. “Agency?”

  “Not exactly.”

  “Contractors?”

  Gunner nodded.

  “Where the hell is Striker?”

  “On his way to Seattle.”

  Razor ran his hand through his hair, knowing that Gunner was telling him everything he knew, but wanting to pull more information out of him by the throat.

  “Trackers?”

  “As I said, we’ve lost contact.”

  “What the fuck?” Razor paced from one side of his office to the other. The Gunner standing in front of him looked like the man he’d known more than half his life, but he sure as hell didn’t sound like him.

  “Wait a minute. Seattle? I thought they were in San Francisco. Gunner, what aren’t you saying?”

  This conversation and the one he’d just had with Ava—if anyone could call it a conversation—were so far out of left field, he wondered if this was just a long, strange-ass dream.

  “I should’ve acted sooner.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “I received intelligence I didn’t believe was credible.”

  “Goddammit, Gunner. Quit making me ask questions.”

  “There’s chatter about Petrov. We aren’t the only ones who want to bring him down.”

  “Who else?”

  “The Armenians.”

  That made sense. Petrov was Azerbaijani, and there was no greater enemy to his people. Tensions had escalated in the early part of this century when it was reported that a prominent Azerbaijan politician met with a municipal delegation from Bavaria, Germany, and stated that their goal was complete elimination of Armenians is the same way the Nazis had eliminated the Jews. Naturally, the German delegation had called for the immediate removal of the politician from their meeting; however, the message communicated couldn’t have been more clear.

  “You think the Armenians may have taken the three women?”

  Gunner nodded. “The source, it appears, is more credible than I initially believed.”

  “Who’s the source?”

  “Raketa Ivashov.”

  “I understand why you questioned her report. What is her involvement?”

  “What is her stated involvement?”

  Razor nodded.

  “She owed us one.”

  Gunner had saved the life of one of United Russia’s most lethal agents a few months back, on one of K19’s most complicated missions—the same one during which Gunner had been forced to take down Lena when she’d threatened to kill Doc.

  “Does she know their intent?”

  “She believes they intended to snatch Ava, but got the wrong twin.”

  Fuck. “Does she know where the Armenians are taking them?”

  “Yes, she says she does. That’s why Striker is headed to Seattle.”

  “Where is she now, Gunner?”

  “Also on her way to Washington.”

  “Working with?”

  “She’s a free agent, and yeah, she wants to work with us.”

  Razor took a seat, and processed through everything Gunner had just told him.

  Russian agents, particularly those working directly for United Russia, didn’t become “free agents.” They defected. Razor could count the ones who had successfully ended their relationship with UR on one hand, and those were dropping like flies, regardless which country gave them asylum.

  Inviting Ivashov to team up on this mission meant that the K19 team would end up on the wrong side of United Russia, and so would the CIA, not that they gave a shit.

  “We can’t make this decision on our own.”

  Gunner nodded.

  “How much does Doc know about Raketa’s involvement?”

  “Nothing.”

  “Before we call him, tell me this, does Raketa have intel on the guys Striker assigned?”

  “Sure does.”

  “And Petrov? Does she know where he’s holed up?”

  “Negative on Petrov.”

  “Hey, Doc. Any update?” Razor asked when his teammate answered his call.

  “Nothing concrete.”

  “Gunner received intel we want to discuss with you. I’m going to put the call on speaker.”

  “Roger that. I’ll bring Merrigan in as well.”

  “Hey, guys,” she said. “What’s happening?”

  “As I told Doc, Gunner has received intel that he wasn’t certain was credible.”

  Gunner proceeded to reiterate most of what he’d told Razor.

  “I have to admit, I’d heard chatter that Raketa wanted out. Not a
n easy feat, given who she works for,” said Merrigan.

  “Not many live to tell the tale,” added Razor.

  “Why does she want out?” Doc asked both them and his wife.

  “I can’t answer that,” said Gunner. “All I know is that she said she owed us one and wants to meet.”

  “It means opening ourselves up to a shit-ton of trouble.”

  “I know, Doc.”

  “But? Come on, Gunner. Give me something to work with here.”

