‘So that’s it,’ said Abbott, who despite the situation, the need to reach Tess, the battle raging at his back, still felt a numbness creep over him, a sense of shock. ‘I thought I was a proxy for Lady Norton, but this whole time, pretty much since I arrived in Derby, I’ve been yours?’

‘You went to Derby to seek justice for your brother,’ insisted McGregor, ‘I’m helping you deliver it. We’re on the same side, you and I.’

Abbott shook his head. ‘Fuck this. I haven’t got time for this. I’ve got to get to Tess.’

‘There are guards up there. They’ll pick you off. I know a back way,’ said McGregor. ‘Let me take you there.’

He had that same wildness in the eyes that Abbott now knew as a sense of the prize being so close. ‘We have them where we want them,’ said McGregor breathlessly. ‘We’ll never have this chance again. We’ll never get them together again. We can finish the job.’

The irony of his own intentions repeated back to him was not lost on Abbott, but he followed McGregor anyway as he led them along the side of the building to a wooden fence, ducking through the slats and then around the back to where a fireescape door had been propped open.

He put a finger to his lips. Abbott acknowledged him and took point, climbing steps to the floor above, where there was another fire exit leading out onto the balcony.

Abbott peered out, saw Wilson with his M-16, the barrel trained on the entrance to the court. Across the way, on the other side of the square, was List, similarly preoccupied, neither of them expecting the direction of attack to change.

Abbott motioned McGregor to stay behind and then stepped smartly out onto the balcony. He took out List with one shot, being forced to use only his good arm as the functionality of the other started to subside. Not ideal but it worked. Just. He swung the Sig and took Wilson.

His second shot had wounded Wilson and Abbott took a quick step forward, looking down at him as he lay in agony on the balcony. ‘You bastard,’ he said to Abbott, through bared and bloodstained teeth.

‘I’m going to have to take a raincheck on that talk me and you planned to have,’ he said, and finished the job.

Then he was dashing along the balcony with McGregor at his heel until they reached the ‘Guest Suite’ where Tess was being held.