Page 36 of Smoke and Shadows

Marissa’s brow quirked up. “Ever?”

“You know,” Henderson said reflectively. “That man may truly be invincible.”

Kyle Yeager regardedhim through his reading glasses, giving the report at hand a purposeful flick of his wrist. Viktor informed the director of black ops that if he wanted to speak to Marissa, he’d have to come to AGS, because no way in hell was Viktor taking her to Langley in her condition.

“This report is troubling,” Yeager said. “It’s a clear and present danger. If Russian and North Korean elements manipulate the conflict in Syria, we have even bigger problems. You’re saying there’s a link to Operation Smokescreen and Shadowland?”

“Yes. That’s why they’re eliminating agents involved in both operations,” Viktor replied.

“Cole was not involved in Shadowland.”

“No. But she was in Smokescreen. Shadowland was a parallel op we were running that linked North Korea to the deployment of the chemical weapons in Syria,” Viktor said.

“Shadowland was the mission where we extracted Jiro Matsuda for cooperating with the CIA,” Yeager mused.

“He gave us Min Kwon, the head of the NKUF. Taking out Min crippled the organization.”

“Are you saying they’re in play again?”

“One of their men was involved in the McCord abduction. It appears they’re regrouping and planning something nefarious. I have reason to believe that Min Kwon’s son is the new leader.”

“Stuart Kwon is a respectable businessman on the board of Exetron Oil Company in Russia. He denounced his father’s involvement with NKUF when everything came to light.”

“Have you checked attachment C?” Viktor lifted his chin indicating the document that Yeager was holding.

“Petrech Labs—”

“—is a subsidiary owned by Kwon,” Viktor said. “It’s fronting as a manufacturer of petroleum additives, but my sources tell me that they manufacture chemical weapons.”

“You think they’re the source of Syria’s chem weapons?” Yeager asked.

The door to Viktor’s office opened without warning. If it were any other person, he would have chewed their head off. But when Marissa stepped through, Viktor could only stare and wish that she was alone with him right now. She was garbed in AGS-issued cargos and shirt, looking pale, bruised, and pissed, yet still undeniably beautiful and vulnerable.

“I heard you guys started the meeting without me.”

“We weren’t expecting you to be up,” Yeager said. “How are you, Cole?”

“Been better,” Marissa replied. “What did I miss?”

“Have a seat, Ms. Cole,” Viktor said sternly. Marissa was worse than the energizer bunny. He handed her his copy of the report Yeager was holding. As she perused the information, he and Yeager exchanged some small talk about theSenate Intelligence Committee and how they’d been curtailing funding for CIA clandestine missions.

Viktor waited for the blowup. It didn’t take long.

“Daliyah Shadid was the mastermind of the Smokescreen chemical weapons?” Marissa almost shrieked as she stood up from her chair, glaring at Viktor accusingly. “You knew all along Rafiq’s mother was guilty and you led me to believe you killed her in cold blood.”

“We had another op we were protecting.”

“From us? The agents who worked with you? Trusted you?” Marissa voice was agitated, and Viktor frowned when she swayed a bit.

“Sit down, Ms. Cole.”

“Stop micromanaging me, Baran. I’ll stand if I want to.” Her green eyes were spoiling for a fight. “Was this operation Shadowland? What does Daliyah have to do with Min Kwon?”

“It’s a clusterfuck of a soap opera,” Viktor muttered. “Take notes, I’m not repeating myself because I’m not certain I could get it straight in my fucking head a second time. Daliyah’s mother had an affair with Min. They were together for a while. Daliyah and her mother lived in North Korea for a couple years, until the affair ended. Min Kwon and Daliyah’s mother had a son.”

“Wait.” Marissa sat down. “Are you telling me that Daliyah is the half-sister of Stuart Kwon?”

“Bingo.”

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