The Second Name
1795 Words
The kitchen was silent. Evelyn's tears had dried. Cole sat across from her, the folder open on the table. Clark stood by the window, arms crossed. David and Rachel had gone to the bedroom. This was between the three of them now.
Cole turned the page. The next name was underlined in red ink.
Mira Vance.
His blood went cold. The reporter who had helped him. Who had published the Consortium files. Who had protected his mother.
“Mira worked for the Stasi?” Cole asked.
Evelyn shook her head. “Not the Stasi. She worked for the KGB. After the Wall fell, she was recruited by the Consortium. She's been feeding them information for years.”
“She published the files. She helped us.”
“She published what they wanted her to publish. Nothing more. The real files—the ones that would have exposed her handlers—she kept hidden.”
Cole stood. Walked to the window. Clark moved aside.
“I trusted her.”
“We all did,” Evelyn said. “That's how she survives. She gains trust. Then she exploits it.”
“What do we do?”
Evelyn looked at the folder. “There's a name. A man named Gregor Volkov. Dimitri's brother. He's the one who recruited Mira. He's been her handler for twenty years.”
“Where is he?”
“Moscow. He never leaves. He's too afraid.”
“Of what?”
“Of the people he betrayed. The same people we're hunting.”
Cole turned from the window. “Then we go to Moscow.”
Clark grabbed his arm. “That's suicide. Russia is hostile territory. The government protects people like Volkov.”
“Then we find another way.”
Evelyn stood. “There is another way. Mira is the key. If we can turn her, she can give us Volkov.”
“How do we turn someone who's been loyal for twenty years?”
“We give her a reason to switch sides.”
Cole looked at his mother. “What reason?”
“Her daughter. She has a daughter in college. In Boston. If she thinks her daughter is in danger, she'll do anything to protect her.”
“We're not threatening a child.”
“I'm not suggesting we threaten her. I'm suggesting we protect her. Mira's handlers will eventually come for her daughter. To control Mira. We get there first. We offer protection. In exchange, Mira gives us Volkov.”
Cole was quiet. The plan was risky. But it might work.
“I'll go to Boston. Talk to the daughter.”
Clark stepped forward. “I'll go with you.”
“No. You stay here. Protect Mom.”
“She has David and Rachel.”
“They're not soldiers.”
Clark wanted to argue. But he nodded.
---
The plane landed in Boston at 3 PM. The sky was gray. The air was cold.
Kane was waiting at the gate. “The daughter's name is Lily. She's a sophomore at BU. Studying journalism.”
“Does she know about her mother?”
“No. Mira kept her in the dark. Protected her.”
“Then we keep her in the dark. For now.”
They drove to the campus. The buildings were old. The students were young.
Lily was in the library. She had dark hair. Her mother's eyes.
Cole sat across from her. “Lily. My name is Cole Mathers. I'm a friend of your mother's.”
She looked up from her book. “My mother doesn't have friends.”
“She has me. And she needs your help.”
Lily closed her book. “What kind of help?”
“There are people who want to hurt her. We want to protect her. But we need your help to do it.”
“Why me?”
“Because you're the only person she trusts.”
Lily was quiet. The library was silent.
“What do I have to do?”
“Nothing. Just come with us. We'll take you somewhere safe. Your mother will meet us there.”
Lily stood. Grabbed her bag. “Let's go.”
---
The safe house was a cabin in Vermont. Remote. Hidden.
Cole called Mira. “I have your daughter. She's safe.”
“If you hurt her—”
“I'm not hurting her. I'm protecting her. From your handlers.”
Silence. Then Mira spoke. “What do you want?”
“Gregor Volkov. His location. His security. His weaknesses.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then your daughter stays with me. Safe. Until this is over.”
“That's kidnapping.”
“That's protection. You can see her anytime you want. But she's not going back to Boston. Not until Volkov is in custody.”
Another silence. “I'll send you the information. But if anything happens to her—”
“Nothing will happen to her. I promise.”
The line went dead.
Lily was sitting on the couch. Watching.
“Is my mother okay?”
“She's fine. She's just scared.”
“Of you?”
“Of the people she works for.”
Lily looked at the window. The snow was falling.
“She never told me what she does. I always knew she was hiding something. But I never asked.”
“Sometimes it's better not to know.”
“Is that why you're protecting me? Because I don't know?”
