‘Wait, so the tests and surgeries for sick people are paid for by their insurance, right?’

‘With exceptions, yes.’

‘And the insurance companies are able to pay because . . .?’

‘They sell many thousands of times the insurance than is ever claimed. For every person who goes to hospital and makes a claim, there are many more who don’t. These companies generate huge profits, essentially, by gambling on human lives.’

Gehna had nodded in agreement. Privately, she thought that a system that forced healthy people to pay for the treatment of the sick was a damn good idea, but she never came away from these chats without being infected by Faizl’s cynicism. It was easier for Gehna to believe that human suffering was caused by the wrongs of men rather than by an indifferent god. At least that way there was something to fight against.

‘What’re you doing, Yam?’ she asked her friend. The other girl was vigorously thumping Gehna on the back.

‘I don’t know, you’re the one who’s swooning all over the place. If you died on my watch, Nina would have my balls for lunch.’

‘No one’s dying, idiot. And if I was, smashing my spine to bits wouldn’t really help. Now could you please go make yourself useless someplace else? I have this call.’

The Yam groaned. ‘It’s Casper, isn’t it? I don’t trust that kid. Maybe I should hang around just in—’

‘Bye now,’ Gehna said, closing the glass door to the telecon room firmly behind her. She eased into a chair so new that shreds of plastic wrap still clung to it, gave her nose a quick wipe to take the shine off, and dialled.

It was past noon in Macao, but Eram looked like he had just rolled out of bed. Tufts of his hair were sticking out in odd ways.

‘Bee,’ he said. It was one of his names for her. There was also bean, bird, bucket, cat, figgy, fox, G-bear, G-belle, juice, peabody, poppet, oyster, scooter, stuff, sunshine and sweetling. Some she found endearing, some were so twee that they made her cringe, but her favourite was when he called her, simply, Rai. It gave her that nice one-of-the-guys feeling.

‘Hi, Rat. What’s up with your hair?’

‘Oh.’ He tried to pat some of it down flat. ‘You know when it’s still wet from the shower but you go to bed anyway and then you wake up looking like the Road Runner? That.’

Eram told her about the mad casino scene in Macao, how people from all over the world were flocking there to gamble with the crazy rich Chinese, but Gehna was having trouble paying attention. One, because he was wearing a ganji and she could see the veins standing out along his lightly tanned arms and, two, because the Yam was misbehaving again. She had pressed herself up against the frosted glass wall of the cabin and was gyrating her hips, and sucking on her own finger, like a top porn star. She was probably moaning too, but Gehna couldn’t hear it.