Stanski looked ahead through the fallingsnow. There was a blaze of lights off to the right side of the Kuntsevo road,some sort of red-brick factory compound with massive gates, and then he saw anambulance inch slowly out through the gates and realized the place was ahospital. On the left side of the road a narrow track led off into darkness. Asquat, flat-roofed derelict building in the same red brick as the hospitalstood to the right of the track.

Stanski pointed through the windshield."What's that?"

"A bomb shelter from the war."

"Pull in beside it."

"But "We only get one chance toget this right. Let's go over the plan again. I want no mistakes. Pullin."

Lukin swung the wheel and pulled over infront of the shelter. The flat roof was covered in snow and steps led downbeyond the dark mouth of the entrance, the door hanging off its hinges.

As Lukin switched off the engine, he sawthe silenced Na gant appear in Stanski's hand. Before he could speak, Stanskihad pointed the weapon at him.

Alarmed, Lukin said, "What's goingon?"

"Listen to me, Petya, I can do thisalone. You have a wife and child to think of. There's no need for you to throwaway your life. I want you to live. At least one of us should live. Do it forme. Do it for Katya and our parents."

Lukin saw it then. Saw everything. Hisface drained of color as he stared at Stanski. "You never intended for usto do this together, did you?"

"I guess not."

"Mischa ... please ... you'll neverget inside the villa alone."

"That's where you're wrong. You madethe call and you're expected. I can get in with your identity card."

"But you don't even look likeme!"

"Apart from hair color we're prettymuch the same build.

As for the rest, let me worry aboutthat."

Lukin shook his head fiercely."Mischa, this is crazy. Together we stand some chance. Alone you havenone."

"It's a better chance than havingyou explain I'm one of your fellow officers. With security so tight they maynot even let me inside." He shook his head. "Like I said, I don'twant you to die. If you come with me he'll have killed all of us in the end. Iwon't let him kill you. I won't let him destroy us all.

If there was time, I'd tell you about allthe times I missed you.

How much I loved you and Katya. How muchI longed to be with you both again. But there isn't."

Suddenly there was a hint of tears inStanski's eyes. He quickly removed a set of keys from his pocket. Then henodded to the bomb shelter. "I'm going to leave you here. Lebel's waitingwith the train at a station called Klin, northwest of Moscow. There's a blueEmka van we passed half a kilometer back down the road, parked and waiting witha full tank of fuel. Here are the keys. You can make it if you hurry." Hestuffed the keys into Lukin's breast pocket. "Live your life, brother.Live it for all our family."

"Mischa, no ... !"

"Goodbye, brother."

Stanski's fingers came up quickly andclosed around Lukin's neck like a vice, the thumb pressing hard into the pointbelow his ear. Lukin struggled and fought back, his arms flailing and his bodybucking wildly, but Stanski was stronger.

It was only a matter of seconds beforeLukin slumped in the seat and blacked out. Stanski stepped out of the car intothe freezing night and went down the steps into the shelter.

The building was in darkness and smelledfoul. He had to go back to the car and get the flashlight; then he flicked itaround the walls and saw that the place was strewn with garbage. He cleared acorner and then quickly carried Lukin down from the car and propped him againsta wall.

It took him another five minutes to doeverything he had to do, moving quickly, then prying the interior mirror fromthe car and using it to apply the engine oil to his hair. Only when he hadfinished did he pull on the single leather uniform glove. He found the identitycard with the photograph in Lukin's breast pocket. Everything else he neededwas already in the car.

When he had checked himself in the mirrorhe shone the flashlight at the unconscious figure propped against the shelterwall. In the cold, he wouldn't be out for more than another five minutes.

For a long time Stanski stared at Lukin'sface, until he was almost overcome with emotion, then he knelt down and kissedhim hard on the cheek, suddenly aware of his struggle to keep back the tears,before he tore himself away and went out and up the steps.

As he climbed back into the BMW, heglanced over his shoulder at Massey's corpse lying across the backseat.

" Well, I guess you got to see itthrough to the end after all, Jake. If there's a heaven, and you're alreadythere, wish us both luck, We're going to need it."

He checked his watch. It was 1:15 A.M. Hestarted the car.

so The guards heard the car long beforethey saw it.

One of them pulled back a shutter in thegreen-painted metal gate and peered out into the falling snow. Headlightsblazed through the veil of white, and when the BMW drew up in front and itslights were extinguished, searchlights in the watchtower above the gatesuddenly sprang on, flooding the area with in tense white light.

The man carefully checked thelicense-plate number against his list before he stepped out through a gate andapproached the car. He didn't fail to notice the bullet holes in the body work,and that part of the rear window was shattered. "Papers."

The uniformed KGB major with the glovedhand rolled down the window and smiled as he handed them over. "MajorLukin. I'm expected."

"This vehicle looks like it's beenthrough the wars."

"I think you could say that."

The guard examined the identity card, thenstudied the major's face closely.

"Your car keys, comrade."

When the major handed them over the guardflicked on @a flashlight and went around the back and unlocked the trunk.Moments later he slammed it shut and shone the flashlight inside the car. Whenhe saw the body lying across the backseat he recoiled in horror and said,"What the fucking hell ... !"

The major grinned. "I think if youcheck with the duty watch officer you'll find everything is in order." Heglanced back at the corpse with obvious disgust. "An enemy American agentapprehended by the Second Directorate. Comrade Stalin wishes to see the bodypersonally, so don't hang about."

When the shaken guard had regained hiscomposure he said sternly, "Wait here."

He stepped back inside the gate andStanski heard the jangle of a field telephone. Moments later he reappeared,flicking a distasteful look at the body in the back as he handed Stanski hispapers.

"Looks like you're in business,Comrade Major. Follow the road for half a kilometer until you reach the dacha.No stopping until you get to the main entrance."

As the guard stepped back inside thegate, Stanski switched on the ignition and the BMW's headlights sprang to life.

The green metal gates yawned open. Half adozen elite Kremlin Guards with blue bands on their caps stood inside theentrance, fingering their weapons. The woods beyond the gate were illuminatedby the car's headlights, the shafts of light probing the snowy darkness. Anarrow road wound around through the trees, the snow cleared away and raised inhigh banks on either side, and here and there the shadowy figures of more armedKremlin Guards patrolled the forest with leashed Alsatians.

Stanski shifted into gear and releasedthe clutch, sweat rising on his forehead. He saw the Kremlin Guards starecuriously at the corpse in the back as the car rolled forward.

As he drew up outside the dacha entrancehe saw a massive two-story building of pale granite stone that looked like aBoston manor house.