The Hunt (Mike Greystone, Book 1) by Michael Sigurdsson

Mike?"
    "Sure, Mike, Michael, whichever’s suits. I presume I can reciprocate and call you Igor?" I asked.
    "Yeah, no problem. Would you like to have a snack for dinner?"
    "If it is not too much trouble," I agreed, being a little concerned about food poisoning. On the other hand, I knew if something happened to me, Dermot would send a Bell chopper, or an F-22 if he wanted to splash some more cash, to blow the whole fake castle away.
    "Would you like an aperitif?"
    "Sure, gladly," I said.
    He went to a cabinet on the wall, opened it, took out two glasses, and poured half a glass of vodka each. I would consider an aperitif to be half an inch at the bottom of the glass, but had no reason to complain. I was in general a whiskey/bourbon guy, but it was worth trying an alternative sometimes.
    "I love vodka, this is the perfect drink," Igor explained. "It's just pure distilled alcohol, no additives, no allergens," he continued. "In beer there's yeast, in wine there's yeast and sulphates. Champagne is decent, it has just a very little yeast. Whiskey is fine too. But vodka really is purity and simplicity."
    "Sounds interesting, I wasn't aware of that," I tried to sound interested.
    I was sipping it slowly, but Igor gulped the whole glass down in one go.
    The table was ready, two waitresses brought in the food. Both had boobs the size of watermelons, and I admit my eyes were glued to those lovely protrusions.
    "I see you are a connoisseur of female curvature?" he asked.
    "You can't ignore views like those," I admitted.
    Dinner consisted of steamed salmon, with steamed sweet potato, broccoli, asparagus, and quinoa.
    "I’m quite impressed, a very healthy meal," I commented.
    "Yeah, I like eating good stuff. It's all organic."
    "You must be leading a healthy lifestyle?"
    "I try. I love salmon. Have you heard that in countries with the highest intake of omega 3, salmon being the perfect source, the crime rate is the lowest?"
    "Funny to hear that from you," I said.
    "Funny it is. I do have some activities that I wouldn't necessarily advertise, but I value order. I don't like thugs running loose, unless they belong to me."
    I may have underestimated him. He seemed to be a really smart guy.
    "Also, if you like an occasional glass of vodka as I do, the liver is under some strain. So there's no point taxing it even more by eating rubbish."
    "Fair point," I nodded.
    We finished our dinner, and Igor said: "Another glass of something stronger for digestion?" and he poured another half glass of vodka for me, without waiting for an answer. This time it actually looked like three-quarters of a glass, but I wouldn’t dwell on details. We finished off the glass, and he poured another, whereupon we went through to the lounge.
    "Okay, Mike, so what can I do for you?"
    "I'm looking for a certain guy."
    "Why are you looking for him?"
    "I need to capture him, preferably dead, but alive would be fine too, I can convert his status myself."
    "What's his name?"
    "Ron Morgenthal."
    "What has he done?"
    "My principals want him dead. He's responsible for the St Brigid School shooting."
    "Sounds serious, what's his name again?"
    "Ron Morgenthal," I repeated.
    "Not sure I can help you, but I'll ask around."
    "Appreciated, I need to get this motherfucker as soon as possible."
    "I'll do my best. Sorry I can't be more helpful, but glad to meet you anyway. I think we can do some business together in the near future," Ivanov said, offering future cooperation. If he paid well, I wouldn’t mind doing a job for him.
    "Very glad to hear that," I said, although I was disappointed with the result of the visit.
    I was surprised he didn't know the guy. The Italians and Chinese said he didn't work for them. That only left the Russians. I couldn't pursue the topic as I didn't have sufficient intelligence on Ron Morgenthal yet. I should have some news from Martin or Mr. Zhao the next day, so I'd call Igor if needs be.
    "In the meantime, would you like another glass?" This was