“Certainly. You and I get dressed and go out to the Cat. You leave your pistol here on the table. It will take these people several minutes to get free, so they won’t interfere. I will take you to the samples. You confirm what they are to your satisfaction, and then we drive together to wherever it is that you were planning to go. You cannot double-cross me about the lives of these people because by then they will be armed and you will not. It’s just you and me and the samples, free and clear. I will take my chances with you, and you can take me in a fight, I’m sure, so you should be willing to take your chances with me. It might not be ideal for you, but it is the only sure way that you will get the samples you need. By the way, how much money are we talking about for selling our souls on the open market?”
“Fifty million, Colonel. Split two ways, and that still ain’t bad. Or maybe we can stay together and pool our resources. I wouldn’t lose any sleep over it, though. I plan to raise the price once I have the samples back safe and sound. These people are very desperate to get their hands on this stuff. I’m thinking they’d pay one hundred million without batting an eye. They probably are counting on a price raise, anyway. So how does that sound?”
“Like a mansion on a tropical beach. Like many young men attending to my every wish. Like I should go down on you from here to our final destination.”
“Colonel, I’m shocked. I’ve never had sex with a superior officer before. Sounds interesting, though. But before we seal the deal, just let me think this through. If I leave all these folks here alive, what harm can they do to me? They don’t know my name, rank, or serial number. They could describe me, but the folks back at my home base are going to be able to provide that and more once they figure that out what I’ve been up to.” He stopped and sighed. “I was planning on going deep undercover anyway. My own government is going to come after me, and they’re pretty darned good at that sort of stuff. So, I guess what little you folks know won’t really hurt me in the long run. Okay. Colonel, you have a deal.”
“I don’t suppose my wrists can be untied.”
“Let me think about that. I’ll tell you what. Let me pat you down real good and make sure you don’t have any surprises waiting for me. Assuming the results are negative for knives, guns, grenades, and that sort of thing, then I will release you. The deal is, the first sign, the first hint of bad behaviour, and I’m going to shoot dimples here. And then the rest. Okay?”
“Okay. I understand.”
“Great.” He approached her and then patted her down in a professional, business-like manner.
“Colonel, you are clean. Spin around and face away from me, please.”
He found a small knife in his pocket and snapped it into the open position. In one quick motion, he sliced through the tie.
She moved her arms into a normal position and rubbed her wrists. “Thank you. That’s much better.”
“You can thank me later. In some twisted, carnal way, hopefully. For now, we have work to do.”
“Let me get dressed. Then I’ll take you to the samples.”
“Great! I’ll just hang out here and watch. And keep an eye on the kids, while I’m at it.”
She when to the rack that held all the coats and one-piece snowmobile suits. She dressed briskly.
Hamlin watched this all unfold with amazement. Of course, the fact that he felt he was going to die at the hands of this lunatic or possibly from the injury he had already sustained buffered the impact of all these revelations significantly. But he was still shocked by it all. Lena, a Colonel in the KGB? And now she was throwing in with this morally devoid psychopath? Surely it was a ploy to say their lives. But what about hers? This guy had killed all the other ‘partners’ in this scheme already, so why would her fate be any different? That was as far as he could think. The rest of his mind was trying to cope with the pain shooting through the side of his face.
She walked over, her legs swishing as she stepped because of the bulky clothing she had on.
“Okay, there you are. All ready to go. Good deal.” In one hand he held his pistol, the other was resting on the closest tabletop. The fingers on his free hand began to drum out a quiet rhythm.
“Problem?” Lena asked.
He seemed frustrated. “Yes. Damn it. Cold feet, Lena. I mean Colonel. Or…whatever. I have to work on what I’m going to call you.”
She smiled pleasantly. “What about lover?”
“Enough with the seduction, okay? Just let me deal with my…cold feet. Just some last minute jitters. I need to work this out, to walk through it just one last time. What have I got myself into here? Let’s keep this simple. So, on one hand, you are demanding the lives of these five be spared. That goes against the grain—it does, I have to admit it. But, in exchange, I get to split one hundred million dollars and enjoy an eight hundred and fourteen mile long blow job. Hmm, when you lay it out bare like that, it does seem like a no-brainer, doesn’t it? Okay, the deal stands. Let’s go get us some samples.”
She stood unmoving. “The pistol?”
“Oh, right. Momentary mental lapse. Sorry.” He looked at it longingly and then set it down with a clunk. “Hey, wait a minute. Hamlin here isn’t tied up. That changes the agreed upon time line.”
“He probably has multiple injuries. He’s in no condition to cause us any trouble. It changes nothing.”
“I’d like to tie him up, just in case. Hamlin, on your feet!”
Francis was able to stand but just barely. He wobbled and found that not falling over became his sole focus.
“Oh, never mind. Look at you. You’re a mess. Don’t forget that Tylenol I suggested earlier.” He turned and looked toward the door. “All right, Colonel, let’s go. Fame and fortune awaits.”
“I’ll settle for the fortune.”
He let her exit through the door first, and then gave one last look at the group before departing.
“You kids behave yourselves now, you hear?” And with that, the door slammed shut and he was gone.
A brief silence ensued. Everyone fully expected him to barge back in and renege on the deal, laughing all the time. But the door remained shut. Eventually the sound of the Cat driving away reached their ears.
“Thank God!” someone cried and they all started to move away from the wall.
“There are knives in the kitchen that should cut these off,” Zoya suggested. She walked over to the table where Hamlin was slumped over. “Francis, are you all right?”
“I’m alive.” It was all he could manage.
“I’ll take care of you. Just rest for a minute.”
Hamlin would have been just as happy to fall asleep and never wake up again at that moment. He complied easily.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
“Who’s driving?” Lena asked as they trudged toward the idling Cat.
“You are, for now.”
They both hopped in briskly, glad to be out of the cold.
“All right, take me to the samples.”
She started rolling slowly. The Cat made a tight turn around the side of the barracks and followed along the back wall. It was here that she stopped the machine.
“All right, sweetheart, what gives?”
She pointed to a lean-to that had been built on to the back of the building. “The samples are in there. Shall I get them?”
“In there?”
“Yes.”
He shook his head. “All this fuss about something that was only a few feet away. But, how could I have known? Yeah, by all means, grab those bad boys so we can be on our way.”
She hopped out. He watched closely as she accessed the shed and quickly emerged with a military green metallic box in her hands. She fumbled with the door but eventually climbed back in.