Domination Bid. Don Pendleton

left field.”

      “I was just thinking the same thing,” McCarter said with a grunt. “If we accept her theory then we got big troubles.”

      “Such as?” Mishka inquired.

      “Well, for starters,” James said, “someone would’ve had to leak our arrival to the Russians.”

      “Right,” Encizo agreed. “And for another, they would’ve had to know who we were, where we’d come in and just about a dozen other details about our mission here. The chances they’d have someone that deep or high inside the CIA is against any odds I’d stake.”

      “How do you know the leak isn’t within your own agency?” Mishka asked with a challenging expression.

      McCarter snorted. “Nice try, love, but that couldn’t happen. There are only three other people who have any details of our mission parameters. They don’t even store that information in our computers.”

      “Which are practically impenetrable, anyway,” James added.

      “So where does that leave us?” McCarter asked. He looked around the room. “Anybody?”

      Manning cleared his throat and when McCarter nodded, he said, “Let’s assume for the moment the compromise is in the CIA. Chances are pretty good, Mishka, you’ve been here long enough that it’s your cover that’s been blown and not anybody higher up or back home. Our mission orders came practically from your lips to our ears.”

      “What are you saying?” Mishka interjected.

      “I’m saying that they probably figured out what was happening by keeping their eyes on you. Your apartment here in Minsk is probably bugged, and maybe even your car.”

      “Impossible,” she replied. “I sweep both of them on a regular schedule.”

      Hawkins shook his head. “Which could well be part of the problem. If you sweep on a schedule, they’d be wise to that, too. All they’d have to do is deactivate the bugs, wait until you completed your sweeps and then reactivate them.”

      “So I’ll go sweep them right now,” Mishka said.

      McCarter shook his head. “Too dangerous. They still know your vehicle and your movements. They might’ve even traced you here, which means we’re compromised, as well.”

      “Not a chance,” she replied. “I didn’t bring my car. After I dropped off the weapons, I returned it to the parking lot across from my apartment. I didn’t want to drive it around with the damage, in case the police noticed and stopped me. I took the first available bus, took another connection, and then walked the rest of the way to be sure I wasn’t followed.”

      “Smart and beautiful,” Hawkins said with a wink.

      Mishka smiled. “I try. And you’re a player, mister.”

      “I try.”

      “Axe the cute stuff,” McCarter said. “What we need to do is reevaluate our situation and determine if we’re safe here or if we should change venue.”

      “I think it goes without saying we should get out of here anyway,” Manning said. “Just for the sake of caution.”

      McCarter nodded. “Fair enough, but I want to think about it for a bit. Meanwhile, let’s get your side arms cleaned up best you can with what’s available while I call the Farm to update them on the situation.”

      “What do you want me to do?” Mishka asked.

      “Why don’t you and Carnes go stake out the lobby, just to be safe. And find all of the possible alternate exits just in case we have to beat feet in a hurry.”

      Mishka nodded before gesturing for Carnes to follow her out.

      Once they’d gone, James sidled up next to McCarter and nodded in the direction of the door through which the pair of CIA agents had exited. “Do you trust them?”

      McCarter frowned into the secure phone as he dialed the number that would connect them by satellite relay directly to Stony Man Farm using high-speed bursts of heavily encrypted data. “I don’t know. I want to, but…”

      “But?”

      “I just don’t know.”