Page 107 of Lethal Game

"Your father would have been proud," Patrick said, lifting his glass. "We should drink to your dad. Hopefully, his soul is at peace now."

He raised his glass. "To my father," he echoed, clinking glasses with both of them. "So, I'm sure you've both heard Arseni Novikov was shot in an office building across from the mall where he and my former partner Stephanie Genaro were going to watch their deadly fireworks show. Novikov was shot twice, once in the head and once in the heart. Stephanie was left tied to a chair. She'll be going to prison."

"Did she set up that ambush three years ago that took your dad's life?" Patrick asked.

It wasn't an unexpected question, but one he thought Patrick already knew the answer to. "Yes," he said. "And she's the one who shot and killed my father at Novikov's order. The only reason she was hurt was because my father got off a shot before he died. One of Novikov's men removed their guns before we arrived so that Stephanie would look innocent."

"But they left her bleeding on the floor," Patrick commented. "That was cold."

"Novikov never cared who he hurt," Mick interjected.

"Stephanie is also the one who sent the shooter to the park a few days ago, Patrick. You were the target, not me. She was afraid you were going to put doubts in my head about her. I didn't realize you thought she was the mole."

"I had a bad feeling about her, but I could never prove anything," Patrick said. "She seemed to feel the same way about me, spreading gossip that made my job more difficult. I got tired of the sideways looks, so I retired. I must admit I'm surprised she thought she needed to kill me now."

"She wanted me to believe she was helping me so she could keep an eye on the investigation and report back to Novikov. I'm sure that's why she gave me a lead to Ilyin that didn't pan out. It was legit, so I trusted her, but it got me nowhere. It was a win-win for her."

"Makes sense," Patrick said.

"Well, at least the era of Novikov is over," Mick said. "One of the most wanted terrorists in the world is dead, and several of his associates are either dead or on their way to prison. You've done well, Jason. I'm glad I gave you the tip."

"Like I said before, I didn't do anything on my own, and I didn't kill Novikov."

"Then who did?" Mick asked, his gaze questioning.

"Stephanie said there were two men, both wearing black, their faces fully covered by ski masks and dark glasses. According to my team, security cameras in the office building went offline probably minutes before Novikov was shot. There were no prints left at the scene, and no evidence leading to the two masked shooters. They were pros."

Mick shrugged, his expression unreadable. "Does anyone care who did it? I know I don't."

"I don't, either," Patrick said. "If I knew who they were, I'd congratulate them on a job well done."

"Exactly," Mick said.

"We also haven't found out who killed Dominic Ilyin yet, either," he added, watching Mick's face closely. "We don't know who was driving the van that kidnapped him or who killed him. They beat him up before they took him out, so it seems like his last minutes were painful."

Mick didn't flinch. "Dominic Ilyin tortured many people in his life, Jason. He was also responsible for multiple assassinations in Europe. It's good that he's dead. I'm just glad I found him before he expired. I was able to get the information you needed to find Alisa and her father."

"I'm puzzled at how both of you seemed to be nearby when Dominic was taken and then when he was found. Were you working together?"

"Work together?" Patrick echoed with a laugh that was a little too pronounced. "No. I don't work with spooks, no offense, Mick."

"None taken," Mick said easily. "I don’t much like working with the feds, either, but sometimes it's necessary."

"That's true. Sometimes it is necessary," Patrick agreed.

"So, hypothetically speaking, if the FBI were to keep digging into Novikov's murder and Stephanie's capture, do you think they'd find anything?"

"You would know that better than us," Mick said. "I work for the CIA. I like to help when I can, but I'm not one of you."

"And I'm retired," Patrick said with a shrug. "I'm out of the loop, Jason."

"I just thought with all your experience, you each might have an opinion."

"I don't think they'll ever be caught," Patrick said, a small smile playing around his lips. "In my opinion."

"And you, Mick?"

"In order to find Novikov and Stephanie Genaro, those two men must have been very smart, very strategic. I doubt they would have left a clue behind. They did what they intended to do, and that's it."

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