The members of Tristan Dudley’s close protection team were not patrolling the grounds, or doing much of anything else at this moment.

Ben and Wolf’s assault on Dudley’s fortress had taken just over eleven minutes, start to finish. The north end of the property was close to the woodland where they’d left the car. After scaling the wall and dropping down into the flower beds they’d spread out and stalked through the six-acre grounds, communicating via the miniature phone earbuds and mics they’d bought at the motorway services. A few pounds, for everyday civilian technology that was lighter, smaller and better than the state-of-the-art kit they’d been issued during their time with the SAS. Of lesser quality was Dudley’s CCTV camera system, which was quick and easy to disable.

Two of Dudley’s armed guards were on their evening shift. Ben found one of them at the west end of the property, taking a piss behind a tree. Wolf found his at the other side of the house just ninety seconds later. Both guards were put out of action before they knew what was happening to them. Working separately to their prearranged plan, Ben and Wolf quickly, quietly stripped the unconscious bodies of weapons and ammunition, hogtied and gagged them with gaffer tape, stuffed them out of sight among the bushes, and then congregated back at the house.

A smaller building adjoined one wing of the Dudleys’ elegant Edwardian home. It looked as though it had been a former mews or store house that had more recently been converted into a modern annexe. The black Jaguar SUV was parked outside, telling Ben that the annexe served as the accommodation for the security team. While most of the windows of the main house were in darkness, the lights were on inside the annexe. Ben and Wolf crept up to the windows and peered inside. The two bodyguards who’d accompanied the Dudleys in the Bentley earlier were lounging in a living room, watching sports. A couple more were in the kitchen, drinking mugs of tea at a table. With the two already down, that made up the full complement of six.