To Russia With Love (Countermeasure Series) (25 page)

“For us,” he corrected her.

“Yes…for us. And we are having the debriefing
before
you head out. Not after.”

Noticing the determination in Cassandra’s eyes, Trevor acquiesced. “Yes, ma’am.”

At his poor imitation of a Texan accent, she shoved him jokingly, then wrapped her arm around his waist as they set course to their home away from home.

*****

“I am starved,” Cassie commented as she assembled generous ham-and-cheese sandwiches for both of them. Taking their plates, they sat at their desks and returned to the task of reviewing the operations’ details. The satellite imagery had provided them with the in-and-out pattern of the people frequenting Mikhailov’s mansion. Some parked their nondescript cars as far from the enormous house as possible and walked the distance to the front gate. Others drove flashy sport cars and parked them directly out front, or were given access through the gates. An interesting observation of the working class and the high society mafia comingling in the same house.

They just needed the close-up surveillance for some handy pictures to ID the faces of the pawns in the game. Once they had a list of names, Trevor could have George tap into their communications. Soon the whole paint-by-numbers picture would be completed. Then, and only then, could they move forward with the infiltration plan.

With Trevor sitting beside her, Cassandra pulled up the details gathered for the debriefing. “Are you ready, Freddy?”

“Sure thing, Cassie girl. Better to get it done now, as you said.”

“I’d rather you know it before going out, as a precaution.”

Used to the debriefing procedures, she jumped right in. “Here’s the rundown. The safe house is located in Vyborg, close to the border of Finland—a plus if we need to leave the country in an E&E. It’s about two hours by train from St. Petersburg. Damn, if we were here for pleasure I would have suggested we visit. Bucket-listed it. Anyway—”

She pushed her hair from face impatiently while looking at the metro map displayed on her laptop monitor. “I actually have two exit scenarios. One uses the Blue Metro Line called Parnas, and the other the Red Metro Line called Devyatkino.”

No longer feeling Trevor’s presence at her shoulder, she glanced around the room and found him back working at his computer. “Oiy!” she called, and whistled to get his attention.

Startled, Trevor’s head shot up and he rubbed his ear. “Damn, Cassie. Could you have whistled any louder?”

“Eyes on me, Trev. I know you feel you’re invincible and we’ve never had to fall to plan B, but we have come close on a couple of occasions.” She narrowed her eyes. “There is always a first.”

He raised his hands and headed over to her. “Okay, okay! I’m all ears…hands…tongue…?”

Cassandra rolled her eyes, not falling for his boyish charm. She was very serious when it came to his safety.

“I was listening!” Trevor exclaimed, catching her frown.

Cassandra sighed deeply and returned her concentration to her monitor, mentally visualizing the routes as she described them to Trevor. “First route, the Blue Line. Wherever we might be, we need to make it to the Blue Line section of the metro, which ends in Parnas. If something happens and you are here at the studio, use the Metro Station in Sennaya Square.”

She caught his eye. “That’s the one we bought the tickets from, remember?”

“Yes,
a ghrá
,” Trevor answered quickly, leaning over her shoulder and pointing at the map on her screen. “That station has three metro entrances—Sennaya Ploshad, Sasskaya, and Sadovaya.”

She grinned up at him. “I should’ve known you’d make note of all of them. Once you come to the end of the line, take the bus to Vyborg. If you need to get off the metro sooner, count the stations to Udelnaya.”

“Why count stations?” Trevor asked in a snarky tone.

Cassandra rolled her eyes and her mouth quirked with humor. “Don’t remind me. I know, I know. Just another picture in that camera you have for a brain.”

“I knew it! You think I’m a genius!” His laugh was deep, warm, and rich.

“Damn, could your head swell any bigger?” she murmured, concentrating on the map and tracing the route on the screen. “Get off there.” Cassandra tapped on the RR Udelnaya stop. “Once off the metro, all you need to do is catch the train to Vyborg.” She dragged her finger across the screen and rested on the Red Line. “The same holds true for this route, except it ends in Devyatkino. From there you can take the same bus. Your other option is to get off at the Finlandsky and catch the train to Vyborg from there.”