  “Raketa believes an Armenian faction abducted Aine and the two girls, but not intentionally. The intel indicates they meant to grab Ava.”

  “What else?”

  “They’re being transported to Seattle.”

  “And then where?”

  It wouldn’t take a genius to figure out the Armenians intended to transport the girls over the border into Canada. Given they had the “wrong twin,” K19 might have time to prevent them from leaving the country.

  “Do you trust her?” asked Doc.

  Razor understood Doc’s question. It was something they all had to consider. Was Ivashov setting a trap for K19? Was UR in on the search for Petrov?

  “Let’s talk about Petrov for a minute. When’s the last time he was spotted?” asked Merrigan.

  “The wedding,” answered Gunner. “He got on a plane, allegedly, and no one’s seen or heard anything from him since.”

  “With both his daughters avoiding contact with him, there’d be no one to report anything different,” said Doc.

  “Except he never got off the flight. I doubt he was on it in the first place.”

  That meant he could still be in California. The idea made Razor’s skin crawl. At least both of his daughters were no longer there. However, he could very well have been on their tails. The only thing Petrov couldn’t know, was where either had traveled once they boarded K19’s aircraft.

  “Let’s get back to Ivashov,” said Doc.

  “At the minimum, Gunner needs to meet with her. In the meantime, I’ll follow up with MI6 to see if they’ve received further intel on her possible defection.”

  “Thanks, Fatale,” said Razor.

  “What’s next, Gunner?”

  “The plane is at Wakonda now. The only question is who goes?”

  “Razor?” asked Doc.

  He’d never been so torn about an assignment. He wanted to get on that plane with Gunner just as much as he wanted to stay here with Ava. If Raketa’s intel was correct, the Armenians had already realized they had the wrong twin, and would soon be on the hunt for the right one.

  It wasn’t just the Armenians Razor was worried about. Between her and her former boyfriend, Ava could bring her father’s entire organization down, even though she had no idea that’s what she’d be doing.

  His original assignment had been to keep her safe until she could testify. Sure, it had become much more than that to Razor, but that wasn’t part of this conversation.

  Even if they were able to find Petrov and neutralize him, which in Razor’s mind meant assassination, Ava’s safety wouldn’t be guaranteed until they took his entire organization and the Armenians down.

  “Send Monk, and whoever else we can mobilize.”

  “Onyx and Alegria are already here with the plane, obviously. Add me and Monk,” said Gunner. “Who else?”

  “I just received word that Striker and Dutch are both on their way,” answered Doc.

  Dutch Miller was one of the absolute best operatives employed by the agency. If Razor had a personal short list of who would join K19’s team, Dutch would be at the top. Knowing he was with Striker, made Razor’s decision even easier.

  “I’ll work on getting backup for you, Raze,” Doc added. “I think it would be best for Gunner to head out and leave Monk behind for the time being.”

  “Roger that.”

  The only question that remained to be answered in the short term was what and how much he should tell Ava. He didn’t need to ask the other three people in the conversation their opinions. Razor knew they’d say she didn’t need to know any of it.

  There was one thing Razor knew that they didn’t, however. Ava had the means to contact Aine. If she did, which he expected she had already tried, how long would it be before she panicked about her sister not answering?

  “Is that it for now, gentlemen?” asked Doc.

  Both men answered in the affirmative and disconnected the call.

  “Can I ask you something?” Razor said to Gunner.

  “How much to tell her?”

  Razor nodded. “There’s more, though.”

  Gunner raised an eyebrow.

  “How much did you tell Barbie?”

  “That I shouldn’t have?”

  Razor nodded.

  “Enough that I feel responsible for her death.”

  14

  Ava was standing in front of the window, watching the whales, when Razor and Gunner came back upstairs. She hadn’t said a single word to Monk, and vice versa. Now, she understood where he’d gotten the name. If what Gunner had alluded to was true, and she would be staying here, she hoped Monk wasn’t the one to stay with her. But who else was there? Razor had already said that the man would be replacing him indefinitely.

  “Be in touch,” Gunner said to Razor as he walked out the front door.

