Perilous Read Online Free Page B

sight. Viktor caught the time as they passed a clock—it was a few minutes past midnight. The walls were a shade of gray adding to the despondent nature of the complex. They turned left at the end of the hall and walked down a flight of stairs, also gray. At the bottom of the stairwell, the guard unlocked a metal gate and allowed them through. They made another left and continued down the hall to a door marked Interview Room Two. The guard stuck a key in the door and unlocked it. Viktor looked inside to see his attorney, his elbows resting on the green metal table. An empty chair waited across from him. The room was a stark white, and a fluorescent ceiling light buzzed with a low hum overhead.
    The guard walked Viktor to the table and linked him up. “Make it quick,” he said and walked out.
    Viktor heard him relock the door from the outside.
    Viktor’s attorney, Yury Sokoloff, sat dressed in a gray suit with a white tie. His dark hair was slicked back. A briefcase lay on the table before him. While Viktor’s real high-powered attorneys would handle his case, Sokoloff was nothing more than a henchman with a purchased law degree. He’d been on Viktor’s payroll for years.
    “Did you make contact?” Viktor asked.
    “Is this room secure?”
    “The guard says so, but keep it down either way.”
    Yury leaned in close. His voice was low, and he cupped his hands over his mouth. “I met with their guy in charge, Ramon, yesterday.”
    “How did he seem?”
    “Wannabe military type. He acted professionally enough.” Yury stood, took his chair, and rounded the table to Viktor’s side. He sat and popped open the briefcase. If anyone was watching, the men would appear to be going over documents. The lawyer pulled a few pieces of paper out.
    Viktor slid his chair over to make room. He pointed to a spot on the blank piece of paper. “Tell me how it’s going to go down.”
    “The cop and woman are leaving out of town—they arrive in Milwaukee tomorrow at twelve forty-seven p.m., local time. I booked a seat on the same flight. They are being picked up from the airport by the cop’s sister and going back to her house. I looked at the place on a map. It seems pretty remote. We’ll try to do it there.”
    “How good is our information?”
    “Straight from the cop himself. We used a little leverage on someone at his department. They got the bug put on his phone last week. We can monitor his calls and track him with GPS.”
    “Is there any way to tell this is on his phone?”
    “Not on the surface. It runs in the background. No way to trace it either.”
    “Perfect.” Viktor smiled. “Now, this Ramon is taking a team, correct?”
    “Yes. Four men. I didn’t meet any of them, but he said they would be able to do the job. All of their false identities and documentation will be completed this evening. They are to pick it up in the morning.”
    “Are these guys all on your flight?”
    Yury shook his head. “They land a few hours after I do. I have a hotel already booked for them. I’ll get their cars taken care of when I get there.”
    “And the cars are going to be placed in this Ramon’s name?”
    Yury nodded. “Just like we talked about. The guy’s real name is Carlos Cruz. I’ll have a driver’s license and credit card in his name before I leave town.”
    Viktor rubbed his mouth against his sleeve to hide his words. “What about weapons?”
    “Erik from Chicago will bring up everything they requested.”
    “What did they request?” Viktor asked.
    “A couple of high-dollar sniper rifles, a couple semiautomatics, a couple of frag grenades, and a cell-phone jammer. All pretty standard stuff.”
    Viktor nodded. “Were they told I want photos?”
    “Yes.”
    Viktor smirked with pleasure. The thought of Lieutenant Kane and Callie getting what was coming to them brought a little ray of sunshine into his now-gloomy existence. The two deserved payback for getting him locked up—they deserved payback for what