“Vitaly, I’m sorry if I messed up your investigation.”
“Aidan, you didn’t mess it up. Shook it up perhaps, and perhaps we shall see if anything falls. So now that you have saved Webb what next?”
“Drinks.”
Podil district, Kyiv
The small tented bar in Kyiv’s Podil district was a favourite of Michael Jones. He let out a trail of smoke from his cigarette as he lazily stared at the cleavage of their waitress. “Great place, eh Aidan? Great place.”
“Yep.” Snow drank hungrily from his half litre beer glass. It was his first of the day and he had some catching up to do.
Jones’ eyes followed the woman as she returned to the bar. “What more could you ask for? Great beer, great tits.”
“Michael.” Katya wagged her finger at the Welshman. “What would Ina say?”
“Oh, she would agree. She also likes tits.”
Snow snorted into his beer. He had been away yet nothing had changed. His friends were still the same, and even though many bars had been renamed Kyiv was still Kyiv.
Webb raised his glass. “I would just like to say a toast to friendship, for without it we are all truly fucked!”
Katya nudged him in the belly. Snow and Michael both raised their glasses. “Fucked”
“Your friend Vitaly spoke to me today.” Webb stated matter of fact. “He says that Kopylenko is now being very co-operative and wants to grant us permission to take Ana to the UK.”
“That’s good news.”
“True but in return he wants me not to give evidence against him.”
Snow raised his eyebrows. “So what are you going to do Brian?”
“He is going to give evidence and then when they put that idiot away a judge will of course let us take Ana to England.” Katya crossed her arms.
Webb sipped his beer before winking at Snow. “That is what I am of course going to do.”
Snow felt his Blackberry vibrate. It was a message from Patchem. He’d have to fly home in the morning but tonight he was home. Snow switched off his phone and ordered another round of drinks.
Praise for Alex Shaw
‘He won’t be stopped now. The book will become popular among Kyiv’s expats; some of them will even recognize themselves.’ Kyiv Post on ‘ Hetman ’.
‘A strong aspect of HETMAN is Shaw’s knowledge of Ukraine & Special Forces operations. The character of Bull felt real on the page, you don’t get better than that.’
2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
‘With the world in financial turmoil and the Middle East aflame, fans of this genre will find COLD BLACK timely and entertaining.’
2011 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award
Also by Alex Shaw
A Special Forces Thriller introducing a reluctant hero, former SAS Trooper Aidan Snow.
Attacked by an unknown adversary, Framed for two assassinations, Hunted by the Ukrainian Security Service, the life of former SAS Trooper Aidan Snow has been destroyed.
Teaching at an international school in Ukraine, former SAS Trooper Aidan Snow has laid the nighmares of his past to rest. But when after ten years Snow meets again the man who put a gun to his head and ended his military career his past becomes very real. Told by the British Secret Intelligence Service (SIS) that his would be tormenter is dead Snow tries to forget…
Attacked by an unknown adversary, Framed for two high profile assassinations and Hunted by the Ukrainian Security Service, Snow is torn from the life he has worked so hard to build and must once again rely on his SAS training in an attempt to clear his name.
Discovering a mercenary brigade made up of former Soviet Spetsnaz soldiers Snow trusts only himself to stop them and save those he cares about.
Snow is left one step ahead of the authorities with no one to watch his back.
In a Fire Fight, Pray for SNOW….
Abduction
Veteran SAS trooper, Paddy Fox has lost his job, his wife and his temper. Whilst bitterly job hunting, Fox witnesses a car crash and finds himself rescuing a kidnapped Saudi Royal. Persuaded by MI6 to accept a job as security adviser in Saudi Arabia, Fox travels to Riyadh.
Assassination
In Kyiv, a director of the Belorussian KGB is gunned down whilst trying to pass shocking intelligence to his counterpart in the Ukrainian SBU. Intelligence, which if verified, sets out plans to commit international acts of terror.
Al-Qaeda
In Saudi Arabia, an entire British Trade mission is taken hostage by a new, highly funded, group aligned to Al-Qaeda. But who is funding this new insurgency and why?
An International Conspiracy
Former SAS Trooper turned MI6 operative, Aidan Snow is caught in a maelstrom involving East, West and Middle East which endangers the world’s supply of oil.
About the Author
ALEX SHAW B.A. (Hons), P.G.C.E. was head of Drama at Pechersk School International, Kyiv, Ukraine, in the late 1990’s before leaving to start his own Kyiv based ‘consultancy’ dealing specifically with the markets of the former USSR. He was subsequently head hunted for a division of Siemens where he was tasked with business development in the former USSR, the Middle East and Africa. Hetman was Alex’s first novel and took twelve years to complete. Published in 2009 it gained critical acclaim in the 2010 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award (ABNA) and later became a #1 UK Kindle bestseller. Cold Black was published a year later. It followed the success of Hetman, gaining critical acclaim in ABNA 2011 and rose to #6 in the Kindle UK bestseller list. Both books have also now become top 10 Kindle Bestsellers in the USA. In July 2012 Cold Black became a #1 German Kindle bestseller, Hetman reached #4 in April. The third Aidan Snow thriller will be released in November 2012.
When not writing Alex works as a freelance consultant (clients include the UN), dividing his time between his two homes in Kyiv, Ukraine and West Sussex, England. He is married to his beautiful wife Galia and has two fantastic sons, Alexander and Jonathan.
Alex welcomes feedback and comments from readers and can be contacted via his website www.alexwshaw.com you can also follow Alex on twitter: @alexshawhetman
Copyright
All Rights Reserved
Copyright © 2012 Alex Shaw
All Rights Reserved. This book may not be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in whole or in part by any means, including graphic, electronic, or mechanical without the express written consent of the publisher except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.
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ISBN: 978-1-4689-1289-0 (ebook)
Digitally published with consent from Hetman Publishing. Date of first UK publication August 2012. This Booktango edition published August 2012. Copyright © Alexander William Shaw 2012
The right of ‘Alex Shaw’ to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patents Act 1988. This is a work of fiction. All names, characters, places and incidents, other than those which are public domain, are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. This ebook is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated or transmitted without the author’s prior consent in any format other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition, including this condition, being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.