moved to one side of the gate and knelt down. “That building’s the safe house. We’ve made up time and are on schedule. The meeting’s not due for another three hours.”
They stayed like that for thirty minutes. Will heard the sound of a vehicle. Moving his head slowly out of his secreted position, he glanced down the track. A pickup was moving along the route, coming toward them. It passed the house, kept driving, and stopped 500 feet away from the building and 150 feet from their position. Will darted a look at Sentinel and saw that he was looking intently at the vehicle. Will glanced back at the truck. A small woman got out. She was dressed in thick dark clothes and wore a head scarf that hid her features, but judging by her posture and movements she was very old. The woman leaned back into the truck and flashed its headlights six times.
Sentinel instantly jumped over the fence. Will followed. They ran along the track and slowed as they approached the vehicle. Sentinel’s gun was raised, but he was not pointing it at the woman; instead he was aiming it at the road beyond. The woman removed her scarf and walked toward Sentinel. She must have been at least seventy-five years old, maybe older.
She smiled and spoke in Russian. “My angel.”
Sentinel lowered his weapon, walked up to the woman, hugged her, and responded in her language, “Polina. I shouldn’t have asked you to come out in this weather.”
Polina shrugged. “I have to unlock the house and get it ready for you.” She rubbed her frail hands against Sentinel’s forearms. “I’ve bought some food for the freezer. Even though I don’t live there anymore, I keep it stocked for your meetings. Would you like me to make you some nice shchi? The hot soup will do you good.”
Sentinel smiled, shaking his head. “You need to be heading home in ten minutes.” He extracted the slim metal case and handed it to the woman. “Oleksandr’s mother made these for you. My Ukrainian friends send you their love.”
Polina took the case, smiling. Then her smile faded. “Please tell them that I’m sorry for their loss. Juriy was a great soldier.” She looked at Will. “Some of us here might live to old age, but in these parts few of us die from it.”
Will saw that the sleeve on one of her arms had risen up to expose an inch of badly scarred skin on the underside of her forearm.
Polina caught his gaze and quickly pulled her sleeve down.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay.” She glanced at Sentinel before looking back at Will. “I was nine years old when Majdanek extermination camp was liberated by Soviet soldiers. Some other survivors told me to run away or hide because I had a Nazi tattoo that showed I was a Jew. Instead, I sat in a hut and peeled off the skin with my fingernails until the tattoo was gone. When I finished, I thought everything would be all right.” She smiled, but the look was bitter. “I was a naive child. The Soviets knew that I’d tried to disguise my Jewish identity, and punished me by putting me in Kolyma gulag for fifteen years.” She looked at Sentinel and reached out to him.
Sentinel kissed the old Russian woman’s hand. “Next time I’ll stay longer and make you some soup.”
“I hope so.” She entered the vehicle, turned it around, and drove toward the farmhouse.
Sentinel said, “We need to stay out of the house until he arrives. Then we’ll shoot him and get back into Ukraine.”
Polina stopped the vehicle by the building, paused by the front door as she released the locks, and stepped through the entrance.
As she did so, a massive explosion tore her body and most of the house apart.
Chapter Nine
I t had taken them twenty hours to get back to the safe house in Odessa. Sentinel sat on the lounge floor, his head in his hands.
“We’ll get him.”
Sentinel looked up. “When we do, I’m going to be the one who kills him.”
Will nodded and stretched his fatigued back muscles. He hadn’t
They stayed like that for thirty minutes. Will heard the sound of a vehicle. Moving his head slowly out of his secreted position, he glanced down the track. A pickup was moving along the route, coming toward them. It passed the house, kept driving, and stopped 500 feet away from the building and 150 feet from their position. Will darted a look at Sentinel and saw that he was looking intently at the vehicle. Will glanced back at the truck. A small woman got out. She was dressed in thick dark clothes and wore a head scarf that hid her features, but judging by her posture and movements she was very old. The woman leaned back into the truck and flashed its headlights six times.
Sentinel instantly jumped over the fence. Will followed. They ran along the track and slowed as they approached the vehicle. Sentinel’s gun was raised, but he was not pointing it at the woman; instead he was aiming it at the road beyond. The woman removed her scarf and walked toward Sentinel. She must have been at least seventy-five years old, maybe older.
She smiled and spoke in Russian. “My angel.”
Sentinel lowered his weapon, walked up to the woman, hugged her, and responded in her language, “Polina. I shouldn’t have asked you to come out in this weather.”
Polina shrugged. “I have to unlock the house and get it ready for you.” She rubbed her frail hands against Sentinel’s forearms. “I’ve bought some food for the freezer. Even though I don’t live there anymore, I keep it stocked for your meetings. Would you like me to make you some nice shchi? The hot soup will do you good.”
Sentinel smiled, shaking his head. “You need to be heading home in ten minutes.” He extracted the slim metal case and handed it to the woman. “Oleksandr’s mother made these for you. My Ukrainian friends send you their love.”
Polina took the case, smiling. Then her smile faded. “Please tell them that I’m sorry for their loss. Juriy was a great soldier.” She looked at Will. “Some of us here might live to old age, but in these parts few of us die from it.”
Will saw that the sleeve on one of her arms had risen up to expose an inch of badly scarred skin on the underside of her forearm.
Polina caught his gaze and quickly pulled her sleeve down.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s okay.” She glanced at Sentinel before looking back at Will. “I was nine years old when Majdanek extermination camp was liberated by Soviet soldiers. Some other survivors told me to run away or hide because I had a Nazi tattoo that showed I was a Jew. Instead, I sat in a hut and peeled off the skin with my fingernails until the tattoo was gone. When I finished, I thought everything would be all right.” She smiled, but the look was bitter. “I was a naive child. The Soviets knew that I’d tried to disguise my Jewish identity, and punished me by putting me in Kolyma gulag for fifteen years.” She looked at Sentinel and reached out to him.
Sentinel kissed the old Russian woman’s hand. “Next time I’ll stay longer and make you some soup.”
“I hope so.” She entered the vehicle, turned it around, and drove toward the farmhouse.
Sentinel said, “We need to stay out of the house until he arrives. Then we’ll shoot him and get back into Ukraine.”
Polina stopped the vehicle by the building, paused by the front door as she released the locks, and stepped through the entrance.
As she did so, a massive explosion tore her body and most of the house apart.
Chapter Nine
I t had taken them twenty hours to get back to the safe house in Odessa. Sentinel sat on the lounge floor, his head in his hands.
“We’ll get him.”
Sentinel looked up. “When we do, I’m going to be the one who kills him.”
Will nodded and stretched his fatigued back muscles. He hadn’t
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