Hellfire Code. Don Pendleton

the shooting started, the rented Jeepney cab that had delivered them—driven by one of his men and not a local—tore from the scene and circled the block. Stezhnya had already put an evacuation plan in the works for just such an event. The Russian-American’s quick thinking had saved their lives, and Downing wasn’t sure it was a debt he could repay. Not that Stezhnya would have bothered to mention it.

      Stezhnya guided him into the back seat of the Jeepney. He turned to scan the rear and verify nobody followed, then stepped in and slammed the door shut. He ordered the driver to get them out of there, and then turned his attention to Downing.

      “Are you all right, sir?”

      “Thanks to you,” Downing replied.

      If Stezhnya noticed the unchecked admiration in Downing’s voice, he made no sign of it.

      “How did you know?” Downing asked.

      “I understand men like Neely, sir,” Stezhnya said with a shrug. “They’re not to be trusted. I didn’t trust him from the beginning.”

      Downing nodded. “You told me. Several times as I recall. I should have listened to you.”

      “Looks like whoever he sold us out to had their own agenda.”

      “You think Neely’s dead?”

      It was hard to judge whether the upturned corner of Stezhnya’s mouth was a half grin or a sneer until he said, “Seeing as we’re both covered in his blood, and what our own men suffered, it would be hard to convince me he’s anything but, sir.” After a pause, he said, “What do you want to do now?”

      Downing didn’t want to admit it, but he hadn’t thought of anything else up to that point. He couldn’t believe Neely had betrayed them, although he’d lined up a set of alternatives for each phase of the operation. With Neely dead, Downing would have to rely on his secondary sources of information inside the NSA and other U.S. intelligence networks. Sometimes that information was untimely, or even tended to be inaccurate if current.

      “To be honest, I had a backup plan for just such an eventuality, but I didn’t honestly think we’d have to use it,” Downing finally replied.

      “I take it that means you want me to recall my men from the United States?”

      Downing nodded. “All units go on the alert immediately. You’ll leave with your in-country team at dawn.”

      “Understood. And what about this new threat?”

      “You’re the tactical expert, here. What do you propose we do about them, or…him, perhaps?”

      “You think it’s Cooper behind the attack.”

      “What other explanation do we have for Neely getting killed? Grant you, Neely wasn’t that bright, but he would have considered Cooper an ally. Maybe he trusted him to protect his family. We knew they were trading information about the New Corsican Front before we even approached Neely about him.”

      “Who do you think this Cooper really is?”

      Downing sighed and didn’t reply for a time. “If I don’t miss my guess, I’d say he’s some type of covert operations specialist, possibly even military or ex-military. It seems odd, however, that he operates with significant impunity.”

      Stezhnya appeared to give Downing’s statement some thought, but before he could conjure a reply his cell phone rang.

      “Yeah?” He paused to listen, then, “What? What did you just say?” Another long pause. “No, I understand. Thank you for the report. Keep all channels open in case there’s been a mistake. And by the way, put units three and four on alert.”

      Stezhnya slowly closed the cover to his phone. When he turned to face Downing, his complexion had paled. “The team in the States is dead. Dead! I swear to you, sir, this Cooper is now the sworn enemy of the Apparatus. I vow to you this night, before this operation is complete I will dangle his head on a pole for the entire world to see!”

      “I don’t doubt it, Alek,” Downing said quietly.

      Downing saw the murderous hate in Stezhnya’s eyes. Under normal circumstances he would have counseled Stezhnya to not let anger and his taste for revenge become an obsession, but he knew it wouldn’t do any good. The man had a right to be angry. Part of it was stupid pride—Downing knew the pride because he’d dealt with many soldiers like Stezhnya before—but another part was justified rage. To have lectured the man now would serve no purpose but to fuel his anger.

      Instead he said simply, “Every man must do what he thinks is just. But be aware that I don’t want anything to distract you. The mission must come first. Then you may seek whatever retribution you feel is fitting for Cooper. Is that understood?”

      “Yes, sir,” Stezhnya said, his voice barely audible through clenched teeth. “Perfectly. But I wish to go on record by saying I think the mission could suffer if we don’t eliminate this Cooper as soon as possible.”

      Stezhnya knew Downing wouldn’t be able to ignore the statement.

      “What makes you think so?”

      Stezhnya turned some in the seat to face Downing. “Let’s examine this man closely for a moment. Since we executed our initial operation against the French-Arabs, Cooper has been one step behind us. That team of thugs you hired initially to throw him off the trail did anything but. He knew about Hagen, and he had enough savvy to track my men to the warehouse in Atlanta.”

      “So what?”

      “You say that as if it’s unimportant,” Stezhnya said. “This man took down that gang, and the hit team we sent to Hagen’s, to speak nothing of his assault against my men. Those the were the finest trained men in the Apparatus. They were the best, sir.

      “Now he’s found his way here and most probably he masterminded the attack on us and the assassination of Neely. Obviously, this man operates without discretion or restraint, and it seems he would have the sanction to operate with impunity where the American government is concerned. Do you honestly believe this man will stop now?”