The next morning, Dan followed Tasha around as she collected the things they needed. They started with a car, then made several stops as she collected makeup and wigs, along with a quality pair of scissors. The next stop was for clothes. She outfitted Dan with a collection of high quality suits and casual clothes, along with a matching number for herself.

When she was ‘working,’ it was as if nothing had happened, but the moment they were alone, she became silent and all the energy seemed to leave her. It was killing him to watch her. During the night, the sickness of losing his friends had turned into a cold rage. It was his fault Rich and Derrick had been killed, and he was going make sure Kangka paid the price. He would snatch the Griffins from his hand, and if he got the chance, he would shove his pistol up Kangka’s ass and pull the trigger until the gun was empty. He would burn in hell before he allowed Rich and Derrick to die for nothing. But he had to have Tasha on her game. She was the key to everything, and he couldn’t do it without her.

“Hey,” he said, pulling her to a stop by the arm. “You have to snap out of this. I need you, Tasha. I need you to help me track this Kangka asshole down.”

She looked at him and smiled, but the smile was so sad it pulled at his heart. “I’ll do my job.”

He watched her eyes, but the fire that had always been there was missing. She was dying inside before his eyes. He looked around, then took her hand and pulled her next to a building for a bit of privacy.

“I know what you’re going through, but I need you now.”

“I told you, Dan, Derrick and Rich wasn’t your fault, it was mine. I was your trainer. I’m supposed to be the expert, and I let those two bitches—”

“Stop,” he said softly. “Like I said, I know exactly how you feel, but you have to stop now. I could have stopped them, but I didn’t. I know you’re hurting. I’m hurting. But we have to make Kangka pay for what he’s done, and that means we must find the Griffins and take them away from him. I can’t do that without you.”

“I’m not giving up.”

“I know you’re not. But you’re not you. You’re a shadow of you.” He looked around. This wasn’t the time or place to get into this. “Let’s finish this. We have work to do.”

She watched his eyes a moment and nodded curtly.

They finished their shopping and returned to the hotel. There she sat Dan down on the edge of the tub and fitted him with three wigs of different colors, trimming them into a men’s style. As he watched her work, he couldn’t believe how different he looked with each transformation.

Finished with Dan, she fitted herself with several wigs, adjusting each until she had the look she wanted. While she worked on the last of her wigs, her phone chimed.

“It appears those televisions were actually incubators, an electron microscope, and a portable refrigeration unit,” she said as she flipped through the information on her phone. She looked up, but she didn’t smile. “I have the address of the shipping company that picked the items up at the dock.”

“Are we going to pay them a visit tonight?”

She nodded. “That’s our next step.”

“Here it is,” Tasha mumbled around the flashlight she held in her mouth as she pulled a file from a cabinet. She placed the folder on top and looked though the documents. “The items were delivered to Bruanwa Ecotours. What the fuck?”

“What?” he asked.

“This makes it look like the Griffins aren’t in Talish at all.”

“We knew that was a possibility.”

“Yeah, but this makes no sense. This has to be a red herring.”

“Why?”

“We’ll check them out, but if this ecotour thing is legit, how are they going to move the equipment without the paying guests noticing?”

He shrugged. “Beats me.”

She put the file back. “Okay, let’s go. We’ll check them out tomorrow.”

They returned to the hotel, pulling off their wigs as they drove. Dan glanced at Tasha. The last time they scored a piece of information, she’d been on a high, but now she sat silently, her eyes closed and her head against the headrest of the rented Toyota Land Cruiser. He said nothing, unsure how to draw her out of her funk.

When they reached their hotel, they had a late dinner. They were just finishing, sipping their wine, when Tasha’s phone rang. They looked at each other. She picked it up and looked at it, her eyes telling him everything he needed to know.

“Hello? Yes, I’m having dinner. Let me call you back in ten minutes.” She hung up. “We need to go.”

He left money on the table to cover their meal before he escorted her to their room. She was dialing before the door clicked shut.

“University of Miami. How may I help you?”

“Lancaster.”

“Standby.”

