Incitement by David Graham Page A

would tread lightly around the drug lord, Cervantes had known him too long to stand on ceremony.
    “We’re going to have to move against the Fifteen Families,” Madrigal began.
    “Based on so little?” Cervantes asked. “We have no proof!”
    “You know about the hijacking?”
    “Yes, yes,” the big man replied. “But there’s only the captain’s questionable assertions that the hijackers were Eastern European!”
    “I know, but combined with the attack on the refinery in Mexico ...”
    Cervantes shook his head.
    “I can’t believe we’re ready to risk a war. Luis, can we even be sure we’d win?”
    If it had been anyone else, Madrigal might have dismissed them as cowards, but he had seen Cervantes prove his bravery countless times over the years. “You think they can match
us?”
    “Maybe not financially.” Cervantes shrugged. “But then they don’t have to contend with a hostile state initiative backed by a foreign superpower. Not to mention some of
the fucking lunatics they can call on.”
    Madrigal knew all about the Kosovars’ ties to various fundamentalist groups but did not see what choice he had.
    “If we don’t move, the Alliance will fall apart.”
    “Why do you say that? Has that asshole Zaragosa demanded action?”
    “No, but I can’t afford to wait until he does. If I don’t take the initiative now, later it will look like I’m buckling to internal pressure. That would bring its own
problems.”
    Cervantes knew he was right but had deep misgivings about the direction they were taking. They sat in silence for some time, the oppressive weight of Madrigal’s decision hanging over
them.
    “Okay, then we need to decide what it is we want from the action,” Cervantes said at last. “Are we aiming to wipe the Kosovars out?”
    “Jesus, no. I just want them to back off, if they are behind the attacks. Even if we
could
take them off the board completely the cost would be too high and who knows how it would
affect our access to Europe.”
    “Then we’ll need to ensure that they can survive whatever we do.”
    “Yes but on the other hand, if our action is too weak, it might encourage them further.”
    “Not to mention providing Rodriguez and the others with something else to fucking stir things up.”
    “Exactly. Tell me, you’ve had some dealings with Lubomir Uka, how did he strike you?”
    “Careful, a planner, someone who takes his time and tries to see the bigger picture. He balances out some of the other more impetuous leaders of the Fifteen Families.”
    “That was my impression as well which is why any targets we select should belong to him. If we were to move against one of the others there would be no subsequent opportunity to broker a
truce, regardless of how much control we exercised.”
    “You’re hoping Uka will see sense and convince the others to go along. It’s a big fucking gamble, what if he can’t do it, what if we’ve misread him?”
    “Then we’ll have to deal with it,” he said matter-of-factly. “Any suggestions on what we should target?”
    “I know Uka controls a number of heroin refineries and depots in Ankara. It should be possible to draw up a list of four or five of the less crucial ones.”
    “Perfect,” the drug lord nodded, “the material loss would be minor but it would still make a statement. There’s one more thing we need to consider however.”
    “What’s that?”
    “After the attacks, someone will have to approach Uka, explain the restraint we showed and stress that this should be seen as a conclusion to matters.”
    The two men locked eyes.
    “I’ll do it,” Cervantes said.
    “You’re sure?”
    “Who else can we trust?”
    Madrigal leaned forward and tapped Raul’s knee.
    “Listen, I want you to be careful, you’re not to participate directly in the raids. Conduct the meeting with Uka and then get back here.”
    “He’ll see sense, don’t worry,” Cervantes replied, pushing the doubts from his mind.
    “Okay,