His shaking legs had barely reached solid ground when Krasic was on him, delivering a punch to the solar plexus that doubled him over in agony, his lungs screaming for breath, his muscles in spasm. Tony lay curled on the cold steel floor of the hold, a trickle of vomit escaping from the corner of his mouth. When he was next aware of anything outside his body, he saw Radecki towering above him in a distorted perspective that made him look huge and terrifying.

Krasic yanked him up by the collar of his jacket, practically throttling him. He threw Tony on to a pile of folded tarpaulins. ‘Sit up, you useless twat,’ he growled. Tony managed to prop himself up against the cold bulkhead. ‘Now, strip off,’ Krasic shouted.

Numbed with fear, Tony struggled to undress. It was made more difficult by the pain in his left hand. He thought at least two of his fingers were broken. The two men circled him like wolves tormenting their prey as his clumsy fingers worked his clothes off. Finally, he sat naked on the tarpaulins, breathing as hard as if he’d just run a mile. They’re doing this to humiliate you, to make you feel vulnerable. Don’t let them take control of your head. Keep thinking, keep your brain moving. The voice in his head seemed ridiculously reassuring, given the extremity of his situation. But it was all he had.

‘You’re working with that bitch against us, aren’t you?’ Tadeusz demanded.

‘No, you’ve got it wrong. I’m working on a serial killer case for Europol. That’s what I do, I profile serial killers.’ Tony said, steeling himself for whatever was coming next. Krasic delivered a brutal kick to his shins that made him whimper in spite of himself.

‘Wrong answer.’ Tadeusz shifted his grip on the gun, holding it by the barrel. ‘She’s a cop and you’re working with her to bring me down.’

Tony wiped a drizzle of spit from his chin and shook his head. ‘Please, listen to me. I’m telling you the truth. Carol used to be a cop, it’s true. But she’s not any more. She went rogue. She changed sides. I knew her when she was a cop, I’ve been trying to talk her out of what she’s doing now.’

He saw the gun butt coming but he was powerless to do anything more than swerve helplessly. It still caught him, and he heard as well as felt the splintering as his cheekbone shattered. This time, he threw up properly, a stream of hot vomit pouring over his thighs.