The Veteran

Chapter Eight

What bothered me the most was Russians never negotiate with anyone. They were known for taking what they wanted when they wanted it, but for some reason, they had chosen to negotiate with me, if you call kidnapping my family to extort me, negotiations. Either I had something they needed, or it was a sick game they were playing.

Viktor had been instructed to wait by the road if I agreed to negotiate. At that point, one of the Russians would approach the house to speak with me. I didn't like this situation, but I had no other options. None. After getting as much information out of Viktor as I could, I agreed to the meeting, and we shared a beer before he headed to the road. Five and a half hours had elapsed since the first encounter with the Russians. It would take him about ten minutes to make it to the road, well before the six-hour cut off time, where he would call them. If he made the cutoff, everything would turn out fine.

I killed the lights to the cabin, leaving the generator running which would cause all the security lights to come on if any motion was detected. Jake tried to follow me, but I made him stay inside. I walked outside and hid about ten meters to the west side of the cabin, just out of reach of the lights. It was approaching 4:10 am when a figure walked up the path. Viktor had been on time, so it was a go. The guy, six feet plus and easily three hundred pounds, from what I could tell, didn't look like the outdoorsy type, dressed in a suit, having a hard time navigating the rough path in what I assumed were dress shoes. It was like bringing a knife to a gunfight. I had him in my sights from about 80 yards out and could've taken him at any time. As he entered the compound, I called out, "Stop right there."

"Mr. Hunter, I am unarmed and here to negotiate for Michenkov family. You caused much trouble, and we want trouble stopped."

"Who are you?"

"I am Dimitri Baleschenko. I work for Mr. Michenkov."

"Go on, keep talking."

"Nataliy Michenkov regrets he cannot be here to talk to you in person, but I am sure you understand circumstance da?"

"Yeah, I understand why he's not here. What is it you want?"

"All killing must stop. We do not want dead Russians, and you do not want dead family."

"I'm listening."

"Mr. Michenkov wants to make truce. You did favor by killing nephew. Now, you do another favor for him, and he leaves you and family alone. You refuse, and he will kill you and family, starting with children."

There was no bravado in his voice. He was delivering a message, a very deadly message. Either I cooperated, or my family was dead, and I would soon follow. I was sure this included Viktor, his family, and anyone else involved in this mess.

"What's the favor?"

"You agree to favor first. Then we tell what favor is when we want it. This is only deal."

I was between a rock and a hard place and had no choice but to agree. Yeah, I could've taken him out along with most of his friends, but that would have cost too many innocent lives, and I wasn't willing to risk that.

"You tell Nataliy Michenkov I agree to his terms, but before anything happens, my family better be safe. Tell him to call off the dogs and leave my family alone."

"I will tell Mr. Michenkov your response." He reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out a phone which, by the strange looking antenna, was an Iridium satellite phone, and proceeded to dial a number. Within seconds, he began speaking in Russian. Viktor would've come in handy. He ended the call and turned to me.

Mr. Michenkov agrees to terms and will leave family and friends alone. You must meet with Mr. Michenkov forty-eight hours from now. If you do not show up, deal is gone. You keep phone, and we will call you. I leave now and let your friend go. Do not go back on deal, Mr. Hunter. Your family lives only because of you."

He put the phone on the ground and headed back down the path. I wasn't quite ready to retrieve the phone and waited. Twenty minutes elapsed, and Viktor approached. I came out of the woods into the clearing and met him.

"Viktor, is your family safe?"

"I do not know yet. I am to call wife after I deliver this message. John, this is message. Mr. Hunter, you spoke with my associate, Mr. Baleschenko. He speaks for me directly. If you will pick up the phone and call the number, we will talk."

Here I was, up until last week, a nobody, an Average Joe, minding his own business. If you were to meet me now, you wouldn't remember me, but if you had met me fifteen years ago, you would never forget. That not-so-average Joe was coming back from my past and was getting ready to get on the phone with the boss of one of the most prominent criminal organizations in the U.S., if not the world. I picked up the phone, looked at the phone directory with one number. I pressed the green button, there was a slight delay, and it rang. Three rings and the voice on the other end answered.

