Page 24 of What Remains

“Somehow I don’t think his parents will take him back. Remember, if you’re right, they sold him off in the first place.”

“I can’t believe that any parent wouldn’t be thrilled to see his or her kid,” he said, slowly working the boot’s laces. “They might not have had a choice.”

“There’s always a choice.”

Between the devil you know and the one you don’t?If he wanted to retrieve Roni’s remains,hehad no choice now but to partner up with Driver. “Not if his parents were starving,” he said. “Not if they were desperate.”

“As desperate as you are to go along with Driver?” Davila pressed. “John, you haven’t seen this man for almost two years. Then he turns up out of the blue and claims he didn’t know thatyouwere here? That doesn’t add up.”

He made a sort of helpless shrug of a shoulder. “What would you like me to do? How many choices do you think I’ve got?”

“There’s always a choice.”

“Not always.” He’d certainly been in at least one situation where all elements of choice were taken away. But he’d not shared that part of his story with Davila: how he’d made it out when Roni had not. Possibly because he’d been essentially dead at the time.

“What makes you think he’ll keep his end of the bargain?” Then, without waiting for an answer, Davila said, “What are you doing, tying a Gordian knot?”

“He will,” he said, though he saw that the knot he’d made was nothing more than an ungainly lump.Maybe a metaphor here.Teasing apart the laces, he started again. “Because you’re forgetting one thing. Driver’s already gotten in touch with his superiors.”

“And?”

“And his superiors know and approve, which means Patterson has to have been read in, if only to forestall uncomfortable questions. Given his connections, I bet Patterson might even have known Driver was here… wait, wait.” He held up “Before you defend him, remember that I don’t know Patterson the way you do. For me, Patterson showed up out of the blue and then, boom, I’m on my way to this—” He almost saidhellhole.“Place. We meet Ustinov, a Russian running a clandestine op for Americans. Given the current political climate, you can’t tell me Patterson didn’t know about any of that.”

“But Driver said he wasn’t our contact.”

That bothered him, too. “Maybe it was need-to-know. We might’ve have met up with him eventually. Driver might not be as read in as he thinks. Maybe whoever’s pulling his strings decided he’d be better off with two more guys. We may never know, but I think we got to make peace with a little uncertainty. The whole thing is just too?—”

“Crazy? Maybe going to get you killed?”

“I was going to say coincidental. What are the odds of Driver and me ending up in the same country? Of two guys who…” He almost saidlovedbut caught himself at the last second. “Knew the same woman? Have this much history?”

“Not high.”

“Exactly.” He gave the boot’s laces a final tug then pushed to his feet. “Either way, you’re out of the game and ourfriendhere,” he said, only giving his head a marginal tilt in Matvey’s direction, “will be much better off at the end of the day.”

“With an agency? Don’t bet on it.”

“Then do something about it. You’re a Protector, Davila. So, do your job. Protect this kid. Maybe he’s not your usual assignment, but he needs you. Now, come on, let’s get you on your feet, see how steady you are.”

“I can do this. I’ve been walking on my own for a day now.” Instead of pushing to his feet, Davila stared down at his hands and let go of a long sigh. “I don’t like it, John. I don’t like leaving you in a lurch, and I don’t like leaving when the job is half-done.” Then he raised his head and pinned John with a look. “We’re supposed to stick together. I know.” He held up a hand against any protest. “I know I can’t go, but that doesn’t mean it sits well. You are a pain in the ass and one of the best soldiers I’ve known. I want to you to remember that.”

John was quiet a moment then said, “You don’t want to, like, become blood brothers or anything, do you? Because I really don’t like the sight of blood, especially my own.”

Davila let go of a snort and then they were both laughing until Davila winced and said that hurt his side like hell. At which point, Matvey leapt from his spot in the corner, crossed the room, and slid in close to Davila’s good side, took Davila’s right arm, draped that over his shoulders, mimedget up, and rattled off something in Russian too fast for John to follow.

“Thanks, kid. But if I lean on you too hard, you’re going to wind up two feet shorter. But youarejust about the right size for the old heave-ho.” Slowly pushing to his feet, Davila let the boy steady him before throwing John a warning glance. “Don’t say it.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” And then he couldn’t help himself. “But there’s this scene in the second Indiana Jonesmovie where Short Stuff?—”

“Posh-li, kid.” Hand still on Matvey’s shoulder, Davila stumped for the door. “Let’s get while the getting’s good.”

4

The plan was simple:drive to the hospital in Khorog, let Harvey exit with Davila and Matvey, wait until Harvey signaled the all-clear—a simple thumb’s-up emoji—and then drive away. A low-risk adventure, assuming no one knew Parviz’s van on sight.

Which is what they did. The trip took three hours and change. Harvey drove; Davila and Matvey hung in the front seat. He and Driver stretched out in the cargo bay. Driver promptly went to sleep, leaving John to brood.

About a half houroutof Khorog, Driver—who was awake and driving—said, “I didn’t expect to see you again.”

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