Page 63 of Spymaster

“The Crowne Plaza.”

Kushner shrugged. “A little too brightly lit for me. But it’s okay, I suppose. Would you like for me to arrange a girl for you?”

“No,” said Wójcik. “That isn’t necessary.”

“Of course it is necessary. You’re still a man, aren’t you?”

“I am anoldman.”

“So am I, but it doesn’t stop me. There is an oyster bar not far from the hotel. I can get you a table. It will help you put some lead in your pencil. Or I have the blue pills if you need them. Wiagra,” the Belarusian said, mispronouncing the name.

“Viagra,” his friend corrected.

“That’s what I said.”

Wójcik smiled. “No girls. No oysters. No Viagra. Thank you.”

“In other words, no fun.”

All the Pole wanted to do was get back to his room and reapply his lotion, but that kind of personal information wasn’t something he felt prepared to share. Rising from the bench, he left the Gurkha and said, “It was good seeing you again. I am sorry for interrupting your weekend.”

“It’s always a pleasure to reconnect with an old friend,” Kushner replied. “If you change your mind about anything, no matter what you need, call me.”

“I will,” said Wójcik. “Thank you. And please remember, this is a rush job.”

“Of course,” said the Belarusian. “I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.”

Smiling, the Pole shook his friend’s hand and, turning, walked out of the park.

As he made his way back to the hotel, he never even noticed that he was being followed.

CHAPTER 39

GOTLAND

Sloane lingered at the hostess stand long enough for everyone inside to get a good eyeful. If Harvath had had any doubts about her talents, seeing the very discreet yet seductive way she handled herself would have put all of them to rest.

After acting like a chatty American, and having explained how she was working in Stockholm and had come over on the ferry for a fun weekend on Gotland, she was shown to a table by the hostess. She promised to be on the lookout for Sloane’s “friend” and would bring her over as soon as she arrived.

A few minutes later, a waitress arrived to take her order. O’Learys specialized in American-style bar food—things like burgers, wings, nachos, and Jalapeño poppers.

She and the team had been on the road for over a month. A taste of home, even though she was on the job, would be a real treat.

After ordering a Red Bull and a plate of wings, she settled back in her chair and took a look around.

Sparrman and his crew had all seen her come in. She had seen them, too, though she hadn’t let them know it. Even now, their eyes were still all over her. Pulling out her phone, she texted Chase to see how much longer they would be. Haney hadn’t gotten there yet. Based on his estimate, they were at least ten minutes away.

Starting a new text, she gave Harvath a SITREP from inside to let him know how things were going. Glancing up at Sparrman and the Russians, she saw that their attention had shifted to one of the TVs, where a new soccer match was about to begin. The matchup appeared to be between Russia and the Czech Republic.

Apparently, they were big fans of the sport, which she hoped would work to her advantage. If the game went well and they were enjoying themselves, it might provide her with the perfect opportunity.

She knew plenty of women who would have said no to an operation like this. They would have been offended even at the thought of being used as “bait.” Sloane, though, didn’t have a problem with it. She wasn’t being asked to be part of a honey trap. Harvath had never asked her to do something like that, nor would he ever. He knew, without even asking, what her answer would be.

He also knew why she was so determined to do this kind of work. Despite her parents’ willingness, and ability, Sloane had paid her own way through college via the ROTC program. She had attended Northwestern University, where she studied math and chemistry.

She had grown up in an affluent household and had been a competitive figure skater through high school. Once she got to college, she had switched over to snowboarding, where she became not only more competitive, but happier. Where she hadn’t been happy, though, was after college when she entered the Army.

The only reason she had agreed to sign up was that she was promised combat. She didn’t believe in taking money for school and not paying it back as fully as she could.