He said, ‘You probably never even knew her name. Neither did I. Samara was just what I called her, to make her seem more real to me, not just another piece of torn-up meat. She was an ordinary person caught up in that hell, like the rest of us. She didn’t have to die like that. Men like you made her die. Her and many others. There’s a Samara in every village, in every town and city, vulnerable to falling prey to you and your kind. That’s why I had to end this. Not for politics, not for religion or ideology, and damn well not for country.’

Nazim sank back to the floor and gave a gasp. ‘And you had your wish,’ he murmured softly. ‘It is over.’

‘Yes, it’s over, Nazim. For you and all your men. You failed. But at least you can die knowing that you gave it all you had. Maybe there’s still a place for you in Paradise, if Allah can forgive you.’

Nazim smiled. ‘He is most forgiving.’ Then the life washed out of his eyes, his head rolled limply to one side and he was dead.

Chapter 65

Ben was on his way back to attend to Roxane when the whole building was suddenly swarming with black-clad GIGN troops. They’d come ready for a full-scale war: battle armour, helmets, respirators, goggles and military weaponry bristling in all directions.

Finding himself rapidly surrounded, Ben put down his gun and made no attempt to resist arrest. He was tempted to say something clever like ‘What took you so long?’ but kept his mouth shut as, with admirable thoroughness and no small amount of yelling, they put him down on his face and trussed his hands behind his back with a plastic tie. Then he was marched outside with dozens of cocked assault weapons poking at him. The police had closed in hard and fast, stealthily and in large numbers. The water treatment plant compound was awash with personnel and vehicles. Four ambulances were rushing to the scene, though they’d probably need more. A fire crew were busy dousing the flames that had consumed much of the front portion of the main building. Black armed response vans were still arriving, pouring yet more boots on the ground as though it was going to take every armed cop in France to contain a situation that was already over.

Ben’s escorts led him across the compound towards a waiting unmarked police van with smoked-out windows. In the midst of the melee he spotted Jeff and Tuesday, likewise cuffed and surrounded by hordes of anti-terror troops in black who were herding them into another pair of identical plain vans. As happy as he was to see his friends unscathed, it upset him that he’d brought this trouble on them. He should never have called on their help.

There was no sign of Tyler Roth anywhere.