‘The only white man I’ve ever been interested in is you. But, for sure, you’re not so pretty.’ She frowned at the bleeding split on his forehead. ‘Especially now!’

With a growl he lifted her up, burying his face in her neck. She could still smell the battle on him – the blood, sweat and cordite. The rawness of it thrilled her, and for a moment she wanted him right there. But there was a more immediate need.

Placing her tiny hands on each side of Boerman’s broad face, she stared into his china blue eyes.

‘Do you trust me, Jaap?’

He blinked. ‘With my life.’

‘I want you by my side, but you need to know your place.’

‘But –’

She placed her finger across his lips. ‘No more buts. Whenever you take matters into your own hands you jeopardise my future. There cannot be any more mistakes. Do you understand?’

‘You’d let me go?’ His voice was a groan. ‘Please, Sura . . .’

‘Put me down, Jaap.’

On the verge of tears, he obeyed.

His eyes opened wide as she began undoing his belt. Pushing him down on the narrow bed, she worked the big man skilfully with both hands. Although temperamental, Jaap was a magnificent tactical weapon. And, as with any good weapon, he required regular servicing, something the daughter of a military man understood full well.

While Jaap bucked and moaned, Sura evaluated their chances. Despite all the setbacks and the unfortunate synchronicity of Doctor Carter ending up on this ship, the truth was they were still on track. Thanks to Sir Julius Michaels’ insatiable greed, Kaboro and his goons were blundering about in the dark, and with Goki out of the picture, her father was, too, although for how long? Just thinking about that question unconsciously tightened her grip, and Jaap came with a gasping shudder.

She was washing her hands in the small sink, when the chime of an incoming Skype call jarred them both.

‘It’s my father,’ she groaned, overcome with superstitious dread at having inadvertently awakened his dark presence merely by thinking of him. ‘We must have signal.’

‘Disable the vision,’ Boerman hissed, doing up his pants. ‘Quickly.’

‘Sura, are you there? Sura?’

‘Yes, Father.’ She blamed the lack of picture on the quality of the mobile hotspot.

‘What on earth is going on out there?’ The demand sounded tinny through the small speaker. ‘I’ve just had a disturbing call from Sir Julius.’

Sura unconsciously bared her teeth. Of course, the greedy old crook would have rung.

‘We had a minor incident, Father. The boat ran aground. The soldiers had to fight off an attack.’

‘Stop lying,’ he snarled. ‘I told you this was a covert mission. I told you to leave this to the experts.’

Sura met Boerman’s eye.

‘Father, I can explain.’

‘Indeed, you have much to explain.’ The disembodied voice was silky. ‘Start with why Goki is not answering my calls?’