“I was just missing you. I was hoping you’d be home soon.”
Jenkins again directed the driver, this time to turn on the dirt-and-gravel road. They drove past the old barn and his pastures. “Well, then, why don’t you look out the front window?”
“What?”
Jenkins stepped from the car. “Look out the front window.”
“Dad! Mom, Dad’s home! Dad’s home!”
Jenkins heard the phone thud when it hit the ground. The front door flew open and CJ bolted out. The boy came full blast and Jenkins reached out to grab his son. When he did, he remembered his ribs. Too late. He winced at the pain, but he wasn’t about to let go or to let this moment pass.
Alex came out the door smiling. She held Lizzie on her hip. She paused and said something to their little girl, who pointed her chubby fingers at the end of her chubby arm, which she began to flap up and down, excited. Alex put Lizzie down and she waddled quickly over to Jenkins, almost falling, but he bent and scooped her into his arms, again ignoring his pain. He lifted Lizzie into the air and she giggled and laughed, and in that moment, Jenkins thought of Maria Kulikova and hoped she could find not just a house, but make a home.
It was definitely better to be home.
Jenkins kissed Alex, who gave him a concerned look, no doubt picking up on his wincing and grimacing. “Welcome home,” she said.
“It’s nice to be home,” he said.
She wiped her cheek. “Are you wearing makeup?”
Jenkins laughed and whispered, “I didn’t want to scare the kids.”
“Forget the kids. You’re scaring me.”
He looked to CJ. “Where’s your new phone?”
CJ realized he didn’t have it. “I dropped it,” he said. “Phones are okay. But I like the real thing better.”
“So do I, CJ,” Jenkins said.
“Did you get it done?” Alex asked.
He nodded.
“They’ll call again,” she said. “You know that, right?”
“I know.”
“Have you thought about what you might tell them?”
He had not. “For now, I’m content to be home.”
“And we’re content to have you home.”
“You really should get a better cell phone, Dad,” CJ said. “Did you know they have 5G now?”
“No kidding?”
“Yea. That way I could keep better track of you when you go away. In case you lost your wallet or got in trouble or something.”
“Me, get in trouble? Never,” Jenkins said, and he smiled at Alex.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
I had so much fun writing this Charles Jenkins trilogy. My goal was to make this installment different than the prior two novels, yet have Jenkins finish the mission he started in The Eighth Sister and continued in The Last Agent. That was no easy feat. I spent time with my editor, Gracie Doyle, and we discussed the things I had touched on. I told her I wanted to write a book where the lines between good and evil blurred. The Russian mafia is largely considered one of the most brutal operating in the world, yet it came out of Stalin’s gulags as a means for men to survive. I envisioned a scene where these brutal men would somehow be on Jenkins’s side, fighting against even more brutal men. But I never really understand a novel until after it’s written. I also wondered about Siberia, which had once been Russia’s massive wasteland but is now littered with cities. It is the primary area of recent protests against the government and considers itself separate from the country. A stroke of luck—Viktor Federov was from Irkutsk. Fate? Or good planning?
I’ll never tell.
Much of my knowledge of Russia comes from a three-week visit that I detailed in the acknowledgments to The Eighth Sister and The Last Agent. Though I have traveled extensively, that trip to Moscow and Saint Petersburg remains a highlight for the sights I saw and the people I met.
For this novel, however, I had to become a book nerd and a computer nerd, something I truly enjoy. I read many books on many subjects including Siberia and the Trans-Siberian Railway: Travels in Siberia by Ian Frazier; In Siberia by Colin Thubron; Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia by David Greene. I read books on portraits of Russian spies and defected KGB officers including Tower of Secrets by Victor Sheymov; The New Nobility by Andrei Soldatov and Irina Borogan; The Moscow Rules by Antonio and Jonna Mendez; Best of Enemies by Gus Russo and Eric Dezenhall; Red Notice by Bill Browder. I read about Langley’s disguise division: The Master of Disguise by Antonio Mendez. And I read about Russia’s old and new mafia: The Vory, Russia’s Super Mafia by Mark Galeotti. Not to mention enough magazines and articles to fill two four-inch binders.
Special thanks to those who helped me with the spycraft. I remain grateful for their generous help.
Again, I’m sure I made mistakes, but hopefully not too many.
Special thanks to my good friend and law school roommate, Charles Jenkins. In law school I used to tell Chaz that he was larger than life. In many ways he is. I told him I would someday put him in a novel, and did so in my first, The Jury Master. He was kind enough to let me continue the character in this trilogy, and I realized I hadn’t dedicated a book to him. Chaz has never been in the CIA, or to Russia, at least not that I know of. He is a good man with a good heart, and I consider him a blessed friend.
Thank you to Meg Ruley, Rebecca Scherer, and the entire Jane Rotrosen Agency. A trilogy is always difficult, but my agents were there to lend support and advice. I’m so very grateful. I’m ready to keep writing the Charles Jenkins novels. I have an upcoming trip to Egypt, so . . . who knows?
Thank you to agent Angela Cheng Caplan, who negotiated the sale of The Eighth Sister and The Last Agent to Roadside Attractions for development into a major television series. I’m excited to see Charles Jenkins and the crew come to life on the screen and hope they like this novel as well.
Special thanks also to the team at Amazon Publishing. From the moment I first met them, they have regarded me as a professional writer. They go to great lengths to treat me with respect and dignity, and to ensure everything that can be done is done to ensure the success of my novels. Thank you to my developmental editor, Charlotte Herscher. We’ve collaborated now on more than a dozen novels, and Charlotte is remarkable for making sure everything makes sense, and that the tension and suspense remain a priority throughout the pages.
Thank you to my copyeditor, Scott Calamar, who must get carpal tunnel fixing my manuscripts.
Thank you to publisher Mikyla Bruder; Jeff Belle, vice president of Amazon Publishing; associate publishers Hai-Yen Mura and Galen Maynard; and everyone on the Amazon Publishing team. I’m grateful to call Amazon Publishing my home. I’ve enjoyed getting to know each of you.