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Alexei’s voice drops. “Vera.”

I don’t look away from the screen. “They’ll follow us because they think Misha is with me. He's safer here.”

29

ALEXEI

By eight thirty, the inner bay of the west garage is ready for a sick child who doesn’t exist.

The estate medical stretcher waits beside the garage entrance with a child seat secured to it beneath a folded blue blanket. A small oxygen mask and sealed pediatric kit sit on the supply cart, while Vera’s canvas medical bag rests beneath the bench with Misha’s yellow cup tucked into the side pocket.

Vera checks the oxygen mask, opens the pediatric kit, and counts the syringes inside.

“They were all there the first four times,” Dmitri says, studying the garage plan spread across the hood of an armored SUV.

“The handoff has to look real,” Vera replies. She adjusts the blanket so the outline of the child seat remains visible. “Anyone watching should believe we’re preparing Misha for the ambulance.”

Dima studies the stretcher. “It looks convincing.”

“It needs to survive more than a glance.”

Dmitri points to the outer checkpoint on the plan. “The Zarya ambulance enters the sally port. Once the outer gate closes behind the ambulance and traps it between the two gates, Dima and I take the driver and attendant.”

Dima traces the route toward the underground bay. “Then we bring their ambulance inside. Anyone watching will see the same vehicle arrive for Vera and Misha.”

I lower myself onto the folding chair beside the worktable. The route plan lies open across the table with the clinic, eastern bypass, and false apartment marked in red.

Leonid comes down the concrete stairs from the service corridor. He always takes the stairs instead of the elevator because he hates the idea of being trapped where no one can reach him. A paper copy of the transfer order rests beneath his arm.

“The papers say Vera hired a private ambulance to take Misha to a children’s clinic, then to a protected apartment.”

Vera folds her arms. “An apartment that exists only on paper.”

“Belov needs to believe it does,” Leonid says, handing me the false transfer order.

I place it beside the route plan and tap the road leading away from the estate. “Once the ambulance is on the road, Belov’s men will think they have a chance to take Misha. They’ll either follow us or try to stop us before we reach the clinic.”

My finger traces the planned route to the eastern bypass. “Ilya blocks the road here once they make a move. Roman comes in behind them, and Dmitri keeps driving until their vehicles are boxed in.”

“You want them alive,” Vera says.

“As many as we can get.” I tap the junction on the map. “We take their phones and radios, find out who sent them, and follow that trail back to Belov. They may also know where the missing archive files and rifles went, or where Chernov is keeping the rest of his vehicles.”

“And if no one follows?” she asks.

“We continue along the false route, keep the clinic and apartment under watch, and see who arrives expecting the handoff.”

“Who will drive the ambulance?” Vera asks, watching me.

I close the route file. “Dmitri drives, and Dima sits beside him. You and I stay in the back. Ilya controls the road ahead, and Roman follows with the support team.”

Dmitri looks at Dima. “We need to get into place.”

Dima pulls his jacket over his pistol. “I’ll take the maintenance stairs.”

“I’ll use the service passage,” Dmitri says. “We meet near the sally port after the ambulance passes the first gate.”

“And wait until both gates close,” Dima says. “Yuri freezes these cameras as soon as both gates close.”