They might have been in cartel territory, but Björn was not prepared to relax. The operation to recover La Bruja had proceeded as well as could have been hoped for, but he would not be able to let his guard down until they were safely off the street. Weaver had provided them with the address of an El Centro stronghold, and he followed the Dodge around narrow, winding streets until they were halfway up the hill. The buildings on either side were pressed in close, shoulder to shoulder, looking down onto the more prosperous districts on the other side of the river. It was late and, while the streets were quieter than might have been the case a few hours earlier, it was still busy. Both of their vehicles were inconspicuous, but he had noticed the car that had raced after them after the heist and, although it was not behind them any longer, he wasn’t ready to discount it just yet.

Björn dabbed the brakes and turned the wheel to bring the van around a right-handed hairpin. He straightened out and pressed down on the gas again.

Six was on the phone with the others in the Dodge. She ended the call.

“Well?”

“Two’s been shot.”

“Shit. How bad?”

“The leg,” she said. “Looks like it went in and straight out, so there’s that. But he’s lost a lot of blood.”

Björn was irritated. It had almost been a perfect operation. Now he was going to need to call for a pickup.

He followed the Dodge around another hairpin and saw the building that they needed. It was a squat, ugly, concrete construction over three storeys, sitting at the apex of the next turn in a spot that would offer an excellent view of approaching traffic. Weaver had provided the address with the suggestion that it was cartel property, deep in the territory that they controlled. They would be safe here. He was hopeful that they would be able to deliver the woman and then melt away. The evening’s activity had been noisy, and taking out the convoy would call down even more attention from the Americans. He didn’t know what Control would want them to do, but he hoped that their involvement might now be at an end. This operation had been his focus for months and he was ready for a break.

“There,” Six said, pointing.

Björn saw the men, too. Three of them came out of the building and waited. They must have been watching out for them. There was a narrow road that branched off from the one that they were on now. It ran alongside the building, and the Dodge steered into it, coming to a halt against the kerb. Björn parked behind it and immediately got out.

He went to one of the cartel soldiers, a weaselly man he recognised from a previous trip to Medellín with La Bruja.