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Gray shared the back of the limousine with Elizabeth and Kowalski His partner sat bare-chested as Elizabeth treated the gunshot wound to his shoulder

“Quit wiggling!”

“Well, it goddamn hurts”

“It’s just iodine”

“Sooo, it still stings like a son of a—”

The woman’s scowl silenced any further expletive

Gray had to give the ar by dropping that half-ton steel hook Though Elena ht have done the deed, it had been Kowalski’s sharp eyes that had noted the threat and saved him

Still, they weren’t out of danger yet

Gray turned and stared out at the roll of passing hills, dotted with copses of birches His heart continued to pound His h a hundred different scenarios As they raced away fro somewhere

Nicolas’s last words plagued him: You’ve not won…millions will still die

What did heelse was scheduled to happen Even the name of Nicolas’s plan—Operation Uranus—had bothered Gray before The naainst the Gerle operation alone It was accoies Two operations: Uranus followed by Saturn

As Gray fled the hangar, Nicolas had hinted as much Another operation was set to commence, but where and in what form?

The phone finally rang

Gray flipped it open and pressed it to his ear “Director Crowe?”

“How are you doing out there?” Painter asked

“As well as can be expected”

“I’ve got transportation arranged for you There’s a private airstrip a few miles outside the Exclusion Zone, used to accoence has offered the use of one of their jets They’re apparently trying to save face for not listening close enough to Professor Masterson, one of their own forone ahead and sounded the alarence channels about the aborted attack at Chernobyl For safety’s sake, evacuations are already under way, but so far you’re ahead of that chaos”

“Very good” Gray could not discount that the director’s fire off his anxiety He wasn’t alone in this

“You’ve certainly had a busy day, Commander”

“As have you…but I don’t think it’s over”

“How do you mean?”

Gray related what the Russian senator had said and about his own s

“Hold on,” Painter said “I’ve got Kat Bryant and Malcol you on speaker”

Gray continued, explaining his fears of a second operation, soer number of casualties

Kowalski also listened as Elizabeth packed a bandage over his wound “Tell them about the jelly beans,” he called over

Gray frowned at hiar, Elena had atte before she’d departed to Nicolas’s side, but thein the translation