Page 154 of Secret Weapon

49

NINE

Ana showed me her phone screen.

Emmy: All hands on deck.The Long Beach PD decided to join the festivities, and Ilya got away in a RIB with two men and Hallie.We’re tracking her, and they’re heading south.Where are you?

Ana: South.Can’t talk right now.

Ilya had escaped?On a boat?Realisation dawned.The horrible truth.He was heading south, and because Ilya was Ilya, he undoubtedly had a plan.Did that plan involve a rendezvous with theBalestra M?

“Pizdets,” Ana muttered.

“He’s coming to meet theBalestra.”

“Da.”

Emmy: How far south?Need to intercept him when he comes ashore.We’re following, but he’s got a head start.

Ana: He’s not coming ashore.He’s coming to Stepanov’s boat, and we’re on board.

Emmy: Fuck.

Ana: Track us and provide an ETA.We’ll need a pickup.Does he have the weapon?

Emmy: We have the weapon.

Well, that was one small mercy.We still had to face one highly trained assassin and two others of questionable quality, but at least we wouldn’t get boiled alive in our own skin.

Ana: Loslov also here.How many pieces do you want them in?

Emmy: Wait one minute…

“It had better be one minute,” I muttered.“Time is a luxury we no longer have.”

“Let’s do a weapons check.”

Ana had gone for stopping power with a Glock 20, while I’d opted for stealth with a suppressed Ruger Mark IV Tactical.Between us, we had three knives, a variety of syrettes filled with sedatives and fast-acting poisons, a garrotte, flex-cuffs, a Kobotan, pepper spray disguised as a lipstick, two-way comms units, and a stun gun.Which of those items we used would depend on Emmy’s answer.

Which did indeed arrive within a minute.

Emmy: No pieces would be preferable.

Message received, loud and clear.

“What about the staff?”Ana asked.

In the old days, that wouldn’t even have been a question.General Zacharov’s approach in this situation would have been scorched earth, not surgical removal.But I was playing for a different team now, so we had to give the matter due consideration.

“We could dump them into a life raft.”

“Yes, if they’re not involved in the shady side of Stepanov’s business.”Did he have an un-shady side?“But the captain has a gun.How many yacht captains carry guns?”

“We’re in America,” I pointed out.“Everyone carries a gun.”

“TheBalestra Mis flagged in the Cayman Islands, and the captain is likely to be Russian.Stepanov wouldn’t trust an American.”

This was true.“So we drug them, and when we have breathing space, we can make a better assessment.”

---