He laid a palm on the damp sheets and then reached for his watch. It was five in the morning. He knew that he wouldn’t be able to sleep again, so he got up and took out his trainers and running gear. He dressed, pulled on his shoes, and crept out of the apartment, careful not to wake the others.

* * *

Milton ran. He headed south along the docks until he found Westerpark and then started the first of three circuits around it. He considered a fourth and decided against it, heading south again and following the road to Anne Frank Huis and then the Van Gogh Museum and Vondelpark. He decided that he needed to lose himself completely, to hide the churn of his thoughts beneath the metronomic beat of his feet and the regular in and out of his breath.

His music was interrupted by an incoming phone call. He stopped, reached up to his AirPods and squeezed the stalk to stop the music. He took out his phone and checked the screen; he didn’t recognise the number.

His breath was still a little ragged as he accepted the call. “Hello?”

“Mr. Smith?”

“Yes,” Milton said. “Who’s this?”

“I work with Señor López. He would like to see you again.”

“When?”

“Eleven o’clock tonight. He will be at the club. The same place. He will be expecting you.”

Milton was about to respond, but the line went dead.

He drew breath as he stood staring at the blank screen. Had López swallowed the bait, or had he seen through the subterfuge that they had put together? There was no way of knowing without accepting the invitation.

8

Milton told the others about the call and what they would be doing that evening. Chase and Ziggy each had questions as to what they might expect, and Milton answered them as best he could. There was little to say, other than that there could only really be one of two reasons for the requested meeting: either López was prepared to do business, or he had seen through the charade. Ziggy had protested that the latter was impossible, that his work was watertight, and Milton had agreed that, on balance, the former was the more likely of the two reasons. But he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that they had made a mistake, that López was more perceptive than they had given him credit for, and that meant that he couldn’t dismiss the possibility that returning to the club would be walking into a trap.

They had no other option.

He would do it anyway.

* * *