Read Online Flight of the Raven by REBECCA YORK - Free Book Online

woman,” he mused.
    Bogolubov gave him a direct look. “And?”
    “It was at one of the embassy nation-day parties—the German, I think. No, the French.”
    “I don’t give a pig’s teat which party it was. What did you think of her?”
    Gorlov was unfazed. “Polite but guarded. Not my type, really. You know how Western women are—not enough curves.”
    The general grinned and nodded before turning to Aleksei. “And your opinion?”
    A dozen details and perceptions leaped to mind as he remembered the green dress that had molded her slender but very appealing figure, the intelligence mirrored in her dark eyes, and the fear she’d struggled to suppress when she’d sensed his interest. “If she’s a spy, she’s new to the game.”
    “Why?”
    “She made too many mistakes.”
    “Like what?”
    “Using Eisenberg’s ticket in the first place. That was too big a risk. Or answering me in English when I spoke to her. But all that’s in my report.”
    Bogolubov leaned forward so that his double chin was resting against his fingertips. His expression was thoughtful. “Perhaps she wanted to convey a certain impression.”
    “To throw us off our guard,” Feliks Gorlov added, picking up the theme.
    “Or maybe she was floundering because Eisenberg hadn’t given her the name of his contact,” Georgi interjected.
    “Um.” The syllable, which might have signified agreement came from the general as he scooped up the contents of the black leather bag and returned it to his desk drawer. “The question is, can we use any of this information to our advantage?” he asked.
    “You mean turn her?” Gorlov said.
    “Too crude an approach. Besides, I suspect we only have one thing she might want.”
    “Money?” Georgi Krasin asked.
    The general snapped angrily. “You’re starting to believe all those Western news magazines. They’re not all motivated by greed.”
    Aleksei filled in the blank. “She needs to make contact with Eisenberg’s turncoat.”
    “The man who’s using the code name Raven,” Bogolubov added.
    “But we can’t use him for bait. We don’t know who he is,” Gorlov pointed out.
    “Not yet.” The general paused and looked around the room. “But I’m thinking of offering her a convincing substitute. And since she’s not Feliks’s type, and Georgi hasn’t had enough experience for the job, I think we’ll try Aleksei Iliyanovich.”
    “You want me to pretend to be the Raven?” he clarified.
    “Possibly. Or maybe just a comrade interested in selling some information—or even defecting. Either way, McLean ought to jump at the opportunity, and you can use your charm to find out what she knows.”
    “Yes, Aleksei Iliyanovich would be a good choice,” Gorlov agreed, studying his colleague thoughtfully. “Wom- en respond to him, and he’s got an excellent command of the English language.”
    “Didn’t you spend several years in the U.S.?” Georgi asked, unable to disguise the tone of envy in his voice. Hard-line propaganda to the contrary, a posting in Washington or New York was coveted by Soviet diplomats.
    “Off and on, almost six.”
    “So you’ve got a pretty good handle on how they think,” Gorlov said.
    “Even in my father’s time we didn’t exactly mix freely with the natives.”
    “More than the rest of us.”
    “You don’t look pleased,” Bogolubov observed, addressing Aleksei. “What’s the matter? If you play it right you may get—what do the Americans call it?—a roll in the hay out of the assignment.” His use of the crude Western expression drew appreciative laughter from the other two men in the room.
    After they had left, Aleksei remained seated.
    Bogolubov raised his heavy-lidded eyes. “Yes?”
    “This is a rather unusual assignment, Comrade General.”
    “You’re not up to pretending to be the defector?”
    Aleksei gave his superior a measured look. “That’s not the issue. I gather you’re taking sole responsibility for this