talents to various people who needed information – and had the money to pay for it.
Though he went by the name Alain, Petrov assumed that was an alias. Not that it mattered. All he cared about was that the Frenchman could be called at any hour of the day and would produce quick, reliable results. In the case of getting information on Sean Wyatt, Alain delivered again.
The phone rang less than an hour later, just as Petrov’s eyes were getting heavy.
“Yes?” he answered the phone expectantly.
“What is it you want with this man, Sean Wyatt?”
The question came as a surprise to the Russian, as did the name. It wasn’t like Alain to ask something like that. Typically, he just did as told, happy enough to get paid handsomely for his services. “You let me worry about that. What do you have on him?”
Alain drew in a deep breath. “He’s dangerous. Worked for an American agency for several years.”
“CIA? FBI?”
“Non,” Alain replied in French. “It was something else. The reports I have on him say he is rumored to have worked for Axis.”
“Axis?”
“You’ve heard of it?”
Petrov went silent for a moment, digging deep into the recesses of his memory. “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much. Mostly just rumors. From what I understand, no one really knows who works for them and who doesn’t.”
Alain went on. “The small amount of information I was able to find on him suggests that he did work for Axis. If that is the case, he is someone you must handle with extreme caution.”
The Russian let out a short snicker. He wasn’t one to be frightened of anyone, in spite of the fact that Wyatt had got the drop on him earlier. “He’s just a man.”
“Perhaps.” Alain didn’t sound convinced. “After he left the United States government, he went to work for the International Archaeological Agency in Atlanta. There are several documented instances where he used extreme measures to escape difficult situations.”
Petrov knew what that meant. Extreme measures was a tempered way of saying Wyatt had used lethal force. “So he is accustomed to killing. That’s good. So am I.” He’d heard enough about Wyatt. “What about his associates?”
“He has a lot of them. Where do you want me to start?”
“With the closest to him.”
The sound of papers shuffling rippled through the earpiece. Alain let out a long sigh and then spoke up. “Thomas Schultz is his longest known associate. He runs the IAA, where Wyatt worked until recently. It seems he has retired from international activities.”
The Russian had doubts about that, especially given the current situation.
Alain continued. “Schultz founded the IAA when his parents died in a mysterious plane crash. There are some peripheral characters he’s been known to interact with. A Joe and Helen McElroy, both of whom work for IAA now. After that, there’s a list of people but no one special.”
A question remained in Petrov’s mind. “What about a woman?”
The papers shuffled again through the earpiece. “I don’t have anything about a woman. Is there a woman with him?”
“Yes.”
“Did you get a picture of her? I could dig around.”
“No. But if that need arises, I will let you know.” Petrov thought for a minute. The fact that there was nothing on the woman in Wyatt’s house didn’t set off alarm bells in his head, but it didn’t make him at ease either. Usually, when someone was an unknown, it was because they kept off the radar on purpose.
“Will there be anything else?” the Frenchman yawned as he asked the question.
“Not right now. I’ll be in touch.”
He ended the call without thanking Alain for his diligence. Petrov didn’t have to thank him. His money did that.
Chapter 11
Atlanta
“How much do you know about the Battle of Copenhagen?” Tommy asked through the speaker.
Sean looked around the room to see if someone else would answer before he spoke up. No one said anything, each
Though he went by the name Alain, Petrov assumed that was an alias. Not that it mattered. All he cared about was that the Frenchman could be called at any hour of the day and would produce quick, reliable results. In the case of getting information on Sean Wyatt, Alain delivered again.
The phone rang less than an hour later, just as Petrov’s eyes were getting heavy.
“Yes?” he answered the phone expectantly.
“What is it you want with this man, Sean Wyatt?”
The question came as a surprise to the Russian, as did the name. It wasn’t like Alain to ask something like that. Typically, he just did as told, happy enough to get paid handsomely for his services. “You let me worry about that. What do you have on him?”
Alain drew in a deep breath. “He’s dangerous. Worked for an American agency for several years.”
“CIA? FBI?”
“Non,” Alain replied in French. “It was something else. The reports I have on him say he is rumored to have worked for Axis.”
“Axis?”
“You’ve heard of it?”
Petrov went silent for a moment, digging deep into the recesses of his memory. “I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know much. Mostly just rumors. From what I understand, no one really knows who works for them and who doesn’t.”
Alain went on. “The small amount of information I was able to find on him suggests that he did work for Axis. If that is the case, he is someone you must handle with extreme caution.”
The Russian let out a short snicker. He wasn’t one to be frightened of anyone, in spite of the fact that Wyatt had got the drop on him earlier. “He’s just a man.”
“Perhaps.” Alain didn’t sound convinced. “After he left the United States government, he went to work for the International Archaeological Agency in Atlanta. There are several documented instances where he used extreme measures to escape difficult situations.”
Petrov knew what that meant. Extreme measures was a tempered way of saying Wyatt had used lethal force. “So he is accustomed to killing. That’s good. So am I.” He’d heard enough about Wyatt. “What about his associates?”
“He has a lot of them. Where do you want me to start?”
“With the closest to him.”
The sound of papers shuffling rippled through the earpiece. Alain let out a long sigh and then spoke up. “Thomas Schultz is his longest known associate. He runs the IAA, where Wyatt worked until recently. It seems he has retired from international activities.”
The Russian had doubts about that, especially given the current situation.
Alain continued. “Schultz founded the IAA when his parents died in a mysterious plane crash. There are some peripheral characters he’s been known to interact with. A Joe and Helen McElroy, both of whom work for IAA now. After that, there’s a list of people but no one special.”
A question remained in Petrov’s mind. “What about a woman?”
The papers shuffled again through the earpiece. “I don’t have anything about a woman. Is there a woman with him?”
“Yes.”
“Did you get a picture of her? I could dig around.”
“No. But if that need arises, I will let you know.” Petrov thought for a minute. The fact that there was nothing on the woman in Wyatt’s house didn’t set off alarm bells in his head, but it didn’t make him at ease either. Usually, when someone was an unknown, it was because they kept off the radar on purpose.
“Will there be anything else?” the Frenchman yawned as he asked the question.
“Not right now. I’ll be in touch.”
He ended the call without thanking Alain for his diligence. Petrov didn’t have to thank him. His money did that.
Chapter 11
Atlanta
“How much do you know about the Battle of Copenhagen?” Tommy asked through the speaker.
Sean looked around the room to see if someone else would answer before he spoke up. No one said anything, each
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