‘I’m afraid so, John.’ Gregory held up his clamshell phone. ‘I’ve just been speaking with Brigadier Ikouma. Commander of the Karatandan Army. He’s received several reports from one of the garrisons near Marafeni. The rebels captured the airport an hour ago.’

‘But that means they must have taken full control of the capital,’ Bowman said.

‘Worse than that, I’m afraid. According to the brigadier, General Kakuba’s forces have closed off the borders and taken over the major crossing points. No one is allowed in or out. Which means the KUF have assumed de facto control of the country.’

Loader’s eyes bulged with shock. ‘Those bastards have been busy. They’re moving fast. A few more hours and they’ll have the coup wrapped up.’

‘It’s the Russians,’ Mallet said. ‘They’re a game changer. The smart money says they were the ones directing the attack on the airport.’

‘We should notify Six,’ said Casey. ‘Tell them about the airport. The teams coming in will have to find an alternative place to land.’

Gregory said, ‘There’s a private airfield twenty miles up the road. President Seguma had it built for his family, to make it easier to jet in and out of here. Some of the guys could land there.’

‘I’ll let Vauxhall know,’ said Mallet. ‘Where’s the brigadier now?’

‘Holed up in an army base in the north. With a few of his loyal men.’

‘And the rest of his troops?’

‘Scattered around the country. Some of them have dispersed or surrendered to the rebels. The rest are barricaded up inside their bases.’

‘Why aren’t they out taking the fight to the rebels?’ Loader asked.

‘They’re waiting to see which way the wind blows. They won’t want to risk their lives if they think it’s a lost cause.’

‘Fucking great,’ said Loader. ‘The local squaddies are worried about getting clipped, so they’re leaving us to deal with the mess instead. It’s nice to know they’re up for a scrap.’

‘It is what it is.’

Casey said, ‘Have you had any trouble from the rebels?’

‘Not a sniff,’ replied Gregory.

‘They’ll come,’ Mallet said. ‘They have to. General Kakuba won’t rest as long as Seguma’s wife and kids are still at large. They’re too much of a threat to his credibility.’

His phone suddenly hummed into life. He wandered off to take the call, talking in a low voice to Six while the others waited near the bar. The infant was still crying despite his mother’s best attempts to calm him down. The two boys were engrossed in their iPad game. The president’s brother drank from a plastic bottle of water and touched a graze on his head. His wife, the president’s sister-in-law, stared off into nowhere, lost in her thoughts.

Gregory planted a hand on Bowman’s shoulder and smiled.