Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Catya studied the platform carefully as they rolled into the train station in Brussels. Though they’d dodged their pursuers in Amsterdam, that didn’t mean there wouldn’t be any in Brussels. The people who wanted the disk could have mercenaries in more than one city.
As they stepped off the train, Fearghas’s phone chirped with an incoming text.
He read the message and grinned. “We have a ride waiting outside the station.” Fearghas led the way to the designated exit where a black Mercedes sedan parked against the curb. The driver, a tall man with brown hair and brown eyes, stood next to the car. As soon as he spotted Fearghas, he raised a hand and waved.
Fearghas hurried over and quickly shook hands with the man.
The man tipped his head toward the car. “Get in. We can do introductions on the way.”
Catya lifted her chin toward the passenger seat door. “Fearghas, you need to sit up front. Atkins and I will take the rear.”
Fearghas opened the door for her and waited while she slid onto the back seat.
While Atkins slid in next to her, the driver hurried around the car and climbed in. Fearghas dropped into the passenger seat and closed the door.
As the driver pulled away from the curb, he glanced toward Fearghas. “We got to the airport thirty minutes ago. The others all went on to meet with Dmytro’s contact in the city not far from here. I got a rental car and came straight here.” He shot a glance over the back of the seat at Atkins. “By the way, I’m Ace Hammerson with the Brotherhood Protectors International. You must be Peter Atkins, MI6.”
Atkins nodded. “I am.
Ace glanced into the rearview mirror. “And you’re Catya Romanov.”
Catya’s eyes narrowed. “Yes, sir. And you’re Fearghas’s boss?”
Ace gave a brief smile. “I am. Although I’m fairly new to the title and with the Brotherhood Protectors International. We haven’t even set up the headquarters yet, nor are we fully staffed.” He tipped his head toward Fearghas. “Fearghas and I are two of the first members of this branch of the Brotherhood Protectors.”
Fearghas turned in his seat to look back at Catya and Atkins. “We’re new to Brotherhood Protectors but not new to these kinds of operations. Ace is a former US Navy SEAL, highly trained in combat and special operations, to include rescue and extraction.”
“Fearghas is one of the first the brotherhood has hired not from a branch of the US military. We’re excited to have him working with us in Europe. He briefed us on the situation. We’re all here to help.”
Ace followed GPS directions through the streets of Brussels and came to a stop in front of a three-story building with a white stucco exterior, wrought iron balconies and tall windows.
“This looks like the place,” Ace said. “Jaz texted to let me know we’re supposed to enter through the rear door and go down the stairs to a basement. We’ll find the other members of our team there.”
Catya pushed open her door before Fearghas could get out of his.
Ace grabbed a duffel bag out of the vehicle’s trunk and led the way to the corner and into a narrow alley between the white stucco building and a red brick structure.
At the rear of the building, a staircase led downward to a hunter-green door below street level.
Ace tapped his knuckles on the door.
A moment later, a woman with black hair and green eyes opened the door and motioned for them to enter. Once they were inside, she locked three deadbolts and armed a security system.
She slipped her hand into Ace’s. “They’re ready,” she said. “We just need the disk.”
Ace tipped his head toward the woman. “This is Jasmine Nassar, former Israeli Sayeret Matkal, a member of our team. Jasmine, these people are Catya Romanov and Peter Atkins.”
Jasmine nodded. “We can get to know each other later. We don’t have much time; let’s get that disk to Dmytro and his friend.”
As Jasmine turned away, Catya shot a wary glance toward Fearghas.
He reached for Catya’s hand and squeezed it gently. “She’s one of the good guys,” he whispered.
Catya swallowed the words she wanted to say. Having worked alone for so long, she struggled to trust anyone, especially strangers. But they were up against an impossible deadline and needed all the help they could get to figure out what information the disk held that had so many people trying to kill them for it.
Jasmine led the way to the end of a short hallway and through another door into a dimly lit room with a dark purple sofa against one wall. A large beanbag took up one corner next to a copper barrel table sporting a red lava lamp that cast a soft glow over a faux-fur black rug with a glass coffee table at its center.
In another corner of the room was a platform bed covered in a purple blanket and fuzzy black pillows.
The furnishings were bizarre, but what drew Catya’s attention was the array of eight monitors taking up the furthest wall, each displaying various images and data.
A barrel-chested man with a shock of white hair and a wicked scar slashed across one cheek turned toward them as they approached.
