“FLASH-BANGS REALLY SUCK, Ross.”
Decker was sitting up in a chair still looking woozy.
Bogart patted him on the shoulder. “Sorry, it was the best we could do. And I’d think you’d agree, it’s better than being dead.”
They were at an FBI field office fifty miles from the place where the kidnappers had taken Jamison. Melvin Mars was on the other side of him. He said, “I think it was a good thing you didn’t rely on me to get you out of that jam, Decker.”
Decker rubbed his ears and said, “It was enough that you were willing to walk the plank with me. But you’re right, I figured we’d need the big guns.”
Bogart said, “You did the right thing calling us in, Decker. We put the plan together pretty quickly. It was crazy and risky as hell.”
“But it worked.”
Bogart held up a small device. “You did a good job planting it.”
“I tripped over my own big feet and fell next to the van. I used that opportunity to stick it under the side step. Luckily, I was able to do it before they searched me. If I hadn’t been able to do that?”
“You and Alex would be dead.”
“They never saw you coming,” said Decker.
Bogart smiled. “Hey, Decker, we are the FBI.”
“How’s Alex?”
“Still resting. They banged her around some when they kidnapped her. And sedated her. But no permanent damage.”
“You’re sure about that?” said Decker quickly.
“I’m sure, Decker. She’ll be fine.”
“And the others? Did they bug the Dabneys’ house? Did they kill Cecilia Randall?”
“We haven’t gotten a word out of any of them, and I don’t think we will, actually. They’re a tough bunch.”
“So we’re back to square one, then?” said Decker.
“Well, it is a plus that we just captured a bunch of foreign operatives.”
“I think they were speaking Russian.”
Bogart nodded. “We think so too. If nothing else, it’ll give us some leverage with Moscow.”
“But some of them were Middle Eastern, Ross. And the chatter was in Arabic. You think the Russians have teamed up with jihadists?”
“I’ve found in this job that anything is possible.”
“But we still don’t know where the strike is coming from,” pointed out Decker.
“No. But if we let it be known that we have their agents, then they might just call off whatever they’re thinking about doing.”
“We can’t count on that,” said Decker.
“We absolutely can’t.”
Mars said, “So what the hell do we do?”
“Figure out what they’re planning to do and stop it,” said Decker.
Milligan came into the room and sat down next to Bogart.
“Okay, the State Department has been on the horn to their counterparts in Moscow. They are disavowing all knowledge of any of this.”
“That’s no surprise,” said Bogart.
“None at all.”
“But this is a surprise.”
They looked up to see Brown stride into the room. She had caught a ride on the FBI jet with Bogart, Mars, and Milligan.
“What is?” asked Bogart.
“Folks at DIA just got off a secure communication with Moscow. It seems the Russians have also received similar threats through chatter.”
“Similar threats?” said Milligan. “And you believe them?”
“We never believe anyone a hundred percent, but our folks think they’re actually being straight with us. They know that relations are delicate right now between Washington and Moscow. They have regional aspirations for sure, but it’s not like they want to be drawn into a direct confrontation with us. That would only end badly for them. Their Achilles’ heel is their economy. It’s nearly all fossil-fuel-based, and the world’s supply far exceeds demand. Because of that Russia’s economy is in free fall. They already have sanctions on them for the shit they pulled in Ukraine and Crimea. Another round of sanctions and you might be talking revolution over there.”
“So what does that mean for our situation?” asked Bogart.
“Because of all that, they were more forthcoming than they otherwise would be. They told us some things that jibed with things we’d previously discovered.” She paused and drew an anxious breath. “Bottom line, it might be a worst-case scenario.”
“How so?” asked Milligan.
“We might be looking at a rogue third party. Berkshire’s spy ring might have gone mercenary. If so, the traditional restraints that would keep Russia in check are not going to apply. We’re totally in uncharted territory now.”
“Shit,” muttered Bogart.
Milligan added, “Maybe someone’s trying to start something between Russia and us. Two superpowers going at it, it might leave an opening for another organization to gain an advantage somewhere.”
“And there are certainly enough mercenary players out there where they could recruit talent,” opined Bogart. “And that would explain the presence of the Middle Easterners and the chatter in Arabic.”
Decker said, “So Berkshire might not have been working for her country any longer.”
“Maybe she hasn’t for a while,” said Bogart.
Decker said, “That might explain the million-dollar condo and the expensive car. Rogues get paid in cash, not medals. She might have gotten tired of simply serving her country.”
Mars looked at each of them before his gaze settled on Decker. “So you guys are really gonna have to solve this thing. And fast!”
Decker groaned and rubbed his head. “It would help if it didn’t feel like Big Ben was pounding in my brain.”
“Like you said, man, flash-bangs suck,” said Mars.