Quantum

37

The numbers from the Far East exchanges looked flat, the third straight day without any sign of the occasional exuberance or volatility that made watching the markets interesting in the first place. A day without winners or losers, without victory or defeat — so far. The day was still young, and the Western markets had yet to open.

Orlov shuffled around a few positions, much like placing bets on a roulette table — only on a global scale. His bets were spread over the three Cs: companies, commodities, and currencies. The billions under his control allowed Orlov to cover a wide field of opportunities; since the beginning of the year, his portfolio had already increased sixty-five percent.

The phone on his desk rang softly.

‘Da, Irena,’ he answered.

‘You have a call from Dmitri Leskov.’

Orlov glanced at his watch; it was just after midnight in the eastern United States. ‘Put him through.’ There was a click, and then a dull hum that often accompanied overseas phone calls. ‘Dmitri, what news do you have?’ Orlov asked.

‘The materials are en route to you now. The courier should deliver them to you by the end of the day.’

‘Excellent.’

Cherny quietly walked into the office and laid several laser-printed pages on his desk. It was a copy of a news article she’d retrieved from a wire-service Web site on the Internet. Orlov’s left eyebrow arched slightly as the headline caught his eye.

‘Did you encounter any problems that I should know about?’

‘Nothing we weren’t prepared for. Did Irena locate the information I wanted you to see?’

‘I have it right here.’

Orlov skimmed the article, noting that three of the slain had been police officers. The search for the men responsible would undoubtedly be thorough, making it dangerous for Leskov’s team to travel.

‘Dmitri, there are many difficulties surrounding this assignment. I think you and your men should remain where you are for a while, just to make sure the situation resolves itself. I’m certain our associates there can find a comfortable place to house all of you.’

‘They already have, Victor Ivanovich.’