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  A burst from behind Javin cut off the driver’s words. Bullets from one of Fang’s teammates struck the driver in the chest and head, killing him instantly.

  Javin cursed as he dashed to the Jeep. None of the gunmen moved, but Javin double-checked them. They were all dead.

  He opened the driver’s door and began to search the Jeep as one of Fang’s teammates stepped next to Javin. He knew the man’s name was Chen, as he had seen his picture before, when Fang was assembling the team. Javin asked, “Who are these people?”

  Chen cursed, then said, “I remember seeing this one.” He pointed at the driver, who was lying on his back. “He was at the border crossing in Druzhba.”

  Javin frowned. So they’re Kazakhstan’s army patrolling the border. He was one of Captain Abiyev’s men. He was Mila’s guy. Did he send them, or were they working on their own? We’ll never know for sure. “Check his pockets. Take his phone and wallet; maybe they have IDs.”

  Javin looked around. A couple of faces appeared behind windows at a house across the street. Farther to the left, a man was standing at a balcony, observing the scene. How much did he see? Javin swung his head in the other direction. A couple of teenagers on bicycles had stopped near the intersection. One of them seemed to be taking pictures or recording the scene with his phone. Great, that’s great.

  Javin sighed and quickly searched the Jeep. He found a box of matches that seemed to have a number penned on the back and a Glock 17 9mm pistol in the glove box. Then he went through the pockets of the two gunmen and collected two phones and one wallet. He took one of the rifles, a new AK-74 model.

  Chen was already headed to the SUV. Javin ran after him, then looked through the window. Fang was in the second row of seats, and the other teammate—whom Javin recognized as Li—and Xiulan were leaning over him. “How is he doing?” Javin asked.

  Xiulan glanced at him and said in English, “Not good. He’s shot, and it’s all your fault.”

  If Xiulan’s look could kill, Javin would be dead. Her small brown eyes had turned into slits and held a fiery gaze.

  Javin didn’t want to argue with a distraught woman. He stepped to the right, then lowered his head and looked over Li’s shoulder. Fang’s face had turned ashen, and his eyes were half-open. He seemed to be breathing with difficulty, his chest barely moving. Li had bandaged the shoulder, although blood had splattered the front of Fang’s torn sweater and the back and the side of the seat.

  “How are you doing?” Javin asked Fang.

  He opened his eyes slowly and gave Javin a tired look. “Eh, good… good.” His voice was raspy and low as he struggled for the words. “Can’t move my arm.”

  Javin nodded. The bullet must have severed some of the muscles or the nerves. At least the bleeding was under control. “We’ve got to go.”

  “Yes, to a hospital,” Xiulan said.

  Javin climbed into the driver’s seat. “Get in,” he told Xiulan and cocked his head toward the front passenger seat.

  He waited until everyone was inside the Honda SUV and started the car. He stepped on the gas pedal and rounded the curve carefully, then looked at Fang. His eyes were closed, and his head was tilted to the side. The CIS operative shifted in his seat and asked Li, who was sitting next to Fang, “Where’s the truck?”

  “West of the city, right off the highway,” Chen replied from the back of the SUV.

  “Okay, we’re heading there, and then we’ll patch up Fang—”

  “No, no, no,” Xiulan shouted. “Hospital, we need to get him to a hospital.”

  “I remember seeing one that way.” Chen gestured with his hand toward the left.

  “Yes, me too,” Xiulan said. “Turn, turn.”

  “I’ve got this,” Javin said in a firm but warm tone and continued driving straight.

  “I’ll… I’ll be fine…” Fang said slowly and in a weak voice. “No hospitals.”

  “You should have turned there, right there. We missed it,” Xiulan shouted and pointed at the next turn.

  “We can’t go to the hospital.”

  “Why?” She shifted in her seat and looked at Fang. “He’s wounded badly. He might die at any moment.”

  Javin shook his head. “It’s a minor wound. He’s not going to—”

  Xiulan slapped him on the arm. “Are you a doctor now? Drive, just drive,” she said, then shouted something in Chinese. “To a hospital.”

