Chapter XXV

“COME ON,” MADDUX SAID. “We need to get moving.”

He grabbed Pritchett’s arm and ushered him to his feet. Dex rose slowly, but Maddux was already motioning for his colleague to hurry.

“We’ve got to get out of here,” Maddux said in a whisper.

“What did you find?” Dex asked. “Was I right?”

“Pritchett was right. Cordell isn’t a traitor, but we’ll put everything at risk if we go back now. We can get him tomorrow.”

“How do you intend to do that?” Pritchett asked.

“Just leave the details to us,” Dex said. “I’m sure our little genius here has a plan.”

“Mock me all you want, Dex, but I found out more than just the truth about whether or not Cordell was a traitor. I learned the identity of the mole.”

Pritchett stopped. “Who is it?”

Maddux tugged on Pritchett again. “Keep walking, and act normal.”

“Who is it?” Pritchett demanded.

“Kensington,” Maddux said as he kept his eyes affixed on the gate less than a hundred meters away.

“Walt Kensington? The station chief in Belgrade?” Dex asked.

“The one and only,” Maddux said. “Just keep walking, and I’ll fill you in on all the details later.”

A few seconds later, Maddux heard the shouts of another man from behind them in the courtyard.

“Don’t turn around,” Maddux said.

“What did you do?” Pritchett asked.

“Nothing, but we don’t have time to stop. They’re going to figure out who we are if stick around here much longer. Just keep moving.”

The guard behind them insisted, compelling Maddux to stop and turn around. His eyes widened as he noticed a man with his arm raised, hustling toward them. But it was the scene behind him that made Maddux’s throat tighten—General Jankovic strode determinedly toward them.

“We probably should run,” Dex said.

Maddux gestured for everyone to stay where they were and remain calm. “I’ll handle this. Don’t blow our cover just yet.”

“General Jankovic wants to speak with you,” the aide said. “Please wait.”

Jankovic and his man were some fifty meters away but closing fast. Maddux stuck his hand into his pocket and grabbed the small device. He flicked open the protective covering and pressed the button.

A loud explosion rocked the courtyard as the transport vehicle flew several meters into the air before crashing back down to the ground. Flames consumed the truck, and another explosion followed.

“Don’t go anywhere,” Jankovic yelled.

“Go, now,” Maddux said. The three men resumed their exit, walking swiftly toward the car. Once they got inside, they raced down the road and headed straight for the motel.

“All right, Maddux, tell us what you found out.”

Maddux related his interaction with the office guard and what was in the files.

“I swear, Kensington ought to swing for this,” Pritchett said.

“Well, that’s not the least of our concerns,” Maddux said, looking at Pritchett. “We’ve got Cordell stuck in there. And while they likely won’t figure out that you’re gone until the morning, as soon as Jankovic figures out what happened, that place is going to be crawling with SDB agents. We’re going to need to get back in there first thing to get Cordell out. Got any ideas?”

Pritchett furrowed his brow. “I thought you had a big idea.”

“Well, I do, sort of,” Maddux stammered. “It’s just that—it’s just that I needed to keep you moving or else they would’ve been all over us.”

Pritchett sighed. “Well, the only thing I can think of is that the linens truck for all the guards was scheduled to show up tomorrow morning at eight o’clock.”

“That’ll work,” Dex said. “We just need to figure out a way to get a message to Cordell and create a diversion to get him into the truck.”

“I think I know exactly how we can do this,” Maddux said.

* * *

A FEW MINUTES BEFORE 8:00 A.M., Maddux and Dex returned to the prison as the wine-selling tandem of Durand and Moreau. Dex rapped on the gate, startling a sleepy-eyed guard.

“What is this all about?” the guard asked. “We’re not expecting any deliveries until 8:00 a.m.”

“We’re early,” Dex said.

“And who are you?”

“I am Julien Durand, and this is my colleague Antoine Moreau. We’re here to meet with General Jankovic.”

The guard glanced at his clipboard. “Two things. First of all, I don’t see you on the list. Secondly, no one disturbs General Jankovic until he’s eaten breakfast. That’s a hard-fast rule.”

“This is about wine,” Dex countered. “I suggest you go and get him because he’ll want to receive this shipment.”

“I could receive it for him,” the guard offered.

“No, it must be signed and received by the general,” Dex said. “Besides, he needs to settle his bill.”

“If he hasn’t emerged from his quarters, he hasn’t finished breakfast,” the guard said. “There isn’t anything I can do.”

