Free PRIMAL Inception by Jack Silkstone Page A

narrowed. “Did they let you near a Deuce?” he said referring to the M2 heavy machine gun.
    Vance shrugged. “They were worried they might hit you. If I was on the trigger, it wasn’t so much an issue.” He winked.
    “You didn’t happen to put a bullet in Barishna on the way in?”
    He shook his head. “Negative, buddy. But Sledge got that new Procreator UAV to track him.”
    “You mean Predator .”
    “That’s it. He’s gonna message me with a lat-long when he’s got a bed-down loc.”
    “Good.” The pilot they had rescued two years earlier was deployed on his second Kosovo tour, this time as a liaison officer to a new drone program. He’d got them a four-hour surveillance window to cover the source meet.
    Ice turned to the approaching FSK team leader.
    “Gentlemen, we’ve accounted for eight criminals,” the Norwegian said in accented English. “They were well prepared. Whoever they work for wants you dead. Very dead.”
    “You guys saved my boy’s bacon,” said Vance.
    Ice offered his hand. “If there’s anything we can do for you just ask.”
    The team leader gave a broad smile. “ Ja , no problem. My men are just happy to be doing our job. Things have been a bit slow.”
    Vance slapped him on the shoulder. “And we’re all good how this is going to be reported, right?”
    “Routine training patrol and we were ambushed by mafia, ja .”
    Vance nodded. “Right. And take care of the 4Runner, will you?”
    “ Ja.”
    “Good deal.” He pulled his satellite phone from his jacket and checked the screen. “We’re in business. Got a location for Barishna. Let’s go, Ice.”
    Vance climbed into the driver’s seat, pulled a map from the glove box, and checked the coordinates. “About twenty clicks from here. Up in our old stomping grounds.”
    Ice put on his seat belt. “We’re going to have to stop well short and foot infil.”
    “Roger. Ammo, guns, comms, everything we need is in the back.”
    “Then, let’s roll.”
     
    ***
     
    Ice and Vance parked the Land Cruiser a little over a mile from Barishna’s last known location. On the map, it was a group of tiny squares denoting buildings. Without going back to Pristina to check the Predator imagery that was all they had to go on. They were both familiar with the general area and picked a route that took them through a pine forest.
    Ice held up his hand and knelt to inspect his map.
    Vance leaned his Mk18 carbine against a tree and slung his daypack off. He reached into his pack and pulled out a granola bar. “You hungry, bud?”
    He checked his watch. It was just after midday. “Yeah, could go a bite.”
    Vance tossed him the bar.
    He put the map away and placed his own weapon on the pine-needle covered ground. Like Vance, he was now armed with a suppressed Mk18 , the short-barreled variant of the M4. Chewing, he looked through the trees. “This is the area we picked up Sledge.”
    Vance nodded in agreement. “Yep, makes sense that Barishna is working where he knows. You think he’s tied in with Zahir?”
    “Without a doubt. He doesn’t have the balls to order a hit.”
    “So, how far to his position?”
    “Four-hundred yards. We should cache our gear here. Go in light.” Ice unslung his pack and took out his long-lens camera along with a bundle of camouflaged scrim netting. They were already wearing chest-rigs loaded with ammo and their radios.
    Vance placed his pack alongside Ice’s and covered them with leaf litter. Then he leaned a branch against the tree to mark the spot and they set off with Ice leading. The former Marine moved stealthily through the trees, skills learned in Force Recon.
    As they approached the coordinates the drone had provided, he couldn’t shake the feeling of deja vu . Then he caught a glimpse of a building through the trees and realized exactly where they were. “Vance, its the old factory,” he whispered.
    Vance paused, and nodded. “Yeah, where we found Sledge. Barishna must have taken it