Page 22 of Spymaster

“By the way,” she continued, “what doesconsultingeven mean? That the law doesn’t apply to you? That you can do whatever you want, wherever you want, whenever you want—all in the name ofwinning? Is that what consulting is?”

He waited, to make sure she was finished, and then asked, “Do you remember the bombings in Turkey a little while ago—one of which killed the U.S. Secretary of Defense, along with several members of his staff as well as his protection detail? Or the female suicide bomber who hopped the fence and detonated at the entrance to the White House?”

“Of course.”

“Those were Sergun. He trained and dispatched the terrorists responsible. There were other attacks on Americans as well. Suffice it to say, we felt justified in grabbing him.”

“Where is he now?”

“In a very deep, very dark hole.”

“From which, of course, he’s not free to leave,” she commented.

“That’s the problem with holes,” Harvath remarked. “Some are so deep that you can’t get out of them.”

Jasinski paused. Her head was spinning. She didn’t know what to say. He was all but admitting that the United States was still running its rendition program—a program globally condemned and one that the U.S.A. had long since claimed to have shut down.

She had several questions, but she wasn’t sure she wanted the answers.Fuck, she thought.Why had she agreed to this assignment?Harvath could not only tank her career, he could also land her in prison. No one could just flout international laws the way he was.

“I’m not comfortable with this,” she said.

“Well you need to get comfortable,” he replied, “because this is the way it is, Monika. We fight here, on these terms, right now, or the entire continent of Europe becomes a battlefield. Poland, Germany, France, all of it.”

“What are you talking about?”

Harvath reached for the tiny copper kettle Nicholas had brought out at the end of the meal and poured himself a strong cup of Turkish coffee.

The more time he spent with Monika, the more he liked her. She was the next wave. She would help steer her country and NATO going forward. She just didn’t know it yet. Soon, he hoped, she would. He just needed more time to get her there.

“We interrogated Viktor Sergun for months,” said Harvath. “He had been involved in a lot of different things during his career with the GRU. One of the more interesting things we learned was a rumor he had overheard at headquarters in Moscow.”

“A rumor about what?” she asked.

“Russia’s plan to invade the Baltics.”

She was visibly taken aback. He was talking about Poland’s neighbors. “TheBaltics?” she replied. “When?”

“We don’t know,” he stated, taking a sip of coffee.

“What about how they plan to invade?”

“We don’t know that either.”

“What the hell do you know, then?” she exclaimed, exasperated.

Harvath focused on what, at the moment, he thoughtsheshould know. “According to Sergun, the GRU was charged with paving the way for the invasion. In addition to a full-blown propaganda campaign, they had activated what the old-time Soviets called “useful idiots”—disenfranchised nationals in NATO countries with certain political and worldviews—who were susceptible to influence.

“They based the PRF on the Marxist-Leninist terror groups of the 1970s—similar to the Red Brigades. Once promising individuals were spotted and assessed, they were recruited and indoctrinated. Then they were brought to Russia and trained in paramilitary tactics—weapons, explosives, and guerilla warfare. After that, they were sent home and told to await further instructions.

“Sergun didn’t have all the details, but he warned that once attacks on NATO personnel, equipment, or installations started happening by the so-called PRF, that was our sign that Russia was preparing to move on the Baltics.”

“So we basically know the PRF is a distraction. Is that it? We have no clue where they’ll strike next or when, and no timetable for the Russian invasion of the Baltics?”

Harvath nodded.

Jasinski dropped her napkin down on the table and stood. Pacing, she tried to figure it all out.

Nicholas cleared the dishes as Harvath watched her. He was pleased to see her so worked up, so passionate. If she could control that, channel it, she might just exceed his expectations.