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“I understand.”
“If United Russia didn’t see what’s in it for them, it wouldn’t be taking place either, and they certainly wouldn’t have agreed to move it up forty-eight hours.”
Unless they were planning an annihilation. Raketa recognized that their doing so would mean the equivalent of World War III. Taking out that number of operatives with connections to both the CIA and MI6 would spell political and financial ruin for UR. Even China wouldn’t step in to help them if they put themselves in that position.
Without money and support from the members of the United Nations Security Council, UR would be ripe for a coup. It didn’t matter how many friends their current leader had inside his homeland; no world power could continue as such without allies.
“I can see you’re lost in thought, adding to my list of considerations.”
Raketa nodded. “It’s logical they would not jeopardize the Russian Federation’s position in the UN or among its members.”
“Exactly,” said Merrigan. “You also know that UR’s enemies within the federation are many.”
Raketa nodded a second time. The United States was also often a hotbed of political turmoil, but here, differences were settled by way of elections. There was no shortage of hatred between political parties, but in the nation’s almost two-hundred-and-fifty-year history, there’d never been a governmental overthrow, and the odds of one ever happening were astronomically low.
“In other words, they aren’t bloody stupid,” said Merrigan.
Raketa heard a knock at the door.
“Come in,” said Merrigan.
“I’m sorry to interrupt, but we’re heading out,” said Gunner, his eyes focused solely on Raketa’s.
“I’ll give you a minute,” said Merrigan, closing the door behind her.
“I love you, Zary,” he said, cupping her cheek with his palm.
“I love you, Gunner. Be careful,” she whispered.
“Always.”
Raketa clung to him in a way she’d never done with anyone in her life.
“This is a big piece of the puzzle, Raketa, and to be honest, as much as I initially questioned Doc’s decision, I know now that I wouldn’t have accepted not being a part of this meeting. I wouldn’t have trusted anyone else to make sure it got done. I know Shiv feels the same way.”
She nodded. “Thank you.”
“I don’t want your thanks. It’s you and me from here on out. We’re together, and we’re going to stay that way for the rest of our very long lives. I’d say we’re a team, but we’re so much more than that.”
* * *
When Gunner said they were so much more than a team, Raketa almost confessed her plan and begged him to let her come with him. Knowing he’d refuse and then ask one of the K19 partners to keep an eye on her, she stayed silent.
She’d studied the security setup of Doc’s compound, including how vehicles were able to leave through the gate without a code being entered.
Earlier, she’d watched Razor set his car key on the counter, near his laptop, before going upstairs to check on Ava. It hadn’t taken much to slip it into her pocket. If he’d noticed it was gone, she’d have simply slipped it back out somewhere else where it would be easy for him to find it. He hadn’t noticed, though.
No one commented when she said she was going outside for a few minutes, and evidently, no one noticed Razor’s car start up or pull out of the gate.
According to her GPS, the ranch where Doc had said the meeting was taking place was only a few miles away. She’d have to hide the car, figure out a place where she could surveil what cottage they were meeting in, and then wait to make her move.
Raketa didn’t plan to act unless it became warranted and Gunner was in danger.
She parked behind a storage building and was creeping through the heavy growth of trees and bushes when she saw several cars, including one that she recognized as belonging to K19.
Before she could take another step, she saw something else that turned her blood to ice.
Petrov was also getting out of a different vehicle, one that had been parked farther away, with her mother held firmly in his grasp.
