The Romanov Ransom

49

Sam and Felix decided they’d make the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Berlin, where they’d meet up to wait for Leopold’s call. The moment he and Remi were alone in their car, Sam telephoned Rube. “We have a slight problem.”

“Any chance it involves an undercover Russian agent and a German crime boss?”

“I see you’ve been talking to Selma. What you might not know is that the Russians are working some inside operation to take Rolfe Wernher down. They’re willing to sacrifice Tatiana for the cause.”

Remi leaned over, talking into the phone. “She saved our lives more than once. We can’t let that happen.”

“I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” Rube said. “The Russians aren’t the only ones working to take this guy down. The Germans have had their sights on him for a long time. And we’ve got our hand in it as well. This guy is running these Wolf Guard members throughout Europe as his own personal henchmen.”

“We’ve run into a few… About Tatiana…?”

“That’s the thing. If we go barreling in there to rescue her, it’s likely to blow a few covers and endanger both German and U.S. operatives. So the Russian lives aren’t the only ones that’ll be at stake. They’re under orders to ignore all but the prime mission. Tatiana isn’t part of that.”

“And what’s this ‘prime mission’?” Sam asked.

“I can tell you this. It’s not just Rolfe Wernher. It’s also this Wolf Guard. There’s a whole hierarchy from this group who will gladly step in and take over his business. We’d like to take them out, too. But if these covers are blown, that’s not going to happen.”

“We can’t just leave her there. As Remi said, she saved our lives on more than one occasion.”

“I get it. I’d feel the same way. But if you weigh the lives of all the operatives in place versus the one… My hands are tied.”

“Is there anything you can tell us?”

“Depends,” Rube said. “Is there any way to stop you from going after her?”

“Not a chance.” He glanced at Remi and saw her give a nod of approval.

“It might be a bit, but I’ll get back to you.”

They were checked into their Berlin hotel by the time Rube called back. “Here’s what I have so far. The address to his villa and the code to his alarm. There’s a door leading from the garage that tunnels down beneath the garden, then up to the house. More than likely, that’s how he’ll get her in without being seen. Follow it to the left. Third floor.”

“We know for sure he took her there?”

“My contact says he definitely brought someone in not too long ago. And I also found out the reason for the midnight exchange tomorrow. He’s hosting a party for dignitaries earlier tomorrow evening at his villa. So I doubt anything’s going to happen before then. Do me a favor, though. Wait for your Russian FSB friends to go in after her.”

“We will. Calling them as soon as I hang up.”

Sam ducked down behind a parked car, then motioned Remi over. “There it is,” he said when she was at his side.

“It’s going to be hard to get to without being seen.”

He pulled his binoculars from his pack for a better look. The long narrow street allowed parking on the left side for the private residences, but no parking along the right, keeping the street and sidewalk in front of Rolfe’s villa clear. One advantage was that it was surrounded by a low stone wall topped with wrought iron railing, giving him a clear view in. The disadvantage was that it also gave a clear view of anyone walking along the sidewalk just outside the fence. Armed security guards stood near the wrought iron gate that opened to a circular drive at the front of the stately mansion. Even if they could get in through the main gate, there were guards roaming within, and the few trees on the vast expanse of lawn wouldn’t allow any cover.

Unfortunately, there was no access over the back wall, which was topped with shards of glass to keep out intruders. On their first drive past, Sam hadn’t seen any way they could get into the back without being noticed. The front wasn’t looking much better. The only possibility he could see was the service entrance farther down the street, where a boxwood hedge ran the length of a drive around to the back of the house. He handed the binoculars to Remi. “I think that’s our only chance to get in.”

“You’re not seriously thinking of going in now… are you?”

“No time like the present,” he said.

“What about Felix and Nika? They’re expecting us back.”

In fact, the two were sitting in a hotel room in downtown Berlin waiting for Sam and Remi to return with their preliminary findings on what they’d seen on the drive-by of the villa. “My feeling? Better to ask forgiveness than permission. If there is someone on the inside working against Tatiana, they’re going to be expecting us after midnight, since that’s the time we’ve planned. No one’s expecting us to come in right after dusk.”

“For very good reason,” she said, handing the binoculars back to him. “There’s no way we’re getting to that service entrance without being seen. Even the woman pushing that baby carriage is getting the once-over.”

He took another look, seeing the woman and carriage passing the main gate. The guards watched her for a few moments as she stopped to adjust something inside the carriage. When she moved on, their attention shifted back to their surroundings. “I have an idea,” he said.

By the time Sam and Remi returned to the street, the golden sunset was fading into the shadows of twilight, bringing with it a gentle wind that stirred and rattled the dry leaves in the gutter. The only other sound was the soft squeak of the blue baby carriage that Sam pushed as Remi walked alongside him, her arm linked through his. She leaned down to adjust the downy white blanket over Sam’s backpack. “Sleeping like an angel,” she said.

“If it starts crying, it’s because we paid way too much for this thing. Two hundred euros? It looks well used to me.”

“Imagine how much it would’ve been new,” she said. “It’s a top-of-the-line perambulator.”

“That’s what they call these things?” He lifted his hands from the handle momentarily.

She laughed. “You realize that if you push this like you’re allergic to the thing, no one’s going to believe we’re new parents.”

“If anything, those guards will empathize with my new position in life. Dirty diapers? Late-night feedings?”

“Obviously, you’re not ready for fatherhood yet.”

“I don’t see you lining up for maternal duties anytime soon — including pushing this carriage.”

“You look less threatening that way. Besides, there’s plenty of time, should we decide to go that route.”

He stole a glance at her, somewhat surprised. “I didn’t know you wanted kids.”

“Not at the moment. But people change.”

He tried to imagine Remi as a mother but couldn’t. At least not yet. “You’re not really…?”

“Quiet,” she said, looking into the carriage. “It took us this long to get him to sleep.”

He had to admit she played the part convincingly, and they settled into a relaxed pace as they neared the main gate. Just as they stepped into view of the guards, the wind gusted, lifting the blanket, exposing Sam’s pack, and, nestled next to it, Remi’s gun.

One look and they couldn’t miss seeing it.

Without missing a beat, Remi leaned over, speaking German to their pseudo-infant, gently patting it as she tucked the blanket safely around the pack and her gun. When she rose, she leaned her head into his shoulder, her smile so serene even he believed she was staring at her firstborn.

The guards barely spared them a glance as they passed by, and, before he knew it, they were rounding the bend toward the service entrance drive that led along the back of the house. The locked gate was framed on either side by stone walls, the one on the right sloping down to accommodate the wrought iron fence along the front of the villa. Sam pushed the carriage alongside the wall so it couldn’t be seen from the main guardhouse. The service gate itself was solid wood, no doubt to allow privacy toward the rear of the house. There was also a matching wooden door, also locked. A sign in red was posted on it. “And?” Sam asked.

“‘Deliveries by appointment only.’”

“Best news I’ve heard all day. That means they don’t regularly post someone here.”

“We hope.”

Sam peered through the space between the gate and the wall it was anchored to. “Looks empty.”

He knocked, just to be sure. When no one answered, he tried to open it, but it was locked. Nothing on this side indicated it was alarmed, and he made short work with the pick from his wallet, then drew his gun. “Get the baby. We’re going in.”