Dex dug into his pocket and grabbed a fistful of cash. He slapped it into the guard’s hand.

“Still nothing you can do about it?” Dex asked.

The guard smiled. “I’ll be right back.”

A couple minutes later, Dex saw the guard walking toward the entrance with Jankovic, whose eyes were narrowed beneath a furrowed brow.

“I wonder what he’s so happy about?” Maddux asked.

“Brace yourself,” Dex said. “This isn’t going to be pretty.”

The guard flung open the gate but kept his gun trained on the two visitors.

“We need to make this snappy,” Jankovic said. “We had an incident last night here at the prison, and I have much to do.”

Before Dex could respond, the linen truck rolled up behind them.

Maddux glanced at his watch and smiled. Right on schedule.

They all shuffled to the side to allow the truck to enter.

“We have quite a few bottles for you, so we just need to know where to put them,” Dex said. “Once we do that, we can settle up our accounts and get out of your way.”

“We’ll put the wine in my office,” Jankovic said. “I cleared out a spot for it until I can move it all to my personal cellar.”

Dex nodded, and he and Maddux started the unloading process. One by one, they carried the wine up a gently sloping hill to Jankovic’s office. As they walked, Maddux scanned the commons area for Cordell. By the third trip, Maddux noticed him and said something to Jankovic, who had remained in his office doing paperwork.

“Do you think there’s any chance we could get some help?” Maddux asked. “We would love to get out of your way sooner,”

“What do you need?” Jankovic asked.

“Maybe a couple men to help lug these crates up here.”

“Fine,” Jankovic said before instructing the guard posted at his door to accommodate Maddux’s request.

Once they stepped back outside, Maddux pointed in Cordell’s direction. “What about those two men over there?”

The guard shrugged before calling over Cordell and another man. After receiving instructions on what to do, the two prisoners hustled over to Maddux and Dex.

“That was easy enough,” Dex said. “But don’t be fooled. Things are never easy.”

“Tell me about it,” Maddux said as he handed a crate to Cordell.

It took less than ten minutes to finish the job lugging all the wine crates up to Jankovic’s office. All that remained was to collect the payment.

Dex knocked on Jankovic’s office. “General, we wanted to let you know that we’ve delivered all the bottles as promised and would like to get back on the road. We have more places to visit in the coming days.”

Jankovic smiled. “I don’t want to hold you.” He stood and opened up a safe in the wall, carefully guarding against them seeing the combination..

Dex gave him a total. The amount was the same as what they paid for the wine. Jankovic sifted through stacks of cash until he reached the agreed upon amount.

“Thank you, sir,” Dex said as he received the money. “I hope you have a better day than you did last night.”

“What are you talking about?” Jankovic asked, feigning ignorance.

“The guard up front mentioned you had an incident here,” Dex said, covering quickly for his misstep.

“No, everything here was quiet last night,” Jankovic said. “He must have been mistaken. Which guard told you this again?”

“The one at the main gate,” Dex said. “But don’t get him in trouble. I shouldn’t have said anything.”

Jankovic laughed softly. “There’s nothing to worry about because nothing happened. But thank you for thinking of me, and I look forward to seeing you again in the future when you return.”

Dex pocketed the money and headed out the door with Maddux.

Maddux stole a quick glance over his shoulder in the direction of the linens truck. The driver climbed behind the wheel, and the truck roared to life. As Maddux walked toward the gate, the truck veered past them, its brakes squeaking as a guard stood at the exit holding up both hands.

“Is there a problem?” the driver asked.

“No problem,” the guard said. “Just the same procedure we follow every time you leave. We need to check your truck.”

Three guards swarmed on the truck, yanking open the back doors and sifting through all the laundry. Once they were satisfied, they moved on to the sides of the truck. They used poles with angled mirrors attached to the end to see underneath.

Maddux paused to watch the inspection unfold, but the entire scene became chaotic when Jankovic stormed out of his office, ranting about something.

“We need to move,” Dex said. “Now.”

They hustled toward their car. Dex wasted no time in firing up the engine before stomping on the gas. Dirt and gravel sprayed the prison fence as the car lurched forward and snaked onto the road. Maddux looked back over his shoulder just in time to see Jankovic pointing a gun at someone before pulling the trigger.

“That bastard just shot someone, didn’t he?” Dex asked.

Maddux was slow to respond, drinking in the escalating scene behind them.

