‘After that it all happened very fast. The new guy moved to my side and reached for a gun from the back of his trousers and I just hit the floor and rolled under the bed. I’m not sure where I thought I was going, what it would achieve; it was just instinct. The guy walked around the bed, grabbed me by my top and hauled me out all the while waving his gun and cursing, still in French. Once he had me on my feet, I saw Freddie in the door. His arm was up and his gun was aimed right at my head. The guy holding me went nuts hissing something I couldn’t make out. All I heard him saying was, “Vivant! Vivant!” and then he pushed me forward on to the bed and I heard the shots.’

‘They shot each other intentionally?’ said Jameson.

‘I’m pretty sure that’s what happened.’

‘And the guy holding you pushed you out of the way?’

‘He saved my life.’

Jameson met Bloom’s eye. ‘Vivant. It means alive. They need him alive.’

Bloom considered that. ‘Did Freddie get carried away? Start threatening to kill Harry?’

‘Maybe he’s the torturing psycho,’ said Jameson.

‘Torturing psycho?’ said Harry.

‘Sensitively done, Marcus,’ said Karene. ‘Perhaps you two might take a walk and I can fill Harry in on other developments?’

‘That was unfortunate,’ said Bloom as she and Jameson walked outside. He was looking suitably ashamed. That hadn’t been the best way to tell Harry about his cousin.

‘So, what do you reckon?’ he asked. ‘Who are these jokers? They insert Freddie as a porter, make him invisible and then – what? – he loses it? Or changes the game mid-play?’

‘Or they’re too disorganized to fully brief their team. What if they’d received separate instructions?’ said Bloom. ‘Not every group is a cold, calculating team of practised professionals.’

Jameson stopped. ‘What’s with the back-handed digs? I thought I was the one who was pissed off?’

‘And why is that, Marcus? What exactly do you have to be pissed off about?’

‘You know very well.’

‘Do I?’ Bloom folded her arms across her chest. He was referring to how she’d kept him in the dark about Seraphine’s identity. ‘I made a judgement call, in the heat of the moment and perhaps it was the wrong call, but I did not intentionally put you in harm’s way.’

‘That’s not what I’m angry about.’

‘Isn’t it?’

‘God no. You did what you had to do. I’d probably have done the same.’

Bloom raised her hands in a show of exasperation. ‘So what are you angry about then?’

He bit his lip hard as he looked up into the sky. When he looked back at her his face was a picture of disgust. ‘That you never thought it wise to tell me what you are.’

Bloom took a sharp intake of breath.