‘Six have liaised with their mates in the Foreign Office. They’ve reached a decision.’

‘And?’

‘We need to have a chat with Seguma. Bring him in. Patrick and Alex can sit in on this, too.’ Mallet’s eyes rested on Lang. ‘You. Fuck-face. Wait on the balcony.’

‘That’s not very friendly, son.’

‘We’re from the Cell. We’re not in the business of being nice.’

‘What about my deal?’

‘They’re processing the paperwork now. Shouldn’t take much longer.’

‘Yeah, well, speed it up. I’m bored shitless sitting here with you mugs.’

Bowman left the room and hurried down the hallway. He levered open the study door, motioned for the others to follow him. Seguma glanced up at him, his face stricken with anxiety and fear. Webb and Casey pulled him up from the leather armchair and ushered him back down the hallway into the living room. He entered the living room behind Bowman and abruptly stopped as he caught sight of Lang. The latter was sitting on a chair on the balcony outside, looking miserable. The door had been locked, trapping him on the terrace. There was no other way off, other than the sheer drop to the streets below.

‘Take a seat, sir,’ Mallet said, stiffly.

His tone was friendly enough, but the look in his eyes carried a threat of violence.

Seguma dropped into the same chair Lang had occupied, took off his trilby hat, placed it on his lap. He watched the others in silence as they sat round the table.

‘It’s over,’ Mallet said. ‘Lang told us everything.’

Seguma glanced outside at Lang. ‘David talked?’

‘He spilled his guts. Gave us chapter and verse on your deal with the Russians.’

Mallet briefly explained the situation to Webb and Casey. The Russian conspiracy to force Seguma from power and put their own guy in office. The threat to violently overthrow Seguma’s regime if he refused to agree to the terms on offer. Lang’s role as an intermediary, taking a percentage from both sides. The cobalt rush.

Casey said, ‘I’m surprised.’

Mallet said, ‘About what?’

‘How did Lang manage to keep this whole thing secret for so long? We’ve been watching him for months. Surely someone must have picked up on it at Vauxhall.’

‘Not necessarily. A deal this big, Lang will have been cautious. More than usual.’

‘But he must have left a trail. Electronic comms, messages.’

‘The Russians could have advised him on all of that,’ Mallet said. ‘They’d have a system in place.’

‘Lang meets with a lot of Russians in his business dealings,’ Bowman added. ‘He gets a lot of high-rollers at his casinos. It wouldn’t have been hard to arrange a few clandestine meetings.’

Mallet turned to the president.