“Fearghas, my friend.” The man enveloped Fearghas in a bone-crushing hug, pounding his back several times before he stepped back. “We’re glad you got here so quickly. Did you bring the disk?”
Fearghas nodded toward Catya. “Dmytro, this is Catya Romanov.” He tipped his head toward the MI6 agent. “And this is Peter Atkins.”
Dmytro briefly dipped his head toward Catya and then held out his hand to Atkins. “I’m sorry to hear your daughter is being held hostage. I understand how you must feel as I, too, have a daughter. We will do our best to free her.”
Atkins shook Dmytro’s hand. “Thank you.”
Dmytro turned toward the person seated at a desk positioned beneath the array of monitors. “This is Lucie, the best hacker in all of Europe.”
A young woman, who didn’t look older than a teenager, swiveled in her gamers’ chair, smacking on a wad of gum. Her hair was dyed several shades of purple and was pulled up into a loose, messy bun with a lacquer chopstick stuck through the middle. She raised a hand with fingernails painted black. “Hey.”
Catya shook her head and turned toward Fearghas, ready to walk out of the basement apartment and go back to the train station. “Are we supposed to trust this child?”
Lucie’s purple eyebrows rose into the purple fringe of hair hanging over her forehead. “No, you don’t have to trust me. You can leave now if you like. The only reason I let you and your friends in is because Dmytro asked me for a favor.” She tilted her head to the old Ukrainian. “I’d do anything for Dmytro. I owe him my life.”
“You owe me nothing,” Dmytro said and faced Catya. “Lucie is very good at what she does. She can hack into any password-protected database.”
“That might be true,” Fearghas said, “but can she be trusted with the data she hacks into?”
Dmytro laid a hand on the young woman’s shoulder. “If Lucie gives her promise—how is it they say in the US—you can take it to the bank.”
“I trust Dmytro with my life. You can trust me with your data,” Lucie said. “I promise. Now, I might be good, but it takes time to break through a password. If you have to be in Bruges by midnight, we don’t have much time.” She held out her hand.
When Catya hesitated, Dmytro added, “We understand you need the disk to exchange for Atkins’s daughter. Lucie will not destroy the disk. She will work on the password. If she can’t get it before you have to leave to take the train to Bruges, she will return the disk to you unharmed.”
Catya exchanged a glance with Atkins. “You can take the disk without breaking into it.”
The man’s lips pressed together. “As long as she doesn’t destroy the disk, I’d like to know what it’s all about and who is behind the effort to retrieve it. Someone in the MI6 has betrayed us. I want to know who that person is and if he has someone else calling the shots.” He lifted his chin. “Give her the disk.”
Catya dug in her pocket and pulled out the disk. It went against her nature to hand over something of such significance to someone who could be no more than a teenager who happened to be lucky at hacking.
Dmytro gave her a gentle smile for such a scary-looking character. “I promise it will be okay. Lucie is a good girl.”
Lucie snorted. “I’m not a girl anymore. I turned twenty-one a month ago.”
Catya handed the disk to Dmytro. “A nineteen-year-old girl’s life depends on this disk reaching Bruges intact.”
Dmytro’s fingers curled around the item. “We will be careful with it.” He passed it to Lucie. “Good luck, Moya Lyubov.” The big, scarred man pressed a hand on the girl’s shoulder.
She pushed the disk into a slot on a docking station, moved the mouse and clicked on several icons. “It’ll take time to do this,” she said, focusing on the monitor directly in front of her. “Looking over my shoulder won’t make it go faster.”
Dmytro squeezed her should lightly and stepped away, turning to face the others. “When Lucie heard we were coming, she stocked her refrigerator with food and drinks. You can help yourselves.”
Lucie waved a hand in the air. “Help yourself to whatever you want. Feel free to cook. I haven’t had anyone cook for me since I moved out of my parent’s house two and a half years ago.” Talking didn’t seem to break her concentration. Her fingers continued to fly over the keyboard.
Catya’s inclination was to watch the young woman every second she had control of the disk. Madison’s life depended on them getting that disk to Bruges.
“I’m staying here,” Atkins said.
“Suit yourself,” Lucie said.
Fearghas touched Catya’s arm. “You haven’t eaten the entire time since I arrived in Amsterdam.”
“Nor have you,” Catya said. “I’m fine.”
“The hell you are. Your body needs fuel.”
