Target Omega

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

The summer heat and humidity of Washington, D.C., weren’t as oppressive as the residents made them out to be, thought Taras Bor. Still, a nation as great as the United States could’ve selected a more temperate location for its capital city. No matter. His assignment was drawing to a close and he would be gone soon.

Nearly everything was in place. There were just a couple of loose ends to take care of, and he was on his way to taking care of them, the Beltway traffic being his only real impediment.

It seemed the only loose end Bor wouldn’t be able to eliminate was Michael Garin. From the very outset, Bor suspected that might be the case. He knew Garin to be smart and tough. Over the last few days he had also proved resilient.

It had been a mistake to delegate Garin’s elimination to the Iranians. But that had been Moscow’s call. The Iranians took offense at any slights, real or imagined, no matter how small. Giving them the task of taking out Garin was designed to keep them happy. Bad move. They were horribly overmatched.

Fortunately, the Iranians’ failure proved unimportant. It hadn’t been necessary to kill Garin. He was on the run, discredited. Even if he had seen anything of consequence in that tunnel in Pakistan, no one would believe him now. Besides, Bor had bought himself an insurance policy against Garin. Something to freeze him in place should he get too close. He wouldn’t be a problem. He would be no problem at all.