Matthew Dunn - Sentinel

“They talk by the car, our man ushers Barkov toward the lodge.” Ross’s commentary was quiet. “I’m keeping my sights on the vehicle. No one else gets out of it. They reach the lodge.”

Ross was silent.

Will held his breath.

“They enter the building.”

Will exhaled with relief.

He heard the door shut and bolts being put back into position. Then he heard a voice downstairs, clearly belonging to Barkov, speaking loudly in Russian. The presence of Roger and Laith had obviously perturbed the general. There were footsteps on the stairs and through the bedroom, and the voice drew closer. Sentinel and Lieutenant General Ilya Barkov entered the last room.

Barkov walked quickly up to Will. “I’m told that Russia is a dangerous place right now and requires the presence of armed British and American men to protect my interests. But why would I need to be reminded that Russia is a dangerous place when I’ve known that my entire life? And why have you and your men chosen today of all days to look after me when there have been a thousand similar moments in my life when I could’ve benefited from protection? Obviously, today is special. Obviously, men are nearby to kill me.”

Barkov was quite small and slim, had black hair that had been oiled and swept back, was clean shaven, wore an immaculate woolen suit, silk shirt, gleaming black brogues, and a silk bow tie. He was younger than Will expected, in his late forties, and it was clear that he was a high flyer to have reached one of Russia’s most senior military ranks at such an age.

Barkov held a hand out to Will and spoke in a clipped and rapid tone. “But here I am, and here you are. So let’s get on with business and hope that we’re not murdered in the process.”

Shaking the general’s hand, he wondered what to say to the Russian, decided that the man before him was exceptionally smart, and concluded that he had to tell him the truth. “One man may be nearby with the intention of killing you. We don’t know for sure. But if something does happen, it’s essential you do exactly as I say.”

Barkov released Will’s hand, glanced at Sentinel with a faint smile on his face, and looked back at Will. “There are only two men in the world who have the authority to give me orders. One of them is the commander in chief of the ground forces, and the other is the president of Russia. However”-his eyes flickered-“I will concede that just for today you may have some authority over me.”

Will heard Laith’s deep voice. “All’s quiet.”

And he heard Ross’s strong Scottish lilt. “I can’t see any unusual movement, but I’m having to cover an entire mountainside plus the lake, road, and lodge.”

Barkov gestured toward the table and chairs. “Gentlemen, shall we sit?”

Sentinel grabbed a chair. “My colleague will stay with us but not at this table.”

“As you wish.” Barkov sat down, glancing at Will. “Do what you need to do.”

W ill sat on the floor, pointing his assault rifle at the door.

Sentinel was leaning forward across the table, speaking quietly to Barkov. “Sir, we have little time, so I’ll come straight to the point. We know that a Russian colonel is planning to misuse the weapons in his possession to spark war between Russia and America.”

“Name?”

“Taras Khmelnytsky.”

Barkov laughed. “Where did you hear this?”

“We know for certain that this is what he’s planning to do.”

“He’s a Hero of the Russian Federation, and he’d know that we’d lose in a war with America. Are you suggesting he’s working for the Americans?”

“No. He’s working alone.”

Ross’s voice spoke in Will’s earpiece. “I’ve just completed a hundred-and-eighty-degree sweep of the area before me and-” Loud static sounded.

“Say again, Ross. You broke up.” Will concentrated on his earpiece.

There was more static before Will heard Ross say, “Damn terrain. I said, I’ve seen nothing.”

“All right. Laith, Roger?”

“Nothing.”

Sentinel’s voice was now very quiet. “I think he wants to bring the countries to war so that he can take over Russia.”

Barkov shook his head. “You cannot expect me to believe this.”

“I can, and I need you to do something for me.”

“If you think I’m going to take this to Platonov, you’re mistaken.”

“I wouldn’t ask you to speak to your commander in chief. You’d be compromised. But I do want you to turn on the beacons attached to the nuclear devices in Khmelnytsky’s possession.”

“And give you the grid reference of his base of operations?”

“Precisely.”

Barkov looked angry. “This smells to me like subterfuge.”

“It’s not. We’re desperate. We’ve got to stop him.”

“I think this is a charade… the men here… the idea that someone out there wants to kill me. A charade.”

A shot rang out in the distance. Will instantly jumped to his feet, gripping his assault rifle tight, and ran to one side of the windows. “What’s happening? Was that you, Ross?!”

There was static in his earpiece before Roger’s frantic voice came over the air. “Ross’s just shot one of my incendiary devices. Ross, what’s going on?”

There was more static, then another shot. Will glanced out of the window and just as quickly pulled his head and body back behind the cover of the wall. Ross had shot a second incendiary device. Two trees were on fire; black smoke billowed from them very close to the lodge. Will looked at Barkov. “Get flat on the floor by the back wall!”

Sentinel was on his feet, moving to the corner of the room, where he grabbed a QBZ-95G resting upright on its butt. “His communication system’s down. But he must have spotted a sniper.”

One with thermal imagery.

A third shot rang out, followed by a fourth, fifth, and sixth.

“Ross!” Will pressed one hand against his throat mic. “Can you hear me? Where’s the hostile?”

Another three shots rang out.

Laith screamed, “That’s all of them! The whole damned place in front of the lodge is ablaze!”

Will glanced at Barkov. The man had followed his instructions and was lying down behind the table.

But Bartov muttered, “Give me a gun.”

“Stay where you are!” Will swung his gun through the window’s glass, moved the barrel to form a large hole in it, and stood exposed, searching the outside ground for signs of Razin. But the fire from the trees was now abating, and the dampening effect of the snow on them had produced a two-hundred-foot-tall and five-hundred-foot-wide thick black wall of smoke. He cursed. Razin was blind to them, but they were now blind to him without Ross’s communications system working. His heart pounded. He looked at Sentinel; the man’s eyes were narrow, and he was gripping his gun while standing by one side of the window.

Sentinel muttered, “Maybe Ross’s system’s not down. This is starting to feel wrong.”

“I know.” Will shook his head, his mind racing. He stopped shaking his head as one stark thought pushed all others aside. His heart pumped faster; adrenaline coursed through his body. “Roger, Laith, I think Razin’s taken Ross’s rifle and fired at the incendiary devices. I don’t think he’s using thermal imagery. I think he shot the devices to make us blind.”

So that he could move in close without being seen.

“You could be wrong, Will.” Roger’s tone of voice was anything but accusatory, but Will knew the CIA man had to make the point.

“I could be fucking wrong!” He gripped his gun tighter. “Ross’s communications could be down. But it doesn’t feel right.”

“I hear you.”

Will closed his eyes, then opened them. “Roger, I’ve got to stay here.”