see whether there were any messages from Katie but, with her by his side, there was no reason. She had a real job and was far more accustomed to living in a connected world and, despite enjoying a well-needed respite from life’s distractions, she fished her phone from her purse when she heard it come alive. Reece was taken by surprise when the phone actually began to ring through the vehicle’s hands-free Bluetooth system, “Private Number” showing up on the LCD screen on the dash. Reece pressed the screen to decline the call, not interested in talking to anyone who wasn’t currently riding with him.
The phone rang again and that sixth sense he’d been trying to ignore all morning forced him to answer it. He pressed the green icon to answer the call.
“Hello.”
“Reece, it’s Vic, where are you?” Despite their history, receiving a personal call from the head of the CIA’s Special Activities Division wasn’t exactly routine. Reece leaned slightly forward in his seat.
“I’m in Montana, heading into town. What’s happening?”
“No time to explain; there’s a Russian mafia plan to hit you and Raife Hastings. It’s happening today!”
Reece looked at the cars parked beside the road and considered the sharp curve ahead. He slammed on the brakes, sending Katie forward until her progress was arrested by the seat belt. The jolt slung her phone out of her hand and it crashed into the floorboard at her feet.
“Get down!” Reece yelled, pushing her head down below the dashboard. He put the Cruiser in reverse and the powerful engine revved as the tires spun, finally catching as the SUV lurched to the rear. Smoke billowed from the off-road tires as Reece executed a textbook J-turn, sliding the vehicle from reverse to forward in a fraction of the time it would take to make a three-point turn. The rear window of the Cruiser exploded in a shower of tempered glass as a burst of 7.62mm rounds from a member of the support element raked the back of the vehicle. Reece pushed his foot to the floor and took advantage of all 430 horses as he sped away from the kill zone.
“Are you okay?” he asked, looking at Katie for any sign of injury.
“What?”
“Are you hit?”
“No. I don’t think so. What was that?”
“You just survived your first ambush.”
“My first?” she asked, thinking back to the time that a taxi driver had opened fire on the two of them on a Los Angeles sidewalk.
“Good point. Your second.”
“Reece, you okay?” It was Vic’s voice coming through the speakers.
“Yes, sir.”
“You with Raife?”
“No. I’m with Katie.”
“Roger th…” The phone lost signal as they drove down the hill at almost 100 miles per hour.
“Katie, I need you to reach behind the seat. There’s a rifle mounted to the back of it. Grab it and put it next to me.”
Katie unbuckled and turned around, returning with the rifle that Raife had put in the truck for his friend, just in case. Reece knew it was loaded but took his right hand off the steering wheel to perform a quick press check. He slid it to where he could access it quickly and, without looking, turned the knob on the left side of the scope to illuminate the reticle.
He reached for the radio mic hanging on the dash and pressed the talk button.
“Reece for Raife, over.” Static. “Raife, Raife come in, over.” Nothing. “Reece to Kumba base, over. Reece to anyone on this channel, this is an emergency, over.”
No response. Raife was too far from the main road to hear the gunfire and they were too far from the ranch to be in radio range. It would take them a few minutes until they were inside the repeater network that allowed the ranch staff to maintain contact while on the property. Reece pushed the Cruiser to the maximum speed that its low gear ratio would allow, the knobby tires propelling them back toward Kumba.
CHAPTER 38
Saint Petersburg, Russia
GREY STARED EXCITEDLY AT the screen of his desktop, watching the signal from the Iridium GPS indicator steer toward the ambush site. It wouldn’t be long now. Svetlana had made an excuse not to stay late, which suited him just fine. He couldn’t stomach the embarrassment of his recent performance and pushed his sexual attraction for her to the back of his mind.
He felt a tinge of jealousy for the men who would send Reece to his grave, men who had no grievance with the SEAL commander. To Grey it was personal, while to these