“Probably the guard I ratted out,” Dex said.

“I didn’t think Jankovic would—” Maddux let his words hang, realizing that he actually wasn’t surprised.

“You’re smarter than that,” Dex said. “I knew he would kill the guy. Casualty of the game.”

Maddux bit his lip, disappointed in both Jankovic’s malicious handling of the situation and Dex’s callous dismissal of a man he practically sentenced to death.

“Don’t lose too much sleep over it,” Dex said. “This is what happens in our world.”

After five minutes of bumping along the private road leading to the prison, Dex skidded to a stop. He got out, unlatched the hood, and propped it up.

“You think the linen truck will stop?” Maddux asked.

“I’ll do my best to make sure he does,” Dex said, opening the trunk and pulling out a set of tools.

Another five minutes passed, then ten. Still no truck.

“You think something happened?” Maddux asked. “Maybe they found Cordell.”

“Cordell knows what he’s doing. If he didn’t want to be found, he avoided all their detection devices.”

“I hope you’re right.”

The seconds dripped past as Maddux imagined the worst. Dex leaned against the side of the car, relaxed and ready for the next portion of their operation.

“How do you handle all of this?” Maddux asked, breaking the silence.

“Handle all of what?” Dex asked.

“You know, the death, the anxiety, the uncertainty—because I don’t want to become numb to it all.”

Dex nodded knowingly. “You have to stay numb when things go wrong in order to stay alive. And we’re staying alive because we want our loved ones to stay alive—that’s how you do it. Think about everything you do as a sacrifice for them, the people back home who have no idea this shadow world exists. While they’re all worried about job security and inflation and how they’re going to afford their next car, we’re out here keeping them safe. And if you don’t think that way, you’ll either fall prey to the lure of money or disappear into the pit of despair.”

“You’ve really thought this through, haven’t you?”

“You can’t do the things I’ve done without spending a substantial amount of time thinking about why you’re doing what you’re doing. You know, like the time you spend tied up in a wine cellar because a fellow agent thinks you’re out to kill him.”

Maddux shot Dex a sideways glance. Dex flashed a smile.

“Don’t worry,” Dex said, “I’m over it. But I will get you back one day when you aren’t looking.”

Maddux wasn’t sure if Dex was joking or not. The wry smile on his face left his true frame of mind ambiguous.

Before Maddux could respond, the sound of an approaching truck just beyond the hill behind them arrested both agents’ attention.

“Looks like we have company,” Dex said. “Get ready.”

Maddux walked around their car, kicking the tires. Dex tightened his rolled up sleeves and hung his head. He looked up as the linens truck drew nearer, raising his hand to flag it down. The truck slowed to a halt, the engine still running.

“Is there a problem?” the driver asked.

“I think it’s the carburetor, but I don’t have the proper wrench to loosen it. Do you happen to have a tool set in your truck?”

The man, whose eyes were distant and face pale, nodded. “I think I have something I can give you to help.”

“That was crazy back there, wasn’t it?” Dex said.

The driver nodded. “I’ve witnessed three guards getting killed over the past six months—and it bothers me just the same every time.”

“It’s a wild world we live in, isn’t it?” Maddux asked.

“I hope this place is better off when my daughter gets older,” the driver said.

“Oh, you have a little girl?” Maddux asked.

The man nodded as he dug through his toolbox. “She’s only nine months old and so innocent. I would hate for her to see all the things I’ve seen in this country.”

“Maybe things will get better,” Dex said.

The man handed over a wrench set. “Is this what you’re looking for?”

Dex nodded. “Perfect. Just give me a second.”

The driver sat on the tailgate, hindering Maddux’s plan. Cordell was supposed to crawl out, but he needed to do it without the driver in view. Yet with him still outside the truck, the opportunity wasn’t there.

“See if that works,” Dex said.

Maddux hustled over to the car, sliding behind the steering wheel. He turned the engine, and their car roared to life.

Dex let out a celebratory yelp before working quickly to reattach the cover to the carburetor. He slid the socket back into its case and handed it over to the driver.

“I appreciate your help,” Dex said.

The man took the tools and put them away. “Safe travels, gentlemen.” He climbed back behind the steering wheel and eased onto the gas. The truck gained speed, rambling along the dirt road.

Maddux and Dex scanned the area.

“Where the hell is Cordell?” Dex asked.

Maddux’s eyes widened as he searched for their colleague, but he wasn’t in plain view.