He lay down on the bed. ‘You’re going out to rescue Katie Dartmouth, aren’t you?’ said Danni, as she prepared the syringe.

Porter nodded.

‘Poor girl,’ Danni continued. ‘It’s terrible what those bastards are doing to her.’

For a moment it struck Porter that he hadn’t really thought about it. He’d been so focused on doing something for Sandy that he’d hardly thought about Katie Dartmouth’s plight. And better not to, he told himself. Because there is probably sod all I can do for her even once I’m out there.

‘There was a picture of her strung up against a post,’ Danni carried on. ‘She looked terrible. And I saw her mum being interviewed on TV. I felt so sorry for her.’

Her touch felt soft and gentle to Porter, and he couldn’t help noticing that a button was still undone on her crisp white tunic, revealing a few centimetres of her pink bra. The needle jabbed into his arm. Porter winced briefly, then let the medicine hit his bloodstream. He could feel his eyes closing drowsily. ‘You’re a brave man, John Porter,’ Danni was saying softly. ‘If it’s any help, I’ll be rooting for you.’

NINE

Layla put a row of pills down on the table. Green, yellow, black and beige. Next to it, there was a glass of fresh orange juice, a jug of freshly brewed coffee, a bowl of cornflakes, and some toast, butter and jam. ‘More vitamins,’ she said sharply. ‘Make sure you take them. You’re probably in the worst shape of any agent we’ve ever sent into the field, but we’re doing our best.’

Glancing at the clock on the wall, Porter could see that it was just after ten in the morning. They must have let him sleep in on purpose. Maybe they even put something into the cocktail of drugs they jabbed into his arm last night. When he’d woken up, he had a quick shower, put on clean clothes from the cupboard, and as soon as he stepped out, Layla had already been waiting for him, leading him to breakfast. They must have a camera in the room, Porter thought. How else could they know exactly when I woke up? His eyes scanned the bed, the washroom and the walls, but he couldn’t see anything. That makes no difference. The cameras they make these days are so small I’ll never find them. I’ll just have to get used to being watched.

‘Here’s your schedule for the day,’ said Layla. ‘This morning we’re going to put you back in training. Basic firearms, self-defence and –’

‘I was in the Regiment, you know,’ interrupted Porter.

‘And it’s more than a decade since you left,’ said Layla. ‘Warfare has changed a lot since then. There’s a lot more kit, and a lot more brainwork.’

‘Lucky I’m out of it then,’ said Porter, taking a hit on the orange juice.

Layla nodded, then a brief smile flashed across her face. ‘Probably so.’

She poured herself a cup of coffee, then carried on. ‘The training should take all morning. Then this afternoon, we’re scheduling a series of planning meetings to talk through what you do when you get out there.’