Page 60 of Fear and Desire

They met their contact in a small hotel bar. There had been rumors for years, the contact told them, of a very rich man who had a large house across the border in Russia. He was reported to live above the local laws, and the government officials who dealt with him whispered about the women brought to their beds at night as thanks.

Women who were not from Russia.

“Can your guides take us there?” Dan held his breath.

“Ja,” the man assured him.

“What about these?” Dan handed him a list of supplies.

“Ja. The list is no problem. It will be here this afternoon. The guides will be here tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow? We’re kind of running short on time. If you need something to help them show up faster…” Dan let the bribe hang in the air.

“You think these men sit around all day and wait for Americans to show up and wave their money around? They have jobs. Families. And some of them are out thereguiding.” He waved in the general direction of the border.

Once more, Dan reined in his frustration and sent a mental message to Laura.Hang on, honey. I’m coming.

Thesmallarmsandother supplies arrived that afternoon; the trucks and drivers were waiting the next morning as promised. There was another problem, though. A guard from the Latvian side of the border in the town had been kidnapped. The Latvians blamed the Russians. The Russians said they didn’t have him, but if they did have him, he was probably a spy. Tensions were very high and there were extra patrols on both sides. The team would have to detour south to get across, adding hours to the journey.

At least they were on their way.

Any other time, this trip would have been pleasant. The area was green and rolling, alternating with heavy woods; the people were friendly, and the food looked amazing. But ten Americans descending on a restaurant wouldn’t look like a typical tourist group, so they ate the sandwiches their contact had supplied, instead of stopping.

Travel was agonizingly slow. Twice they were caught behind lumbering cargo trucks, and could do nothing but decrease their speed and stay behind. The roads were too narrow, the trucks too wide, and the oncoming traffic too fast to move around.

Dan’s experience with the Agency had been mostly in the US, but Anders had years of in-country covert ops experience. He cautioned Dan that it might take another day or two to get there. Dan fought down his anxiety. He told Anders why it was so important to get there as soon as possible, and the older man just stared at him.

“Well, day-am. That was probably a stupid decision, but definitely a ballsy one. All right, we push hard. But we aren’t going over those hills tonight in the dark, I can tell you that. We’d have to travel with our headlights off, and that’s suicide. Not to mention highly suspicious.”

Dan nodded.Patience. She’s strong.He hoped he hadn’t made a reckless decision that would probably give her a death sentence.

Theyspentthenightnear the border town of Zilupe. The next day, they slipped through the dense woods and over the border with surprising ease, stopping only to remove the Latvian license plates and replace them with Russian ones. Now dressed in local clothing, and with various levels of unshaven faces, they would resemble any group of workers if anyone had cared to give them a second look.

This was unfriendly territory, though, and they had no permission to be there. If they disappeared, no one would make an official protest. Because of that, they were all armed to the teeth, prepared to fight their way out of a situation that probably wouldn’t end well, no matter how they approached it.

The detour south on the Latvian side, and then back north on the Russian side, went without incident. They arrived at a safe house outside Tuzherino, just a few kilometers from DeLeo’s estate, right before sundown. They’d do reconnaissance early tomorrow morning, then figure out a plan from there.

Being so near to Laura was torture, and Dan tossed and turned all night long.

35

Laura:

Bynow,Laurahadbeen without water for almost four days, the longest someone could survive. This was the day it had to end for her, and she was resigned. When Kamlai came to help her wash, Laura could not assist her at all. She lay on the pallet, begging Kamlai with her cracked and split lips to let her drink some of the soapy water from the bucket. But the two guards ensured Kamlai’s obedience, and Laura was too weak to even try to reach for it. The guards sat her up as Kamlai pulled the dress over her head and supported most of her weight as they moved down the hall. She couldn’t remember where she was going, or why.

Once she was in the office, she tried to focus on the large man in front of her. His words bounced around in her mind, but she’d forgotten what he said by the time he finished saying it, so she just stared out the windows at the pretty flowers, and ignored him.

“Laura,” he said. He was right in front of her. When did he stand up? “Laura, are you thirsty?”

She couldn’t focus on his eyes, so she looked over his shoulder at the flowers again, and nodded.

“Hungry, too?”

“Please, can I have something to drink?” It came out as nothing more than a whisper, her thick tongue making the words almost unintelligible.

“All you have to do is kneel here and tell me I’m your Master now.”

Whatever he’d said, she would agree to. She nodded. The guards let go of her arms and she managed not to fall. She used the edge of his desk to lower herself to her knees. And then she waited.

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