Quantum

50

Leskov completed his inspection of the grounds surrounding the remote hunting cabin where he and his men now took refuge. The cabin, which belonged to a business associate of Victor Orlov’s, sat near the southern edge of a six-thousand-acre parcel of marshy forestland. The northern border of the property abutted the Ogemaw State Forest; along the southern border lay Saginaw Bay. The nearest homes along the shoreline to either side were miles away.

The isolated location and marshy terrain made the property ideal for holding hostages. The approaches to the cabin by either the narrow dirt road or the bay were easily defended, and an airdrop of any kind was too hazardous to be considered by anyone attempting a rescue.

As he approached the cabin, Leskov saw the dark muscular form of Josef on watch outside.

‘Josef, how are our guests?’

‘We have made them comfortable. They aren’t giving us any trouble. I was pleased to see the kitchen was stocked for our arrival.’

‘I’m sure our hosts wish to remain in good standing with Orlov. How are communications?’

‘Everything is fine. The satellite phone is working well. We should get word from our eavesdroppers if they pick up anything on the police frequencies. I’ve also confirmed that two new men will make their way across the Canadian border tonight.’

‘Good. Now we settle in and wait.’

‘Are we going to interrogate the old woman?’

‘Not yet. At this point I think it would be counterproductive. She’s tough, and we don’t have a lot of leverage with her.’

‘Do you think it was wise to take these women hostage?’

‘Taking hostages was the only reasonable choice open to us. If Kilkenny has the ring, he will trade it for the women.’

‘I still don’t like it. In the old days, we went in, we killed, and we got out. If we had to snatch some Afghani chieftain, we did the job and dropped him off for interrogation. We never trained for baby-sitting jobs.’

‘It was simpler in the old days, my friend,’ Leskov agreed. ‘But remember, our paychecks were a lot smaller back then.’

‘And rarer, too,’ Josef said with a brusque laugh.

‘Has the video clip been sent off to Moscow?’

‘Da. Misha took care of that fifteen minutes ago. Moscow acknowledged receipt, and they are satisfied.’

‘Good. Now Orlov can start his negotiations.’