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In this exclusive short story from New York Times bestselling author Michael Koryta, a crime boss and his trusted enforce encounter their most dangerous adversary yet: innocence. Dainius Belov had enjoyed an unprecedented run at the top of the city�s crime empire since arriving from Russia in the spring of 1991. He was smart, he was ruthless, he was cautious, and he was protected by a man named Thor. In their 22 years together, rivals had risen and fallen on a regular basis, and most often at Thor�s hand. There was a time, maybe, when this role as primary enforcer would have bothered Thor. That time was hard for him to recall, though, and after enough years he was no longer certain it had ever existed. The craft of killing came to him in stages. First had been the obvious � kill or be killed. It was important to be skilled in a violent world. In a place alive with predators, the apex predator lived the longest... From the Author INTERVIEW WITH MICHAEL KORYTA Q: THE APEX PREDATOR overlaps with, or at least draws from, some of your novels. How did that come about? A: The main character in this story is a Russian enforcer named Thor, who appears repeatedly as a secondary cast member of the Lincoln Perry series. I'd always enjoyed writing him, with his unusual diction and his preference for what seemed a genteel set of manners despite his bloody profession. Recently,� a TV project led �me to go back and look at TONIGHT I SAID GOODBYE and A WELCOME GRAVE and once again I was intrigued by Thor, but this time the draw was to tell a story from his perspective, to get inside his head. So things basically reverse - Lincoln Perry is the backup cast to Thor in this one. Q: And the big cats of THE RIDGE, right? A: Oh, yes, I can't forget about them. I did some research for that one at an incredible place called the Exotic Feline Rescue Center. In fact, I became more involved with the center after the book was out than during the research. There's a very true and tragic story about an investigation called Operation Snowplow in which tigers were being raised and then slaughtered. That one stuck with me, and I always intended to write about it in some fashion. In my newspaper days, I wrote some stories about "canned hunting" preserves where you can pay $10,000 or whatever the rate is and be guaranteed the chance to, say, kill a boar with a spear. (Really). In some cases the animal is sedated, and in others the animal is used to being fed at what eventually becomes the kill site, and in all cases they are contained by fences. It didn't strike me as the "sporting" approach, and I thought that would matter deeply to a man like Thor. Q: The anti-hero is a popular subgenre. Is that what you are exploring with Thor? A: Not particularly. I don't think of him as hero, anti-hero, or villain. I think of him as a character with multiple facets and flaws. More stark flaws than some others, perhaps. But I always strive to see the lead characters in shades of gray. I love, love, love a morally compromised character. Q: Your private eye series has been dormant for a few years, but Lincoln Perry returns (briefly) in these pages. Do you see that as an open door to a new novel? A: I really don't know. It was nice to see him again. But there is an element - and I think a lot of people don't understand this - to how young I was when I wrote those books that holds me back. I was literally working with Lincoln when I was 18 years old. It has been good to move on. That said, I always anticipate a tug to return. This story whetted the appetite, certainly...but maybe for more Thor stories. Q: You mentioned the canned-hunting stories from your journalism days, and you were also a private investigator. Now you write full time. Do you ever miss those jobs? A: Daily. I've always viewed writing as a vocation, something I had to do whether I made a dime or not, and I've been fortunate enough to make some dimes. But it's still the ultimate joy. I did enjoy PI work and journalism, and I actually dabble a bit with both on occasion. I still help out on some cases when my old PI boss (former boss, he wouldn't like the old in there) calls. Q: It has been your first year without a book since you were still in college, I believe. THE PROPHET was your most successful book to date, a New York Times bestseller. Any pressure from that? Any hint as to what is on the horizon? A: I apply enough pressure and self-loathing to my work on a daily basis that I think it would be difficult to add more! I kid...to an extent. But I really do think the most effective "pressure" will come internally. My job is to block out the external. THE PROPHET wasn't a DA VINCI CODE or GONE GIRL - dealing with follow-ups to those would be a greater challenge, I'm sure. My last novel was moderately successful. That's a comfortable space to occupy. As for what's on the horizon, the new novel is called THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD, and it is set in the Montana wilderness, with a child witness to a homicide on the run through the mountains, and into a forest fire. I took a little extra time off for hands-on research - survival school, mountain trips, etc - and I also had to devote some time to screenwriting, so that was the reason for the delay. I haven't crumpled beneath my desk from the pressure. (Yet). Q: Screenwriting? What's in the works? A: Well, we have a number of projects afloat. THOSE WHO WISH ME DEAD has already been optioned by 20th Century Fox. SO COLD THE RIVER is with New Regency, THE CYPRESS HOUSE with Chris Columbus, THE PROPHET with Nick Wechsler and Channing Tatum is also attached to that. We've got Oscar-winners on about everything! We'll see what happens. I co-wrote a pilot based on THE RIDGE that just secured some very, very exciting TV news. As I always say, my mantra is "cross your fingers but don't hold your breath" when it comes to these things. Q: Will we see more of Thor as a feature character? A: I'd love to do more with him, yes. He's a fun guy to write. Q: More tigers? A: Ha. I doubt that. It's a stretch to work them into a novel as easily as, say, a dog. But I do love the animals and worry about their plight in this country, the abuse and the lack of quality homes. A portion of the proceeds from this story will go to exoticfelinerescuecenter.org and tigersinamerica.org so I hope everyone knows that their $1.99 is also supporting a terrific charitable cause.