Читать книгу Black Widow - Cliff Ryder - Страница 14

London

“Do you have an image of the woman?” Samantha asked as she watched the convoy take shape in Istanbul.

“Yes. I’m running it against the databases now.”

Samantha watched the truck roll through the narrow streets. The presence of the woman hadn’t startled her. There were others within the group, but very few of them. To survive in such an environment, women had to be harder and more calloused than the men.

But where had this one learned to drive big trucks?

The attention to detail, the way she subconsciously filed away pieces that didn’t fit, made Samantha Rhys-Jones invaluable to MI-6. She’d quickly gone from light fieldwork to intel gathering and processing. Those skills had drawn the attention of Room 59.

“Indigo,” the Red Team leader said, “do we intercept the convoy?”

“Yes. But only if it leaves town. If they stash the cargo inside the city limits, we’ll take care of it later. I don’t want any collateral damage on this one,” Samantha said.

“Understood.”

Samantha never wanted collateral damage. The deaths of bystanders weighed heavily on her. During her career, it sometimes happened—just as she’d sometimes lost agents she minded—but she worked hard to prevent that.

“Ma’am, I’ve identified the woman. She belongs to MI-6.”

That was unexpected.

Samantha walked over to the woman’s computer. She studied the face on the screen but didn’t recognize it.

According to the file, Ajza Manaev held a position as a field agent with considerable experience for someone so young. Evidently she performed well at what she did.

“Orange,” Samantha said.

“Yes,” Kate replied.

Samantha watched the convoy thread through the winding streets of the Kadikoy district. More people were up and starting to fill the sidewalks, streets and cafés. The potential for unplanned losses was increasing exponentially.

“We have a problem,” Samantha said.