There was another knock at the door.

Marcus looked up to see a pretty if somewhat-studious brunette with her hair pulled back in a bun, wearing a navy-blue pin-striped suit that would have blended in unnoticed on Wall Street or at the Commerce Department but was far more stylish than anything anyone else in the U.S. Embassy in Moscow was wearing.

Nick was still poring over the photos, but as Marcus rose to shake the newcomer’s hand, he said, “This is Jennifer Morris. CIA chief of station for Moscow. Not only does she need to hear what you’re telling me, but she’s fluent in Russian and can do a better job than I can at figuring out whether these documents are the real thing.”

Marcus was surprised. Morris couldn’t have been much over thirty. This was the ranking Agency operative in Moscow?

Nick quickly briefed Morris on all that Marcus had said. He handed her the Samsung Galaxy and asked Marcus to continue explaining what he’d been told by his source.

Marcus waited a few beats for Morris to scroll through a dozen or so photographs, then picked up the narrative where he’d left off. “Obviously, I can’t personally vouch for the authenticity of the documents in these photos,” he conceded. “That’s one of the reasons I’m bringing them to you. But if what this guy is telling me is true, they paint a pretty chilling picture.”

Morris worked her way through the documents, reading and studying each one carefully before moving on to the next.

“Luganov is ordering his generals to launch an all-out invasion of Estonia and Latvia, and he’s projecting they can fully control both in under sixty hours?” she asked.

“Yes,” Marcus said. “And they think it will take another forty-eight hours to seize Lithuania as well.”

“The objective being what?” she asked, still scrolling through the photos.

“Divide and destroy NATO, then dictate terms to the West,” Marcus said.

“Because we won’t fight back?”

“Because we can’t fight back.”

“Why not?”

“The moment Luganov moves, the plan calls for him to formally and very publicly annex all three countries,” Marcus said. “Then he will declare that any counterstrike by NATO or the U.S will be considered a direct attack on the Russian Federation and will lead him immediately and without question to order the use of tactical nuclear weapons.”

“It’s a bluff,” Nick said.

“If so, it’s a good one,” Morris conceded.

“Do you believe him, that he’d really use nuclear weapons?” Nick asked.

Morris didn’t answer, but Marcus did. “Yes, actually I do, but that’s not the point.”

“And what is?”

“My guy believes it,” Marcus said. “That’s why he came to me. He’s terrified. He claims to know Luganov well. Very well. He’s worked with him for years. And he says Luganov wouldn’t hesitate before ordering the generals to use nukes.”

“This guy truly believes Luganov will start a nuclear apocalypse?” Nick asked. “I mean, come on. Luganov is a piece of work. I grant you that. But crazy enough to start an all-out nuclear conflagration? I don’t buy it.”

“Look, I’m only telling you what my source says. That’s why he risked his life to come to me, to give us all this, so we’ll pass it along to Clarke and the Pentagon.”

“So how close is he?” Morris asked. “To Luganov, to the inner circle?”

“Close enough that he got all of this,” Marcus responded. “How many people likely have code-word clearance for documents like these?”

“I doubt more than two dozen, if that,” said the station chief. “Can you get more?”

“I’m not sure.”

“Did he give you a way to contact him?”

“He doesn’t want me to contact him, says it’s too dangerous,” Marcus said. “But I gave him my satphone and a number where he can reach me 24-7.”

“You gave him an official U.S. government phone?” Nick asked.

“It’s not a government phone. I rented some back in Washington for myself and each member of the security detail I recruited.”

“And your source, he agreed to call you?”

“No, but he took the phone and said he’d call me if he needed to. But I’m not so sure he will.”

“Why not? Didn’t you ask for updates on the war planning?” Morris asked.

“Of course.”

“Did you tell him to call you if the date of the invasion was either confirmed or changed?” she pressed.

Marcus leveled his gaze at her. “Look, Miss Morris, I don’t know you, and you don’t know me. But surely Nick here has given you a thumbnail sketch of my background. I know how to interview a witness and handle an informant. I get the stakes here, and the time crunch, too. So you’re just going to have to believe me when I tell you I got everything out of him that I could. I set up a way that the two of us could talk securely. What else was I supposed to do?”

“Is he willing to meet you again?” she asked.

“He said no.”

“Why not?”

“Because he doesn’t want to be shot or hanged if he’s found out. Besides, he said what he gave me ought to be more than enough to convince President Clarke and the North Atlantic Council to start moving forces into the Baltics.”

“That’s what he wants —NATO forces moving into the Baltics?”

“Absolutely —he must have repeated it at least five times. He said the only way he can see to stop Luganov from issuing the final invasion order is if there’s a sufficient deterrent force in place or at least inbound.”

Morris was hurriedly making notes. So was Nick. The coffee was getting cold. Morris said, “So you gave him a phone but you don’t think he’s going to call back, and he doesn’t want to meet you again. Forgive me for saying so, but this guy doesn’t exactly meet our usual standards for a reliable source.”

“Maybe not,” Marcus said. “But you’ve got to remember: this is a guy who took an enormous risk to reach out to me. It would be an even bigger risk to call or see me again. I don’t think he’s going to do it to give us more information, even if there’s a change in the strike date. I already told you, he believes he’s given us everything we need to make a decision and get moving. But I do think there’s one thing that might make him call.”

Morris leaned forward. “You think he’ll ask for money? Because believe me, if we can verify what he’s telling us is true, the Agency will give him whatever he wants.”

“No, he doesn’t want money,” Marcus said. “He was emphatic about that.”

“Then what?” Morris asked.

“I think he might want us to get him out of the country before the dam breaks.”

“Did that come up in your meeting?”

“No, and that’s been bothering me. I think he wanted to ask me but hesitated.”

“Why?”

“Because he doesn’t see himself as a traitor needing to flee his country,” Marcus said. “He sees himself as a patriot needing to serve her.”

“But you think he wants an escape hatch,” Morris said.

“Wouldn’t you?”

“I would,” she agreed.

Nick nodded. “So would I.”

“I think we need to come up with a plan to get him safely out of the country,” Marcus continued. “A plan that’s ready to go at a moment’s notice.”

“I think you’re right,” Nick said.

“There’s just one problem,” Marcus said.

“Just one?”

“Okay, more than one —but let’s start here,” Marcus explained. “If he does call, he’s not going to want to work with anyone else. Just me.”

“Why’s that a problem?” Morris asked.

“Because I’m supposed to fly with Senator Dayton and his team to Vilnius tonight, then on to Brussels and London, then back to D.C.”

“And if you don’t leave, the Russians are going to notice,” Morris said.

“And get suspicious,” Marcus agreed. “And that’s the last thing we need.”

“So you need to be on that Learjet when it takes off,” Nick said.

Marcus nodded. “Right. But then I’m going to have to get back into the country without the Russians knowing I’ve come back.”

“And how exactly do you propose we do that?” Nick asked.

Marcus smiled for the first time. “Actually, I have an idea.”