Page 50 of The Nameless Ones

Which meant, Frend realized, that Kiš knew about the events in Paris. That was regrettable, and weakened the Vuksans’ bargaining position.

‘And if ISIS doesn’t,’ Kiš continued, ‘someone else might. Maybe that someone has already started.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘Do you think Aleksej Markovic was really killed by the French? I hear that Markovic was already dead when the police found him.’

Frend might have been a lawyer, and therefore gifted – or cursed – with a lawyer’s countenance, but he could not entirely hide the fact that this was news to him.

‘The Vuksans didn’t tell you?’ said Kiš. ‘Of course, why would they? You’d only have begun to worry. You might even have considered abandoning them to their fate. The Dutchman, De Jaager, had friends, the kind it doesn’t pay to antagonize. Your clients have made those friends very angry.’

‘How do you know this?’ said Frend.

Kiš tapped a forefinger to the side of his head. ‘Common sense. Also, questions are being asked, inquiries that come with the promise of rewards attached. Money is being put on the streets in an effort to trace the Vuksans. Soon, they’ll make a mistake. They’ll turn the wrong corner, board the wrong train, look out the wrong window. Then a call will be made, and – poof!’

Kiš made a gesture with his hands, as of something vanishing – or exploding.

‘So where does that leave us?’ said Frend.

‘It leaves you as buyers in a seller’s market,’ said Kiš. ‘The Vuksans wish to purchase a comfortable old age in their homeland, where any attempt at extradition will move at the pace of a dead man. Here they can live out their lives, perhaps under new names, safe in the knowledge that Serbia will not join the EU until 2025 at the earliest, by which time their sins will have been forgotten, if not forgiven. They’ll have their own people around them, which will make them harder to target, either by the Turks or the friends of the Dutchman. It seems to me that the guarantee of such an untroubled existence must come at a price, not to mention a secondary sum to be set aside as a guarantee of good behavior, just in case Spiridon begins to confuse thought with action.’

‘How much?’ said Frend.

‘Four million euros,’ said Kiš, ‘with a further two million to be placed in escrow, half to be returned to the Vuksans’ beneficiaries following the death of each man, minus a twenty percent holding fee. Should the Vuksans breach the terms of the agreement, which broadly means displaying any signs of aggression, the money becomes forfeit and they will be killed.’

This time, Frend managed not to give away his thoughts.

‘I’ll have to discuss it with my clients,’ he said.

‘Take all the time you want,’ said Kiš. ‘We’re in no hurry.’

Stajic placed a hand on Frend’s right arm.

‘Or you could just tell us where they are,’ he said, his eyelids fluttering.

‘Yes,’ Kiš concurred, ‘you could just tell us that.’

‘I repeat,’ said Frend, ‘I don’t know where they are. They were relocated through a third party so I could work without being vulnerable to coercion.’

Stajic’s grip grew tighter. He kept his nails very sharp, and Frend could feel them pricking at his skin.

‘Yet you are still vulnerable here and in Vienna,’ said Stajic, ‘regardless of what you do or do not know.’

Frend waited them out. He had no choice. Eventually, Stajic’s grip eased. Kiš, meanwhile, was smiling again.

‘Go back to Vienna, Herr Frend,’ he said. ‘Talk to your clients. We look forward to hearing their response to our proposal.’

Frend did not move from his chair.

‘There is one more thing,’ he said. ‘It relates to Nikola Musulin.’

‘You know,’ said Kiš, ‘I was just about to talk to you about Nikola. I think we may have found something that belonged to him.’

Kiš waved his right hand and one of the bodyguards came forward with a velvet bag. Its contents were roughly circular, and rolled slightly as the bag was placed on the table before Frend.

‘Feel free to open it,’ said Kiš. ‘But if I were you, I’d just accept our word that it’s his.’

Frend picked up the bag. He had never held a severed head before, so he could not say that it was lighter or heavier than anticipated. It was just a head.

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