‘Try doing your job,’ Ben said. ‘Now we not only have an innocent fatality on our hands, but three live witnesses who saw a bunch of western foreigners with guns in the apartment building. Doesn’t look too good for your mission, does it?’

‘We got out of there in time, didn’t we?’ Goffin countered, flushing dark. ‘Nobody else saw us.’

‘I’m not in the habit of depending on luck,’ Ben said.

‘This isn’t your mission.’

‘No, you’re right. Because if it was, at least my guys would know who we’re going around killing kids in order to find. I have a real problem with how you people are running this operation.’

Goffin stood up and jabbed a finger at Ben’s chest. ‘You’ve got a problem, all right. A hearing problem. Because I’m just not getting through to you, am I? What part of “that’s above your pay grade” don’t you understand?’

‘I’m not getting paid to be here,’ Ben replied. ‘I’m here because they needed someone on board who knew what they were doing.’

‘Leave it alone,’ Buchanan told Ben.

Ben looked from one man to the other, and for a brief moment considered whose neck he’d most like to break first. Neither choice would probably have been such a good idea, however satisfying and well-deserved. Letting the moment pass, he turned away, snatched a set of van keys and a radio handset off the table and headed for the door.

Buchanan came after him, and stood in his way. ‘And just where exactly do you think you’re going?’

Ben replied, ‘For a walk. Thought I might drive out into the city and see if I can find a nice park or something. There’s one near the Pakistan Embassy, if memory serves me right. I fancy going for a stroll around, enjoy the feeling of grass under my feet, sit on a bench in the sunshine, read a newspaper, chill out for a while.’

‘Are you crazy? We’re on a fucking undercover mission here.’

‘I know how that works,’ Ben said. ‘I was being deployed on black ops into places you’ve never even heard of while you were still at school, Captain.’

Buchanan got the hint. He shook his head. ‘You can’t pull rank on me. You’re not a major any more. And you’re not commander of this mission.’

Ben said, ‘No, I’m just a guy who’s decided to go for a walk. Are you going to stop me? Because you’d be picking a really, really bad moment to try that on, after your performance today. Don’t even think about it.’