“You aren’t sending in your own people?”
“Of course I am. But it’s not like the old days – we can’t just put a wet team on a private jet and do whatever we want. We have to tread lightly. Diplomacy must be observed.” Rudolf finished his drink. “Some of our neighbors are rather nervous, given our recent politically sensitive actions, so this must be handled delicately.”
“To be clear, you haven’t spotted her. Only this…partner?”
“Correct. But we’ll be notified the moment she shows her face.”
“What if they’re no longer working together?”
“I don’t deal in hypotheticals or speculation. We’ll maintain surveillance and see if she surfaces. Worst case, when the Americans take him, we’ll ensure he’s questioned about her.”
Leo drained his glass and set it down in front of him. “She killed my brother, Rudolf. I want her.”
“And you shall have her.” Rudolf cleared his throat. “She has eluded us for some time, but everybody makes mistakes eventually, and her partner is the key that will be her undoing.” He spread his hands before him. “A transfer tomorrow morning would be essential to lubricating cooperation in Kosovo. The locals there need to be paid, as well as those on my end who will have to approve an action. And then there’s the matter of the cost of extracting the woman from foreign soil…” Rudolf mentioned a number. Leo didn’t blink.
“Same account as always?” Leo asked softly.
“That will work.” Rudolf eyed Leo. “I will handle this personally. I’ve already prepared my office for the eventuality of my travel to Kosovo. Once funds are dispersed, we can move. I’ll leave nothing to chance.”
“I’ve paid a steep price already.”
“Yes, and those funds are the reason we are so close. Notify me when the transfer is made, and we’ll put the finishing touches in place.”
Leo contemplated his empty glass. “It would be a shame if anything went wrong, Rudolf. It’s a lot of money to put up without her having materialized yet.”
“Which is why I said I will attend to this myself. Your money won’t be wasted, I assure you.” Rudolf cleared his throat. “What about the other matter? The transaction for the weapons you mentioned a little while ago?”
“I’m still working on that. But if it comes to fruition, I’ll want you to handle security for a meet in Novorossiysk. Three parties – me, some Africans, and your American colleagues.”
Rudolf cocked an eyebrow. “An odd gathering.”
“As you know, we live in odd times.”
Leo explained the basics, and Rudolf nodded. “I see. You’ll probably want assistance with the customs people and with port security as well.”
“Exactly.”
“Just give me sufficient advance warning. I’ll put out feelers to see who needs to be bribed to look the other way.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
Their business concluded, Rudolf stood and offered Leo a small wave before heading through the boisterous crowd to the door. Leo tossed a few rubles onto the table and rose. His eyes caught the young woman’s for an instant that time seemed to freeze, and then he smiled apologetically. She pushed past a pair of men and walked toward him with the lithe gait of a jungle cat. He checked the time and signaled to the waiter at the bar, and sat back down as she took the seat Rudolf had occupied, her cobalt eyes glittering as she set her now empty martini glass on the table.
“May I buy you a drink?” Leo asked in a playful tone.
She appraised him, seeming to like what she saw, and crossed legs that stretched to her chin. “A wonderful idea.” She held out a manicured hand and he took it. “I’m Nadia.”
Leo looked down at the smooth skin of her flawless arm and couldn’t suppress another smile.
“Of course you are.”
Chapter 6
Pristina, Kosovo
“Hannah! Are you almost ready?” Jet’s voice echoed through the modest house as she called to her daughter from the kitchen. She finished preparing a sandwich and slid it into a plastic bag, and then added it with a packet of local crackers to a small nylon backpack.
“Yeth, Mama!” Hannah’s voice answered from upstairs.
Jet inspected the counter and wiped it down with a wet rag, surveying the surface with a critical eye. The perfectionism that had been drilled into her throughout her training and operational life manifested in many ways, most of them as irresistible as natural compulsions. They revealed themselves in the interior of the home, which was as neat and clean as the day it was built, every surface gleaming from her ministrations.
She carried the backpack into the small dining room, set it on the hardwood table, and returned to the kitchen to pour herself a glass of water. Hannah appeared moments later, her hair in disarray, with a small red hairclip hanging from a clump to one side of her forehead and a brush in one hand. Jet and her daughter faced each other. Hannah pointed to the clip.
“It’s broke.”