The Lazarus Moment by J Robert Kennedy Read Free Book Online Page B

“They live together, dear, you
don’t think they’re bumpin’ uglies already? They’re kids, let them have fun.”
    Leroux
wasn’t sure what shade of red he was, though he was pretty sure it was close to
Sherrie’s.
    They had
shared a bed though nothing had happened in it no matter how much he had wanted
to break the dry spell that had been his teenage years. But this time he was
determined to have a little somethin’-somethin’ happen, though he knew he’d
probably chicken out.
    So
get your ass in there!
    He
grinned, Little Chris already in agreement.
    His
phone vibrated in his pocket and he fished it out, frowning.
    “Hello?”
    He heard
Sherrie groan from the bedroom, she knowing there was only one reason he’d
answer the phone when sex was on the menu.
    Work.
    But it
was no ordinary work.
    He was
CIA.
    And so
was she.
    And the
job always had to come first.
    “We’ve
got a priority tasking, boss. Want the details now or when you get in?”
    “Assemble
the rest of the team and get started. I’ll be there in half an hour.” Another
groan from the bedroom. “Make that forty-five minutes.”
    “Woo
hoo!”
     
     

 
     
    Dudnik Residence, Moscow, Russia
     
    Katya Dudnik inhaled slowly, steeling herself for what she was
certain would be an exasperating encounter. To say she despised her ex-husband
would be an understatement. She hated him. He was a self-centered egotistical
pig and an impotent drunk.
    Who
could never handle the fact she had been more successful in the FSB than he had.
    They had
divorced only two years ago, and she had made it a point to avoid him, a
colleague assigning him to the Ukrainian situation that had him out of Moscow
very frequently. Fortunately they hadn’t had any kids together otherwise she
might feel a little guilty about what she had to do.
    She
knocked on the apartment door, an apartment she had lived in for many years.
    A lump
threatened to form in her throat.
    There
were some good times.
    They had
been in love once. You didn’t get married if you weren’t in love and not
pregnant. But his drinking had become so bad he had changed. The first time he
had raised a hand she had taken him down, her FSB training allowing her to
easily overcome a stumbling drunk.
    Then she
had left.
    The door
opened and Arseny stared at her, surprised.
    “I
thought we were meeting at your office this afternoon?”
    She held
out her hand. “May I?”
    He
smiled. “Of course.” He stepped aside and she entered the apartment. Except for
the level of disarray and dirt, it hadn’t changed much.
    “You
should really get yourself a maid.”
    He
shrugged. “Or you could come back to me.”
    “It’ll
be a cold day in hell before that happens.”
    He
rubbed his upper arms. “This is hell. And it’s cold.”
    She
shivered. “Why don’t you have the heat on?”
    “I’m
never here, and it’s too expensive. I’ve got blankets.”
    “And
vodka.”
    He
frowned. “Don’t start.”
    “Of
course.” She pursed her lips, looking for a place to sit. There was none she’d
risk herself on. She looked at her ex-husband. He seemed ten years older. And
worried. She decided to get it over with. “Who authorized you to do this?”
    “I see,
no pleasantries.”
    “You
expected some?”
    “A roll
in the hay for old time’s sake?”
    She
nodded toward his crotch. “Is that thing working again?”
    He
grunted, dropping into his favorite chair, dirty dishes, empty bottles and
newspapers littering the surrounding area.
    A
cockroach scurried under the couch.
    I
hate this place.
    “Nobody
authorized it.”
    “So you
took it upon yourself to initiate an operation that could result in the death
of the President of the United States.”
    He
shrugged. “I was doing a favor for a friend. I didn’t actually expect him to go
through with it.” He pointed a lazy finger at her. “And nothing says it’ll
work.”
    “If they
manage to upload the virus, there’s every indication it will work.”
    Dudnik