CHAPTER 11

Prague, the night after the attack in pardubice

Eytan didn’t see the point in staying in the vicinity of the destroyed village. The disappearance of three special-forces commandos would draw even more attention to the area, and turning it into a battlefield would not help his cause. After disposing of the bodies, he retrieved his motorcycle and headed toward Prague.

It was now dusk, and his flight to Tel Aviv would be leaving moments before midnight. He’d have just enough time to stop at the hotel room, which Cypher had most likely reserved to keep an eye on him, take a shower, grab some grub, drop off his weapons, and leave to release Elena.

This last task made him sick to the stomach.

After all, this woman was responsible for killing the mother of Jeremy Corbin, the Wall Street trader who had helped him chase down Professor Bleiberg. She had also admitted killing Bernard Dean, the CIA agent who had watched over the young man for several years. She had even left her mark on Eytan in the form of a wound to his shoulder and another to his leg. Had Jeremy not saved him, his life would have ended altogether at the hands of this assassin.

Releasing Elena, rescuing Eli, and stopping a proven bioterrorist risk. Eytan’s schedule for the week was filling up fast. The four-hour plane ride gave him time to harp on his unhappiness. On the plus side, the plane was practically empty at this late hour. So at least he didn’t have to deal with a pesky seatmate.

Moments after the plane landed, Eytan was greeted in the terminal by three agents—two men and one woman—who drove him to Elena’s place of detention. Eli had authorized her release without divulging any more information. On the way, the agents told Eytan about the prisoner’s exploits.

Murphy’s Law, the giant thought as he listened. He wondered if Jeremy had somehow passed all of his bad luck along to him.

Twenty minutes later, Eytan was greeting Dr. Lafner at the clinic entrance. The doctor looked bone-tired, but welcomed Eytan with open arms. From their initial introduction five years earlier, Eytan had liked the man. They shared an affinity for adventure. They both believed in bending the rules when necessary and had a certain disregard for authority. It wasn’t lost on Eytan that the doctor never asked any prying questions about his unique genetic traits.

“Hey, Eytan! You have no idea how happy I am that you’re here.”

“Glad to see you too, Avi. But I’m afraid our reunion will be a short one.”

“Not even enough time to grab a coffee? Our boss is going to get us a new machine, but in the meantime, I sneaked in this sweet espresso machine from home. Mum’s the word. It’s against the rules.”

“Sorry, I can’t, Avi. I’ve got a plane to catch.”

They walked into the building. Eytan was relieved to know the doctor was alive, but he had no time to talk. Nothing could distract him from his objective. If he wanted to stop the downward spiral, he’d have to act fast.

“That’s too bad,” Avi said. “All right, I’ll take you to her. I decided to keep the fireball locked up in a psychiatric cell until you got here. I put guards on her too, and with her being unconscious, I managed to perform a few exams.”

“Oh, you know how I love a good experiment.”

Avi held up a finger, wordlessly warning his friend that he was on the verge of going too far. “Watch it! You need to cut that act right now. I’m not conducting research on her. I’m checking her physical health. There’s a difference. Would you like to meet the families of the soldiers she murdered? She didn’t even try to hold them hostage. That madwoman killed them in cold blood. Had it not been for an enormous stroke of luck, I would have been dead too. I was scared shitless! So even though I enjoy a harmless prank or two, don’t assume more than you should. Understand?”

“I might be going out on a limb here, but you seem a tad stressed.”

“That’s the understatement of the century.”

Eytan placed his immense paw on the shoulder of this man, whom he considered his closest true friend at Mossad. “Look, I’m really sorry about the soldiers, but we were very clear about the level of harm that Elena was capable of committing. Obviously we didn’t put enough men on her. How were you able to escape, anyway?”

“She was about to kill me, but she passed out before she could.”

“And why did she faint? I mean, you’re a charming guy and all, but this isn’t the kind of gal who swoons so easily.” Eytan gave the doctor a wink.

“Don’t underestimate my powers of seduction, Eytan,” the doctor countered. “I actually don’t know why she passed out. I’m waiting to get the test results back. I’ll give you an update as soon as I find out.”

“Thanks, Avi.”

“Yeah, well, anyway, I was glad to learn you’ll be transferring her out of here.”

Eytan rubbed his forehead. He was embarrassed to tell Avi his real reason for being there. “I’m here to free her, actually,” he said.

“Excuse me?” Avi asked, confused.

“I didn’t come here to transfer her, but to free her.”

The doctor took a deep breath before throwing his arms in the air.

“This story’s getting better and better! I love the intelligence service. If only you knew how its incomprehensible manipulations keep me going each and every day. Oh, and I guess there’s no point in giving you any shit about your new cripple walk… I noticed your leg.”

“You’re such a pain.” Eytan sneered.

“You know that’s why you love me.”

They arrived at a large door guarded by two heavily armed men. Avi stayed back.

“Alone,” Eytan ordered the guards, who were about to follow him into the room.