“We all need food,” Dmytro said. “I will cook.” He went to the refrigerator, opened the door and studied the contents. He pulled out vegetables, meat and cheese and set them on the counter in the kitchenette. “Have you learned to cook?” he asked Lucie.
“No,” she said. “But I knew you did, so I bought things I knew you used in your meals.” She glanced over her shoulder with a grin.
Dmytro cocked an eyebrow and shook his head. “I will make Borscht.”
Lucie shot a frown in his direction. “You cannot. I did not buy beets.”
The Ukrainian snorted. “I suppose you want Chicken Kyiv?”
Lucie graced him with a smile. “Yes, please.”
Dmytro glanced at Fearghas and Catya.
Fearghas held up his hands. “The best I can do is a baked potato.”
Dmytro nodded. “You can peel potatoes.” He turned to Catya.
“Do not look at me.” Catya shook her head. “I burn boiled water. I’m only good for coffee.”
“You can help me coat the chicken.” Dmytro lifted his chin in challenge.
Catya’s belly rumbled. She hadn’t eaten since she’d grabbed a panini in the Rome airport over twenty-four hours ago. If she wanted to eat, she must help. She sighed. At least helping would keep her busy while waiting for the assignation in Bruges.
Between the three of them, they had the meal prepared and cooked in less than an hour and a half.
When Dmytro pulled the chicken with its golden-brown crust from the oven, the scents made Catya’s knees weak. Her mouth watered as she helped Dmytro place a fat breast on each plate, drizzle a cream sauce over it and then add a fluffy scoop of the mashed potatoes Fearghas had cut, boiled and whipped next to the Chicken Kyiv.
Lucie moaned from her position in front of the monitors. “That smells so good.” She’d remained head down, working hard throughout the time it took to cook the meal. “Is it ready?”
“Yes. I will bring it to you.” Catya carried a plate to the girl, who was working so hard to get into the disk. She hadn’t taken a break, hadn’t stood to stretch, get a drink or use the bathroom in all that time.
Lucie accepted the plate, set it on the desk beside her and went back to tapping the keys on the keyboard, carrying on a digital discussion with someone online.
Catya’s eyes narrowed. “Who are you talking to?”
“Don’t worry,” Lucie said. “I’m asking about more techniques for cracking passwords. I haven’t said anything more than is necessary to get feedback and advice. While I wait for suggestions, I’m running a program that cycles through tens of thousands of potential passwords in seconds.”
Catya nodded, hoping the girl was on the level and telling the truth. Lives depended on it. “I watched the woman who had this disk die. I promised I would keep it safe and get it into the hands of people I trust.”
“Do you know who to trust?” the girl asked, possibly savvier about people than Catya had initially presumed.
“I haven’t trusted too many people for a long time,” Catya admitted.
Lucie cut a piece of the chicken and held it up on the fork. “I haven’t trusted many people as well. Not since the Russian FSB murdered my parents. I was an orphan at sixteen and preyed on by men—both Russian and Ukrainian. I was living on the streets of Kyiv.”
Catya’s heart pinched hard in her chest for the young girl who’d been thrown into a harsh world without anyone to help her navigate.
“Unbeknownst to me,” Lucie continued, “I was sold into the sex trade by a Russian. If not for Dmytro...” She shook her head. “He intercepted my transport to Russia, set me free and helped me get to Belgium with a new identity and a chance at a new life. He and his wife set me up here in Brussels and paid for my computer training and this apartment.”
Catya cast a glance toward Dmytro. The scarred giant was smiling at Fearghas as they sat at the table, eating the chicken the man had cooked for Lucie and everyone else.
Lucie continued. “I learned how to navigate computers quickly and discovered I could make more money hacking than working for a legitimate technology company. I focus on the Russians in charge of the murder of Ukrainians. I make them pay for killing my parents.”
Catya’s chest tightened, and her eyes burned for the tears she refused to shed.
“I heard what happened to your parents,” Lucie said softly. “I’m sorry. I know how it feels to lose people you love.”
“Thank you,” Catya whispered. “I, too, want those people to pay for what they did.”
Lucie nodded. “I’ll do the best I can to get this disk open. Hopefully, it will help you find the people who need to pay.”
Catya nodded. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do to help.”
Lucie glanced back at the monitors. “Thanks, but there’s not much you can do at this point. I just have to keep running the programs, hoping we hit a password that works to open the files on the disk.” She ate another piece of the chicken and smiled around the chunk of food in her mouth. She chewed and swallowed. “As soon as I know anything, I’ll let you know. In the meantime, you might want to rest. Bruges sounds like it won’t be easy. Dmytro thinks you’ll be outnumbered.”
