Lone Wolf by David Archer Page A

Vladimir would know that, too, so he'll believe me.”
    Noah cocked his head to one side and squinted at Pendergrast. “But why would they only want proof the girl is alive and unhurt? Wouldn't they be working to stop the alliance?”
    “Not publicly, not right now. Once it's announced, then you'll see Israel all over it, but not till then. For now, they would just want to know whether the leverage is intact. If it is, meaning that the girl is safe and still in Russia's custody, then Israel would have to sit back and wait to see what happens. On the other hand, if they found out that something bad had happened to her, they could leak that information to President Habib and scuttle the whole deal. That's exactly what the Russians would be afraid of, and that's why I can use it this way. I'll get on a plane to Russia, to go get that supposedly necessary photograph, and all you have to do is follow me.”
    Noah shook his head. “That sounds like such a stupid plan that it's bound to work.” He nodded to Neil, who produced a cell phone and handed it to Pendergrast.
    “I hope you know the guy's phone number,” Neil said.
    “Trust me, it's embedded in my memory.” He dialed a number quickly, then held the phone up to his ear. “Vladimir? It's Jeremy. Listen, buddy, we got us a problem. You want to guess who just paid me a visit? Yeah, Abner Ben Yousef! Well, what do you think he wants? I guess their people got wind of what's going on in Mauritania, and somehow they found out I was involved.” He listened for a moment, then scowled. “I didn't leak anything,” he said emphatically. “As far as I knew, only you and I knew that I was involved in this at all, but knowing how many leaks your organization has, I'm not surprised they found out about it. Well, it had to come from your place, nobody else knew! Okay, okay, calm down! All he wants is to know that the Habib girl is still alive and well, and they want me to get them proof of that. I'm supposed to go to her and come up with a photo of me and her together, or they're going to blow this whole thing wide open on us.” He paused and listened again for a couple of minutes. “Yeah, yeah, I'm free right now. I don't have anything going on, so it's good timing. Just tell me where she is and I'll go get the photo, get these bastards off our backs.”
    He suddenly motioned for something to write with, and Sarah quickly produced a pen and notepad. Pendergrast clamped the phone between his ear and his shoulder, while he scribbled notes on the paper. “Okay, yeah, I've got it. I'll get on the next flight out to Moscow. You're sure that's where I'll find her, right? Okay, good enough.”
    He hit the end button on the phone and handed it back to Neil, who confirmed with a glance that the call was ended. Pendergrast looked at Noah.
    “They're in a small town called Kubinka, about thirty-five miles southwest of Moscow. I've got to fly out as soon as possible, and he'll have someone meet me at the airport in Moscow to take me to them. You can follow me, but you got to figure out how you're going to cover me. If you're going to go in and take the girl, I don't want anyone thinking I led you to them. Can you manage that?”
    Noah grinned. “That won't be a problem,” he said. “We'll make sure no one suspects you. For right now, though, we need to get you back to your place so you can get cleaned up and ready to go. Ready for another ride?”
    Pendergrast shrugged. “Sure, I guess so.”
    Noah looked at Sarah. “Can you rig up a blindfold for him? I don't want him to know how to get back here.”
    She grinned. “Sure, no problem.”

SEVEN
     
    F ollowing Pendergrast's lead, Noah, Moose and Sarah had booked tickets on the same flight to Moscow, scheduled to depart early the next morning. They had driven the man back to his apartment and stayed with him while he reserved his own ticket, planting some of the nearly invisible, high-tech bugs that Neil had provided to them. The