“We were as surprised as you. The FBI and the DEA have been driving the operation, and they’ve somehow managed to quarantine it from the rest of the community. I only found out when they started crowing about the fact that they’d picked up La Bruja.”

“I had three agents there when they hit it,” Control said, his apology giving her the licence to gripe a little more. “Three—including my best man.”

“They got clear?”

“They did. But next time, please…”

“I know,” he said, flashing a little irritation.

“No sense crying over spilt milk,” Navarro said. “It is what it is.”

The waitress returned with a jug of water and three glasses. They paused the conversation while she poured; it was a useful reset. Lincoln was more composed when he spoke again.

“I’m pleased we could meet like this. I wanted to thank you in person for the assistance that you’ve provided. The whole matter is delicate, as you know. Having someone completely separate from Langley to run the ops on the ground was essential. I like to think that my operational security is solid, but you can never really be completely sure.”

“I agree,” she said. “A firewall is sensible.”

“It really is. And there are few people I would have been confident in approaching. The reputation of your Group goes before it—not that we had any doubt, but it’s pleasing to see that it is justified.”

Agreeing to help Lincoln had not been an altruistic choice. Assisting with something as delicate as this had enabled Control to bank an enormous favour that she would be able to call in whenever she needed it. She was new in a job that had historically proven to be difficult, and one that had never before been filled by a woman. Having the patronage of one of Langley’s most influential operators could prove to be a significant benefit. She chose not to mention that now, though; the debt was obvious, but good manners meant that it was best left unsaid.

“I’m afraid that I am going to have to ask you for something else,” Lincoln said.

Control had anticipated that. “I thought you might. Do you know where she is?”

“I do. The operation to take her out was a four-way deal: the FBI, the DEA, the DoD and State. We’ve got a source within the DEA delegation in Colombia, and they’re providing us with intel. The task force has taken her to a safe house in Medellín.”

Control was surprised. “Really? I thought they would have taken her out of the country by now.”