She retrieved the two sets of tickets from the desk and turned in her chair to face him. “Tickets for each of the lines,” she said, raising the two bundles in each hand. “Each set includes a metro, bus, and train ticket. I have my own.” She pulled hers from her back pocket showing him. “You know the drill, but I am still going to say it. Keep these babies on you at all times.” She watched him shove the tickets in his back pocket and her heart skipped a beat while she mentally crossed her fingers.
I hope we won’t need them…ever
.

With the debriefing behind them, Trevor concentrated on the placement of the cameras. Cassandra’s expression was closed as she watched him grab a backpack from the equipment case and place the small wireless cameras and relay transmitter inside it.

“Do we have zip-ties?”

She reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a clear plastic bag of black zip-ties. He raised a brow and smiled at her organization as he continued the task, adding a small tool kit and the magnetic strips to the mix, along with the ties. He tested the backpack’s weight and whistled softly. “Amazing technology. Hardly weighs anything.”

“Yeah…for the price we paid for those puppies they better be lightweight. More importantly, they better work,” she chimed in.

“Don’t worry, Cassie girl. They will. Do you have the receiver set to receive the signal once I’ve enable the cameras?

Cassandra’s hands flew over the keyboard, opening the video surveillance software. “All set,” she replied matter-of-factly, and walked to the same case.

She removed the small two-way radio set and military-grade tactical throat microphone. “Here.” Handing him the microphone, she set the frequency on the radios.

Trevor set it on the bed and slipped his legs into a pair of soft-shell black pants made of extremely flexible material. He jerked off his shirt and strapped on the microphone, adjusting it at a comfortable spot on his throat. Once satisfied, he pulled on a form-fitting black turtleneck. As he crossed the room to the desk, he tucked the transportation passes Cassandra had given him earlier into one of the many pockets.

“Can you give me a hand with the cables?” She stepped around him and reached under his shirt. Her fingers skimmed his back as she tugged at the cables, drawing them between his shoulder blades. Her warm touch on his skin sent a shiver through him and his cock twitched with interest. Trevor squeezed his eyes tight, trying to rein in his desire and put some distance between them as he finished getting ready.

“I’m a go.” He stood by the door, pushing his arms into his Under Armor jacket, as Cassandra approached him with one of the two-ways and a black knit cap. A frown marred her beautiful face and her eyes were somber.

“I don’t like that you are going in naked. No fire power,” she said softly, her eyes narrowing as she handed him the radio first, watching as he connected the microphone cable to the unit, turned it on, and slid it in the side leg pocket of his pants.

“It’ll be fine, Cassie. I’m just setting cameras, not heading to a gun fight.”

Cassandra moved closer, and, as she set the knit cap over his head, he wrapped his arms around her waist, hugging her tight against his body. He claimed her mouth in a hungry kiss, thrusting his tongue deep in her mouth, nipping her lower lip. “Something to keep in mind while I’m gone.” He released her and opened the door. “Keep your eyes on the screen and open the channel as soon as I leave so we’re in contact at all times.”

“Aye, aye, Captain.” Her heart raced and she found it hard to breath in the wake of that searing kiss. Her eyes followed his every movement as he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked out.

Big Dogs

“T
EST. TEST.”

“Crystal,” he responded in a soft voice.

“Copy. Oh, by the way. Payback. Just saying.”

His laughter flowed through the signal. She nudged the bantering aside and switched back to business. “Let me know when you get close and which cameras you’re setting as you go so I can check each signal.”

“Roger,” Trevor replied, keeping his senses fully attuned to his surroundings as he crossed the street, heading toward the bridge across from their apartment. At a fast clip, he continued southbound, crossing paths with couples walking hand in hand and with a few pedestrians making their way in the opposite direction. The early spring nights in Russia were brisk, and warm puffs formed into the cold air with each breath he took as he walked the dimly lit streets. “Almost there. ETA, five minutes,” he advised Cassandra as he turned onto Zagorodny Prospekt, only a block away from Mikhailov’s mansion.

