Objekt 825 (Tracie Tanner Thrillers Book 9) by Allan Leverone (year 7 reading list txt) 📗

care,” Tracie said. “Believe me or don’t believe me, it makes no difference. Now, for the last time, get moving. We’re going to walk straight to your car. You will get behind the wheel and I will climb into the front passenger seat. Then you will start your car and drive where I tell you. Do you understand?”

Morozov nodded wordlessly. He gave one long, lingering glance in the direction of his liquid courage and then walked around his desk, opened his office door, and turned in the direction of the lobby as Tracie fell in next to him.

They crossed the lobby and exited the front doors without incident. As they passed the guard shack, the sentry called though the open door, “Good morning again, Commander.”

“Good morning,” Morozov called back. He hesitated and then said, “I have a meeting to attend with Lieutenant Koruskaya, but it should be brief. I will return soon.”

Without missing a beat, Tracie turned to him and said. “I am sorry, Commander Morozov, but you are confusing this morning’s meeting with last month’s. That was a brief one but this one will take considerably longer. You may not even return to the facility today.” She spoke loudly enough to be certain the sentry could hear the exchange.

The commander attempted a smile that came out more like a grimace. “Ah. That is right. Please forgive me, I have been so forgetful recently.”

Tracie glanced into the guard shack to see the sentry watching them with a curious look on his face. She nodded officiously in his direction and said, “Have a nice day.”

Then she turned to Morozov and said, “We really must be going, Commander, or we will be late.”

Once inside Morozov’s car, Tracie said, “Start the car and drive out of this parking lot in the direction of the water. Do it right now.”

The commander complied, and as the accelerated away from the administration building, she continued speaking, her voice shaking with anger. “You are a very lucky man.”

“I do not feel lucky.”

“Well, you should. You were roughly one-half second from being shot through the heart back there.”

“I do not understand.”

“Don’t give me that,” she said as the car made the gradual right turn northbound along the rocky shoreline. “You were trying to tell the sentry to begin a search if you were gone for any length of time.”

He shrugged. “The man would have been suspicious if I did not give him some idea when I would return.”

“Shut up and drive.”

“As I am sure my receptionist is suspicious,” he continued, “by the fact I did not check in with her as I was leaving.”

“Maybe I should give her reason to be suspicious and shoot you between the eyes right here and now.”

He stopped talking, which was exactly what Tracie wanted. She said, “When we approach the checkpoint to leave Objekt 825 behind, you will say no more than is absolutely necessary to get us through the gate. If you try a repeat of what you pulled back at the parking lot, I WILL kill you and then eliminate the guard or guards, before continuing on in your car. I am about out of patience with you and I don’t need you any longer. That is a dangerous combination for you. Do you understand?”

The guardhouse was approaching in the distance. Tracie removed her gun from its holster and said, “Do you understand? Answer me or die.”

“I understand,” he said through clenched teeth.

“I hope so.” Tracie slipped her weapon under her right leg, shoving it between her thigh and the car seat. She allowed her hand to linger on the seat as Morozov slowed to a stop in front of the closed gate.

The sentry stepped out of the building. The stern look on his face changed to one of surprise when he glanced into the vehicle and recognized his commanding officer.

“Good morning, Sir,” the kid said before glancing quizzically at Tracie.

“Good morning,” Morozov said.

“Did I miss a call? Ekatarina did not inform me that you were leaving the facility. Had I known you were coming, I would have opened the gate for you and you would not have had to stop.”

“Yes, well,” Morozov said as Tracie’s hand crept closer to her weapon, “I forgot about this morning’s appointment and was in such a hurry to avoid being late that I did not bother informing Ekaterina of my plans before leaving my office.”

The sentry nodded. “I see. I hope your meeting goes well, Sir.” He hurried back inside the building and a moment later the heavy gate began trundling across the road. When it had rolled far enough to allow the car’s passage, Tracie said, “Go now. Get moving.”

Morozov hit the gas and a moment later the guard shack was shrinking in size in the rear window.

“Was that more to your liking?” the commander asked.

“Damn right it was.”

The car rounded a corner and the guard shack disappeared. “Where are we going?” Morozov asked.

“I’m going somewhere far away,” Tracie answered. “But your journey is nearly over.”

“You said you would not kill me.” His voice was tight with fear.

“Yes I did, unless you give me a reason to, which you’ve almost done twice now.”

“But you just said my journey is nearly over.”

“And I meant it. Literally, Commander. I’ll be leaving you here, incapacitated, so I can have time to escape Objekt 825. But I’m not going to kill you. Slow down.”

He eased off the gas and the car began to slow. “What do you mean by ‘incapacitated?’”

“Jesus, you’re a worrier. I just told you I’m not going to kill you, isn’t that enough?”

“Incapacitated sounds like—”

“Stop right here,” Tracie interrupted, and the car jerked to a halt as Morozov pulled to the sandy verge.

She lifted her weapon from under her thigh and said,