Cole sat across from her. “I'm protecting you because you're innocent. And innocent people shouldn't pay for the crimes of others.”
Lily nodded. Looked at her phone.
“She's texting me. Telling me to trust you.”
“Do you?”
“I don't know. But I don't have a choice.”
Cole stood. “Get some rest. Tomorrow will be a long day.”
---
The information came at midnight. Volkov's location. His security. His routines.
Cole read it twice. Memorized it.
Kane was on the phone. “I have a team. Former Russian military. They're loyal to money, not the government.”
“Can we trust them?”
“We can trust them to do the job. After that, we watch our backs.”
“When do we leave?”
“Tomorrow night. We fly to Helsinki. Drive to the border. Cross on foot.”
Cole looked at the map. The border was guarded. Patrolled.
“It's risky.”
“Everything is risky.”
---
The flight to Helsinki was long. Cole slept for part of it. Woke to the sun rising over the Baltic.
Kane was in the seat across from him. Studying the map.
“The team will meet us at the border. They have vehicles. Weapons. Supplies.”
“How do we cross?”
“There's a gap in the patrols. Between midnight and 4 AM. We cross then.”
Cole looked at his watch. 2 PM. Ten hours.
“Then we wait.”
---
The border was dark. The trees were thick. The snow was deep.
Cole walked behind Kane. The team flanked them. Silent. Professional.
They reached the fence. Cut through it. Stepped into Russia.
Volkov's compound was fifty miles away. A mansion on the outskirts of Moscow.
They drove through the night. The roads were empty. The villages were dark.
At 6 AM, they stopped. The compound was visible through the trees.
Cole raised his binoculars. Walls. Guards. Cameras.
“How do we get in?”
Kane pointed to the north wall. “There's a drainage pipe. Big enough for a man. It leads to the basement.”
“Security?”
“Motion sensors. But the team can disable them.”
“Then let's go.”
---
The pipe was cold. Wet. Cole crawled through the darkness. His knees were raw. His hands were numb.
He emerged in the basement. Dark. Silent.
Kane was behind him. The team followed.
They climbed the stairs. The ground floor was empty. The mansion was quiet.
Volkov was in the study. Alone. Reading by the fire.
Cole walked in. Volkov looked up. His eyes widened.
“You.”
“Me.”
“How did you get in?”
“The same way I get everywhere. Quietly.”
Volkov reached for a drawer. Cole was faster. His pistol was out.
“Don't.”
Volkov raised his hands. “What do you want?”
“Mira Vance. She's been working for you. I want you to release her.”
“And if I refuse?”
“Then I leave you here. And I give your name to your enemies. The ones who want you dead.”
Volkov laughed. It was bitter. “You think I'm afraid of death?”
“I think you're afraid of losing. Everything you've built. Everything you've stolen.”
Volkov was quiet. The fire crackled.
“Mira is free. I release her. But she won't thank you. She'll hate you for taking her daughter.”
“She'll hate me for saving her.”
Volkov stood. Walked to the window.
“You're just like your father.”
“I'm nothing like my father.”
“You're exactly like him. You use people. You threaten people. You destroy lives.”
Cole lowered the pistol. “Maybe I am. But I'm trying to be better.”
“Trying isn't enough.”
“It's all I have.”
Volkov turned. His face was tired.
“Go. Take Mira. Take her daughter. Leave Russia. And never come back.”
Cole walked to the door. Then he stopped.
“If you come after us—”
“I won't. I'm tired. I'm old. I want to die in peace.”
Cole walked out. The team followed.
They drove back to the border. Crossed at dawn.
The plane was waiting.
---
Mira was in the cabin. With Lily. They were sitting on the couch. Holding hands.
Cole walked in. Mira looked up.
“Volkov released me.”
“I know.”
“Why did you do it? You could have just asked.”
“Because you wouldn't have agreed. You're loyal to him.”
“Was loyal. Past tense.”
Cole sat across from them. “What now?”
Mira looked at her daughter. “Now we disappear. New identities. New country. New life.”
“I can help with that.”
“Why would you help me? After everything I did?”
“Because you helped me. Even if it was only what your handlers allowed. You still helped.”
Mira's eyes were wet. “I'm sorry. For lying to you. For using you.”
“I forgive you.”
Mira stood. Hugged him. “Thank you.”
Cole pulled back. “Don't thank me. Just stay hidden. Stay safe.”
- Writer
