I minus 21
“Sir, I think I’ve lost them. I spent all of yesterday in Krakow watching their hotel, but neither of them have left in the last twenty-four hours. I came back to Warsaw this morning. Have you heard from them?” Garcia asked the DNI. He had flown back early this morning and was calling from the Embassy.
“Garcia, if you’re in Warsaw, you’re at least a day behind. I got an update this morning from General Wheeler. He says Thurmond is in Moscow looking for Vladimir. You sure you’re up for this?” Garcia could tell the DNI was pissed and wisely decided to say nothing. The DNI continued, “Get your ass on the next plane. They’re staying at the Marriott downtown. I haven’t heard from them since they arrived, so I presume the plan hasn’t changed. Moscow’s bad news these days and I don’t want Thurmond there without backup. Maybe you ought to contact him and let him know you’re there and available to help.”
“Not sure that’s a good idea, sir. Thurmond made it pretty clear he doesn’t want my help.” Garcia was cautious.
“I don’t give a shit what Thurmond wants, but it’s your call. If you don’t contact him, then don’t let him out of your sight. If anything happens, I want additional fire power. Got it?”
“Yes, sir. I’ll be there in a few hours.” Garcia said, relieved to still be on the case.
Garcia sat for a few minutes after hanging up, trying to figure out the best way to support Thurmond without being detected. He didn’t know what Vladimir had planned, but he knew it wouldn’t be good. He had to make sure Vladimir died before he made it to the States. He looked around the office. Man, these embassy types had a cushy job, but sitting at a desk all day would drive him crazy. Well, time’s a wasting, better get going.
Garcia had come to the Embassy straight from the airport and was already packed. He spent a few minutes with one of the Embassy’s administrative assistants and was booked on a flight to Moscow in two hours. He used a staff driver to get from the Embassy to the airport and easily made his flight to Moscow.
He went straight from the airport to the Embassy. He needed a weapon. As he was coming out of the cultural attaché’s office, he literally bumped into Thurmond.
Surprised, Thurmond stepped back and seeing who he had bumped into his expression went dark. “Garcia, what the hell are you doing in Moscow?”
“Ah, just here to follow up on a few things. What’re you doing here?” Garcia responded too casually.
Thurmond studied Garcia for a moment. “Let’s find a conference room or an office where we can talk,” Thurmond suggested.
“Good idea,” Garcia said, wondering if Thurmond was finally going to bring him in to the operation.
They each got a cup of coffee and settled into nice, high-backed leather chairs in a secure conference room. Thurmond thought it too coincidental that Garcia just happened to be in Moscow the same time as he and Sam, but he knew Garcia would never bring him in on a CIA operation. Instead of asking, he opened the conversation with, “Look Garcia, you know what I’m working on. Some things have happened and, well, if you’re going to be in the area for a few days, as much as I hate to say this, I might need your help.”
Caught off guard, Garcia nodded. “I’ll be here for a couple of days. Where are you with this? You know where to find him?”
“Not exactly. According to his original employment records, he used to live here. It’s a needle in a haystack situation. I’m here; he may be here. If he is here, I have no idea where he is. However, there may be complications. It may not be just one person we’re looking for.” With that, Thurmond explained about the attack yesterday.
“Man, you know it could be just bad luck, but I wouldn’t take any chances. How about I join your team and we work together to find this guy?”
“No thanks. I think I can do this alone, but I want to be able to call on you if I need help. Okay?” Grant said.
“Always the cowboy, right Thurmond? Alright, I’ll stay out of it, but don’t blame me if you get your ass slammed. You really need backup.”
“I’ve got backup. Sam’s here.” Grant leaned back and crossed his legs.
Garcia barked out a dry laugh. “Sam’s not trained for this shit. You know that.”
“She’s been in combat, Garcia. She knows how to handle herself.” Although Grant sounded confident, he wasn’t sure Sam could handle backup. That’s why he wanted Garcia on call.
“Being in combat with other soldiers around you isn’t anywhere close to the kind of one-on-one work we do.”
“Said like someone who’s never been in combat. Look, man, she’ll be fine.”
Garcia leaned forward to give added emphasis to what he was about to say. “Thurmond, you can’t trust your back to someone with that level of experience,” he said. “You’re not just risking just your life, you’re risking hers as well. Don’t do this, man.”
“We’ll be fine,” Thurmond said with equal emphasis.
They stared at each other for a moment, saying nothing.
“It’s on your head, man,” Garcia finally said disgustedly. “But take down my phone number in case you need me, cause I’m sure you will. Just hope it’s not too late.”
They stood, exchanged numbers and then left the Embassy in separate cars. Garcia knew Thurmond wouldn’t call him and would be looking to see if he was followed, so he asked the driver to take him to any downtown hotel that wasn’t the Marriott.