Cyprus
Sunday, August 29, 11:59
A.M.
Time Remaining on the
Extinction Clock: 72 hours, 1 minute E.S.T.
Aleksey Mogilevich, nephew of Semion
Mogilevich, who was the lord of the Red Mafia in Budapest, looked
at the name on the screen display of his phone and smiled. He waved
away the redhead with the platinum nipple rings and flipped open
the phone.
“Hello, my good friend.” He never used names
on the phone and preferred calling everyone “friend.” Repeat
customers were always his “good friends.”
“Hello, and how is the weather?” asked Otto
Wirths. The question referred to the security of the line and any
prying ears where Aleksey was.
“Fine weather. Not a cloud in the sky. I
hear that you’ve used up all the products I sent.”
“Yes. Unfortunate.”
“There are always more.”
Of the twenty ex-Spetsnaz operatives leased
to Otto by Aleksey only one was still alive, but as he was merely a
coordinator his value was negligible. Neither Aleksey nor Otto was
very broken up over the losses. Assets were assets, to be used and
either disposed of or replaced depending on need.
“I’m glad to hear you say that,” said Otto,
“because I do need more.”
“How many and how soon?”
Otto told him, and Aleksey whistled. The two
girls sunbathing topless on the forward deck of the Anzhelika
looked up, thinking that he was signaling them, but he shook his
head. He got up and walked along the rail and gazed out into the
vastness of the sea.
The yacht was an elegant 173 footer with a
37-foot beam, built by Perini Navi of Italy. The first time Aleksey
had been aboard it had been a charter for which he’d paid $210,000
for a single week. He liked it so much he bought the boat after the
trip was over. It had a crew of eleven, and though it was
slow-twelve knots-Aleksey never needed to be anywhere fast. His
business was conducted by satellite and cell phones and
computer.
The Anzhelika currently floated in the wine
dark waters thirty miles off the coast of Cyprus.
“Can you supply those assets?” asked
Otto.
“There is a surcharge for overnight
delivery, you understand.”
“I understand.”
“Then. yes. I have assets in Florida who
will do nicely.”
“If the assets fulfill my patron’s needs,
Aleksey, I’ll send you a five percent bonus on top of
that.”
“Ah, it’s always heartwarming to know of the
generosity of my good friends.”
They discussed a few details and hung
up.
Aleksey watched the beautiful water and the
pure white gulls and thought about how wonderful it was to be
alive. Then he sat on a deck chair and made calls that would send
several dozen of the most vicious and hardened trained killers he
knew to the rendezvous point with Otto Wirths. As Aleksey made the
calls he never stopped smiling.