"Mr. Hunter, I see you make smart decision. Do not talk until I finish. You killed three of my men and my nephew. Normally, I would kill you and all your family and be done with you for this, but I have bigger problem. There is problem that must go away, and we cannot be associated with it. When you are done, you walk away free. You do not do this, you all die. Am I clear?"

"Why me? You must have plenty of resources, better, smarter, people, who are more connected than me."

"Because you owe me debt, Mr. Hunter. Because I allow you to live, and your life and family depend on this."

"So, what is it you want me to do, Mr.?"

"You know my name, and I won't say it. Your government is in my business, and I want them out. I want them out" I could tell he was getting upset, his voice reaching a crescendo.

"I don't work for the government nor can I stop them. What do you want me to do?"

"There is federal witness who will testify against me. This witness must go away."

Great! I was now on the hook for disposing of a federal witness who was supposed to testify against the Russian Mafia. I didn't consider myself an assassin, although I was trained and experienced in covert operations, with assassinations an inherent part of our work, having made several people disappear without a trace. He must have thought I agreed with my past, work done under orders and for the government. I was expected to do this, and if I didn't, everything I important in my life would cease to exist. I couldn't say no.

"Ok, so you want me to make this witness disappear. If I do this, you'll leave us alone?"

"You pay debt, and you go free. You have my word. You will receive details from Viktor, as he now owes me debt as well. If you say one word to police, or anyone else, deal is off. Understand, Mr. Hunter? I will call off dogs, as you put it. I do not control BelyyaPrava. You are on your own with them."

"Yeah, I understand, but I'm going to need help, resources, money, and I have to tell one person. I can't do this alone. His name is Diego Montoya."

"Yes, I know this name. He is with your family, da? Your friend. Only him, Mr. Hunter. I make one exception. Anyone else, deal is off. Viktor will deliver money to you. Do not try to call back. Phone will be dead. Dasvidaniya, Mr. Hunter." and the call ended.

Now here I sat indebted to the Russian Mob and having to meet with this Michenkov character in forty-eight hours, but I was alive, and the immediate threat from them against my family was reduced if they stayed true to their word. I still had a bunch of crazy Russian white supremacists on my ass, and I couldn't tell anyone anything about what I was supposed to do. A week ago, I was fixing computer problems, and now I was back at a place I hated, doing what I hated, in a situation I hated, and if I fucked up, everyone around me would die. I had one shot to do this right.

Viktor looked at me, ashamed. He realized that I knew he was on the hook to the Russians, as well.

"It's ok, Viktor," I started, "this isn't your fault. If anything, it's my fault."

"No, I didn't die when I should have. I was weak and gave in. We are both in, how you say, pickle, now, da?"

"Yeah. That's an understatement. We are royally screwed, and only you and I know what is going on. I don't even know if it's safe to tell Diego, but we're going to need help."

"You must tell, Diego. One betrayal is bad enough. If you do not tell him, he cannot help. I will help. I must protect Marusya and Illyana. I will whatever you need."

Staying at the cabin was no longer an option. Viktor helped me pack up any remaining supplies, and we locked up the cabin. I called Jake, and he jumped into the back seat. We could not, and would not, trust the Russians to stay true to their word and headed into town to check on Viktor's wife and daughter. As we approached the town, I called Mary and found out the Russians had left.

"They're gone, John. Someone called them, and they left about 15 minutes ago," she said, her voice shaking.

"Are you ok, Mary?"

"No, I'm not ok. Yes, physically, they didn't put their hands on us, but they roughed Diego up and killed Mac. We didn't see it, but we heard it. Diego is distraught but trying to hold it together. You need to talk to him."

