‘The Clement Attlee is a yacht,’ exploded Ross. ‘I live in Switzerland. What the fuck am I going to do with a yacht in Switzerland?’

‘My son Simon shall receive monies to the same value,’ continued Coombs.

‘But that’s not fair,’ complained Ross, not wanting to give either Kennedy or Coombs the satisfaction but unable to help himself, ‘I want the money, not a yacht.’

The grin on Simon’s face slid off as Coombs continued, ‘But these monies shall only be awarded when Simon is able to provide my lawyer, Jeffrey Coombs,’ he looked up again as though to confirm that, yes, it was he, Jeffrey Coombs, ‘with the medical proof of a year’s abstinence from any form of hard drugs.’

Coombs continued. Montana was gifted an estate in Norfolk. She nodded with a look as though to say it was her birthright. Nothing less than she deserved. For Clifford Levine there was nothing. Not yet, anyway.

Now came the main event.

‘As for the distribution of my controlling stock in Norton Gaming, I have devised something unusual.’

They tensed. Montana’s jaw set and her eyes closed as though in anticipation of bad news.

‘First, I should like to make it clear that the controlling stock in Norton Gaming will be awarded to one person and one person only.’

Their eyes widened, because what they all knew was that houses and cars and even the private jet was one thing. The big prize, and the reason that they all felt that same hunger, was a controlling stake in Norton Gaming, an empire worth over 100 billion.

Whoever had that share was effectively the head of one of the country’s largest companies, which as well as wealth meant influence and power. It meant having the prime minister’s private number. It meant the royal family and the president of the United States would take your calls. It meant taking a seat at the top of the table and watching as you bent the world to your own will.

‘As you know, my first passion has always been for games, and so to decide who shall be the one, I have devised a game,’ continued Coombs. ‘A game that I trust you will find most diverting.’

Chapter 10

CHAPTER 10

Abbott had planned to spend the rest of the morning drinking and watching TV, but that was before he realised that he’d left his jacket in The Sportsman. Which meant that even though he’d fully intended to offer his apologies for last night’s disturbance when the dust had settled, he was going to have to do it sooner rather than later. As in, today.