Abrams looked at them – six, with ten rounds in each. He removed his own weapon – a large HK45C, and ejected the existing clip, sliding in one of the salt-based ones. He slid the rest into the pockets of his Kevlar vest. Sixty shots to save the world, he thought grimly.

He pulled his phone out and started to key in rapid words. If Kearns was still in communication, then he needed to listen, and right now.

Chapter 22

Matt watched Adira as she calmly disappeared around the block to scale a few fences and then try and make it to the brownstone’s roof. From there, she said she’d find a way in, and then come down through the building and open the door for him – simple.

He waited for what seemed like ages, and then turned and shrugged at Andy, who was sitting so low in the front seat of the car he was now just a hairdo and a pair of eyes floating over the dashboard.

Andy held up his hands, in a I-dunno-what’s-going-on mime, and then pointed at himself. Matt shook his head and waved him down. In turn, Andy shook his head even more forcefully. Matt ground his teeth and waved an arm. Do as you’re told, he scowled in return.

Matt turned back to the building. She’ll skin you alive if you fuck this up, he thought. He liked Andy, but the guy’s hormones needed to be recalibrated. So far he’d made a play for Adira – rebuffed, and then Tania Kovitz – ignored. He was batting two for none. At least he wasn’t a quitter, that’s something, Matt guessed.

Thinking about Tania made Matt wonder about how long the military woman had been playing the double game, watching them and informing on them every step of the way. Oh god, he had slept with her – not that he’d got much sleep. Hellcat, he remembered. He had kinda liked it at the time, but now that he knew she was just doing it as a job, it made him feel he’d been deluded about his own prowess. So much for his abilities to win her over with his fantastic love-making. His face felt hot.

He turned his focus back to the doors. He had to wipe his brow – it wasn’t just his face feeling hot, the heat seemed to be radiating up from the ground itself. He didn’t want to think about what could be causing it. He remembered an old literary quote from his high-school days – Hell is empty and all the devils are here – not quite yet, he hoped.

It was taking too long, he thought, and shifted from foot to foot, trying to act casual, standing out the front of a pair of huge double doors in a strange street that was still as death. He started to contemplate edging back to the car, or calling Adira on his phone, or at least texting her to keep the noise down.