The Backup Asset

…23

Alex came out of the shower wrapped in a huge towel and headed for the living room. She turned on the TV, then walked toward the bedroom to get her hair dryer. Absentminded, she almost missed the announcement on the news, yet somehow the familiar name caught her attention.

“… Minister Dimitrov’s reinstatement comes as a surprise to the international community. Analysts had initially believed that his departure from Russia’s Ministry of Defense last November had been a disguised ousting, considering Dimitrov’s moderation and President Abramovich’s belligerence,” the TV announcer stated.

“What?” Alex exclaimed, rushing toward the coffee table and grabbing the remote. She was able to rewind the newscast and watch it all from the beginning, word for word.

She sat on the couch, not minding the dripping water from her soaked hair. What did that mean? She’d always thought that Abramovich had removed Dimitrov, or maybe even imprisoned or killed him, for having failed the most daring mission in the history of black ops.

How was Dimitrov’s reinstatement going to play out? What did it mean to the already tensioned relations between Russia and the United States? What value did it bring to Abramovich’s plans? What did it mean for her chances to find X?

She went into the blue bedroom and grabbed a new Post-it note. She wrote Dimitrov’s name on it in green marker and hesitated a little before placing it on the corkboard. Where did it belong? Definitely at the top somewhere… She made her decision and placed the Post-it right next to the one marked “X.”