“We will manage,” Catya said. “Each of us has been trained in special operations. We know how to handle situations like this.”
“I hope so,” Lucie said.
“Do you really think you can get into this device?” Catya asked.
“I haven’t found a database I couldn’t get into yet.” Lucie lifted one shoulder and let it fall. “Sometimes, you just have to sail out of the storm, circle around and try again for a fresh perspective.”
Catya looked across to Fearghas. Wasn’t that where she was now? She’d sailed out of the storm of emotions she’d been feeling in Athens to get a fresh perspective of what she’d had with Fearghas. Now that they were back together, did she feel any differently?
He chose that moment to glance her way, his gaze softening when he realized she was looking at him. Fearghas’s lips pulled upward on the corners.
Though he didn’t say anything, she felt warmer and more optimistic than when she wasn’t with him. Was it possible to have a relationship with a man when your own life was in constant jeopardy? Had it been wrong to choose to leave without giving him a say?
“I wish you luck,” the younger woman said. “I will do my best to help you find the people responsible for what’s happening.”
“That’s all we can ask,” Catya said. “Did Dmytro explain how helping us could put you in more danger?”
The young woman nodded. “I will be okay. My posts don’t track back to my IP address. My location is safe. They would have to know me and my intentions to come after me.”
“I hope you’re right,” Catya said. “They’ve been able to find me and Atkins, even after we destroyed our electronic devices that can be traced.”
Lucie shook her head. “You’re more of a known entity than I am. No one but Dmytro knows I exist. I will be okay. It’s you and your friends, including Dmytro, I’m worried about. If cracking this disk helps protect you and him, I’ll do everything I can to get in.”
Catya found herself believing in the young woman. She prayed she was right and as good as Dmytro had advertised. They were running out of time.
They ate the meal Dmytro had produced and cleaned up the dishes and the little kitchen.
So engrossed in what she was doing, Lucie ate only half the chicken and mashed potatoes.
The hours passed. The purple-haired young woman’s intense frown deepened the closer they came to the hour they had to leave in order to make it to Bruges with enough time to get there a little early.
Catya paced the floor.
Atkins moved to sit beside Lucie. She explained to him what she’d tried to break the code. So far, nothing had worked. They didn’t know any more about what was on the disk than when they’d started.
As they neared the designated time of departure, Lucie worked feverishly over her keyboard. Finally, she sat back, shaking her head, her shoulders sagging. “I’m sorry. I got through the password, but the data is encrypted. It will take a lot longer to decrypt.”
She popped the disk out of the docking station and handed it to Atkins. “I wish I could have done it by now. I did copy the data, but I don’t know how long, or if, I can decrypt it. I will keep trying with the copy.”
“You did good,” Dmytro told Lucie. “We just didn’t have enough time.”
“Even though I couldn’t get into the data on the disk,” Lucie said, “I was able to add an executable Trojan which will be triggered when someone opens the disk. The Trojan will send a code back to me. I should be able to track their IP address.” She stood and stretched her back. “I’m sorry it wasn’t enough.”
“You warned us there was no guarantee you could get in during this short amount of time,” Catya said. “Thank you for trying.” She turned to Atkins. “We have the disk. We need to get to Bruges.”
Atkins nodded. “I’m ready to go.”
“We’re all going with you.” Ace hefted the duffel bag he’d brought inside and slung it over his shoulder. “Don’t hand over that disk until the last possible moment. We can’t let them have it until we have your daughter safely removed from the location.”
Atkins tucked the disk into his pocket. “Damn right, they’re not getting it until Madison is well away from them.” He glanced at Catya and Fearghas. “I’m ready to go to the train station.”
“If you’re all going, I can drive you there,” Lucie said.
Ace shook his head. “I’ll drive the rental car and turn it in at the station. From there, we’ll go to Bruges.”
“Six of us against who knows how many of them will be there to meet us,” Fearghas said, shaking his head. “The odds might not be great.”
“We have to get there early enough to infiltrate the location and position our people where they can do the most good,” Ace said. “We do have communications devices, a sniper rifle, which I’ll man, handguns and knives. Those we can take out silently, we’ll consider shooting. First and foremost, we get Madison out before bullets start flying. If it comes to that.”
Catya had no doubt that bullets would fly. She hoped they didn’t hit Fearghas or the girl.