Ben nodded. ‘He was friends with their daughter Sofia.’

‘They’re gone now. Living in Zaragoza.’

The buzz of excitement in Ben’s chest became a momentary stab of worry. ‘Did Jack say he was going there too?’

‘No, no, he said he was staying here in Albarracín. Waiting for you, maybe, no?’

‘That’s what we’d planned.’

‘He said he loves it here.’

‘It’s a beautiful town,’ Ben said. ‘Did Jack happen to say where he was staying?’

‘No, he just said he would come back to our restaurant sometime soon. He loved Maria’s cooking.’ Tomás touched his wife’s shoulder. ‘Everyone does.’

Ben smiled. ‘I’ll have to try it myself. Sorry I missed out tonight.’

Tomás said with a grin, ‘Never mind. Come back tomorrow and we’ll feed you a great meal.’

‘Sounds great. Maybe I’ll have caught up with Jack by then.’

Ben thanked Tomás and Maria for their help, and went on his way.

So there it was. Brother Jack, aka Jaden Wolf, one of the most capable military operators Ben had known back in the day, a man he had liked and admired and now must kill to save the life of the woman he cared for, was definitely here in Albarracín. The easy part was over. All Ben had to do now was narrow down his search and finish the job.

He reflected on the challenge ahead as he slowly walked back to the edge of town where he’d left the car. He decided to kip for a couple of hours in the Alpina’s back seat before his hunt began in earnest. Pausing for a moment to light a cigarette before getting into the car, he looked up at the sky and took a long, deep breath of the cooling night air. The heavens were filled with stars, a vivid and breathtaking display. Against the diamond-glitter backdrop the tall blackness of the surrounding mountains circled the horizon. Closer to the east, a tall rocky escarpment overlooked the town. Ben thought that if he were Jaden Wolf, the escarpment might be somewhere he’d choose to make camp.

Ben finished the cigarette and was about to toss away the stub when, from up in the hills he’d been gazing at just a moment earlier, a distant sound caught his attention and he stiffened, listening hard. From this far away it was just a random POP … POP-POP … POP, carried on the soft breeze and easy to miss. Maybe someone out in the sticks was having a fireworks celebration, but Ben didn’t think so. He could see no pyrotechnics lighting up the night sky. And to his experienced ear the crackle of sporadic gunfire was unmistakable.