Termination Orders(87)

Revolution, however, was not Dan Morgan’s business in Prague that night. After one last quick look backward to check that he wasn’t being followed, he turned in to the Three Hunchbacks Hotel, in the Zizkov district. Soviet rule had not been kind to the once-beautiful façade, which was now stained and dilapidated. The inside, dusty and smelling of mildew, had not fared much better. Morgan walked up three flights of stairs, then down a dark, wood-paneled hallway to the third door on the right. He knocked, tapping out a prearranged code. He heard footsteps, and the heavy door swung open.

“Andrei,” Morgan said to the man at the door.

“What news do you bring, Cobra?” Andrei said, dripping with anxiety. “Tell me we have not been found out. Tell me my sister is alive and well.” He was impeccably dressed, as usual, in an elegant brown suit and slicked back sandy hair. But the bags under his eyes were more pronounced, and his cheeks were sallow and more sunken than usual. He held a small weapon loosely in his hand, a Makarov semiautomatic.

“Everything’s okay. Natasha’s fine, and everything’s still according to plan,” Morgan replied.

“Good, good,” Andrei said, relieved. “Please, come in.”

Morgan walked into the room. A stiff bed lay on warped floorboards. Everything that belonged to Andrei was arranged in an open suitcase on the dresser. He seemed to be ready to go at a moment’s notice.

“I have some documents for you,” said Morgan, motioning to his briefcase. “A passport and entry papers that will get you through the border. We take the morning train to Vienna.”

“Do you know how long I have been here, Cobra? Trapped, in this apartment? Two days!” he exclaimed, keeping his voice low. His eyes were wide, wild. “Do you know what my people are capable of? Do you know what they would do to me if they caught me?”

“I’m sure you know better than I do,” said Morgan.

“The penalty for defection is death. And not quick death, as you Americans do it. Americans, even coldhearted ones like you, are merciful. In Russia, we like our executions slow and painful.”

Morgan sighed. “I came as soon as I could.” He tossed Andrei’s suitcase onto the bed and placed the briefcase on the dresser.

“And left me nearly mad in the meantime!” he exclaimed. “But tell me, Cobra, where is my sister?”

“Natasha’s safe,” said Morgan. “She’s with Cougar.”

“We will not be going together, then?”

“Soon, Andrei. Once you’re both in Paris. Then you’ll come together to the United States.”

“I must see her now, Cobra,” Andrei said, and he walked to the window. “I must see her before I go. Is she here? Is she in Prague? I must know.”

Morgan opened the briefcase and shuffled through the papers inside. “You’ll see her in good time,” he said. He pulled out a manila envelope and tossed it onto the bed. “There’s your ticket out of here.”

Andrei walked over and bent down to pick up the envelope. As his back was turned, in one fluid move, Morgan slipped a length of wire from his coat pocket and looped it around Andrei’s neck, pulling it taut. Andrei, startled, reached up, but he couldn’t get his fingers under the wire. He tried to wriggle himself loose, then heaved back, trying to knock Morgan against the wall behind them. Morgan held firm, the garrote biting into his hand. Andrei thrashed, kicked, and elbowed him, his strength slowly withering, until finally, after two minutes, he went limp. Morgan held the garrote tight until he was sure the man was dead, then laid him on the bed, facing away from the door. Morgan packed up his briefcase and gave the room a quick sweep to make sure he had left nothing behind that could identify him, then left.

He made his way out of the hotel and walked down a few streets before hailing a cab to the Old Town Square, where Conley sat at a café, wearing an elegant European overcoat and sipping an espresso as if he’d been living in the city his whole life.

“It’s done,” Morgan said. “Clean and quiet. Nobody saw me leave. How’s T?”

“In the safe house, eager to get out of here. We’re driving out right away, headed for the Austrian border. Hopefully we’ll make it before they find Andrei.”

“Don’t count on it,” said Morgan. “The Russians will be expecting him to report back on her whereabouts. They’ll know he’s dead before the day is done. But don’t worry. I’ll make sure they’re busy until your trail is nice and cold.”

Conley laughed. “I’m sure you will. Give those bastards hell.” He took a few bills from his wallet and put them on the table. “Good luck, my friend. I’ll see you on the other side.”