Grant stood at the window looking out over the river. Behind him he heard Felix talking to the man who ran the lodge. There was a harsh exchange and then a door closed softly.

"He may be a debtor but he still has some backbone."

"His backbone, Director Duggan, appears each time I come. I permit the objections to let him feel like a man, but he knows his station."

"So, what is your plan from here?"
"No plan. I'm perfectly safe here." Felix poured a drink from a decanter on the table by the fireplace. "You mentioned a solution to Vladim."

"Yeah . . . I'd like to know about my situation first." Grant waved a hand between them then around, indicating the room.

"You're here, what else do you need to know?"

"I don't plan to live here, Felix."

The door opened and two men entered, standing quietly by the door. Grant moved away from the window, one hand slipping behind his back. The gun had been a lucky, unnoticed pick-up at the station.

"I think it would be a mistake, Director." Grant stiffened as a third man came through a sliding door to his left. Felix spoke in Russian to his men for a minute, then turned his attention back to Grant "Why don't we sit and discuss your . . . solution. I would be very interested, since I already have Vladim in my debt."

"Do you?" Grant took a chair, glancing once more at the new arrivals.

"I do." His look was supercilious. "All communication was recorded. Vladim would not want that revealed."

"Vladim would have you for Ivan's murder in a heartbeat," Grant snorted. "Still could. You think he didn't have the same precautions in place? And his recordings would just confirm that. In his position, your evidence would go straight into the dumper." Grant began relaxing, seeing a small advantage blooming.

Felix's expression froze. He almost trembled at his own stupidity, allowing his anger and paranoia to have clouded his thinking. "And your proposal?" He managed, swilling down his drink.

"I can prevent Vladim from ever making another move against you."

"Another move?"

"Yes. He used the dossier to get you worried about a mole, suggesting it was Ivan's. Then he leaked that rumour to Ivan. Ivan kills the courier, which cements the idea in your head that the dossier was true, then he kills his assassin to make sure you never get to see it. Now he can't operate legally in France, but with the murder of a Russian citizen, he would be all over The Guild like white on rice."

The glass dropped to the floor, rolling under the chair, and one of the men hurried to retrieve it. Felix stared at Grant, the turning of wheels in his head almost audible.

"How do you know all this?" Strength was returning to the tone.

Grant held his breath, clocking the three toughs. "I compiled the information and leaked it to Vladim to bring you out of hiding."

Felix sat back, his thoughts whirling in confusion. Who did this- this American think he was! "You know the contents of the dossier."

"I do. They stated that you had a mole in your organization, and who the handler was." Grant bit the inside of his cheek, having purposely omitted naming Ava.

"The SIS woman." Felix stated flatly. "And who is the mole?" Felix sat forward quickly, and his men all shifted alertly.

Grant hesitated. If he gave up Ava, then Felix would solve his problem about the daughter. But then he would have nothing in the bank for his own position. He decided to keep Ava to himself.

"West wouldn't give up her source." He lied.

"The agent with her said she was following his orders." Felix stated.

"Morrisey? He was just trying to protect her. He works for me on other things. He was in England on another operation we were running."

"You run operations against your allies?"

"You know full well, we all do." Grant relaxed, thinking his ploy might just work.

"Why did you want to 'bring me out of hiding'?" Felix stood, startling Grant, but it was just to get another drink.

Grant purposely glanced at the other men, hesitating. After a moment, sipping his fresh drink, eyes drilling the American Director. He set his glass down and waved the three men from the room. When they left, Grant spoke.

"I want access to The Guild."

Felix's laugh was a sharp bark, and he shook his head. "Why would I consider such a foolish move?"

"Because I can compromise Vladim so that you wouldn't have to worry about him again."

                                                      ♟♟♟♟♟

The rough hike through the woods along the river, left them with mud covered shoes and cranky tempers. Mallory's decision to leave the car hidden just off the road and make the approach on foot, contributed greatly to the latter.