Diego was with her and taking care of Mac's body. I was crushed knowing Mac was dead. He and Diego had been closer than Diego and me, but we had kept in contact. Having to bury our friend would be hard on him. Knowing he had sacrificed himself for my family was like a weight in the pit of my stomach. We talked for a few minutes, and she explained what had happened. Twenty Russians had shown up before dawn and overpowered the four guarding everyone. Six of the Russians had been killed, and Mac was the only one who resisted. They shot him in cold blood and threatened to kill Diego. If she hadn't intervened, Diego would be dead.

"If it hadn't been for the guys, we would probably all be dead."

"I'm sorry you're going through this. I wish I could be there with you and the boys, but I need to do a few things. I need to talk to Diego. Tell him to call me as soon as he can. I have to go."

I ended the call.

With the immediate threat of the Russian Mafia diminished, I had to acquire as much information as I could about this prospective target. It wasn't long before Diego called, and I could tell he was shaken.

'How are you holding up?"

"I'm alright, but this shit sucks. Mac's dead. I'm sure Mary told you. I buried him out back. It's not like we can report this shit, but yeah, amigo, this really blows. All the other guys left. I sent them away." I felt his anger and sadness flowing through the phone.

"I'm sorry, Buddy. I know you and Mac were close."

"God damn him. I mean, Jesus fucking Christ, John. He didn't have to die and was being stupid. I tried to get him to stop, but he wouldn't. Tried to go all Rambo and shit on them and they killed him, bro," he lamented. I could tell he was fighting back the emotions.

"Look, Diego. I wish there were something I could do to bring him back, but I can't. We have to focus. We have a bigger problem, and this shit isn't over yet."

"What the fuck do you mean, a bigger problem?" His speech was a little clearer.

"I spoke with the Nataliy Michenkov, who has been hot on our ass since this thing started, and they have agreed to back off, on one condition."

"What the fuck, bro? You talked to who? Michenkov? Who the hell is that?"

"Nataliy Michenkov, head of the Russian Mafia here in the U.S."

"THE head of the Russian Mafia in the U.S.? Holy shit, bro. Are you kidding me? I fucking told you that you stepped into some deep shit. What do they want?"

"We have to make a federal witness disappear."

The line was silent.

"Diego?" I checked if he was still on the line.

"You got to be fucking kidding me."

"I wish I was."

"So, let me see if I got this right. The Russian Mafia wants us to make a federal witness disappear, and in exchange, they will leave us alone? What if we say no or don't do it"

"Then they will kill us. You, me, Mary, the boys, her parents, Viktor, his wife, and daughter and anyone else who is family."

"So, we're fucked, because I don't see you, as much as I love you, bro, pulling a hit on a federal witness. To be honest, I'm not too keen on the idea either. God forbid if Mary ever found out."

"She's not going to find out about anything. As much as I hate doing it, I'm going to lie my ass off. I will tell her we got it all worked out, and if she thinks any different for any reason, I will be looking at you. Comprende?"

"I ain't sayin shit, bro. We have enough troubles, without having her pissed off, on top of it."

"Viktor and I are checking on his wife and daughter. They should be ok, but I need you to stay ready, and I'll keep you in the loop. If they've backed out on the deal, everyone will need to leave, ASAP."

"Copy that. Diego out," and the line went dead.

We made it into town and drove to Viktor's house. I let Jake out to do his business, and he followed me to the house. Viktor didn't want him inside, so I told Jake to stay. Waiting inside were his wife and daughter, who were both scared to death and angry. Russian women have potent tempers, and Marusya was no different. After screaming at the top of her lungs and pounding on his chest for ten straight minutes, she sobbed. His daughter reacted the same way. Lucky for us they were safe.

He made introductions, and she wasn't happy to meet me. She blamed me for everything and told me if I had never come into their lives, none of this would've happened. Her English was worse than Viktor's, but she made it clear that I wasn't welcome. I couldn't blame her for how she felt. Their daughter, Ilyana, cursed me in English and Russian. She spoke better English than Viktor and introduced me to a few words I didn't know existed.

