Red Rabbit - Tom Clancy [230]
"So, you know who I am?"
"Yes, I was home in London last March. I was in town when you performed your heroics—bloody fool, you ought to have gotten yourself killed, except for the stupid bloody Irish."
"I've said that to myself many times, Mr. Hud—"
"Andy," Hudson suggested at once.
"Fine. My name is Jack."
"Good flight?"
"Any flight you walk off of is a good one, Andy. So, tell me about the mission and how you're going to go about it."
"Entirely routine. We observe the Rabbit and his family—we'll keep them under intermittent surveillance—and when the time is right, we'll whisk them out of the city and into Yugoslavia."
"How?"
"Car or truck, haven't decided yet," Hudson answered. "Hungary is the only possible problem. The Yugoslavs care sod-all about people crossing their border—they have a million citizens working overseas in various capacities. And our relations with the border guards is very cordial indeed," Andy assured him.
"Payoffs?"
Hudson nodded as he took a turn around a modest-sized park. "It's a good way for them to outfit their families with fashionable items. I know people who smuggle hard drugs in—I make no use of them, of course. Drugs are one thing the locals at least pretend to care about, but some border guards are more open to negotiation than others—hell, they probably all are, or damned nearly all. It's remarkable what you can get for some hard currency or a pair of Reebok running shoes. The black market here is a lively one, and since it often brings hard currency into the country, the political leadership will look the other way so long as it doesn't get too out of hand, you see."
"Then how did the CIA station get clobbered?"
"Bad bloody luck." Hudson went on to explain for a minute or two. "Like being run over by a lorry on an empty road."
"Damn, does that sort of thing really happen?"
"Not often, rather like winning a state lottery."
"You gotta play to win," Ryan murmured. It was the motto for the Maryland State Lottery, which was just one more form of tax for those dumb enough to partake, just one that was a little more cynical than the other kinds.
"Yes, that's right. It's a chance we all take."
"And how does that apply to getting the Rabbit and his family out?"
"One in ten thousand."
To Ryan, those sounded like betting odds, but there was one other hang-up to worry about. "Have they told you his wife and kid don't know how extended his vacation is?"
That made Hudson's head turn. "You're bloody joking."
"Nope. That's what he told our people in Moscow. Complication?"
His hands flexed on the wheel. "Only if she's noisy. I suppose we can handle that if we must." But it was plain on his face that it was something to worry about.
"European women, they tell me, are less assertive than American ones."
"They are, as a matter of fact," Hudson agreed. "Particularly true of the Russians, I believe. Well, we shall see."
One last turn onto Harm Utca, and they were at the British Embassy. Hudson parked the car and got out.
"That building there is the Budapesti Rendõrfõkápitanság, the police headquarters. Good to be in a secure location—they are little threat to us. The local police are not very highly regarded. The local language is bloody impossible. Indo-Altaic, philologists call it. Origin is somewhere in Mongolia, if you can believe it. Unrelated to any language you've ever heard about. Not too many people here speak English, but some German, because Austria is the next country over. Not to worry, you'll have one of us with you at all times. I'll take you on a walkabout tomorrow morning. Don't know about you, but traveling always tires me out."
"Yeah," Ryan agreed at once. "I call it travel shock."
"So, we'll get you settled in your quarters upstairs. The embassy canteen is quite adequate, and your quarters will be comfortable if not elaborate. Let me get your bag."
You couldn't knock the hospitality, Jack thought ten minutes later. A bed, private bath,