“It’s all we have to go on,” Zahra added, shrugging. She perked up. “Hang on. Let me check something.” He watched her unfold a traditional paper map. “What? Sometimes the simplest things are the best.”
He shrugged. “You won’t get an argument from me.”
Zahra refolded it so their current position was front and center. She then produced a red marker. “Okay, we are here.” Zahra checked their coordinates on her watch and drew an X atop their location. She traced a line to the south with her finger and found a small mountain range. “Let’s try this. Depending on the formation’s makeup, it could provide some cover. I doubt these guys are stupid enough to set up camp out in the open.”
Yana snorted a laugh but didn’t say anything. It sounded as if she disagreed.
“Have something to add?” Hammet asked.
Yana looked up. “No, I’ve just met some very dumb people in my life.”
“Haven’t we all… So, the mountains to the south?”
Zahra nodded, confirming their direction.
Hammet shifted into drive. “Good enough for me.”
Grigoriy’s men had failed.
Yuri and Anton were the only survivors and were expected back soon. Anton had suffered a flesh wound to the thigh but had reported that it wasn’t anything life-threatening.
The deaths of six members of his outfit enraged Grigoriy. It also concerned him. They had been paid to eliminate an exploration team. The ‘why’ wasn’t necessary. His people only cared about the incoming money, not the why.
He turned away from his command center as his satellite phone chirped. The simple folding table was covered in maps and photos. The latter depicted their targets, two of whom were unidentifiable Jane Does. He had searched the net very thoroughly the night before and had still come up with nothing. He even called in a favor from Saint Petersburg.
Still nothing.
Even the big German man had been ID’d. He wasn’t a scientist, either. He was KSK and a very decorated soldier. Grigoriy and his team had been deceived.
He answered the call. “Yes?”
“
The young female spoke English, and her voice was laced with a heavy German accent.
Grigoriy hated operating through a proxy, but sometimes, the job dictated it. His
“What can I do for you, Miss…”
“
Grigoriy’s spine tingled. No one in his camp had given their employer a status report.
The only explanation was that someone within the Palmer team was a spy. He spun and flipped through the pictures of the targets again, focusing on the others involved. He’d heard of the shadow work the Krause family was involved with, but until now, it had all sounded like a spooky bedtime story.
Henri Vogel, by all accounts, was a living phantom. People like him frightened even men in Grigoriy’s line of work. The Russian wasn’t even sure if that was his real name.
“How do you know the results of our operation?” he asked. “No one here has contacted you.” Grigoriy hoped that she would slip up and reveal something, however unlikely it was.
He turned as two engines approached outside. Yuri and Anton had arrived.
“
Yuri killed the engine of his snowmobile, then he hurried over and helped Anton off his. The man’s leg wasn’t in bad shape, but the two-hour trek back to camp had locked up the muscles surrounding the wound. He could barely put any pressure on it now, like an excruciating Charlie horse.
“Here,” Yuri said, slipping up Anton’s left arm, “lean on me.”
Anton nodded, wincing as he attempted to put any weight on the appendage. A gust nearly forced both men to the earth. Anton whimpered as his foot touched the ground, but the man was proud, like Yuri. He was tough and could push aside the pain.
They inched their way toward Grigoriy’s command tent. They needed to reorganize with him and the others. Five men, including Grigoriy, had stayed behind as a reserve team. There had been too many unknowns with this mission, and Grigoriy had not wanted to risk everyone. Plus, if something happened to the strike team while en route, there would be a viable rescue attempt by those still present here.