  “How do we explain his gunshot wound to the doctors? They’ll call the police, which probably have already been notified of the shooting. Once they find the bodies, they’ll connect the dots. They’ll kill Fang, you, and all of us.”

  “It’s all your fault.” Xiulan slapped him again on the arm. “You convinced him to take this job. You brought this on him, on us…”

  “Xiulan, Xiulan, just… stop hitting him… He’s right,” Fang said in a louder and firmer voice.

  Javin said, “Yes, listen to him. You’re not helping anyone, especially him.” He looked at Fang again. The hacker was in the same position as the last time Javin had checked on him. “We’ll stabilize him at the truck; then I’ll try to find him a doctor, a discreet one. One who can treat him, but also not rat us out.”

  Xiulan gave him an uncertain look.

  Javin said, “One who’s not going to report us. Look, I’m sorry about what happened back there. But I’m not going to let Fang die.”

  Xiulan’s eyes had lost some of the initial rage. She said nothing, but gave him a slight headshake and looked away.

  Javin drove slowly through the city, observing all signs, signals, and speed limits. The last thing they needed was to be pulled over at this moment. They saw a police car zipping in the opposite direction, but the officers paid no attention to the Honda.

  When the team reached the edge of the city, they came to a gas station. Chen had already told Javin that the tractor-trailer was hidden on the right side, behind a series of thickets and trees along the road leading to a farm. Javin turned in that direction, and, in a matter of minutes, they parked next to the truck.

  “I’ve got to make a call,” he said to Fang. “Get you a doctor. How are you feeling?”

  Fang offered a tired smile. “Better. I can walk now.”

  “No, don’t. Let them help you.” Javin turned to Chen. “Clean his wound and bandage it. I’ve got a first-aid kit in my rucksack.” He handed it to Chen, who nodded. “Make sure it doesn’t get infected.” He stepped away from the SUV.

  “Where are you going?” Xiulan asked. “Are you leaving us?”

  “Of course not. Just making a call.” Javin showed her the phone without turning around.

  When he was beyond earshot, he dialed Mila’s number. “Yes, my dear Javin,” she said in a playful tone. “How is everything?”

  “Not good. We got played.”

  “What do you mean?” Her voice turned all business.

  “A team of Kazakh border guards followed my Chinese associates. We got ambushed in Sarkand.”

  “No, what? How did that happen?”

  “That’s why I called. Obviously, your captain can’t be trusted…”

  “Do we know for sure it’s Captain Abiyev?”

  “The dead men reported to him.”

  “Dead men? Oh, Javin…” Mila sighed and cursed. “What a mess.”

  “Self-defense, Mila.”

  “How many?”

  “Three.”

  “Are you still in Sarkand?”

  “Yes, and one of my men has a chest wound. Nothing serious at the moment, but he’ll need to see a doctor.”

  Mila didn’t reply for a moment. “Let me check who we have on the ground and who I can use.”

  “Thank you. We’ll have everyone hunting us now, so I’ll need a way out.”

  “Javin, you’re asking a lot…”

  “Considering how this went, Mila, it’s only fair—”

  “Wait, wait, are you saying this is my fault?” Her voice grew louder and became razor-sharp.
/>   “I’m saying if the captain hadn’t sent his goons after us, this wouldn’t have happened…”

  “Javin, listen, if I hadn’t found you a man to help you cross the border, your drone would have still been in China. Perhaps your team would have been killed or captured, as it almost happened to you and Fang twice in Beijing.”

  Javin’s jaw dropped. It took him a moment to process her words. “How… What do you know about what happened in Beijing?”

  “I know everything, Javin, but we can talk about it another time. I’ll help you, since our fate is linked, but don’t blame me for your failures.”

  Javin wanted to interrupt Mila, but he needed her help.

  She continued, “Even if those men, the dead men, were sent by Captain Abiyev, it was your team’s responsibility to lose the surveillance. They didn’t, and they brought them right to you.”