The small space looked like a prison cell, with cement-block walls and a lone barred window. Elena, wearing blue pajamas, was seated in a chair at a small rectangular table. She was handcuffed.

“Hello, Elena.”

“Morg, if you’ve come here for information, spare yourself the effort. I’ll die before I say anything.” Giving him a hateful look, she brought her hands to her mouth and fingered her injured lip. “Enjoy your little victory parade while it lasts.”

“Do you rehearse these quips in front of a mirror at night, or does this crap come naturally?”

She scowled, and Eytan knew he had struck a chord. He sat down in front of her. “Why did you have to torture those four men before killing them?”

“We were just play fighting. Then the security guard came at me with his gun. It wasn’t difficult to get his weapon. I thought I’d add to the fun by shooting out the lights. Long story short, I lost the gun, but not before he lost the use of a leg. In the end, they all lost their lives. All’s fair in love and war. Isn’t that what they say?”

“Wow, and I thought I was a hard-ass.”

“You would have done the same.”

“I don’t kill in cold blood.”

“Such compassion.”

“Or fair play. It depends on your point of view.”

“Did you come here to teach me semantics or give me a lesson on morality? In either case, you’re wasting your breath. You won. I didn’t. Nothing else matters. So get on with it if you—”

Eytan interrupted the would-be long-winded speech. “I have good news and bad news. For me, it’s all bad news. That alone should make you happy.”

“Make me happy? We’ll see about that. But I’m curious to know where this is going.”

“The good news: I’m freeing you. The bad: it’s so we can work together.”

“I don’t understand.”

“I’ll leave the explanation to one of your pals,” Eytan said as he pulled out his cell phone. He punched the speaker option and placed it on the table. It rang a few times before a voice responded.

“Mr. Morg, what news do you have for me?”

“I’m with Elena. She can hear you.”

“Hello, my dear. How are you doing?”

Elena sat up straight in her chair.

“Cypher?”

“I understand your surprise, dear, but there’s no time for gushing. You’ll have to settle for listening to and following my instructions.”

“Yes, sir.”

She leaned forward, her cuffed hands stretched out on the table. Eytan was soaking up her body language. She was a star student glued to her favorite teacher’s every word. So this woman, who was harder than stone, was actually capable of acting obediently. How intriguing.

“We’re dealing with an emergency. I’ve called on Mr. Morg for help, and you’re to work together. He’ll explain the rest.”

“All right,” Elena said. Eytan could see the confusion on her face.

“Now this applies to both of you: set aside your differences for the time being. Mr. Morg is aware of the consequences, but Elena, I’m expecting an equal amount of cooperation from you.”

“You can depend on me, sir,” she said.

“I would expect nothing less. Good luck to both of you.”

Eytan ended the call and twirled the phone in his fingers before putting it back in his pocket. A long silence set in. He fixed his sharp gaze on Elena’s dark eyes.

“Well, there you have it,” he said. “As you can see, we’re both screwed.”

“Agreed.”

“Your clothes are in the next room. Our plane to Prague leaves in an hour. I’ll fill you in on the details during the flight.”

“Why are you following Cypher’s orders?” the woman asked.

“I could ask you the same question.”

She slid her palms over the table.

“I see. Neither one of us is going to cave.”

“Nope. This is shitty for the both of us, but we have to deal with it. Just to get things straight, I’m your superior in this operation. You do as I say and when I say. As for your equipment, I’ll give it to you once we’ve arrived. You’ll have no weapons or means of communication unless I decide otherwise. If you’d still like to eliminate me, you’ll have the pleasure of trying to do so once we’ve completed this mission.”

“Sounds good to me. I don’t have to kill you today. Tomorrow will work just as well.”

“Great,” he said.

He motioned to Elena to hold up her shackled wrists, and he unlocked the handcuffs with the key Avi had given him. But just as the cuffs were springing apart, Elena stood and knocked Eytan against the wall. With her right forearm, she pinned his neck against the cement blocks. She used her left hand to dig into his wounded thigh. For the second time, Eytan felt the killer’s breath against his face. The first time was during their encounter at the BCI facility. Only now, Jeremy wasn’t there to save him.

Her jaw tight, she upped the pressure on his neck. “I’m very tempted…”

She released him.

“But I’m a good girl. If Cypher wants us to work together, so be it.”

Eytan wouldn’t be caught like that again. Through the whole confrontation, his look had remained impassive. He knew his refusal to react had disappointed her. He walked to the other side of the cell and opened the door as if nothing had happened.

She passed by him, and they headed toward the next room.

“You’re welcome to take a shower if you want. We’re leaving in fifteen minutes. Be on time.”

The woman went into the room where her clothes awaited her. Eytan checked his watch. The prospect of having to fly yet again was ticking him off.

He spotted Avi Lafner coming down the hallway.

“Ready for your flight?” the doctor asked.

Eytan gave him a frustrated look.

“You don’t look too excited about going back to Prague,” his friend said.

“It’s been a tough week.”