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The bald man positioned at the entrance of Terminal 2 spoke quietly into his radio. It was a small device that looked like a hearing aid. Since Renner was bald, it was more noticeable on him in comparison to his hairy accomplices. He repeated his words and waited for a reply.
“I don’t see him yet,” Marshall Hail responded, looking over the top of his newspaper at a group of passengers entering the main corridor of Terminal 3.
“Nothing here either,” Nolan responded from his position, where he sat drinking a cup of coffee at Café Nero near Terminal 1. Nolan was wearing a wig made of curly black hair and had a matching bushy black mustache. Paige had dressed him in a three-piece suit even though he’d told her he hated wearing suits. It seemed as if the young woman was getting her jollies dressing the three men in ridiculous, yet believable disguises. Nolan’s mustache was itching like crazy, and he wanted to snatch it off his lip and throw it in the trash; instead he rubbed away the itch. It could be worse. He could have ended up looking like Gage Renner, who was a cue ball. Nolan smiled at the thought, and his mustache spread out like a peacock fanning its tail.
At Terminal 3, Hail sat in a chair at Gate 1 pretending to play with his phone, having set aside the newspaper. He was satisfied he could have a conversation with Kornev in close quarters, if necessary, without the Russian identifying him. It occurred to Hail that two could play that game. Would he recognize Kornev if the Russian also wore a disguise? That thought made Hail scrutinize every profile that passed by him. All the intelligence they had collected on Kornev indicated he didn’t travel in disguise. His ego and confidence in his own heightened abilities when it came to security suggested that Kornev would not bother to obscure his appearance.
As the morning rush continued, more people flowed into the airport and more planes departed from various gates. The trio diligently watched, waiting for Kornev to make an appearance.
In hour three, Hail spotted Kornev entering Terminal 3. He was wearing blue jeans, a button up tan shirt under a brown leather bomber-type jacket, and was dragging a small carry-on. The Russian subtly scanned the crowd looking for potential threats. Hail’s eyes drifted back down to his phone. Nothing could give him away faster than making eye contact with the paranoid arms dealer. A moment later, Hail looked up and saw Kornev making his way deeper into the terminal.
Hail got to his feet and spoke into his voice-activated radio, “I got Kornev. He just entered Terminal 3. I’m following him. I’ll let you know where he’s going as soon as he stops at a gate.”
Both Renner and Nolan confirmed Hail’s message.
Hail added, “No need for you guys to stick around. Go back to the Gulfstream and get prepared for takeoff. If I can get a ticket on Kornev’s flight, I’ll follow him on and off the flight. Hold tight until you hear from me in case that fails and I need a ride.”
Again, Renner and Nolan acknowledged Hail’s instructions.
By this time, Hail was on his feet and had closed the distance on Kornev. The Russian turned left and approached Gate 12’s ticket counter. Kornev had a brief exchange with an Emirati woman working the counter. The Russian smiled at her, nodded his head, and took a seat near the windows that looked out onto the apron.
Hail hung back until he was certain Kornev was dug in, then feigning a little limp to consummate his disguise, he approached the same ticket counter.
“How can I help you?” the pretty woman asked.
“Do you have any more seats available on this flight to...”
It suddenly occurred to Hail that he hadn’t checked where the flight was going. Looking up at the board, Hail added, “...Peshawar?”
It only took her a few seconds of pressing keys on her computer before she came back with, “Yes, we have a few seats left, but only in first class.” She told Hail the price and waited for his response.
Hail smiled through his thick beard and mustache and informed the woman that the amount would be fine.
In the back of his mind, he wondered what the chances were that Kornev would be sitting next to him on the flight.
Elsewhere in the airport, Renner and Nolan had met up at the junction where all three terminals merged. Since Hail’s radio was voice activated while he was confirming his ticket purchase, both men had heard that he was going to be flying into Peshawar, Pakistan.
Also listening in on the call was Alex Knox, who was waiting patiently back at the Hail Nucleus mission center. The drone, Milky Way, was now fully charged and still sitting on the roof of the terminal. Knox crosschecked the flight with the corresponding gate number. In short order, he determined what flight he would target for another stowaway trip.