Full Black - Brad Thor [138]
Ashford was one of the few people Harvath had met who had worked with the Old Man in the field. He found his stories about Carlton fascinating. He also found some of them very disturbing. Allegedly, he had pushed a handful of interrogations way too far. Prisoners had died, or so the rumors went.
Though the Old Man had never been charged, some of the whispers cited his tactics as a prime reason he and the CIA had parted company.
Harvath knew not to put a lot of stock in rumors, especially Washington rumors, but nevertheless, as he plugged Reed Carlton’s code into the keypad at the door for twenty-four, he couldn’t help but wonder what he would find on the other side.
There was a particularly nasty rumor about the Old Man’s beating a prisoner with an electrical cord. Harvath had overheard several staffers talking about it when he first came on board at the Carlton Group. He’d made the mistake of asking the Old Man about it and had been put firmly in his place. Harvath hadn’t asked him again.
As he stepped onto twenty-four, he didn’t know what he would find, but when it came to Carlton and his reputation, he figured nothing would surprise him. Harvath’s mind, though, was about to be changed.
CHAPTER 60
Harvath moved from one empty office and conference room to the next. Finally, on the west side of the building, he located Reed Carlton and his “prisoner.”
They were in a small suite of tastefully decorated rooms that looked as if they had been plucked right out of the Four Seasons. Propped up on a hospital-style bed was Yaroslav Yatsko. His wounds had been cleaned and dressed, and an IV had been started. Each of his legs was in a straight-leg brace with a large ice pack atop each knee. Sitting in a chair next to him, drinking a glass of wine, was Reed Carlton.
The Old Man looked up when Harvath stuck his head into the room. “What are you doing down here?” he asked.
“I heard the housekeepers forgot the mints for the pillows,” replied Harvath.
The Old Man set his glass on the table and stood up. “I’ll be right back,” he said to Yatsko and motioned for Harvath to follow him into the hall.
Once they were in the hall and the door to the suite of rooms was closed, Harvath asked, “What’s all of that in there? Extra-extraordinary rendition?”
“Yaroslav is an old acquaintance.”
“That’s a pretty nice room you’ve got him in. Do we have a spa around here, too, that I don’t know about?”
“Relax,” said the Old Man. “We rented a hospital bed and put it in one of the old executive offices for him.”
“Why?”
“Because Yatsko needs to be protected.”
Harvath looked at him. “From what I hear, it’s everybody else that needs to be protected from Yatsko. How do you know this guy? And why are we taking care of him?”
“First of all, we’re not taking care of him. We’re using him, the same way he and the Russians would use us. And as to how I know him, let’s just say we crossed paths many times in the old days.”
“Reed, this guy sent a wet work team to smoke Larry Salomon. Yatsko’s Spetsnaz guys killed two filmmakers. Two American filmmakers. How the hell was he even able to sneak into the country in the first place?”
“He didn’t sneak in,” said Carlton.
Harvath looked at his boss. “We’ve actually known all along that he’s been here?”
“From what I hear, he’s been helpful.”
“Helpful how?” asked Harvath. “Helpful thinning the ranks of Hollywood producers?”
The Old Man shook his head. “He’s been a good source of intelligence for the CIA in Mexico. Facilitating the hit on Salomon, though, crossed the line. The Agency should have yanked his leash a long time ago.”
“So why didn’t they?”
“If I had to guess, it’s because much of what he’s been doing