Read Online Bomb Grade by Brian Freemantle - Free Book Online

often read the bedtime story with the happy ending.
    â€˜You should refuse to accept him,’ urged Popov.
    Natalia hesitated, her mind divided by too many considerations. There was not the slightest risk of any personal involvement between herself and Charlie ever being discovered. One of Natalia’s first actions after her elevation to chairmanship of the First Chief Directorate of the now long-defunct KGB – from which she had been transferred to become one of four, department-specializing deputy directors in the re-formed Interior Ministry – had been to use her authority to retrieve and sanitize of every personal detail both her and Charlie’s files. And she probably could successfully protest even at this late stage to Charlie’s Moscow posting. Except that it was a very late stage: any objection now would have to be supported with the sort of reasons she didn’t want to present and which, years ago, she’d even obliterated from the records.
    There was, however, no reason why she ever had to meet him. Inconceivable though it would be, she could simply avoid ever coming face to face with him. Unless, of course, she chose otherwise. She had the power and the position to do what she liked. She was a department head, so much higher above Charlie in stature and rank that if she didn’t want it to happen, they could remain in the same city for the rest of their lives without ever coming into contact.
    Forcing herself at last to answer Popov’s question she said, ‘We need to think carefully about that.’ Not an answer, she told herself, ahead of Popov’s reply. She was letting him make the decision for her instead of deciding for herself. But how could she decide for herself? She needed time to think , like she’d always believed she would have had time to think.
    â€˜OK, let’s do just that,’ he pressed. It was another indication of their familiarity that Popov moved freely about the office and didn’t sit or stand respectfully in front of her. He was at the window now, staring out over Ulitza Zhitnaya at the summer-defying grey day cloaking Moscow.
    â€˜Where’s our advantage, in arguing against his coming here?’
    â€˜He’s a spy! We could make sure his being sent back became public and cause an outcry about our Foreign Ministry accepting him.’
    â€˜It’s obviously a political decision, taken at a high level. They could overrule our objections. And would, to avoid embarrassing themselves. All we would have done is alienate the Foreign Ministry.’
    â€˜Don’t you think you should protest?’
    â€˜Not like that.’
    â€˜Our not being consulted wasn’t an oversight,’ erupted Popov angrily, turning away from the window to look directly at Natalia. ‘First America, now Britain. The acceptance of foreign interference is a direct criticism of us – of me, more than you because I’m operationally in charge of nuclear smuggling.’
    Gently, not wanting to antagonize him, Natalia said, ‘The fact is, darling, we haven’t been able to stop it.’
    â€˜That’s not our fault! We didn’t create the nuclear shambles of no one knowing how much of anything was made, where it was stored or who’s in charge of it! All we got is the mess.’
    â€˜How the shambles came about, and who caused it, is in the past,’ said Natalia, still gently. ‘ I know it’s so bad that proper ballistic or warhead counts were never kept, let alone any record of manufacturing materials. And I keep telling anyone who’ll listen, at every meeting I go to. But until we establish where and how big all the stockpiles are, stuff is going to keep disappearing and we’re going to be the butt of every criticism here and in the West.’ Go! she thought. Please leave me alone, in peace, to think! At once she became angry with herself. Aleksai didn’t deserve to be dismissed, even