Page 83 of Fire and Ice

Jack frowned. That was Maia's evasive tone. He could always call her on her bullshit. He heard clothes rustling and drawers slamming like she was rushing to go somewhere, not winding down for the night.

"Why?"

"Jack, not now. I have to be somewhere."

There it was.

"Where are you going?" Jack asked, his voice rising with each word. Derek sat on alert beside him.

"I'm going to be late. Follow me on surveillance if you have to, but do not delay me any further."

The line went dead.

"Damn you, Maia," Jack cursed as he shoved the phone into his back pocket.

"She just left her room," Derek said. The surveillance van was very crowded with five people crammed in it. Two guys from AGS were taking over duties for the night and through the morning. They all watched Maia get into an elevator and punch the button for the basement garage.

"Where the hell is she going?" Jack asked no one in particular. He whipped out his phone and hit the button to call her. It went directly to voicemail.

One of the guys had already brought up the cameras to the basement and the area directly in front of the elevator. A black van similar to their surveillance one was parked waiting for her.

"It's one of our comm vans, she's fine," their AGS replacement said.

"The fuck she's fine. Why would she get into one?"

The two new guys looked at each other knowingly and said nothing. Jack wanted to knock their heads together. He knew exactly what they were thinking. The black van carrying Maia started to drive out of the garage.

"Jack," Derek's voice was amused and grave at the same time. "Obviously, our girl didn't want you nosing into this particular phone conversation. My bet is, it's a different mission and a very delicate one. Leave it be for now. Maia will share if there is no danger to the client."

Jack was beginning to get an idea of what Mike Callahan had gone through. He needed to remind himself that this was Maia's job and stop behaving like an overprotective lunatic every time she decided to do something off the playbook. He could get her hurt or even worse killed.

"I need a drink," Jack muttered. Derek clapped him on the back. "Let's go buddy. You'll feel better after some whiskey."

***

"It's good to hear from you again, Agent Pierce," Alexsey Volynksy said through the secure line. As Maia guessed, the number in Germany was simply a relay, and Volynksy was still in Russian territory.

"I was pleased you contacted me," Maia replied. "Everyone was wondering where you were after I freed you from Reznikov's dungeons."

Alexsey went on to describe how he had found out that his cousin, Mikhail Gavlik, had planned to free him from Reznikov only to force him to sign over his family's controlling shares in their pharmaceutical company so Gavlik could have complete dominion. Volynksy had been able to get most of his family and relatives out of Russia.

"Your cousin is manufacturing illegal drugs."

"The Rave-IX. I know. I am embarrassed that it has come to this."

"Why contact me?"

"There is a faction sympathetic to my cause and the Volynsky family. They want to restore me to control but the journey to their stronghold is a perilous one. They will have a team of private soldiers to protect me, but I am very uneasy. I need someone I can trust, and that someone is you."

Maia turned wary. "What are you saying?"

"The pieces are falling into place. We should be ready by early January. Would that be enough time to clear your schedule and come get me?"

Maia shook her head. She did not want to step foot in Russia again, she had nearly been whacked the last time she had been there and here was Volynsky asking her to come get him as though she was simply picking up a relative from the airport.

"Alex, wouldn't your supporters feel undermined if you bring in an outsider?"

"I've made it clear to them I am not moving unless you are part ofthe extraction team."

---