They waited a moment, then a male voice came on the line. “This is Whittlefield.”

“Lancaster.”

“Tasha? What the fuck is going on?”

“What do you mean, sir?”

“The shit is really hitting the fan. Long and Tesley were found, along with two dead whores. Care to explain that to me?”

Tasha swallowed hard. “It—” she began before Dan grabbed the phone and pulled it from her hand.

“That’s correct. Long and Tesley apparently picked them up in the bar.”

“Who is this?” Whittlefield asked.

“Thames.”

Tasha reached for the phone, but he swatted her hand away. “Their cover was blown while uncovering the information Tasha sent you. The two women were obviously sent to kill them. We assume they spotted the four of us having dinner together, so after they killed Long and Tesley, they came after both myself and Tasha. Tasha captured one of the women alive and we questioned her. She confirmed that General Kangka was the one who ordered the hit.”

“You killed her?”

“The first woman was killed defending myself. We believe Kangka doesn’t know about Tasha or me, and that’s why only two assassins were sent and they had to improvise. We wanted to keep it that way.”

There was a long pause. “Shit. Long and Tesley have been identified as U.S. Navy, and that has caused a hell of a shit storm. The U.S. has denied any official involvement and claimed they were there on leave, but Mabasa’s control is slipping. Kangka is stirring the shit by using Long and Tesley for propaganda. If Mabasa’s government falls, we won’t be able to extract you. We’re trying to prop him up—indirectly of course—by denying involvement and promising we have no agents or military in the country, nor will we send any.”

“You’re hanging us out to dry?”

“This is a delicate situation that we’re trying to control. Time is running out. If Kangka gets control of the government, all bets are off. I can’t overstress how important it is that you find the Griffins, get them out if you can, kill them if you can’t, and destroy all the research material—and do so as quickly but as quietly as possible. Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes.”

“You have one of the best field agents to come out of Langley in years with you. Listen to her. I expect this situation to be resolved quickly and quietly.”

“I understand. Tasha has uncovered what we think is the next link in the chain. We will be investigating that tomorrow.”

“Very good. Carry on,” Whittlefield said, then was gone.

She snatched her phone away from him as he pulled it away from his ear. “You lied to him about Derrick and Rich. Why?”

“How did I lie?”

“You didn’t tell him about the bar.”

“Because it doesn’t make any difference. What’s done is done. I didn’t want some asshole seven-thousand miles away trying to micromanage us, and I didn’t want you spouting off a bunch of bullshit about how it was all your fault.”

“It was my fault.”

“No, it wasn’t. If you get right down to it, it was Derrick and Rich’s fault. They couldn’t keep their cock in their pants. I should have put a stop to it months ago when we were training. I should have stopped them in the bar. They blew their cover. How the fuck did they not see the guns? They fucked up, not you, and now they’ve paid for it.”

“I could have warned them.”

“I did warn Rich, and it pissed him off, remember?” They glared at each other a moment. “The important thing now is to make their death meaningful. They paid for the information that got us started with their lives. Let’s make that count for something.”

“We offer three tour packages, one-day, two-day, and five-day,” the man at Bruanwa Ecotours said with a smile. “All our packages are all inclusive. We provide everything but the memories.”

Dan forced a smile. “What are the differences, other than the length of time?”

“Our one-day package is exactly what it says. You leave our dock at ten o’clock for a trip down the Hangula River. It will be you and seven other guests in a power boat, along with a tour guide. You will make several stops along the river to enjoy the wildlife. An authentic tribal meal will be provided at a local village, after which you will resume your tour, returning to our dock at approximately 6:00 p.m. The cost of that tour is nine-hundred fifty Marands each. This is our most popular tour.”

“When can we book a tour?”

The man flipped open a book. “Our first available slot for two people will be in three weeks. We can accommodate one of you much earlier, but I’m sure you don’t want that.”

Tasha smiled. “No.”

“What about the other tours?” Dan asked.

