‘And the soldiers who attacked us just now, they were British as well?’

Hassad glanced at Porter. ‘You tell her.’

‘They worked for a firm called Connaught Security,’ said Porter. ‘It’s a private military corporation operating throughout the Middle East. It’s run by Perry Collinson.’

Katie slumped back. Suddenly, Porter noticed, the blood seemed to have drained from her face. ‘If they knew where we are, why didn’t they come in and rescue us?’

‘Because they want us dead,’ says Hassad, jabbing a finger at her. ‘So long as you die in an explosion, that suits them fine. They just don’t want to be seen to be giving in to any of our demands.’

Katie shook her head. ‘They’d get me out if they could.’

‘Collinson wants me dead,’ said Porter.

‘But he’s …’

‘Your boyfriend?’ said Porter. ‘I know. The trouble is, he’s also a coward and a fraud. He’s terrified that I’ll find out from Hassad here the truth about what happened on a mission seventeen years ago, and unfortunately for him I already have. He’d rather we both died than let us come back alive.’

‘He told me …’ The words trailed off on Katie’s lips. But the shock on her face was evident.

‘He loved you?’ said Porter. ‘Maybe the bastard did, but he was lying about that along with everything else. Take it up with the agony aunt when you get home.’ Porter grinned. ‘“My boyfriend fired a bunker-busting missile at me. Do you think that means he isn’t committed to a long-term relationship?”’

Porter looked back at Hassad. ‘I reckon you’re right,’ he said. ‘Collinson’s got control of the whole op, and he fired that missile into the mine to try and kill us. It’s a result for them if we get killed that way and the execution doesn’t get shown on live TV. They can just say it was an accident. Then he realised we’d escaped, so he sent his boys from Connaught in to quietly finish us off.’

‘This issue is,’ said Hassad, ‘how do they always know where you are?’

‘What do you mean?’

‘They knew you were in the mine, and they knew you were in the safe house. How did they know that? How did they even know you’d escaped from the mine?’

Porter shrugged. He wondered that himself. The trouble was, he had no idea of the answer.

‘They must have a tracking device,’ said Hassad.

‘I’m not a bloody idiot,’ Porter snapped. ‘I checked myself, and you checked. There’s nothing. Maybe there’s something planted on you?’

Hassad shook his head. ‘It’s you they’re following.’

‘Then maybe a satellite?’

‘There’s no satellite that can look into a mine,’ said Hassad. ‘Before they sent you out here, did they do any dental work on you?’

Porter paused. ‘They fixed up my teeth,’ he admitted.

‘A crown? Implants?’

Porter nodded.

‘Then get in the chair.’

Porter sat down.

Hassad muttered something to the woman in Arabic. She leant forward, switching on a torch so she could have a better look at Porter’s mouth.