CHAPTER 68

CIA Headquarters

Langley, Virginia

October

REECE WAS GLAD TO have Freddy for a guide as they made their way from the den of analysts where the Agency had stashed Andy Danreb to the executive level where Vic Rodriguez’s office was located. Unlike Danreb’s broom closet, Rodriguez’s space was large and uncrowded, with natural light pouring in from windows that lined an entire side of the room. Photos, plaques, and memorabilia from Vic’s days as a Special Forces and Paramilitary Operations officer lined the walls and adorned the bookshelves.

“Gentlemen, welcome to Langley. Reece, do you believe me now that this wasn’t an ambush? ”

“I’m beginning to. ” Reece smiled, looking around the office, a faded black-and-white photograph on the wall catching his eye.

The image was of a group of proud-looking young men wearing World War II duck hunter camouflage uniforms and carrying a variety of U. S. -made weapons, including a 1941 Johnson semiautomatic rifle.

“Is this what I think it is? ” Reece inquired, walking toward the framed photo for a closer look.

“Brigade 2506 in ’61. That is my father’s squad just before leaving for Bahí a de Cochinos, the ‘Bay of Pigs. ’ He was the only one in that photo to survive, ” Vic explained.

“Brave men” was the only thing that Reece could think to say.

“That they were, Reece. Just like the operatives we have in the field today. We need all the good people we can get, ” he continued, directing his comments at Reece. “Let’s take this into the conference room. ”

Vic motioned for the men to follow. Reece and Freddy removed their phones, storing them in the designated small safes that looked like tiny post office boxes outside the door to the secure room.

“Can I get you guys anything? Coffee, water? ”

“I’m good, Vic; you want anything, Reece? ”

Reece shook his head in response, not wanting to slow things down to doctor up his coffee.

Everyone took a seat and the men gave Rodriguez an update from Jules Landry’s interrogation and Andy Danreb’s thoughts on Vasili Andrenov.

Vic took it all in and looked at the ceiling for a moment before responding.

“Andrenov sure makes a compelling conspirator. We need to figure this out, but I want it done quietly. I don’t want Andrenov’s friends on Capitol Hill sticking their noses into this and tipping our hand. I also have some disturbing news on Oliver Grey. The counterintelligence team is putting a picture together that isn’t going to boost any careers at the Office of Security. It’s clear that he’s been turned. What isn’t clear is how much damage he’s done. This breach could be on the Aldrich Ames level. As you may know, he passed multiple polygraph examinations while spying for the Soviet Union and Russia. We’re keeping it compartmentalized for now while we figure out how to play it. We need to know when he was turned and to whom he’s been passing intelligence. Any ideas on how we pursue this Syrian general lead in Greece? ”

Reece responded first. “Assuming we can find General Yedid, the second that we or the Greeks snatch him up, the network will go to ground and the trail will go cold, so things are going to have to happen fast. If this is big enough for Andrenov to burn a CIA asset, then it’s 9/11 big, ” he continued. “We need to get the Geographic Combatant Commanders to recall their deployed SOCOM components, particularly their CIF companies, CRF, or whatever we’re calling them now, and have them on standby. Spin up XXX back here and get the standby squadrons ready to roll. In the meantime, we will keep pushing Landry for information while you get your analysts and assets turning over every stone for a location of General Qusim Yedid. We also need you to start working for approvals to wrap him up, so whatever channels you need to manipulate or favors you need to call in, do it. We need SECDEF or POTUS approval to capture him regardless of where he is, and it needs to be us. We’ll have a short window to extract information and act on it, so it can’t be a partner or allied force. This has to be unilateral. And while all that is going down, we need to ensure Mo doesn’t get burned as working for U. S. intelligence. Am I forgetting anything, Freddy? ”

“That’s some good officer stuff, Reece. Very impressive. ” Freddy smiled.

“Well, I used to get paid for that sort of thing. ” Reece grinned back.

“You still do, Reece, ” Rodriguez interjected. “I’ll get the ball rolling on my end. The approvals are going to be a pain in the ass. They always are. And having seen my share of high-level missions over the years, I can tell you this one might take a while. ”

“Well, do what you can, Vic, ” Reece said. “We’ll be standing by to stage for a mission to capture Yedid as soon as you give us the approval. From there we’ll flex based off his intel. ”

“I can do that, but we have a problem, ” Rodriguez said.

“What’s that? ” Reece asked.

“While you guys were in the air, Mo disappeared. ”

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