I had, just as I had done to my own family, turned their world upside down, simply by being in it. Everything I had touched had turned to shit. Viktor pulled his wife into the back room, and after some prolonged shouting in Russian, when they re-emerged, her tone had changed. She thanked me for saving Viktor's life and asked if she could do anything to help. I thanked her but told her no. I didn't want them any more involved than necessary but sincerely appreciated the support Viktor had given me. I informed them I had to return to Mary and the boys, but I would be in touch.

Viktor walked me out to the SUV, and I pulled $5000 from my bag and handed it to him. He tried to refuse the money, but I insisted and told him to pay for his medical and dental bills and to buy a few burner phones, text me with their numbers, and to wait for my call. He said he would. He knew our lives depended on it. I told him I was also keeping all the weapons, to which he reassured me he was more than well stocked at home. What he had put in the cabin was overflow. Damn, that crazy Russian was always loaded for bear. I called Jake, and he jumped in ahead of me and took his place in the passenger seat.

On the way out of town, I stopped and filled up the SUV, bought a couple more burner phones, some water for both of us, and some snacks and drinks. I wasn't sure how far away I was from Diego's farm, but I had to make tracks. I wasn't sure when the Russians would ask me to do this job for them, but I had less than 48 hours to return home and meet with the Russians before the skinheads found us. One less immediate threat to worry about, but one still loomed over us.

I took the risk and called Agent Harper.

"Agent Harper."

"Harper, John Hunter. Before you say anything, I'm on my way to my wife and kids and have had a shitload of problems since I left. I can't talk about specifics, I think someone is monitoring the phones. Probably yours. You need to call me back from another line in about an hour. I need you to not be on your current phone."

"Mr. Hunter. Where are you? What's happened?"

"I said I can't tell you now. I'm going to need your help with this skinhead problem." and I hung up the phone.

I had kept the conversation to less than 30 seconds, and if he understood what I was saying, he would text or call me back from a burner phone. If he didn't, I would not call him back. I couldn't risk any unnecessary exposure. Federal agent or not, the signal from his cell phone was still traceable.

I turned off my phone, headed toward the interstate and needed to put some distance between Viktor and me. Stepping in it had become a habit as of late, and I was exhausted on all fronts. At this point, it was up to me, Diego, and Viktor to finish this. I had plenty of money for now, but I would run out, depending on what we had to do. I didn't want to owe the Russians for anything else so we would need to conserve our resources and figure out how to acquire more cash when needed.

I thought about the three suits who visited me and wondered if my taking the job would help. They had implied a lucrative salary, and I knew I'd need work. That work might provide me with the cover I needed to handle the Russian problem. I hesitated; I didn't trust anyone's phone except Mary's, Diego's, Victor's and maybe Agent Harper's if he followed through. I pulled over to a truck stop before jumping on the interstate, put all the numbers into the new burner phone, and called Jones.

"Mr. Jones speaking."

"Mr. Jones, John Hunter."

"Ah, Mr. Hunter. We thought we'd lost you. We understand you might be having some issues with certain criminal organizations. How are you holding up?"

"This isn't a social call, and I can't stay on the phone long. Is that job offer still available? If so, how much does it pay?"

"Yes, the offer still stands. We provide a $50,000 sign-on bonus, and the position comes with many perquisites, not to mention a substantial salary. Are you interested in discussing the details with us?"

These guys wanted me, and I could not, for the life of me, figure out why.

"I'll call you in about two hours and can give you about 15, maybe 20 minutes. I'm dealing with a lot of issues. Please make sure the other two gentlemen can be available."

"Before you hang up, we have information about what is going on with you and the Russians. We understand that you spoke with Nataliy Michenkov and the BelyyaPrava is after you. We wouldn't be in this line of work if we weren't good at our jobs. We could offer some assistance with these issues if you're willing to work with us."

