Relentless Pursuit - Russ Snyder - Bog

George Wilson was flabbergasted with the message left by Chief Carleton Olds of Bar Harbor, Maine. The last time he had seen him, he had threatened his best friend and partner, Jonathan Steele, to "Bury him under the jail". The message was short. He had a problem and would they give him a call?In total disbelief, they return the call only to find out that the Chief's granddaughter is missing and local law enforcement including Portland PD seem to be doing little if anything about it. They offer to return to Maine for a face to face meeting. The Chief discloses everything he knows which is not much. One bit of information he can provide is that her passion is riding motorcycles. Sport bikes to be exact. They agree to look for the girl, Lyn Watson, a decision partly based on Jonathan losing his niece just eight months prior.Studying the two bars where she worked and two sport bike bars where she liked to hang out they discover that she is thought of as a very responsible individual. This leads credence that her disappearance is not of her own choosing.The first break comes when a bartender remembers seeing she with a blond man who he knows is one of three brothers who live up on Moosehead Lake. Deciding to use him as a starting point, observation reveals that the three brothers are Russian which raises the suspicion level. An intense internet search reveals their father, Viktor Stronoff, is an obscenely rich Russian industrialist who immigrated to America eight years previously. At a local restaurant Jon sees the middle brother, the hot tempered Leonti, attempt to place a drug in his date's drink. George, following the youngest blond haired brother, is lucky enough to be able to warn Mikhail's date saving her from a similar fate.Further investigation reveals that Stronoff has an extremely large custom built private estate on the shores of Moosehead Lake in northern Maine. While examining its history they run across a story revealing the masonry crew who built the foundations for the buildings were all killed in a vehicle crash. Their truck plunged over a cliff. Jonathan hates coincidences.Jon and George begin to believe that the Stronoffs may be hiding a kidnapping ring. Why? No ransom has been made. They finally come up with a plausible explanation. They are participating in human trafficking, or more appropriately, the sex slave trade. Close scrutiny and sound hunches fuel a plan.Jon and George launch an attack. A hidden door in the rear wall of the guard house reveals a set of stairs leading to a long tunnel. A secret sound proofed chamber has been built under the basement of the main house. A prison. They find eight women are currently being held including Lyn Watson, the Chief's granddaughter. He arrives catching Leonti Stronoff, out on bail from the attempted date rape charge in Portland, just as he is about to brutally rape Lyn. They also learn of a sadistic game employed by the Stronoffs and guards. He gathers the girls and has George drive them out while Jonathan stays behind to cover their escape.Later that evening two of Stronoff's guards pay the rental cabin of Jon and George a visit. One of the guards meets Jon's two Dobermans who play distinctive roles in this story. That meeting does not go well.George thinks that an attack is imminent on Jon or his family at their homestead in Blue Hill. Jonathan calls his sister and orders everyone away. George joins him in the defense of the property. The trap is set.Margot, Jon's sister, demands to know everything. Jonathan manages to duck most of her questions but George slips up. On the ride home he does the one thing George fears most. With Jon driving his Suburban with child-proof locking windows, he feeds his big male Doberman a meatball sandwich which always has dire consequences. While Jon can lower his window for fresh air, George much to his regret, can't. Begging Jon, "No, don't", is trapped.