With just a light shove, Nash pushed her lifeless body back through to the first chamber. That moment would haunt him forever. Her entrapment had been a relatively minor affair, but, exacerbated by sheer terror, she had not been able to back out.

It took Nash ten minutes to put on his rebreather and drag Natalie back up the tunnel to the main chamber. Inflating his buoyancy vest, he sped her to the surface. Dragging her out of the water, he laid her on her side to clear her airway.

While he searched for her pulse, he felt an intense itching break out all over his body. He couldn’t leave her to go and decompress. No fucking way.

There was no pulse.

‘C’mon, baby, c’mon,’ he urged, rolling her on to her back.

Although it had been more than fifteen minutes since Natalie had drawn her last breath, Nash performed a relentless, brutal CPR, shouting, begging, praying and willing her to breathe.

Why had she missed or misinterpreted his awkward first response on the line? Why had she foolishly come in to check he was all right?

Why?

Chapter 33

Chapter 33

Jayawijaya Province, Papua, confluence of the Hoosenbeck and Sepik rivers

Sweeping in from the west, the now beaten-up Jet Ranger banked around the ship in a long, lazy circle. On the quarterdeck, Kaboro drained his morning coffee and braced himself for a day of further compromise. At least he now knew what he’d sold his soul for. Sir Julius had called to explain the expedition was, in fact, a covert salvage job, vitally needed to replenish department coffers.

‘The deal with General Suyanto is fifty-fifty, Kaboro, and not an ingot less. I want every man on that vessel watching that cargo like his life depended on it.’

For a moment, Kaboro wondered where the bullion was destined for. Probably the Bahamas or some other offshore tax haven. But it was no longer any concern of his. All that mattered now was saving Toby from the horrors of Bomona jail.

The Jet Ranger settled on the pad, and Kaboro’s bubble of unease grew as two armed Indonesian soldiers and an officer alighted with Sura. He noted their red berets with distaste. Kopassus. Sir Julius hadn’t mentioned their involvement.

On deck, he exchanged looks with Singkepe, who had marshalled the men.

‘I don’t like this,’ the NCO muttered.

‘Probably just more fingers in the pie. Keep the men calm.’

Singkepe’s cool stare made Kaboro feel ashamed. It summed up his loss of face since the massacre, especially with his own crew, who would no longer meet his eyes.

Sura came up with the Indonesian officer and flashed that repellent TV smile.

‘Good to see you, Lieutenant. This is Kapten Alatas. He’s the local authority.’

The Indonesian officer made no attempt at a greeting. Not missing a beat, Sura pressed on brightly.