The Backup Asset

…12

Myatlev had three of his bodyguards lined up in his home office. Ivan, who’d just returned from Moscow the night before, stood half a step closer to Myatlev than the other two, reflecting his status in Myatlev’s personal security detail.

“All right, Ivan, here’s what we’re going to do. I’ll meet with President Abramovich in the next few days. I’ll call his office and get an appointment. But we have to be prepared for anything.”

“Sir?” Ivan seemed confused.

“Our friend Abramovich has a reputation for impulsiveness and for destroying people. You’ll have to protect me, Ivan.”

“Inside the Kremlin? Bozhe moi … ”

The other two bodyguards shifted their weight from one foot to another, probably feeling uneasy at the thought of entering the Kremlin with guns in their hands.

Myatlev looked Ivan in his eyes. “Yes, inside the Kremlin.”

“But… How?”

“You’ll form three teams of four men each, all Spetsnaz, all strong and gutsy, in full tactical gear, armed with silenced MP5s. Pay them well, and then pay them some more. You, three others, and I will take the limo, the armored Bentley. The other two teams will take the G-Wagens.”

“But how do we enter the Kremlin armed like that?”

“You won’t. If you do, it will look like we’re there to overthrow Abramovich.”

“Huh?”

“You won’t enter the Kremlin unless it’s strictly necessary.”

“I… I don’t think I understand, Vitaliy Kirillovich.”

“I’ll be wearing that,” Myatlev said, pointing at a new Breitling watch still sitting in its opened box. The yellow packaging resembled more of a toolkit than a watch case, and had Breitling Emergency Night Mission II branded on the lid and on the black shock-absorbing interior lining. The Breitling was a serious downgrade from Myatlev’s half-a-million dollar Patek Philippe, but it came with serious advantages.

“And you’ll be carrying this,” Myatlev continued, handing Ivan a small device. “This watch has an emergency beacon built in. If I get in trouble, I’ll press the button and you and your Spetsnaz will barge in and get me.”

“And I’ll see it on this?” Ivan gestured at the locator.

“Yes, yes. If I press the button, you’ll see where I am. It works by satellite, just like GPS.”

“Oh, good.”

“But you have to move fast, Ivan. The moment you see the beacon, you storm the Kremlin, understood?”

“Y — yes.”

“You’ll be waiting outside, the Bentley in front of the entrance, and the G-Wagens around the corner, and wait for my signal. Are we clear?”

“Y — yes,” Ivan replied, still hesitant.

“What’s the problem?” Myatlev asked, impatiently. After all, it wasn’t so damn hard.

“Are you saying you want us to shoot our way inside the Kremlin to get you out?”

“In case the beacon goes off, yes. Bring lots of ammo. Do you have a problem with that?”

“No, Vitaliy Kirillovich. Just making sure that’s what you want. You can count on me.”

“Good. You have seven days to get everything ready. Then we go to Moscow.”