Private Beijing

Chapter 102

Erin went into what must once have been the manager’s office and shut the door to give herself privacy as she made some calls.

West and I returned Alekseyev to the back of the Transporter and he looked at me with defiance as I set him down on his side.

“Keep looking at me like that and I’ll get Feodor in here. He took an armful of lead from your goons. I’m sure he’d like to share his pain with you.”

Alekseyev turned away. I checked his gag wouldn’t stop him breathing, climbed out of the truck, and slammed the doors shut.

“It’s a bold move,” West remarked as we walked round to the front of the Transporter. “Kidnapping the director of the SVR.”

“Helping him defect,” I countered.

“Yeah,” West scoffed. “He’s defecting.”

Feo and Dinara were chatting quietly in Russian when we joined them.

“I heard what you said to him,” Feo told me. “And I would very much like some time alone with the director.”

“Not going to happen,” I replied. “You need to go to hospital. Get yourself some proper medical attention. Promise me you’ll take him,” I said to Dinara.

“I promise. We would have left already if he wasn’t so stubborn,” she replied.

“I don’t trust these American Marines if there’s trouble,” rumbled Feo. “They don’t look very robust.” He stared at West, who wasn’t amused. “No offence meant.”

“Plenty taken,” West said. “But I’m going to let it slide because I’m sure it’s just the morphine talking. I’m feeling quite hazy myself.”

“You had morphine? Huh. I had no painkillers, American,” Feo responded. “Just antiseptic. I wanted to be sharp.”

West looked confused, unable to tell if Feo was joking or not. I wasn’t totally sure either, but it wouldn’t have surprised me if it were true. I had experienced Feo’s unbelievable toughness before.

Erin Sebold emerged from the musty office and joined us.

“I take it you want to deliver the defector in person?” she asked me.

I nodded. “I’ll need a ride home.”

“Well, you’ve got your work cut out. The Kremlin is in uproar. My sources tell me they found quite a scene at the military base up north in Boltino. They don’t have our satellite capabilities, but their human intelligence is good. They’ll track you to Moscow soon, if they haven’t already done so.”

She moved toward an SUV.

“I’ve arranged for one of our company jets to be waiting for you at Vnukovo Airport. Master Gunnery Sergeant West knows the way there,” Erin said. “Do you feel up to running Mr. Morgan to the airport?”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said.

“If you hit trouble, I want you to head for Kuzminki Park. I can’t guarantee anything, but I’m trying to set up a little surprise for anyone who causes any problems.”

She climbed into the largest SUV as her security team got ready for departure. “We need to go now. Good luck, gentlemen.”

“Thank you,” I said. “For everything.”

“You don’t ever need to thank me, Mr. Morgan. You pull this off and the country will owe you an even greater debt of gratitude.”

She shut herself in the SUV. The Marine nearest the bakery doors opened them and Erin’s convoy streamed out. The man by the doors jumped in the last vehicle, which sped away on the tail of the others.

“We’re coming with you,” Feo said, when they were out of sight.

I walked over to the huge Russian.

“No. This is where we say goodbye. Get the medical care you need. Lay low till Alekseyev is Stateside and his power over Russian Intelligence is well and truly ended.”

“I—” Feo began, but I cut him off.

“You’ve done enough, Feodor Arapov. More than enough. Look after him, Dinara.”

“I will, Jack.”

“Thank you for saving us,” Feo said. “Both of you.”

“Alekseyev would have killed us once he had what he wanted,” Dinara added. “We owe you our lives.”

I am never comfortable receiving thanks for what I’ve done. I always hope if I wasn’t around, someone else would be standing in my place.

“We look out for each other,” I replied. “That’s what we do.”

“You be careful,” Dinara said. “Both of you.”

I nodded and followed West into the Transporter.

“You ready?” he asked as he started the engine.

“Let’s do this,” I replied, and we rolled out.