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CZECHREPUBLIC
THEonly television in the Prague flat was in a small room at the back. Normally not an item that Losa had much use for, but now he found himself unable to look away.
Information kept dribbling into the public space at a pace so tantalizing that it was almost certainly planned. Reports of the destruction of a suspicious Syrian medical facility. Rumors that dangerous designer narcotics were being developed there. Accusations regarding the involvement of the Russian and Syrian governments, with the expected subsequent denials. All culminating in a video of Aleksandr Semenov describing his life’s work in lurid detail.
And now, as if to add a touch of much-needed action to the narrative, a well-produced video of the assault on Semenov’s facility. Technology truly was a marvel. The fact that the footage had likely been edited together from commercially available body cameras didn’t detract from its professionalism. High-definition explosions, swirling smoke, combatants with concealed faces.
Everything he would expect from an operation conceived and executed by Mitch Rapp and Irene Kennedy.
Losa watched a truck speed across the compound and into an underground parking garage. The ensuing explosion was powerful enough to cause significant structural damage and would have vaporized the driver. It was an event so dramatic that the impact endured, even after watching it multiple times.
The action faded and was replaced by a roundtable with three participants—a news anchor, a former American special forces commander, and a retired German diplomat. The anchor started the discussion.
“The Russian foreign minister has made a number of statements insinuating that this operation would have been impossible for a group of insurgents to carry out. The implication is that this is just another attempt by the US to smear them as well as to kidnap and interrogate one of their top people. Colonel? Let’s start with you.”
The American scowled. “The Russians are nothing if not consistent. Every time they screw up or get caught with their hand in the cookie jar, they try to make it some kind of American conspiracy. The attack clearly started with a suicide bomber, which isn’t exactly a common Western battle technique. And, frankly, from what we see on that video, the facility’s defenses were typically shoddy. Once that truck exploded and they took out the guard towers, the fight was pretty much over. The real challenge would be getting Semenov out alive. Difficult, but certainly not impossible for a small, reasonably competent force.”
“Also, we have the captagon tablets that managed to survive the fire in Salerno,” the German interjected. “They suggest a level of sophistication that would be extremely difficult to conceive and manufacture. In light of what’s happened, the chemical analysis of them has been revisited and it seems to confirm General Semenov’s story. In fact, it appears that the previously unidentified compounds very closely resemble a schizophrenia drug developed by the Soviets.”
“And the reports that Semenov was involved in financing the terrorist attack in Munich?” the news anchor said. “Credible?”
“Obviously an investigation needs to be carried out, but yes. I fear that it is credible. And if a direct link can be established, the ramifications—”
Losa used a remote to shut off the television and stood motionless in the ensuing semidarkness. Both Syria and Russia were scrambling to carry out whatever damage control they could. In Syria’s case, the issue would blow over. They were a minor thorn in the world’s side, and it was already known that they were heavily involved in the drug trade. Russia, though, was very different.
Historically, the West had met Russia’s recklessness with a certain amount of restraint. The goal was to avoid direct confrontation and instead to just stand back and let the country slowly collapse under the weight of its own compulsions. Unfortunately, restraint wasn’t a trait that the Russians shared with their Western counterparts.
What they did have a gift for, though, was revenge.
The Kremlin was certainly aware that he’d sent a negotiator to try to create a relationship with the creators of the new captagon formulation. And if that was true, it wouldn’t be long before the SVR began to suspect he was the one responsible for all this.
From that moment forward, he wouldn’t be at war with a rival cartel, the Italian mafia, or even the Syrian government. He would be at war with a country that was the world’s premier nuclear power and almost supernaturally proficient at assassinating its enemies.
The question was what to do about it.
Losa exited into the living area and approached a wall of ballistic glass that looked out over the city lights.
Certainly, he could find some back channel to Russia’s intelligence apparatus and provide information—even evidence—of Mitch Rapp’s involvement. Once that was public, Irene Kennedy and her country would be put in an extremely difficult situation. Particularly if he was correct in his suspicion that Semenov’s kidnapping was an unsanctioned operation.
Unlike the Russians, neither Kennedy nor Rapp was particularly prone to vengeance. They were problem solvers, and in the face of a political scandal like this one, it was possible that he’d be forgotten. But just as possible that he wouldn’t be.
Rushed footsteps sounded on the marble floor behind him and he turned to see Julian hurrying toward him with an open laptop in his hand.
Mitch Rapp, he mouthed, tossing a wireless headset to Losa and then setting the computer on an expansive dining room table. Losa put on the headset but didn’t speak until his lieutenant signaled for him to do so. The sophisticated software would seek to locate the caller’s position but, in this case, it would be a waste of time. Or maybe not. While Rapp went to great lengths to hide Claudia Gould and her daughter, it was possible that he himself didn’t take similar precautions. Seeking him out tended to be unwise.
“Hello?”
“The way I see it, I delivered on my promise,” Rapp said without preamble. “Semenov and his facility are gone, and based on the pressure the Russians and Syrians are under, they’re permanently out of the captagon business. You’re back to dominating the European and American narcotics markets the way you always have.”
“But how long until the Russians start to suspect that I was involved in Semenov’s kidnapping? You’ve made me a target.”
“I can’t imagine that being a target is anything new to you.”
“You say your debt to me is paid, but what you did wasn’t in pursuit of my interests. It was in pursuit of your own. You kidnapped a Russian official and used me for cover.”
“You set me up to be captured and interrogated.”
Julian made circling motions with his right hand, indicating that he was getting somewhere. That Rapp should be kept on the line as long as possible.
