Once a Thief by Christopher Reich

Author:Christopher Reich [Reich, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Action & Adventure, Thrillers, Espionage, Crime
ISBN: 9780316456098
Google: loJxzgEACAAJ
Amazon: B093ZPYBJ3
Goodreads: 57941219
Publisher: Mulholland Books
Published: 2022-04-05T05:00:00+00:00

Hurriedly, she looked up these last words. Latin for “Forewarned is forearmed.”

They were here.

Now she knew for certain.

Anna’s eyes darted to the entry. The door was open, and she caught the blur of passing cars. Blue, silver, red. Black.

“What is it?” asked Hold when he returned. “Are you feeling all right?”

“Actually, I’m not.” Anna regarded the earnest Swiss and realized she’d already involved him more than was right. “Can I take a rain check for dinner?”

“You’re sure? If you need a place to stay…you don’t have to worry.”

Anna didn’t worry about any man. She did, however, worry about the Russian GRU. “Thank you, but no. I have someplace I need to be.”

“Now?”

“Yes,” said Anna, sliding back her chair to stand. “Now.”

“Let me give you a lift.”

“No,” said Anna as Hold began to rise. “That’s not necessary.”

“How far can it be?” asked Hold good-naturedly. “This is Chur. You can get across town and back in five minutes.”

“No,” said Anna, forcefully enough to silence the tables near them, draw several curious glances. “You’ve done enough already. Thank you, Freddy.”

Finally, he sat down.

Anna walked to the door, peeked her head outside, looking left, then right. The street was calm, not a car to be seen, black or otherwise. She stepped outside, turning left, in the direction of the train station.

It was time to go to the police. A call to Inspector Tell—no relation to William—of the Swiss Federal Intelligence Service. She would inform him that she knew the identity of at least one of her father’s assassins. Pavel Djordjevich, a major in the Russian GRU. Tell could take it from there.

Anna felt a stab of satisfaction. She’d done what she’d set out to—more, even. It was time for professionals to take over. She had no doubt that Tell was more qualified. But—there was always a “but”—was he as motivated? Look how far she’d come in the space of less than a week, and that didn’t count escaping from secret agents. She had the name of one of the killers. The next step was to ID his accomplice.

Anna ducked into the doorway of a boutique. Phone in hand, she pulled up her thread on the Chatterbell website: 167 traffic cameras in Lugano. Surely, with a little more luck, she could track Major Pavel and his VW Polo and learn where he’d come from, and with whom he was working. All she needed was a picture of an accomplice, not even one in perfect focus. If Clearview AI software could ID Pavel, she had every right to believe it could successfully identify his buddy, too.

She resumed her course, faster now, invigorated. She couldn’t stop, not when she was only beginning. Tell could wait.

“Anna!”

Him. The vegetarian car salesman. She kept walking. Whatever you do, don’t turn around.

“Anna!”

“Didn’t you hear me, Freddy? I’m—” Anna spun. Flaxen hair. Angular cheekbones. Not Freddy Hold. Pavel Djordjevich. He stood barely ten paces away. And yes, he was one of the men who’d broken into her house with the intention of killing her.

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