Chapters (37)
- Cover
- One
- Two
- Three
- Four
- Five
- Six
- Seven
- Eight
- Nine
- Ten
- Eleven
- Twelve
- Thirteen
- Fourteen
- Fifteen
- Sixteen
- Seventeen
- Eighteen
- Nineteen
- Twenty
- Twenty-One
- Twenty-Two
- Twenty-Three
- Twenty-Four
- Twenty-Five
- Twenty-Six
- Twenty-Seven
- Twenty-Eight
- Twenty-Nine
- Thirty
- Thirty-One
- Thirty-Two
- Thirty-Three
- Chris Ryan Readers’ Club?
- Letter from Author
- About the Author
‘Out of the question,’ Lungu said. ‘Mr Seguma doesn’t allow strangers to travel with him. He’ll never stand for it.’
‘That’s going to make our job tricky.’
‘Too bad. Even Mr Seguma’s personal bodyguards are forbidden from travelling in the same car. You will have to follow us, and that’s the end of it.’
Kember started to protest but Bowman cut him off. ‘We understand, ma’am. We’ll ride in our own wagon.’
‘Good.’ A thin smile flickered across her lips. The gatekeeper to the big man celebrating another small victory. Putting the two foreigners in their place.
‘We’ll be leaving here at ten thirty.’ She glanced at her Cartier watch. ‘Two hours from now. Mr Seguma is due to arrive at Westminster Abbey at ten forty-five. There’s a holding area a few streets away, I believe. For the bodyguards. I assume you’ll wait with Mr Seguma’s security detail?’
Bowman shook his head. ‘We’ve got clearance to enter the Abbey. Me and Dave will have eyes on the principal during the wedding.’
‘But you just said there’s no danger at the Abbey.’
‘There isn’t, in all likelihood. But it’s better to be on the safe side.’
‘What’s your boss’s schedule for the afternoon?’ asked Kember.
Lungu said, ‘Once the wedding is over, Mr Seguma will return here. Around two o’clock. Then we’ll head over to the Greybourn Hotel for the party. You’ll be joining us for that, I assume?’
‘Yes, ma’am,’ Bowman said.
‘The party begins at six. Mr Seguma’s driver will pick us up fifteen minutes beforehand. You can follow us to the venue.’
‘We’ll need somewhere to station ourselves close by. Keep an eye on the principal.’
‘Shouldn’t be a problem. Mr Seguma’s security team will have a table near one of the exits. I’m sure they can accommodate you.’
‘When is this big bash supposed to end?’ Kember asked.
‘Who knows? Could be midnight. Could be later. The president is a man of great energy, you know. He likes to party.’
‘Great,’ Kember muttered.
Lungu’s phone vibrated. She reached into her jacket, took out an oversized handset sheathed inside a crocodile leather case and moved away as she swiped to answer. She spoke to the person on the other end of the line in a language Bowman didn’t recognise. After half a minute she killed the call.
‘Follow me,’ she said, pacing back over to the soldiers. ‘Let’s go and meet the president.’
Two
Two
They followed Lungu and Jallow across the lobby and crowded into the next available lift. Lungu retrieved a card from her jacket pocket, touched it against a reader below the control panel and thumbed the button for the fourteenth floor. The lift whispered upwards, the doors sucked open and then Lungu led them towards the suite at the far end of the corridor.