How did they know about Michenkov and the skinheads?

Nobody had this information, not even Harper. So, these guys were well connected, and not some corporate suits like they pretended. I wasn't sure if they were feds or something else, but I had worked with their type before. I didn't have any photos of them, so identifying them would be difficult, at best.

"It doesn't instill confidence in me, as a prospective employee, for you to not provide full disclosure."

"In our line of work, unless we have a working arrangement, many things you will never find out about us. Until something is concrete, there is little we can do to help. Once we have an arrangement, we can provide many resources to assist you. I will await your call with my partners," and he hung up.

Maybe these guys could be an asset. I needed to talk to Diego and called him.

"What's up, bro?"

We had started to grow closer because of this situation, and he was acting like his old self.

"Do you remember those suits I told you about? The ones wanting to offer me that ridiculous salary. The same ones who gave me the huge reward?"

"Yeah, so. What of it? Are you going to take the job? You're not exactly in the best position for a desk job or any kind of regular job, for that matter. Employers frown on their employees being hunted and people wanting to kill them. It's kind of bad for business."

"Yeah, yeah. But these guys aren't your typical suits. They're connected with someone; they knew about my conversation with Michenkov and about the skinheads chasing me--I mean us."

"What? Who are these guys? Spooks?"

"I don't think they're bureau, and I doubt they're NSA because I think you would know. Other than that, I don't know shit about them and would love to find out, but I can't access anything. I got you, and now Victor, but I can't put a whole lot of faith in him, considering the circumstances."

"Gotcha. I'll see what I can come up with, but if they are NSA or CIA, they're way over my contact's pay grade. I'll call you back. How long before you arrive?"

"I have no idea. You still haven't told me where you are. Give me the address, and I'll find it on the map. Let's keep our contact to a minimum until I'm closer."

"I guess I didn't. We're at my farm and don't you say a fucking thing."

"Sure thing, Mr. Green Jeans." I chuckled.

He called me an asshole, gave me the address and then ended the call.

I kept a close eye on the clock and got a text on my phone. I assumed it was Harper. I copied the information into my notebook, snapped the phone in half, and tossed it out the window. I looked for a rest area and found one up ahead about two miles. The timing couldn't be better. Jake was getting antsy, and I had to relieve myself, as well. I pulled into the rest stop, attached Jake's leash and led him to the animal area. He did his business at his own pace, smelling everything that moved and most things that didn't, even attempting to befriend a couple of women were walking their dogs in the same area. I pulled him back to the SUV, picked a new burner phone from my bag, rolled the windows down a bit for him, and headed to the restroom. I dialed the number, which I assumed was a burner phone and Harper answered right away.

"John?"

"Yeah, it's me. Listen, I need your help. BelyyaPrava is still on my ass, and I need information, as much as you dig up on them. Where they're based, what their numbers look like, and any word on the street about me as far as they're concerned. Anything will help. My time is limited, and I need to act fast on a couple of issues."

We talked about what happened at the hotel a few days earlier, and from the information, I had provided, he confirmed they were hitmen hired by BelyyaPrava. I left out the part about the cabin, Viktor, and Michenkov. With little to go on, he said he would do his best to acquire the information but couldn't make any guarantees. If possible, he would secure federal protection if we wanted it, but I didn't trust my government. His phone could've been the one they were monitoring, or he could've set it up himself. Either way, I wasn't compelled to trust him or the bureau at this point. I told him I would call him back in a day or so, but if something came up, to text this number. He said he would do his best to help, but I didn't hold out any hope. Nobody does anything for free, and I expected there was a cost I would pay.

I had the call coming up with Jones and his partners, and I was anxious, to say the least. I didn't know who they were, what kind of strings they could pull, and what their mission was. They were well connected to have that kind of information. I wasn't employed, and my current funds wouldn't last forever. I had to think about my family. If I didn't do something, the situation would worsen, and I couldn't allow that to happen.