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“Wecannotlet either man go,” said the Ukraine.
It was clear they were acting on their own initiative, and for them, this was how things had to be. Any Russian on their soil, in these times, could not go free. Nor could the person who’d apparently rescued such a criminal—especially since everyone else in that warehouse had died.
True, a spy could be a double or triple agent. With no true allegiance to anyone. Yet Caelan had read enough about Ogarkov to know he’d helped the West immeasurably. At the same time, he wasn’t about to start listing all the pieces of intelligence Ogarkov had gotten the West about what was happening inside the Kremlin.
What wasactuallyhappening.
The West couldn’t reveal what they knew.
Or this asset, and every other asset, would be compromised.
Churchill… he had it right.
Ukraine’s friends needed information so they might anticipate if things were to become really hot in Moscow. Like volcanically hot.
“Listen, gentleman,” said Caelan. “I’m gonna give ye ma final offer, and then, we’re all gonna leave this cesspit of a place.”
Some moved uncomfortably in their seats when Caelan stood and paced the room; Cain in his peripheral vision folding those boulders he called arms. Indeed, the tang of the last bloke to use the shitter had filtered through the place and wasn’t lifting.
Caelan had to get Eric and the asset out of here. One, because Eric never fucked up, but he’d fucked up with this, so there had to be some plausible reason why—and this would not be discovered if he died here, in Ukraine. Two, the asset needed to be secured over in the UK, interrogated, information gathered and then, decisions would be made as to his future. Because dead he was worthless. Alive, he could perhaps tell Ukraine’s allies what Russia might do next. He knew how they worked over there, could interpret their manoeuvres.
“My friend Cain here is gonna take Eric and Ogarkov and get them over the border to Poland.” Cain nodded arrogantly that it was going to happen, whether they liked it or not. “And I will stay here as guarantee.”
Eric fought with his bonds, mumbling through the gag in his mouth. This wasn’t what he had intended, but this was what was going to happen.
Some of the Ukrainians laughed at Eric, others hushed when Caelan shot them a feral look.
“Chuckles, shave the hair off Ogarkov’s head for me,” said Caelan into his concealed mike.
At this instruction, people gawped and began to stand, but then the window made a smallpopnoise, and indeed, a bullet shaved just a small amount of hair off the Russian’s thick mop before blasting a hole through the concrete wall opposite.
Ogarkov, who was still pretty much unconscious and whose head lolled around, never knew anything about it, including that Chuckles had been forced to calculate the rate at which the head lolling might affect his shot. Caelan saw this wasn’t lost on the Ukrainians.
“I’ve two talented sharp shooters on your soil, and you’re gonna turn down the chance to not only utilise their skills, but also, learn something from me, too?” Caelan hooked his fingers into the belt loops of his khakis and stood akimbo, smirking at the lot of them. Some of the Ukraine’s looked out of the window, even touched the Russian’s hair and gulped. “Dinna make me do something I will regret. If ye ken anything about the Scot, it’s that I get it done.”
Which is what he thought he’d taught Eric, but…
Ogarkov had been a hot asset, but something had gone terribly wrong, Caelan could feel it. Eric was tormented, conflicted, it was obvious.
The whole team. Dead. Including Hamish.
Caelan couldn’t even process that yet.
It was unthinkable.
He was glad Eric had survived, but it seemed to have come at a cost.
The Ukraine leader looked around the room, and they all did that thing with their lips, sort of grimacing in agreement.
“It’s a deal,” said their representative.
Caelan nodded at Cain to help free the two prisoners. As soon as Eric was on his feet, he began trying to speak, but Caelan pinned his furious eyes on his former student.
“Sshhht,” he insisted, and Eric said nothing.
The Russian needed help standing and moving, so Cain gave him the support he required.
“I’ll be there in two minutes,” said Cliff through the comms system they’d all set up beforehand.
