Contents (84)
- 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
- THIRTY-FOUR
- THIRTY-FIVE
- THIRTY-SIX
- THIRTY-SEVEN
- THIRTY-EIGHT
- THIRTY-NINE
- FORTY
- FORTY-ONE
- FORTY-TWO
- FORTY-THREE
- FORTY-FOUR
- FORTY-FIVE
- FORTY-SIX
- FORTY-SEVEN
- FORTY-EIGHT
- FORTY-NINE
- FIFTY
- FIFTY-ONE
- FIFTY-TWO
- FIFTY-THREE
- FIFTY-FOUR
- FIFTY-FIVE
- FIFTY-SIX
- FIFTY-SEVEN
- FIFTY-EIGHT
- FIFTY-NINE
- SIXTY
- SIXTY-ONE
- SIXTY-TWO
- SIXTY-THREE
- SIXTY-FOUR
- SIXTY-FIVE
- SIXTY-SIX
- SIXTY-SEVEN
- SIXTY-EIGHT
- SIXTY-NINE
- SEVENTY
- SEVENTY-ONE
- SEVENTY-TWO
- SEVENTY-THREE
- SEVENTY-FOUR
- SEVENTY-FIVE
- SEVENTY-SIX
- SEVENTY-SEVEN
- SEVENTY-EIGHT
- SEVENTY-NINE
- EIGHTY
- EIGHTY-ONE
- EIGHTY-TWO
- EIGHTY-THREE
- Acknowledgements
Grace was silenced. Her eyes wide in disbelief. She couldn’t quite understand what she was being told.
‘But . . . that . . . I thought that was Blackspear.’
‘Back at Aryo’s? It was Blackspear. I didn’t mean them.’
‘Then who?’
‘I mean the Secret Service team, Eden. Jack Meyer has sent his team. Or what’s left of it.’
‘But . . . here? How?’
‘They would’ve been sent after us the moment we landed. We couldn’t just waltz into a UN compound and keep that a secret. No chance. They would have had eyes there.’
‘You didn’t say—’
‘We needed to flush them out. This was the best way. To let them know we were in Afghanistan and heading to Tootkai. Once they knew that, they’d panic. And after everything that’s gone wrong so far, in that panic they’ll have sent everyone.’
‘I don’t . . . I don’t believe you planned all that. You could have told me, Dempsey. You could have trusted me.’
‘I do trust you, Eden. As much as I trust anyone, after all this. But this is a live operation. The fewer people in the know, the less chance something slips.’
‘But you’re telling me now.’
Dempsey smiled.
‘Whatever goes right or wrong, it happens in the next few minutes. I think we’re safe from any accidental disclosures.’
Grace opened her mouth to argue, only for a new question to force its way to the front of her brain.
‘Aryo. That was what? A distraction? A decoy?’
‘No,’ Dempsey replied, before exhaling deeply. ‘That was a Hail Mary. If he’d had any evidence we could have used, well, then I wouldn’t have had to take the risk I’m about to. But that clearly didn’t work out. So we’re back to Plan A.’
‘And what the hell is Plan A?’
‘Like I said. Information exchange. You’re gonna stay here, while I go tell them what we know.’
‘You’re serious? You’re giving yourself up? Dempsey, they’ll kill you where you stand.’
‘Not straightaway.’
‘What? Dempsey, they just tried to kill us back in Aryo’s. No warning. No questions. What makes this different?’
‘That was the Blackspear idiots. Typical mercenaries, they don’t know any other way. Out there? That’s gonna be the Secret Service, Eden. Corrupt or not, they’re still professionals. And they’ve been compromised. They’ll want to know by how much.’
‘But—’
‘And more than that, they’ll want to know where you are. I can’t tell them that dead, can I?’
‘Dempsey, please. This is all . . . all so . . . You can’t be sure of any of this. Please. Don’t gamble with your life. What if you’re wrong?’
Dempsey smiled one more time. A knowing, cryptic smile.
‘What if I’m wrong? You just wait and see.’
He climbed to his feet and, without another word, he strode into the clearing of the marketplace, leaving Grace hidden in the shadow of the building.
SEVENTY-EIGHT
‘OK, MEYER. ENOUGH OF THIS. YOU WANT TO KNOW WHAT I KNOW, I’M HERE.’