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She signaled for four of her team to deal with the rooms on the left, while she and the others would deal with those on the right. She then pointed at the door hinges and nodded her chin at Emmanuel. After he removed a can of lubricant from his pack and drizzled oil onto the hinges, Vesna eased open the door.
Most of the voices they heard were coming from the direction she and her group were headed.
Inside the first room, two men sat in front of a TV—one watching, the other asleep.
Vesna and a German operative quietly approached the targets from behind. Once they were both in position, Vesna gave the signal.
The German looped his arm around the sleeping man’s neck and cut off his air. Vesna’s target was awake and more likely to yell, so she dealt with him swiftly by placing her silencer against his temple and pulling the trigger.
The most difficult of the remaining rooms was the one in which Janic’s people ate their meals. Five people were inside. Three sat at the only table, one stood in front of a refrigerator, and the last stared at a humming microwave oven.
Vesna assigned each of her colleagues a different man at the table and reserved the two who were standing for herself.
They rushed inside and pulled their triggers. As soon as Vesna’s first shot was off, she adjusted her aim to her second target and fired again.
All of Janic’s men collapsed, either onto the table or the floor. Given the professional level of those she had recruited, it wasn’t surprising that none of the targets required a second bullet. The other half of Vesna’s team had encountered only four men and had dealt with them in the same efficient manner.
Within ten minutes of stepping into the Janic hideout, the building was secured.
The problem was they hadn’t found any sign of the hostages yet.
“Check again,” Vesna ordered. “Every room. They must be here somewhere.”
It was Vesna herself who discovered the hidden door in the back of a first-floor storeroom. The narrow space beyond it was barely big enough for the four scared-looking people crammed inside.
???
At nine-thirty p.m., Teddy received a video call from Vesna. In Croatia, it was half past six the following morning.
From the way the picture bounced around, he guessed she was in a vehicle.
“I have news,” she said and turned her camera so that it pointed into the back of a panel van, where several people sat against the walls. From the size and calm demeanor of the group on one side, Teddy knew they had to be the members of Vesna’s team. As for the four tired- and dazed-looking ones on the other side—
“Vulin’s family?”
Vesna aimed the camera back at herself. “As promised.”
“Anyone hurt?”
“Some bruises. A few cuts. One has a broken arm. I also don’t think they’ve been given much to eat. But with a little rest, a few meals, and some medical attention, they should be fine.”
“What about Janic’s men? Any problems?”
“Why do you continue to underestimate me?”
“Because I’m a damn fool?”
“Finally, you are talking sense.”
“Humor me anyway.”
She rolled her eyes. “Of course, there were no problems. They were all very cooperative, and none of them will be bothering anyone ever again.”
“And Janic won’t be able to trace what happened back to you, right?”
“Okay, now you’re seriously insulting me.”
“It’s called a debrief. You remember what those are, don’t you?”
