“Let’s hope not,” said Sharpe. “They don’t sound like the kind of employees you want to vanish.”
Chapter 46
Berg didn’t have to wait long for Sanderson to answer his call. He imagined the general sitting around in the same kind of sleep-deprived stupor, racking his brain with conspiracy theories while the information trickled in at a painfully slow pace. The news he had to share would definitely wake him up.
“Karl, what are we looking at?” Sanderson asked.
“Good news and bad news. I just got off the phone with Ryan Sharpe. They have a lead on Sokolov. Sounds like Reznikov’s with him.”
“That’s good news. How solid is the intelligence?”
“Not very,” said Berg, explaining what Sharpe had passed along.
“Thin, but promising. Any chance of getting CIA support on this? Some money-pliable law enforcement contacts? Information on the organized crime scene players? We’re going to attract a lot of attention there poking around the markets for Russians buying illegal weapons.”
“This is where the bad news starts. Audra Bauer was my only conduit to get that kind of information, and she doesn’t know who to trust.”
“Right,” said Sanderson.
Berg still sensed a lingering doubt about the CIA mole theory, despite having presented nearly incontrovertible evidence to support it.
“Terrence, someone listened to my conversation with Bauer from her end. That suggests a real problem at the CIA. Add the phantom army Brown River created for someone with deep pockets, and a disturbing picture emerges. A picture with True America written all over it.”
“I’m analyzing every angle. Hear me out on this. Assuming the phantom Ajax group was behind your abduction—”
“There’s no assuming. The team was on Brown River’s payroll, and Wellins went to work for Ajax, whether it exists in writing or not.”
“Fair enough. An off-the-books team paid by Brown River grabs you, looking for information about your contact in Moscow. A well-placed contact, from what I gather.”
“One I’m willing to go to my grave protecting,” said Berg.
“Apparently,” said Sanderson.
“I don’t think they had any practical experience with torture methods,” said Berg.
“Sounds like they did a fair enough job,” said Sanderson. “So. They grab you — interested in all things Russian.”
“And Reznikov,” said Berg. “True America has a vested interest in putting that story to bed.”
“So do the Russians,” said Sanderson.
“Fair enough.”
“Then they lose you rather spectacularly. Right?”
“Right,” admitted Berg.
“Less than six hours later, they try to grab Bauer out of desperation, who they could have easily followed out of Langley. The Russians know the two of you are connected. They do their homework.”
“But they set up at the coffee shop before Bauer drove out of headquarters.”
“One of her favorite stops on the way home. A shitty private investigator hired to find Bauer would stake that place out,” said Sanderson. “And Wellins? He’s part of this Ajax group. A very real, well-paid, under-the-radar part of Brown River that maybe doesn’t discriminate against well-paying clients.”
“The Russians,” Berg stated.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if you found a Russian-backed investor or two behind the sudden influx of capital at Brown River. I’m not saying this isn’t a major fucking problem or that we ignore it. I just can’t shake the strong feeling that the Russians are behind this. And now they have a small army inside the U.S. Wellins probably thinks he was running some kind of patriotic errand. Taking on a rogue cabal of conspirators within the CIA. Wouldn’t be the first time contractors at Brown River have been misused this way. I seem to remember an enterprising CIA officer sending some contractors to kill an imminent threat to the United States back in 2005.”
He was right. Berg had convinced Jackson to send a team up to D.C. to kill Petrovich under the guise of national security. Sanderson’s case for Russian puppet masters was solid, possibly made stronger by the rest of the news he needed to share.
“There’s something else you need to know, which I think tips the scale in favor of your theory. Ernesto Galenden was murdered sometime yesterday. I just received word from Sharpe, on the heels of the Reznikov tip. One of Sharpe’s contacts in the Argentine Federal Police said Galenden was tortured extensively.”
“When was the estimated time of death?”
“They think before midnight,” said Berg. “His last appointment of the day was with two Russian executives from Gazprom.”
“They weren’t executives with Gazprom. More likely Zaslon. None of this is coincidence, Karl,” said Sanderson. “Is there any doubt in your mind what’s going on right now?”
“There’s always doubt. But it sounds like we need to relocate.”
“That’s a good start. There’s no telling how deep the Russians will dig into Galenden’s holdings, and with an army ready at their disposal, there’s no telling how quickly you might have uninvited guests. I’ll do the same here, effective immediately.”
“Our primary focus right now is to build an airtight case against Ajax, or whatever Brown River is hiding.”
“Add staying alive to that to-do list,” said Sanderson.
“We’ll fit that in somewhere,” said Berg. “Right now, we need to find new accommodations. I may need to break this group into smaller pieces to stay hidden.”
“I don’t advise that,” said Sanderson. “Munoz and Melendez will stay with you, guaranteed. You’re their mission right now. Same with Graves and Gupta. I can’t say the same for Mazurov or Sayar, and I know the Petroviches will fade away if pulled too far away from the group’s center of gravity. If the Petroviches split, you can definitely kiss the other two goodbye. That doesn’t leave you with much if an opportunity arises.”
“Any chance of reinforcements?”
“Everyone I have here is either tied up waiting for the Reznikov mission or tied up with our imminent evacuation. I have some assets in Europe, but given Russia’s sudden interest in my organization, they’ll need to lie low,” said Sanderson.
“We’ll figure something out.”
“I know a secluded place about three hours out of D.C. It’s a little rustic and hasn’t been used in about three years, but I can guarantee its secrecy.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because you don’t know about it, and neither does the FBI,” said Sanderson. “I monitor it remotely. Nobody outside of the Black Flag family has entered the structure. You’ll be safe there as long as you don’t drag anything back with you.”
“Does it have running water?”
“If you can start the site’s generator. If not, a large off-the-shelf replacement will run everything you’ll need for now.”
“I’ll take it,” said Berg. “Send directions to Graves.”
“No need. Munoz and the Petroviches know where to find it.”
“That’s where you rebooted the program,” said Berg, with an air of reverence.
“I spent two good years there. Productive years. I’d love to see it again.”
“One of these days.”
“I’m not counting on it,” said Sanderson.
The thought of turning into a permanent refugee like Sanderson depressed him. They needed to get to the bottom of this conspiracy fast so they could figure out who to trust or, more importantly, who not to trust. He’d already taken one giant leap of faith in that direction.