“Report.” He heard Cassandra’s request loud and clear through the earpiece.

“Chill. It’s only been what? A nanosecond since the last? Still no activity. All clear. Will report again once there.”

Hunched over the laptop, Cassandra’s fingers drummed a staccato rhythm on the desk. She was anxious to get that over with. She knew Trevor would get the job done smoothly and quickly. It was the outside factors that concerned her most. Yes, they had some preliminary data regarding the activity around the mansion, but people changed routines and they really didn’t have an up-close and personal on the security measures around the place.

Based on what they knew, that night at the mansion should be unusually slow, with minimal activity, which was the reason Trevor was on his way there—but you just never knew. Cassandra rubbed at the scar on her hip and whispered into the two-way, “You have the transport tickets on you, right?”

“Yes, Cassandra. I have both sets of tickets,” he answered indulgently.

A smile tipped her lips at his use of her full name. “Copy. Too anal, I know. Just had to check.”

Turning onto Mikhailov’s street, Trevor’s adrenaline spiked and, with a casual gait, he continued his journey until he reached the area in front of the magnificent mansion. Its façade was traditional Russian and regal. Intricately carved wooden trim crowned big windows, which were illuminated by soft light. A creepy sensation slithered along his spine as he stood in the shadows, observing Mikhailov’s nest. The imposing property, protected by high walls and iron gates, rose in the darkness and held a stately air, in complete opposition to the nefarious activities taking place inside.

Across the street from the mansion was a small public park, a perfect hiding spot for the transmitter. “I’m in position. Keep an eye on the receiver,” he spoke quietly into the microphone.

“Copy. Ready when you are.”

Trevor took one last look around to be sure he wasn’t being watched, and slipped into the wooded area. Within minutes, he found the ideal place for the transmitter—a metal lamppost positioned in the middle of the small garden, surrounded by thigh-high bushes. The best hiding spots are the ones in plain sight—one of the several lessons he’d learned geocaching, a high-tech treasure hunt game he and Cassandra enjoyed regularly back in Ireland.

Kneeling by the post, he eased the backpack from his shoulder, retrieved the transmitter, and mounted it to the base of the post using the magnetic strips. To any passerby, the transmitter would appear to be a part of the electric component of the post, making it virtually invisible.

He pressed the switch. “Transmitter in place. Active. On to plant the eyes.”

Cassandra checked the meters on the laptop and watched the signal from the transmitter flood the bar. “Check. Transmitter online.”

Before Trevor exited the garden, he scanned the gates for any cameras that Mikhailov might have.
Bingo
. “Copy. Setting camera one now.”

As each camera was set and turned on, their images began displaying on the screen and the feeds were automatically saved to their external hard drive. They were also motion activated, transmitting data only when activity was detected. That meant they could run the surveillance for hours on end without running out of disk space.

Cassandra became lost in the flow of activity and jumped slightly when she heard Trevor’s devious chuckle ripple through the connection. “Damn it, Trevor. I know that laugh. What the hell are you up to?!”

“What?! Can’t a guy have a little bit of fun on the job?” His voice held a rasp of excitement.

“Why is it that when you say ‘fun’ I hear ‘trouble’?”

His voice held a hurtful tone. “No faith, whatsoever, in my skills.”

She guffawed. “Yeah, yeah.”

“Okay. About to set last camera.”

Trevor checked to be sure that the coast was clear before he left the cover of the trees and sprinted for the sidewalk across from the park. He hugged the wall as he pulled the last camera from his pack. Staying out of view of the security camera he’d spied earlier atop the gate’s side pillar, he used the intricate design of the wrought iron gate as a ladder to reach the camera. Its location was ideal to record the faces and license plates of cars arriving at the gates, and its angle prevented any peripheral activity from being recorded.
Eejits made it too easy
.