‘Get in,’ said Manerie, deadpanning de Payns with the face that once stalked the war zones of Africa.

De Payns climbed in the Audi and Manerie accelerated.

‘Romy and the kids are fine,’ said the director. He was dressed in chinos and a polo shirt, windbreaker over the top—the standard field wear of spies when not living a fictive legend. De Payns twisted, saw a small wheelie suitcase perched on the back seat.

‘You going somewhere, Manerie?’

‘Mind your business,’ said the DGS man. ‘Romy and the boys are in an exercise.’

‘A kidnap exercise?’ asked de Payns, blood boiling. ‘Why wasn’t I notified?’

Manerie ignored him.

‘And what’s this got to do with finding the mole? What the fuck is going on?’

Manerie smiled. ‘At five p.m. today, I’ll make a phone call to the field team and the exercise will be over. Smiles all around. Happy families in Montparnasse.’

De Payns looked at the side of Manerie’s head, wanting to put a bullet through it. ‘You’ll make a phone call?’ exclaimed de Payns. ‘Holy shit, are you threatening me?’

They stopped at a red light, Manerie turned to de Payns, and—in a small flash of clarity—de Payns saw the truth in his eyes.

‘You?’

Manerie shrugged.

‘You’re the mole?!’ said de Payns, his heart sinking at the thought of his family. ‘My God, Manerie! What have you done?’ Manerie hit the accelerator as the light went green, and before he could stop himself, de Payns had the CZ muzzle jammed in the DGS man’s neck. ‘Pull over.’

The Audi came to the kerb in a bus zone opposite the Café Odessa. De Payns jammed the muzzle in harder, controlling his breathing but finding it hard to quell his emotions.

‘It seems we have a stand-off,’ said Manerie, his head pressed against his window. ‘I’ve set this up so it can end peacefully.’

‘You used my family?’

‘It’s what we call leverage. You’re the expert, yes?’

De Payns pushed harder, then suddenly pulled back, leaving an embossed circle just below Manerie’s right earlobe. His number one priority was Romy and the boys. He had to control himself.

Manerie straightened, rubbing his neck. ‘Here’s the deal—you stand down, talk to no one, initiate no protocols. Maybe even take a day off work, if that doesn’t raise any flags. When I’m clear, I make the call, and as far as your family is concerned, it was just an exercise, helping out France.’

‘Why would I trust you, Manerie? You’re a traitor.’

‘Because you have no choice, Alec.’

They stared at one another, both knowing that de Payns was going to back down.

‘I don’t understand this,’ said de Payns. ‘Why me? What justifies any of this?’

Manerie laughed. ‘You cost me three million euros, and you ask about justification? That’s funny.’