“The two and five-day tours take place on our converted riverboat, the Hangula Queen. The primary difference is how far down river you go. Each day you will have the opportunity to take side excursions in smaller boats into tributaries where the Queen can’t go. You will have the opportunity to visit several native villages and will see a much larger variety of plants and wildlife. Each side tour will be conducted by an expert guide. Each evening, you will return to the Queen where you will eat a splendid meal and spend the night. The two-day tours run Saturday and Sunday, the five-day tour Monday through Friday.”

“The cost?” Dan asked, playing his part.

“It depends on the accommodations you wish. We have two different sized rooms, plus the premier cabin, the largest and most luxurious accommodation available on the Queen. For the two-day tour, the cost will be eight-thousand, twelve-thousand, and twenty-two-thousand Marands. The five-day will be sixteen, twenty-five, and fifty-thousand, respectively.”

“If we wanted to do the five-day tour, how long would the wait be?” Tasha asked, her eyes bright.

“You can leave on Monday if you take the premier cabin.”

She looked at Dan adoringly, leaning in close as she held his arm. “Can we?”

He pretended to think about it. Last night they had researched Bruanwa Ecotours and agreed they would take the first five-day tour they could book. He didn’t care how much it cost. It wasn’t his money, but he didn’t want to seem to eager.

“Sure,” he said after he thought he’d paused long enough.

He pulled a wad of cash from his pocket and peeled off fifty-thousand in Marand notes and passed them to the man. The booking agent smiled broadly as he took the money and picked up a pen.

“Your names?”

“Daniel and Laura Connolly,” Dan said, spelling the last name.

The man wrote their name in the book. “Thank you, Mr. Connolly. I have your room reserved. The Queen will leave promptly a 10:00 a.m. on Monday morning. Please arrive at least thirty minutes early so we may make you comfortable for your trip.”

Dan shook the man’s hand. “Looking forward to it.”

When he and Tasha stepped out of Bruanwa Ecotours, the smile disappeared from Tasha’s face as if it had never been.

“We have three days before our tour leaves.”

She nodded. “That will give us time to make sure we’re not on a wild goose chase.”

“Okay, what now?”

“I want to pay a visit to the import company that brought in the lab equipment. Let me do the talking. You stand to the side and look tough. Don’t say anything, but follow my lead.” She paused as if thinking. “But first, we need to check to see if your suits are ready.”

They picked up their clothing and returned to the hotel. She dressed in a severe dark blue suit and donned a dark wig. After looking over his selection of suits, she selected a dark grey for him and placed him in a sandy blond wig. She smoothed the suit over him, then handed him his weapon.

“Carry this under the coat, but where you can display it. Now listen carefully. If I tap my thigh like this”—she touched her right thigh three times in quick succession— “I want you to open the coat to display the weapon. If I do the same on the other side, I want you to move slowly in on the mark, as if you are going to take the guy apart, got it? If I say Podozhdite, you stop, okay?”

“Podozhdite?” he asked, stumbling over the word. “Is that Russian?”

“Yeah. It means to hold or wait.”

“Podozhdite,” he said again. “Okay, got it.”

“If I say anything else in Russian, ignore it and look pissed off and mean.”

“That’ll be easy to do.”

She nodded. “Come along, Oleg, we have work to do.”

They drove to the importer and parked at the curb. “You ready?” Tasha asked.

“Yeah. I think. Podozhdite, right?”

“Posozhdite,” she said, correcting his pronunciation.

“Posozhdite,” he repeated. “Okay, yeah.”

“Let’s go,” she said, opened her door, and stepped out.

The sky was dark and threatening. It would rain later, as it had rained nearly every day since they’d landed in Orkut. The sky suited her mood. She entered the office with Dan close on her heels.

“I’d like to speak to whoever is in charge,” she announced loudly, her Russian accent thick.

The two women sitting at desks that shared space with the file cabinets in the large common room looked at each other. He could tell they were nervous over their no-nonsense appearance and attitude, not to mention her Russian accent. The world had changed a lot in the past thirty years, but the Russians still made good bogeymen.

“I’m William Jalessi,” a well-dressed man said, stepping out of an office.

