Free PRIMAL Nemesis (Book 2 in the Redemption Trilogy, A PRIMAL Action Thriller Book 6) (The PRIMAL Series) by Jack Silkstone Page A

back out to the street. Confident he wasn’t being followed he continued along the street and arrived at his destination, the Voluntad head office.
    He scanned the black and white posters on the walls of the foyer as he climbed a set of stairs. The faces of famous freedom fighters and peace activists looked down at him. Pausing to announce himself through an intercom, he waited for the receptionist to open the door. A minute later he was sitting in the office of a scholarly gentleman wearing thick black-framed glasses.
    He offered the Voluntad politician his hand. “A pleasure to meet you, Dante. Thank you again for agreeing to see me at such short notice.”
    “No problem.”
    He placed a gray device the size of a TV remote on the table. “I hope you don't mind. It's a security precaution.” A green light flashed on top of the box.
    The man stared at it.
    “It scrambles any listening devices. Standard procedure for my company.” He smiled. “So, I guess you’re probably wondering why a representative from one of Russia's largest energy corporations is talking to you?”
    Dante nodded. “That did cross my mind.”
    “ Da , I can see you are very interested.”
    The man nodded again. “Intrigued.”
    “Well, my company thinks change is on the horizon. Soon Venezuela will move to democracy. This is inevitable. And when that happens once again deregulation will occur and my company will be able to establish operations here.”
    “That's certainly an optimistic view.”
    “Take Russia. For years we slaved under the yoke of communism and now we’re free. This will happen here too.”
    The man sighed like he had heard it all before. “And you're here to do what exactly?”
    “I'm here to offer funding and support, discreetly of course.”
    “And in exchange we will give you access to the oil when and if the time comes?”
    “Yes, you will give us the opportunity to make a deal and establish operations. But in the short term we would also like information. We would like to know what other oil companies are talking with you.”
    “You're the only one so far.”
    “Good.” Ivan took an envelope from his jacket and placed it on the desk. “I would like to be informed if that changes.”
    The man picked up the envelope and glanced inside. “Your generosity is appreciated. I’ll make sure this is put to good use. Funding has been difficult since the government crackdown.”
    “We can offer you other types of support if you need it.”
    Dante adjusted his glasses. “What do you mean?”
    He shrugged. “Anything you need, anything that would help.” He touched the side of his nose. “We have people who specialize in helping influence change.”
    “That is not something this office would want to discuss.” Dante glanced down at the scrambler device. “But, I could put you in contact with others who may appreciate that sort of thing. The students running the demonstrations have come under increasing pressure from the colectivos .”
    “The colectivos ?”
    “Government sponsored criminal gangs. They've escalated their standover tactics to include murder. The police do nothing. They turn a blind eye or worse. The only thing the students can do is hide. Your people may be able to help.”
    “I would be happy to talk with them.”
    Dante took a piece of paper and scribbled a number on it. “The student’s name is Antonio. His group is one that has recently been attacked. Now, I'm sorry but I have other meetings.”
    “It has been a pleasure.” Ivan shook his hand and pocketed the paper and the scrambler. Minutes later he had reversed his counter-surveillance route and was back in his vehicle. The meeting had gone better than expected. He now had a contact.
     
    ***
     
    VIRGINIA
     
    Bishop and Mitch parked their station wagon in a secluded location. Posing as hikers, they humped their backpacks through the woods that adjoined the GES facility. Moving under the cover of darkness they followed the tall