PRIMAL Inception by Jack Silkstone Read Free Book Online Page B

the couch and sipped his coffee. He contemplated returning to the dining room but no longer felt hungry. He lit a cigarette and reveled in his success.
    The front door slammed and Kreshnik re-entered. “That went well.”
    “The problem with those who have never experienced true pain, is they don’t know how far they are really willing to go. Mr. Taneski just got his first taste of how we do business.”
    Kreshnik snickered. “I don’t think he liked it.”
    “He’ll like the profits.”
    Kreshnik sat and poured himself a coffee. He took a sip before speaking. “Boss, we’ve got another problem to sort out.”
    “What?”
    “That CIA asshole. You know, the big guy.”
    “Vance?”
    Kreshnik’s eyes’ narrowed. “No, Iceman. He’s been sniffing around. One of the boys saw him down at the Pussy.”
    “Did he use the services?”
    Kreshnik shook his head. “Just asked questions from one of the girls. I think he could be trouble.”
    “What did she tell him?”
    “Not much, just that you owned the place.”
    He raised a gray eyebrow. “That’s all?”
    Kreshnik nodded. “She can’t say anything else. Doesn’t have a tongue anymore.”
    “He’s very capable, Iceman. Arrange a meeting with him.”
    “I’m not sure that’s a good idea. He’s trying to get dirt on you. If you bring him in close, he’ll just screw you.”
    Zahir stubbed his cigarette out in the ashtray. “Let’s show him how legit I am now. If he causes any problems, we’ll deal with it.”
    The corner of Kreshnik’s mouth curled up. “We should just kill him.”
    “Arrange a meeting. The sooner the better.”
    "I don't want to see that asshole."
    "You're not afraid of the big bad CIA agent are you?"
    "I'll fucking kill him."
    "All in good time. You won't be at the meeting. I've got more work for you up north."
     
    ***
     
    Ice led Vance to the temporary accommodation at the CIA compound. They entered the cramped mobile building and he dropped his partner’s backpack on a battered steel desk.
    Vance dumped his travel bag on the bed. The springs groaned in protest as he sat. “Where the hell did they find these beds? Mattress feels like a goddamn bag of potatoes.”
    Leaning against the wall, Ice chuckled. “If you want, I can book you in to a local hotel. You can have some lice with your potatoes.”
    “Nah, this’ll do. Listen, Frank thinks I’m just here for the source audit so we need to keep this Zahir business on the down low. If he gets wind of our little operation, he’ll ship me back stateside.”
    Ice pulled a metal chair from under the desk and sat. “Low key is optimal.”
    Vance unzipped his travel bag, took out a bottle of scotch, and splashed it into two plastic cups. “So tell me, big man. What’s been going on?”
    He took the cup Vance offered. “KFOR and the UN are a joke. The Albanian mafia is running riot and the upcoming elections will be a total farce if we can’t get Zahir off the ballot.”
    “What about this Ibrahim Daçi guy the LDK party’s backing. I thought he was king dick. Does Zahir even stand a chance against him?”
    He shrugged. “That guy’s hugely popular up north. They love him in his hometown, Mitrovica. If Zahir is gone, Daci wins.”
    “So what’s the plan?”
    “I’ve got Barishna hunting for more dirt on Zahir.”
    “Barishna the only one you’ve stayed in contact with?”
    Ice’s hand shook as he raised the cup to his lips. “Yeah. He’s been useful.” He took a sip.
    “And what’s going on with Kreshnik?”
    “I’ve submitted his pack twice already. The ICTY showed zero interest in prosecuting him.”
    “Even with the photos you took?”
    He nodded.
    “If they’re not gonna prosecute Kreshnik, then Zahir’s probably not going to get up either.”
    “I finished his pack and showed Frank yesterday. He told me to drop it.”
    “Typical.”
    Ice finished his whisky. “I think I’ll go directly to the OSCE. They’re running the elections.” As he