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Chapters (124)
  1. Cover
  2. About the Author
  3. Acclaim for Frank Gardner’s Luke Carlton thrillers
  4. Also by Frank Gardner
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. 1
  8. 2
  9. 3
  10. 4
  11. 5
  12. 6
  13. 7
  14. 8
  15. 9
  16. 10
  17. 11
  18. 12
  19. 13
  20. 14
  21. 15
  22. 16
  23. 17
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. 64
  71. 65
  72. 66
  73. 67
  74. 68
  75. 69
  76. 70
  77. 71
  78. 72
  79. 73
  80. 74
  81. 75
  82. 76
  83. 77
  84. 78
  85. 79
  86. 80
  87. 81
  88. 82
  89. 83
  90. 84
  91. 85
  92. 86
  93. 87
  94. 88
  95. 89
  96. 90
  97. 91
  98. 92
  99. 93
  100. 94
  101. 95
  102. 96
  103. 97
  104. 98
  105. 99
  106. 100
  107. 101
  108. 102
  109. 103
  110. 104
  111. 105
  112. 106
  113. 107
  114. 108
  115. 109
  116. 110
  117. 111
  118. 112
  119. 113
  120. 114
  121. 115
  122. Epilogue
  123. Acknowledgements
  124. THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING

Just as he was thinking this the DG walked back to her desk, returning with a sheaf of A4-size documents. ‘I want you to get into bed with a certain GRU colonel,’ she said, dividing the documents into two and handing them to him and Jenny. ‘Not literally, obviously,’ she continued, ‘but I want you to get close to him. You’ll be working with this man.’ She leaned forward and tapped the documents she had just handed him. ‘He’s Colonel Arkady Petrov, their principal authority on CBRN and, by all accounts, a nasty piece of work. But right now we need him. We need to know everything he knows about covert bio-warfare programmes getting into the wrong hands and who in this country might be on the receiving end. There’s only so much we can glean through SIGINT intercepts. In the end, we need to send in real people and that’s where you both come in.’

Luke cleared his throat to interrupt her.

‘Yes, Luke?’

‘Forgive me if this is a dumb question,’ he began, ‘but surely we represent the enemy to this guy. Aren’t we everything he’s spent his whole career working against? Why would he—’

Margaret Stratton held up her hand to stop him mid-sentence. ‘I hear you, Luke. You don’t need to say any more. It’s a perfectly reasonable question. But as I was telling Jenny just before you came in, this has already been signed off at a political level. Above my pay grade, if you catch my drift.’ Her eyes flicked momentarily to her left, in the direction of Whitehall.

‘I see,’ Luke replied. ‘Timings?’

Instinctively, she looked up at the clock on the wall. ‘Well, you won’t make the ten-fifteen BA flight,’ she said. ‘Which is just as well as Q Branch south of the river want a piece of you for the next few hours. They need to take you through how you’re going to manage secure comms without our Russian friends listening in to every single word.’

She said it with such a bright, radiant smile it almost came across as a joke, when everyone in that room knew exactly how serious this was. Russian signals surveillance and penetration were formidable. Already lives had been lost in Syria and Ukraine from conversations overheard that were never supposed to be.