Lebrun seemed to suddenly forget his imminent heart attack, and now the redness in his cheeks was a flush of anger. ‘You’re insane if you think I’d help you with a terrorist act. I’ll die first. And who is this poor young woman? What are you animals doing to her? It’s an outrage. Hear me?’

Playing the hero. Nazim glanced at Abbud, who shrugged as though to say, ‘I told you so.’

They could have tortured Lebrun into compliance, but torture takes time and has its limitations, especially when dealing with chronically ill subjects who are liable to drop dead from sudden cardiac arrest, defeating the object of the exercise. The alternative method was much more effective. Nazim threw the female hostage roughly to the floor, pinned her down with his boot and pressed his rifle muzzle to her throat. Her eyes were rolling and she made a gurgling sound. Nazim said, very calmly and evenly, ‘You will help us, or you will watch this female’s blood spray across your face, and you will die knowing that you could have spared her life. Your choice, kafir. Which is it to be?’

Lebrun boggled up at Nazim, then down at the hostage, then back at Nazim. Sweat poured from his brow, ran into his eyes and made him blink. ‘A-all right. I’ll … I’ll take you there and show you. Don’t hurt her. Please! I have a daughter the same age.’

Nazim took the gun away from the girl’s throat. She was spluttering and holding her neck, tears rolling backwards from the corners of her eyes. He yanked her harshly to her feet. He would kill her afterwards anyway. ‘Good. Then lead the way. And no tricks, or you’ll see what happens next.’

Lebrun was yanked up from his chair, shoved out of the office and made to lead the way through the building, one thick arm held tightly in Dariush’s grip. He muttered, ‘What are you going to put in the water?’

‘That’s not your concern,’ Abbud said.

‘Okay. Okay. We have to get to the main reservoir tanks.’ They came to a fire door and Lebrun gasped, ‘We can go out this way. It’s quicker.’ Dariush shouldered the door open. It led to a fire escape with a heavy outer door fitted with a panic bar. There were large windows either side, facing out onto the rear of the building and a view of all the large circular reservoirs, gantries, bridges and pumping stations stretching out far and wide.

Still holding onto Lebrun, Dariush grabbed the panic bar and shoved open the outer door. Nazim was standing three or four feet behind with the female hostage, Jafar and Abbud to his sides and Zahran hovering behind. Nazim felt he could trust Lebrun to lead them to the right place. They were close now. Triumph was inevitable.

And then it all suddenly fell apart.