New York

Eric placed the phone in his pocket as they slid into the Porsche, closing the door behind them. They raced down the street through the congested traffic on their way to the airport. A little while later, they arrived there, parked in the parking lot outside, and exited out of the vehicle, closing the door behind them. Instead of walking into the airport, they headed across the street on a private jet, hopped on the CIA Private Gulfstream, and flew to Washington, DC. They rented a car and paid in under one of their aliases.

They sped through the city, crossing over the George Washington Bridge, driving into Langley, Virginia, rural country, heading to the safe house, and arriving at the safe house as they drove the winding road, passing by many green trees along the way. They had been to secure locations and faculties all over Europe when they operated. Eric parked outside, stepped over, and closed their doors behind them.

Walking over to the entrance, they noticed the Ford Taurus parked outside. They strode into the entrance, seeing Director Hamilton and Holiday sitting on a sofa across from the table. Holiday gestured for them to have a seat on the other sofa. They did so.

Holiday's eyes narrowed on the briefcase that Maize had in her grip as she placed it down on the table and said, "I knew your father, Maiize, when I was operating deep out of the United States Embassy as a cultural attaché."

"Holiday, you're telling me you knew my father back when you were an operative for the CIA and operating out of the United States embassy in Russia? You didn't think of telling this to me earlier," she stated in an angry tone.

"What you don't understand, Maizie, is that your father got you out of Kyiv alive before the Russians could capture you and train you to be a sparrow for the Russian intelligence services. Plus, you gave him something vital to hold on to for him," he told Maize.

"You mean this briefcase that I almost got scrubbed for? What is the Shadow Directive?" She asked in a demanding tone.

Holiday chose his next words carefully before he spoke. "The Shadow Directive was your father's plan to remove the Russian President from power. But of course, he had help from Alexander, and Bill Browder set the directive in motion," he explained to them.

She opened up the briefcase on the table and took out the large, thick vanilla envelope and the note your father had written before. I still don't understand why my father would

Involved me in the Shadow Directive? She pressed on. All I found in the brief was this envelope with a list of the oligarchs."

"Avery never wanted to involve you in the Shadow Directive. That was Alexander's idea. And that isn't just a list of some oligarchs; it's the Kremlin inner circle, which they have put together over the years."

Director Hamilton cleared her throat before she spoke. "This on black op Eric, if you get caught by the Russians, the chances are you will be tried as a mercenary, and there will be no Guinean law protecting you. We will have to deny knowledge about you."

"Who's the target?" Eric inquired in a cool tone.

"The Russian president," Holiday stated.

He thought for a moment as he furrowed his brow while pressing his fingers in a steeple and said, "You know nobody has gotten to assassinate the Russian president before. Plus, he has six armed bodyguards."

"Yes, but the Russian president will be attending the Bolshoi to see Swan Lake there," Holiday told Eric.

He rubbed the 50-caliber casing on his chain around his neck as he went over every angle and advantage there was. He wasn't going to leave anything to chance here. As good as he was, he had to take in every option there was to consider. The one thing that worried him was Russian Spetsnaz counter-snipers. After a while, he rose and paced back and forth before saying It can be done. I will have to take the kill shot from an extreme distance."

"Holiday, where is my father? I want an answer now," she asked in a demanding tone.

Holiday sighed. Maizie, The GRU has your father. They grabbed him when he was walking out of the embassy. Sorry to tell you that."

Tears welled up in her eyes and began rolling down her cheeks like rivulets. She felt the whole thing collapsing on her. As a trained weapons specialist, she was taught to put her feelings in a box when she operated in a foreign country on a mission. But this time, it was different. The last time she had seen her father was in Kyiv when they drove to Aleksander's mansion.

Eric pivoted, seeing the tears rolling down her cheeks, and strode over to her, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out a handkerchief, whipped down her tears, and said, Sweetie, what's wrong?"

"Eric, the Russians have my father," she cried out in pain.

He sat down beside her, holding her hand and rubbing it slowly. "Sweetie, don't worry. I promise you, I will do whatever it takes to get your father back," he insisted.

Holiday raised his brow as his face went blank. "Calina Ekaterina Bychkov. She's the Kremlin's top spymaster, and her father is Major General Pavel Ekaterina Bychkov of Russian intelligence, who oversees Directorate S, which is responsible for planting sleeper agents in our country, you know."

Maizie's eyes widened as her expression hardened. She froze for a second where she had that name before she thought to herself. Of course, at Aleksander Mansion, when Popov mentioned the name to her father,

"If she hurts my father Holiday, I promise you that I will raise hell and put her in the ground," she yelled in a severe tone.

He knew what she could do and had seen her in training before he recruited her for Night Drop. His eyes narrowed on the list of oligarchs, as he says. "Trust me, Maize, we all want Avery back. But we can't go in guns blazing like Rambo," he informed her in a benevolent tone.

He had a point: they were trained professionals, and they were best at what they did. Still,he could feel the beast in her, and it wanted out. But she wasn't going to let it out. She knew better and trusted Eric and Holiday's words. Right now, she needed to focus on the Shadow Directive mission.

They rose from where they were sitting and emerged out through the door of the safe house, walking over to the vehicle they had rented and sliding inside, closing the door behind themselves. He glanced out the window at the safe house, knowing what they were about and what the repercussions would be. But he wasn't worried one bit at all. They raced down through the rural countryside, heading back into the city.

Director Hamilton rose, walking over to the window and glancing out as she said. "I'm worried about Jennings. She might go into the abyss on this mission. I could see it in her eyes."

He rose and walked over to her, tilting his head with his arms clasped behind his body, and said it with an enigmatic smile. "I wouldn't worry; Maizie can handle herself, I assure you," he told her in a candid tone.