Krasic tried to hide the dismay he felt. ‘You’re going to let an outsider into our business?’

‘She’s not going to be an outsider, is she? She’s going to be on the inside. We’ve been checking her out, haven’t we? Well, now she wants to check us out. And at least she’s doing it up front, not being underhand like us.’

Krasic shook his head dubiously. ‘I don’t know, we’ve always kept things tight, and it’s worked for us.’

Tadeusz put a hand on his arm. ‘Look, Darko, I know you’re uneasy about her. But I’ve spent a lot of time with her in the past couple of days. And my instincts say she’s one of us. She can be trusted. So now you have to trust me. OK?’

Krasic pretended to accept the olive branch. ‘If you say so, boss. I better be on my way. I’ve got things to see to.’

Tadeusz watched him leave, a speculative look on his face. Having Darko so mistrustful around Caroline was no bad thing, he thought. He was well aware that she had crawled under his defences. Who knew what might be going on in his blind spot? Just as well Darko was there to keep an eye on things. Because, if Tadeusz was wrong, someone would have to clear up the mess.

Carol lay back on the sauna bench and felt the sweat trickle down her temples and tickle the skin above her ears. This has got to be the best meeting venue ever,’ she groaned.

Petra grinned. Her eyes were on a level with Carol’s breasts. ‘It has its good points, I have to admit.’

Carol arched her spine, feeling the satisfying crunch of vertebrae realigning themselves. ‘Oh God, I am so out of condition,’ she complained. ‘By the way, I think Radecki’s got someone on my tail. I noticed a young guy outside the apartment this morning, and I thought I spotted him yesterday. So, on my way here, I did a double-take as I passed a shop window. You know the kind of thing? Walk past, then turn back as if you’ve just realized what caught your eye?’

‘Sure. The kind of thing us empty-headed girls do all the time.’

‘Exactly. Anyway, I caught him out of the corner of my peripheral vision. Dodging behind a car, trying to look as if he was crossing the road. Fairly professional, but not good enough to fool anyone who’s looking for a tail.’

‘Are you worried about it?’

‘Not really. They’d be sloppy if they weren’t keeping an eye on me. It’s not as if I’m doing anything to make them worry. At least I know now what my tail looks like if the occasion arises when I do need to shake him.’