  She turned around and looked into Razor’s eyes as he strode toward her. Was this it? Would they say goodbye, never to see each other again? God, the idea hurt more than Ava ever would’ve dreamed possible. She bit her tongue as hard as she could, trying to keep herself from crying in front of him again.

  “Have a seat,” Razor said to her with a look on his face she’d never seen before.

  “I’d rather stand.”

  “Sit, Ava,” he barked and then turned to Monk. “Clear out, but don’t go far.”

  “Yes, sir,” were the first two words Ava heard him say since yesterday. Having to stay here with him was going to be hell, but at least she could call her sister.

  “The situation Gunner alluded to when he stormed in here is serious, Ava. Very serious.”

  “What’s happened?”

  Razor took a deep breath, and Ava saw the same conflict etched on his face that she’d seen every other time she’d asked a question he didn’t want to answer.

  “When I came to the airport and asked you not to leave, I told you that the case against Dash Finnegan is more complex than anyone has led you to believe.”

  “I remember,” she whispered, wishing she could stop him from saying another word. Whatever he was about to tell her, she sensed was something she didn’t want to know.

  “There are people who would like to stop you from testifying, which is why K19, me specifically, was given the assignment to protect you.”

  Ava nodded.

  “There is someone very close to your family who Dash works for.”

  She had no idea who Razor could possibly be talking about. He must not realize that, outside of her parents, there wasn’t anyone close to her family. It had always been that way. Ava and Aine had never met anyone who worked for her father, and her parents hadn’t ever socialized. Whether her father did after their divorce, Ava would have no way of knowing.

  “The K19 team has identified the individual, and are currently searching for him in order to turn him in to the appropriate authorities.”

  Ava folded her hands in her lap, digging her fingernails into her flesh. Here it comes, she thought.

  “We aren’t the only people looking for him. There is another…team…who wants to find him before we do, and maybe even more than we do. That same group would be very interested in knowing what you know. Do you understand what I mean?”

  Ava closed her eyes and nodded again. “What are you trying to tell me? Please, just say it.”

  “We believe that group has abducted Aine and, with her, Penelope and Tara.”

  The sound that came roaring from her own chest didn’t sound human to Ava. She felt Tabon’s arms aroun
d her as he rocked her back and forth while what her brain could only identify as shrieks of anguish tore their way out of her body.

  “I tried to call. She didn’t answer,” she sobbed.

  This was her fault. If she hadn’t gone looking for Dash that night, none of this would be happening.

  “Oh my God—they wanted me, didn’t they? They didn’t want Aine.”

  “There is intel to suggest that is true.”

  “Give me to them, and make them let Aine go. Pen and Tara too. Just give me to them,” she cried.

  “Shh,” Tabon repeated, holding her while she cried.

  Finally, she pulled away from him. “You don’t understand, Tabon. I can’t live without Aine.”

  “And she can’t live without you.”

  “I don’t fucking care. Aren’t you listening to me? Give me to them.”

  “That won’t save your sister or your friends. All that will accomplish is they’ll have all four of you. That’s it, Ava. Martyring yourself will do nothing.”

  She forced herself to take several deep breaths. Once Tabon left, she’d figured it out on her own. Maybe she could talk to Dash’s lawyer, and he could deliver a message telling whoever had her sister that she wouldn’t testify as long as they let her sister go.

  “When are you leaving?” she asked.

  “I’m not.”

  “Why not? You have to find her.”

  “I’m needed more here.”

  “For me? You’ve got to be kidding. I don’t matter. Aine is all that matters. You have to find her.”

  “I’m not leaving, Ava.”

  —:—

  She tore herself away from him and stalked to the window. “I don’t matter,” she said again, making him want to tear his heart out of his chest.

  “If you won’t look for her, I’ll do what I should’ve done in the first place.”

  “What is that, Ava?”

  “Call my father, and then call the police.”

  Razor scrubbed his face with his hand. “I can’t let you do that.”

  “As I said—”

  “I’m serious, Ava. You can’t.”

  “Like I’m not serious? Jesus, Razor, somebody has my sister. My sister! Do you even have a sister?”

  Her eyes filled with tears, and as much as he wanted to put his arms around her and tell her it would be okay, he knew she wouldn’t allow him to.