  Javin sighed, then bit his lip, but Mila was right. Fang and his men should have noticed the Jeep or whoever followed them from the border. While the captain might have betrayed them, Fang’s team had been neglectful.

  “I know what happened, Mila. I don’t need a reminder…”

  “Just setting things straight, Javin. I will help you, but none of this is my fault. I don’t owe you this; it’s the other way around.”

  “But of course.” He cursed under his breath. He’d owe Mila a favor, which she’d come to collect at any time. But if he was thrown out of the agency, which was highly likely, how would he pay her back? He shrugged and said, “What do we do?”

  Mila thought about it for a moment. “Drive to the capital, Nur-Sultan. We have a team there, and I can get a plane to transport the drone, since all other borders will be locked down. Your man, how bad is he?”

  Javin turned around and looked at the Honda SUV. Xiulan was pacing along the side of the road. “He should be okay for the next little while, but I don’t want him to get an infection.”

  “Yes, those can be tricky. Give me a moment to check something.”

  Javin heard typing in the background, then Mila said, “Make it to Karagandy; it’s a city southeast of the capital, a three-hour drive. I’ll try to get a doctor there.”

  “I appreciate that, Mila.”

  “No problem, Javin. You and I, we’re a team, right?”

  He didn’t like the way she said it, the way her voice rang, as if she owned Javin. He hesitated for a moment, then said, “Of course we are.”

  “Good luck. You’ll need it.”

  “I know. Bye.”

  He sighed and returned to the SUV.

  Xiulan met him before he could reach it. “Where’s the doctor?”

  “We have to go to him. It’s going to take some time.”

  “How long?”

  “I have to check.”

  He pulled up a map of Kazakhstan and entered the name of Karagandy. He clicked for directions, and a frown spread across his face. “It’s going to be tomorrow…”

  “Tomorrow? He can’t last that long…”

  Of course he can. “Look, that’s the best I can do. Remember, we have the police and the army on our back. If he goes to a hospital or even a medical clinic, he’ll be arrested. You don’t want that, do you?” He tried to keep his voice warm, yet firm.

  “No, I don’t want that.” Xiulan shook her head, and her black ponytail swished across her shoulders.

  “Okay, then. So, we’ll drive to Ayagoz or another city or town where we can safely spend the night. But we need a new car, or better, two cars, since people saw us leaving in this one.”

  Chen, who had stepped out of the SUV and had listened to the last part of the conversation, said, “I saw a few cars at the gas station.”

  “The gas station might have cameras. Take Li and check. If you’re positive there are no cameras, find us a good vehicle that we can drive for a couple of days.”

  Chen nodded and returned to the SUV.

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I’ll do the same, but I’ll head to the city. We have to be discreet about the new cars. Hijacking two cars at the same location will draw much more attention than random-looking car thefts at two different parts of the city.”

  Xiulan studied Javin’s face for a moment, then nodded. “Makes sense,” she said quietly.

  “Stay with Fang. He needs you. I’ll come back very soon.”

  He walked to the SUV, picked up his rucksack, and headed toward the city.

  Chapter Twenty

  Sarkand

  Kazakhstan

  Javin jogged at a steady pace until he reached the nearest neighborhood. Then he began to look for a suitable vehicle in the residential area. There were a couple of luxury models, but they were two-seaters. Excellent rides, but useless for the team’s purpose.

  When he came to the next neighborhood, he saw six or seven vehicles parked outside a restaurant. A couple of them caught his attention—an old model Suzuki SUV and a newer model Lada SUV. If Javin had the tools of the trade to steal a vehicle—a slide hammer, screwdrivers, or scanning devices and booster units for keyless entry vehicles—he would have been able, in a matter of minutes, to drive away with any of those vehicles. But a young man was strolling toward the Lada, and Javin’s choice was made.

  He decided to go old school.

  He bolted toward the parking lot, then cut through among the vehicles. He snuck up behind the man, who didn’t even notice until Javin had wrapped his arms around the young man’s neck and put him into a chokehold. The man tried to shout, then fight back, but Javin increased the pressure, cutting off the flow of blood to the head. The man’s reactions began to slow down, and his breathing became labored. Javin lowered him to the ground, and in a matter of seconds, the man had sunk into unconsciousness.