"There it is!" She stopped and ducked down, with Morrisey right behind her.

"And there's a really good reason we shouldn't be doing this." He indicated the hard looking man sitting on the edge of the back patio, smoking.

"We have the advantage of surprise, Morrisey."

His look was amused disbelief. "The two of us are going to surprise a houseful of armed thugs."

"You don't know it's full."

"No?" He pointed again. "There's at least three, plus Felix and Grant."

Mallory pulled a face, seeing the two new guards. "We'll wait until it's dark."

"Dark? Here? That's hours away yet."

"You know, I wish you hadn't come. I'm seeing this through for me, Ava and her daughter, with or without you."

He sank down onto a dry spot and clasped his arms around his knees. "Fine, we'll wait 'til dark."

Darkness arrived a little sooner thanks to the thick woods, and Mallory gave him a nudge. "I'm going to get closer." He grabbed her arm and signalled that he would go around and approach from the other side. After a few murmured words, they split up. Morrisey picked his way through more scrub and prickly bushes, suddenly coming out onto a clearing in plain view of the lodge. He flattened himself on the ground, holding his breath as he listened.

The voices were muffled at first, and then as they grew louder he heard Mallory's. What the hell! He crawled closer, keeping to as much cover as possible. An old pump well, covered in dirt and weeds, off to his left, made a perfect cover, and he raised up on his knees, peering through the bushes surrounding the patio.

Mallory was on an old deck chair, her clothes stained with mud and grass, glaring up at a furious Grant.

"Well, well," Felix smiled as he swaggered out of the lodge onto the patio. "Ms West, our dauntless SIS agent. Are you alone?" He waved a hand. "Never mind, I know you aren't." He signalled two of his men, and they hurried from the patio. "We'll have your friend soon enough - one way or another."

"She could have brought the cops," Grant protested.

Felix looked at her. "Did you, Ms West? I don't think so." Felix chose a more comfortable chair and sat, crossing his leg over his knee. "I have heard a story from Director Grant that might interest you. You may even be able to corroborate it." He tilted his head and looked at Grant.

"She'll just lie," he snapped, his concern etched in his features.

"Oh, well, we have methods for extracting the truth if it comes to that." Felix suggested joyfully.

"She's a trained agent, Felix. You aren't going to get any truths from her."

Grant was about to say more, when there was a shout from the woods near the river, and a moment later silence. Felix stood and looked in the direction of the sound. "— Виктор? Геннадий?"

"Your boys not answering?" Grant sneered, taking out his gun and covering Mallory.

«Один пошел купаться. Другой связан." Came the shouted reply.

"That's Morrisey." Grant hissed. "Better get up here, Abraham," he shouted back. "Otherwise your friend may join the swimmer."

Felix gawked at Grant, realizing he spoke Russian and could have heard all he had said to his men earlier. Grant gave him an evil smile.

"There's another man, Morrisey!" Mallory yelled, receiving a wicked smack to her face.

Morrisey worked his way carefully around to the opposite side of the lodge, hunkering down as he saw the third Russian peer cautiously around the corner. He waited, mentally urging the man on, and smiled grimly as his hope materialized. In a swift move, he lunged out of his squat, hacking the gun from the man's hand with a vicious chop, and another one to the side of his neck. He caught the limp form and let it down slowly to the ground.

With the extra gun, Morrisey slipped around the corner of the lodge, coming up behind Grant.

"Be a good idea to drop that, Grant." Felix spun around, gaping at Morrisey and then Grant. "I will shoot."

"So will I, Abraham. So if you don't want your girlfriend to die, you should drop your gun." He moved sideways toward Mallory, his gun resting on her shoulder.

"Tell you what, Grant. I'll shoot Felix and then we can sit down and work out your legal problems."

"Nyet!" Felix held up his hands, panic in his eyes. "I can give you information! Money!"

Grant raised his gun and fired, knocking Felix off the patio and down into the surrounding bushes. "That removes that option, Abraham. Mallory is next if you don't put the gun down."