He switched between open windows, trying to find the intrusion. He had used his backdoor into the network that served the Firm and had spent an hour or two nosing around in an attempt to find anything that might explain why Björn Thorsson had been in Colombia. Milton had asked him to dig up whatever he could. Thorsson’s presence suggested that Group Fifteen had an interest in what had happened to La Bruja, and, quite understandably, Milton had wanted to know more. Ziggy had found several recent references to Medellín and El Centro and had arranged for those files—some of which were large—to be downloaded. He had been careful, just as he always was, and had routed the download through multiple nodes on the Dark Web, using the layered encryption to anonymise his identity.

And yet…

He stared at the screen as it dawned on him.

The data he was trying to download had been left as a honeypot. It had been too convenient, left unguarded on the network that served the various Groups that comprised the Firm.

He saw it now and cursed his naivety.

It was a trap, laid to reveal malicious actors on the network and provide intelligence against them.

Ziggy tore the Ethernet cable from the laptop, then took his bag and upended it, scooping everything out until he found his screwdrivers. He removed the screws on the laptop’s casing and opened its body, revealing the workings inside. He disconnected the hard drive, took it into the kitchen, put it into the microwave and set the timer for a five-minute program. The rotisserie plate turned and, after a minute, the drive popped and sparked.

He let the program continue and found his phone.

“It’s me,” he said.

Hicks answered. “What is it? Everything okay?”

“We need to leave,” he said. “Don’t come back here.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s not safe. Group Fifteen are looking for us.”

* * *

Chase Baxter’s eyes flickered as he started to come around.

The Hospital Pablo Tobón Uribe was on Calle 78b in the Altamira district of Medellín. Chase had been taken there by ambulance in the aftermath of the shooting. Milton had stood ready to offer to pay for his treatment, but it had not been necessary. The nurse to whom he had spoken explained that the Colombian system offered universal access to citizens, irrespective of their ability to pay, and promised that Chase would receive excellent care.