  Javin looked around, but no one had noticed his actions. The Lada was parked at an angle so that it obstructed the view of the handful of patrons sitting near the restaurant’s windows. Javin retrieved the Lada’s keys and drove out of the parking lot.

  When he turned onto the farm road, a blue Kia sedan was parked next to the Toyota SUV. Fang had already been transferred to the back of the Kia, and Xiulan was sitting next to him. Javin stepped out of the Lada and walked to Chen, who was standing outside the SUV. “Is everything out of there?”

  “Yes, we’re ready to go. Just waiting for you.”

  “Okay. Drive the Kia. I’ll take Li with me.”

  “Why can’t he stay with me?”

  Javin thought about it. Being alone in the Lada would allow him to think clearly and make sensitive phone calls. “Sure. He can ride with you. Were there cameras at the gas station?”

  “No.”

  Javin didn’t ask how they got the Kia. They probably used brute force. He shrugged and said, “Follow me, then the truck brings up the rear.”

  Chen nodded his curly head.

  Javin said, “Stay back a long way, so that it doesn’t look like we’re together. The same with the truck.”

  “I’ll tell the driver.”

  “Good. Where’s my AK?”

  “In the Kia’s trunk.”

  Javin returned to the Lada. He actually wanted to have a conversation with Fang about what had happened in Beijing. But it was neither the right time nor the right place. After what Javin had learned from Mila, he was even more tense than before. Mila’s people wouldn’t have gone to Beijing to be just observers. That’s not the Russian way.

  They drove down the farm road, then turned onto a narrow gravel side road. Javin led the way, and Chen followed in the Kia at a distance of about a hundred meters, with the truck another fifty meters or so farther back. They drove along the edge of the city with a beautiful sun setting behind them in the west over the endless steppes.

  When they came to the highway, the A-350, they merged with the sparse traffic. Javin was almost anticipating checkpoints just outside the city, but there was nothing. It would take some time for the local police to identify the bodies, then make the connection betw
een them and a band of Chinese driving a black Honda SUV and a truck. They had ditched the SUV, but not the tractor-trailer. When we get to Ayagoz, we’ll paint it white or blue.

  They drove for a few minutes, and Javin began to breathe easier. The farther away they moved from Sarkand, the further he felt they were from their troubles. I’m having to rely too much on Mila, and that’s never a good thing. But it’s better than falling into the hands of the wrathful Kazakhs or Chinese…

  After about an hour of driving, the team seemed to have found its rhythm. They cut through a series of small towns, slowing down, passing carefully, and obeying all traffic signs. The dark blanket of the night slowly enveloped everything around them as the team continued its long drive through east Kazakhstan.

  If Mila has a plan ready tomorrow in Nur-Sultan, I can still be in Syria in a couple of days. Then, I can catch up to the Mossad team and avenge Yael’s blood…

  * * *

  The team reached Ayagoz around two in the morning. Finding an inn or a motel would give the team more headaches than rest, so Javin decided against it. They found a rest area on the side of the highway, north of the city, by a Helios Petroleum station, and parked the truck there. The two vehicles drove farther away and out of sight of the station staff.

  Javin checked on Fang. He was no better, but he hadn’t gotten worse. He was tired more than anything else, considering he had spent the previous night and most of the day awake. The rest of the team was exhausted as well.

  So Javin decided to take the first guard-duty shift. He wasn’t expecting anyone to have followed them, since they had all been extremely careful, keeping their eyes peeled for surveillance. They had slowed down unexpectedly and had taken frequent stops whenever they felt a vehicle around them looked suspicious. But Javin’s experience had taught him that nothing was impossible for strong-willed men determined to find them.

  The night had turned chilly, but he didn’t crank up the heat in the Lada, worried that it might cause him to fall asleep. Every fifteen minutes, he stepped out of the SUV and walked up and down the side road. He circled the truck and make sure everything was in order, then, on the way back, he checked on the Kia.