Aziz slowly nodded. He pressed the flat of his hand to his chest. ‘I am not a well man. I’m old and weak, but let it not be said that I backed away from my enemies. Give me a gun and I will fight.’

‘My dear fellow, if you think you’re old,’ Father Bugnolio said in amazement, ‘what does that make an ancient greybeard like me, with legs like sticks and fading eyesight? But I shall know no fear. For the Lord your God is the One who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.’

‘Amen to that,’ said Holt. ‘If that’s how it has to be, then so be it.’

None of which seemed to offer much consolation to Ramin. ‘Stay close to me, Ramin,’ Madison said to him tenderly. ‘I’ll look after you, okay?’

Ramin nodded sullenly.

‘And you, Francine,’ Ben said, turning to her, ‘you stay close to the children.’

Francine shook her head and looked resolute. ‘A tigress does not cower in the back of the lair with her cubs, but stands guard at the entrance to ward off danger. I’ll stand and fight with the rest of you.’

‘Very well,’ Ben replied, seeing there was no possibility of dissuading her. ‘Can you handle a gun?’

‘I have my brother’s rifle,’ she said tersely. ‘I know what to do with it.’

‘Madison?’

She looked at him, jutting her chin. ‘Hey, you know I can handle myself okay. If you’re suggesting that I should butt out of this and leave everyone else to do the work—’

‘I wouldn’t even dream of it,’ Ben said. ‘Jaden?’

‘All set,’ Wolf said. ‘We’ve enough hardware to go around, locked, loaded and ready to rock’n’roll.’

‘Chris?’

‘I said we were committed, whatever happens,’ Holt replied. ‘I meant what I said.’

‘Richard?’

The prince shrugged resignedly. ‘This will be my first big action,’ he admitted. ‘If you say we’re better off drawing our battle lines up here than trying to retreat, then who am I to argue? So be it. Let’s give it everything we’ve got.’

‘Right on, Prince,’ Baldacci said. ‘That’s the best thing I’ve heard you say yet.’

Ben said, ‘Good enough. All right then, people. Here’s what we’re going to d—’

But he never finished telling them. Because just then, two things happened.

The first was that Doug Liebowitz came running in, radiant with excitement and clutching the reassembled sat phone. ‘I think I’ve fixed it!’ he announced brightly. ‘No satellite connection in here, but I reckon it’ll work.’ His face fell at the sight of all the grim expressions turning towards him. Until this moment he’d had no idea what was going on. ‘W-what?’ he stammered.