‘Your foreign secretary, he never returns my calls,’ Seguma said bitterly. ‘I ask for aid from your country, military help to deal with my enemies. It never comes. I tell you I have big problems, drought, my people are starving, you don’t care. But now, all of a sudden, the Russians take an interest in my country, and you pretend we are friends.’

‘I’m deeply sorry you feel that way.’

‘Lang was a fool for persuading me to do business with the Russians. But I had my reasons. You people never support me. It’s all just words, words. Give us some cash and tell us to go away.’

‘Britain considers you a dear friend,’ the Voice said. ‘We always have.’

‘If that is true, you have a very strange way of showing it.’

‘We’ve made mistakes. We’re prepared to admit that. But that’s all in the past, sir. Downing Street wants to start over. The government is keen to demonstrate its support . . . as long as you’re willing to pledge your loyalty to us.’

‘You are too late.’ Seguma shook his head slowly. ‘I cannot go back to Karatandu, not now.’

‘Mr President, you cannot allow the Russians to coerce you into stepping aside. They can’t be trusted. We both know that.’

Seguma spread his hands across the table, like a guy showing a weak hand in a high-stakes poker game.

‘How can I go back now? If I refuse the deal from the Russians, they will infiltrate my country anyway. I will lose everything.’

Mallet took a final drag on his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray. ‘You’ll lose a lot more than that, if you go to that meeting,’ he said. ‘In fact, I doubt you’d make it out of there alive.’

‘They wouldn’t kill me. Surely?’

Mallet answered with a shrug.

The Voice said, ‘There is another way out of this situation, sir. One that doesn’t involve surrendering to Moscow.’

Seguma turned his head to one side. ‘How?’

‘If you agree to remain in office, we can help you quell the rebellion.’

‘With what? My army is poorly equipped, some of my generals cannot be trusted.’

‘The British government is ready to back you with the full weight of our Special Forces teams. We’re mobilising a squadron from the SAS, plus teams from the SBS and SFSG. They can be on the ground within the next twenty-four hours.’

Mallet said, ‘We’re talking about almost two hundred soldiers, plus weaponry and vehicles. Those lads will provide an immediate boost to your security forces. With their help, your troops will stand an excellent chance of defeating the enemy in detail.’

‘But what happens after your men leave? I will be at the mercy of my own people. What if they take to the streets again?’