The sound of four rounds being fired to Dempsey’s left delayed him for just a breath, but still not long enough to give the central shooter a chance.

Two more bullets and the man was as dead as his teammates.

Dempsey turned to Grace. Her weapon was still raised, the heat visible on its barrel.

‘Good job, Eden.’ Dempsey grabbed her arm as he spoke and pulled her into a run. ‘Now come on. We’ve got to get down to the market area Jangi mentioned. And we’ve got to take the long way.’

Grace matched Dempsey for pace, but she looked confused.

‘Why?’ she asked.

‘Because there’s five killers with automatic weapons out front and they’re blocking the direct route.’

‘What? No, I mean why the market square?’

‘There are other ways to get the evidence we need,’ Dempsey said.

‘But . . .’ Grace began to slow slightly.

‘Either you trust me or you don’t, OK?’ Dempsey slowed too. For an instant. Long enough to look Grace in the eyes. ‘But if you do trust me then trust me: we have to go now.’

Grace increased her pace.

‘I trust you.’

SEVENTY-SEVEN

It took ten minutes for Dempsey and Grace to find their way to Tootkai’s marketplace.

Ten minutes of moving in a full semicircle around the outskirts of the village. Of creeping carefully between darkened houses. And of avoiding the five gunmen who had already tried to kill them. Plus however many others they might have in support.

Grace had been content to follow Dempsey’s lead. To let him find the safe way to their destination. His instincts and their combined skills had kept them alive when anyone else would have died. Not once but twice, in less than twenty-four hours.

With that track record, he had earned her cooperation.

But now, as they came to a halt against a building wall that provided cover from the south end of the market area, it was time she knew more.

‘So are you gonna include me in this plan?’ she asked.

‘Plan? The plan is to get the evidence we need. Always has been.’

‘And where the hell are we going to get that?’ Grace was irritated by the response. ‘Aryo’s dead. Shah’s dead. You think anyone else is going to step up? After what’s happened to everyone so far?’

‘We don’t need a willing witness, Eden.’

The answer only confused Grace further.

‘What the hell does that mean? You said yourself, we can’t go torturing people.’

‘I’m talking about an information exchange. Whoever’s behind this, they’ll want to know how much we know. They’ll want to know how compromised they are. We can use that.’

Grace looked around, her heart rate rising. She suddenly understood why Dempsey had brought them to the clearing, instead of out of Tootkai.

He has no intention of leaving, she realised. He’s offering himself as a deal. He’s offering us both.

‘You can’t be serious. How will you even find—’

‘They’re already here.’