“Yes, sir.”
When it was clear he couldn’t fight the pain medication anymore, they left, Felix following Sam down the hall.
Remi stood when they walked into the lobby. “How is he?” she asked Sam.
“Fine. Sleeping now.”
“Thank goodness.”
Felix looked around for Nika. “Where is she?”
Remi nodded toward the doors. “She went for a walk. I’m sure she’ll be back soon. She was very upset.”
About two minutes later, Nika walked in the lobby doors. “Well?” she asked Felix. “What did he say?”
“He’s asking that the Fargos help.”
“Is that wise? We’re wasting time as it is. Tatiana could be hurt.”
Felix glanced down the hall toward Viktor’s room, then back at Nika. “It’s what he ordered.”
She crossed her arms. “Is there some grand plan?”
“I have none,” he said.
She turned her gaze to Sam. “And you?”
“To start? Call to let him know we have this key. And that we’ll exchange it for Tatiana.”
Nika opened her mouth to speak but then clamped it shut. Instead, she started pacing.
“Call,” Felix said.
Sam took out Tatiana’s phone, found Rolfe’s number, and called.
It went to voice mail. Sam waited for the recording, then said, “Sam Fargo. Call if you want the key. In exchange for Tatiana, unhurt.”
He disconnected.
Remi exchanged glances with him, her expression worried. “I hope she’s okay.”
“She’s smart,” Sam said. “She threw that key for a reason.”
Nika continued her pacing until the phone rang a few minutes later. She and the others gathered around Sam as he answered. “Fargo…”
“Apparently, you have something I want.”
“Who’s this?”
“Leopold.”
“Leopold? Where’s Tatiana?”
“Sitting across from me as we speak.”
“She’s not hurt?”
“The gag might be a little tight, but no. She made it clear that we’d be hearing from you about this key that you found.”
“I’d like to speak to her.”
“We all have things that we desire, don’t we? About that key—”
“Tatiana! On the phone!”
Sam heard an annoyed sigh, then, “Take the gag from her mouth so she can speak to the American.”
“Sam?”
“How are you?”
“I’m fine. Viktor?”
“Fine,” he said, relieved to hear her voice.
“Thank—”
“Touching,” Leopold said. “I’ve heard my fill. Have you?”
“How do you want to do this?” Sam asked.
“I can tell you how I don’t want to do it. I’ve heard all about the exchange in Marrakesh. So to avoid any possibility of losing control to you, we’ll make the exchange tomorrow night outside Berlin.” There was a muffled sound as though he’d muted the phone. A moment later, he said, “I’ll be in touch to arrange for the exchange. Tomorrow night. After midnight.”
“Why so late?” Sam asked.
The line went dead.
49
Sam and Felix decided they’d make the three-and-a-half-hour drive to Berlin, where they’d meet up to wait for Leopold’s call. The moment he and Remi were alone in their car, Sam telephoned Rube. “We have a slight problem.”
“Any chance it involves an undercover Russian agent and a German crime boss?”
“I see you’ve been talking to Selma. What you might not know is that the Russians are working some inside operation to take Rolfe Wernher down. They’re willing to sacrifice Tatiana for the cause.”
Remi leaned over, talking into the phone. “She saved our lives more than once. We can’t let that happen.”
“I’m going to let you in on a little secret,” Rube said. “The Russians aren’t the only ones working to take this guy down. The Germans have had their sights on him for a long time. And we’ve got our hand in it as well. This guy is running these Wolf Guard members throughout Europe as his own personal henchmen.”
“We’ve run into a few… About Tatiana…?”
“That’s the thing. If we go barreling in there to rescue her, it’s likely to blow a few covers and endanger both German and U.S. operatives. So the Russian lives aren’t the only ones that’ll be at stake. They’re under orders to ignore all but the prime mission. Tatiana isn’t part of that.”
“And what’s this ‘prime mission’?” Sam asked.
“I can tell you this. It’s not just Rolfe Wernher. It’s also this Wolf Guard. There’s a whole hierarchy from this group who will gladly step in and take over his business. We’d like to take them out, too. But if these covers are blown, that’s not going to happen.”
“We can’t just leave her there. As Remi said, she saved our lives on more than one occasion.”
“I get it. I’d feel the same way. But if you weigh the lives of all the operatives in place versus the one… My hands are tied.”
“Is there anything you can tell us?”
“Depends,” Rube said. “Is there any way to stop you from going after her?”
“Not a chance.” He glanced at Remi and saw her give a nod of approval.
“It might be a bit, but I’ll get back to you.”
They were checked into their Berlin hotel by the time Rube called back. “Here’s what I have so far. The address to his villa and the code to his alarm. There’s a door leading from the garage that tunnels down beneath the garden, then up to the house. More than likely, that’s how he’ll get her in without being seen. Follow it to the left. Third floor.”
“We know for sure he took her there?”
“My contact says he definitely brought someone in not too long ago. And I also found out the reason for the midnight exchange tomorrow. He’s hosting a party for dignitaries earlier tomorrow evening at his villa. So I doubt anything’s going to happen before then. Do me a favor, though. Wait for your Russian FSB friends to go in after her.”
“We will. Calling them as soon as I hang up.”
Sam ducked down behind a parked car, then motioned Remi over. “There it is,” he said when she was at his side.
“It’s going to be hard to get to without being seen.”
He pulled his binoculars from his pack for a better look. The long narrow street allowed parking on the left side for the private residences, but no parking along the right, keeping the street and sidewalk in front of Rolfe’s villa clear. One advantage was that it was surrounded by a low stone wall topped with wrought iron railing, giving him a clear view in. The disadvantage was that it also gave a clear view of anyone walking along the sidewalk just outside the fence. Armed security guards stood near the wrought iron gate that opened to a circular drive at the front of the stately mansion. Even if they could get in through the main gate, there were guards roaming within, and the few trees on the vast expanse of lawn wouldn’t allow any cover.
Unfortunately, there was no access over the back wall, which was topped with shards of glass to keep out intruders. On their first drive past, Sam hadn’t seen any way they could get into the back without being noticed. The front wasn’t looking much better. The only possibility he could see was the service entrance farther down the street, where a boxwood hedge ran the length of a drive around to the back of the house. He handed the binoculars to Remi. “I think that’s our only chance to get in.”
“You’re not seriously thinking of going in now… are you?”
“No time like the present,” he said.
“What about Felix and Nika? They’re expecting us back.”
In fact, the two were sitting in a hotel room in downtown Berlin waiting for Sam and Remi to return with their preliminary findings on what they’d seen on the drive-by of the villa. “My feeling? Better to ask forgiveness than permission. If there is someone on the inside working against Tatiana, they’re going to be expecting us after midnight, since that’s the time we’ve planned. No one’s expecting us to come in right after dusk.”