Tom picked up the phone and looked at the screen, which was filled with the ugly face of Zjelko Branko. The man was shouting, ‘Luka, Luka! What is happening?’

Tom operated the icon on the screen to reverse the camera so it focused on his own face, still smeared in camouflage cream. The shock at the sight of Tom’s cam-cream-smeared image was clear on Branko’s face. ‘Novak!’

Tom spoke, his voice even, deadpan and emotionless. ‘Branko, you don’t need to say anything. There is nothing you can say. Your sons are dead. All your people are dead. I would advise that you try and enjoy the rest of your life, Branko. Live every day as it is your last, knowing that wherever you go, wherever you try and hide, I am coming for you.’ Tom finished the call and dropped the phone onto Luka’s corpse.

He ran over to Cameron and Shona, cut their restraints and removed the duct tape as gently as he could from their mouths.

‘It’s over,’ he said and the three of them sat and hugged each other on the damp earth in the dawn sunshine, Shona sobbing quietly.

*

They sat there for a few minutes, just gathering their thoughts and letting the horror of what had happened sink in, before Cameron said, ‘You got some friends helping you then, boy?’ The relief was evident on his face.

‘It would seem so,’ he said, looking in the direction of the sniper.

Almost on cue the bark of the quad bike’s engine jumped out from the direction Tom had left it. The noise increased, and it could be heard coming along the forest track five-hundred metres away. Tom was grateful for the departed high winds that had masked his arrival on the quad bike the night before.

Cameron broke the silence once again. ‘Come on, love, let’s get you in the house and get the kettle on,’ he said, standing and offering his hand to Shona. He pulled her upright and she looked directly at Tom. Her eyes were full of terror and tears rolled down her cheeks. She was deathly pale and looked older than her years.

‘I knew you’d come, darling. I knew it,’ she smiled with tears in her eyes.

‘Both of you go inside while I see who’s coming. Cameron, take a look at Shona’s finger. We will need to get her to the hospital as soon as we can, but we really don’t want cops up here right now.’ said Tom. There was some clearing up to do; it suddenly struck him that they had six dead bodies to deal with.

The quad’s engine grew louder as it approached the cottage, having traversed the forest track, eventually reaching the main road which led to the farmhouse access track.