As the killing ended, McNab shouted, ‘Freeze.’ In this shot the killer was caught face on, except they couldn’t see his face under the mask. What they did have was a clear view of his torso. Tanned and blood-splattered, the tattoo, a swirling GW centring on the left nipple, was obvious.

McNab gave a little laugh. ‘I’ve seen that bastard close up.’

‘Where?’ Bill demanded.

‘At the bare-knuckle fight. That’s the posh fucker who knocked me out.’

66

‘You should have let Harim come with us,’ Firash said. ‘You forget what these people are capable of.’

McNab hadn’t forgotten, and maybe wouldn’t for a long time. He just didn’t want his resident bodyguard, offspring of the mujahidin, going in all guns blazing.

‘The plan is to take a quiet look at the Combat office, nothing more,’ he said, hoping that would turn out to be true.

Firash didn’t argue but adopted instead a grave countenance, as though considering how he was going to keep the Scottish detective alive when McNab didn’t appear committed to the idea.

In the short time since McNab had met Mark’s minder, he’d been impressed with his knowledge of Mark’s work. There was also no doubt he blamed himself for his death. Apparently Mark had refused to take Firash with him when he’d left for the final meeting, and Firash had had no idea who Mark had gone to see. Something that obviously haunted him.

As Firash deftly wound his way through the central London traffic, McNab checked his mobile to realize he’d missed a call from Ollie. Listening to his voicemail, he found a frantic message asking him to call back.

The phone had barely begun to ring before it was snatched up and answered.

‘The shit’s hit the fan. Ava’s released her material online, initially to the worldwide gaming community. It’s everywhere now,’ Ollie’s stunned voice declared, ‘with millions of hits. All the details are there. Mark’s death because he was investigating the Go Wild connection with the Orlova, where rich people went to play torture and killing games. She gives pretty full details of what’s been on offer, from the bare-knuckle fights upwards and the web of international companies across the world associated with Go Wild.’

‘Jesus fucking Christ!’ McNab said out loud.

‘She also says she’s spoken to a survivor discovered on the ghost ship. She hints at the suspected death of a prominent politician’s son, who was on the ship to fight a girl to the death for pleasure, and asks, “Is Russia involved? Or is it a very British game?”’

Ollie took a breath. ‘Finally she mentions a Police Scotland detective’s capture in London and a surprise escape.’