To Russia & Back

Author Maxine Hart decides she wants to see Russia. She has no story line in place for her next fiction. She’d just seen a documentary on the county and was anxious to visit there. She flies with her CIA boyfriend, Riley Perkins first to Moscow and then to St. Petersburg.

A year earlier, Riley and his partner Paul, took out a Russian arms dealer who was selling weapons to terrorists with plans to attack Washington, D.C. They destroy the weapons and get away clean. But as they hop on a train, several Mafia members are robbing the terminal. Riley locks eyes with one of them briefly and proceeds with his planned escape.

While traveling in Moscow, Maxine and Riley witness a murder by the Russian Mafia and are asked to view CCTV tapes at the police station as possible witnesses to the crime. Riley denies ever seeing any of the men, although he did recognize one from the train station as he was escaping and arms dealer attack in Russia a year earlier.

The Mafia man he recognized was not part of the arms explosion, but he does recognize Riley as CIA. It causes a few problems for Riley as he quietly attempts to eliminate his Mafia enemies. Riley catches one of the Russian hit men and turns him over to the CIA at the American Embassy They are able to get him to talk and they learn of two others that are a threat to Riley. His partner, Paul, works with the CIA agents already in Russia to handle the problem.

All through the trip, Maxine is not aware of Riley’s dangerous situation. To her, it was just a very pleasant vacation.