“Are you the owner of this business?” Tasha demanded.

“I am.”

“You imported various biological lab equipment from Germany?” she asked.

Dan had to work to not smile as she intentionally fractured her English so it wouldn’t appear to be her first language.

“Perhaps,” William hedged. “If you’d like to step into my office?”

Dan followed William and Tasha into the comfortable office. As William moved behind the desk, she sat down in one of the guest chairs. Dan closed the door and stood with his back to it so it couldn’t be opened as he glared at William, doing his best Russian thug imitation.

“Now, how may I help you?” William asked.

“You imported lab equipment?”

“I import many things for customers. What kind of lab equipment?”

“I’m interested in the shipment that contained the electron microscope and the centrifuge.”

“I can’t comment directly because of client confidentiality, but what is this about?”

“It’s about the manufacture of a biological weapon, Mr. Jalessi. It’s about the American soldiers killed here in Orkut. It’s about the Germans asking questions. It’s about world stability. I would be very interested in knowing what the Americans know, Mr. Jalessi.”

“I’m afraid I don’t know what you’re asking,” Jalessi said, but Dan could tell he was nervous.

“Let’s not make this unpleasant. Pokazhi yemu,” she said as she tapped her right thigh. She didn’t bother to look to see if Dan flashed the weapon. “Just answer my question and we’ll be on our way. Why were there American soldiers in Orkut, and what were they looking for?”

“I really can’t answer your question. Why would I know?”

“This equipment, it could be used to develop a weapon, yes?”

“I really don’t know. If a customer asks for something, I merely obtain it. What they do with it is their business.”

She smiled coldly. “I see. You admit you imported these items?”

“I’d have to check my records. I can’t remember every—”

“I can save you the trouble. You did. Who was your customer?”

“I can’t say.”

“Please, Mr. Jalessi,” she said politely, but he clearly heard the threat.

“I don’t know!” he corrected. “It was a cash deal, no questions asked.”

She nodded. “You have a way to contact this customer?”

“A phone number, that’s all.”

“Give it to me.”

William dug in his desk a moment and produced a card with a phone number written on it in pen. He handed it across. She took it and rose. “Thank you, Mr. Jalessi,” she said as she turned toward the door. “Poyekhali.” Dan didn’t know what the word meant, but he understood her meaning as she approached the door. He opened it for her and followed her out, closing the door behind him without a backward glance.

They got in the Toyota and sped away. “What happened to covert?” Dan asked.

“That was covert. Now someone will think the Russians are involved.” She dialed the number on the card, but the call didn’t complete. “As I suspected. A burner phone.”

“So, what now?”

“Circle back around, then park somewhere so we can see the door,” she said as fat raindrops began to splatter on the windshield.

“What are we looking for?”

“He gave up the number too easily. I don’t think for a minute this is his only way of contacting Kangka. He passed a signal to one of the girls before we went into the office. The rest was a stall to give her time to do whatever it was she was going to do.” She flicked the card with her finger. “This is the distraction. We’re supposed to waste a lot of time chasing down this phone, but what we’re going to do instead is see who shows up. That’s why I didn’t squeeze him anymore. I wanted to get out of there before we were made.”

He looked at her. He still had so much to learn. He hadn’t seen William pass a sign, and she’d already planned their next moves before William had even handed her the card. She was simply amazing.

“Why wouldn’t they just call?” he asked.

“Because the NSA listens to everyone and they’ll be afraid someone will overhear. This will be a face to face meeting.”

They pulled to the curb a half block away. If it weren’t for the rain, they’d have a good view of the entrance to Grand Orkut Imports. They sat for almost an hour before a new, silver Mercedes glided to a stop in the rain. A well-dressed man exited the rear of the car and entered the building. Dan alternated his attention between the car and watching Tasha as she typed the plate number of the car into her phone. After a moment, her phone chimed.

“The car is registered to Kangka.”

“What a surprise,” Dan muttered. They waited only a few minutes more before the man appeared again. “Is that Kangka?”

“I can’t tell, but I don’t think so. Follow them,” she ordered.