He waited for a laugh from Ilić, but none came.

‘A gejša,’ noted Radovan, ‘who has so far killed three of our men.’

‘Two,’ corrected Spiridon.

‘Three. Luca Bilbija has just joined Andrej and Alexsej in the next world.’

Even Zivco Ilić now gave Radovan his full attention.

‘When?’ said Spiridon.

‘Last night, outside a casino in Zbraslav. He was blown apart by a drone packed with explosives.’

‘And you’re only telling me this now?’ said Spiridon.

‘I’ve just learned of it myself, from the Novákovi.’

‘Why the delay in informing us?’

‘I suspect,’ said Radovan, ‘that the Novákovi were deciding how best to deal with the fallout. They have not taken sides between Belgrade and ourselves, and prefer to operate their casinos as neutral territory. Having clients obliterated on their grounds is bad for business.’

‘And we are sure this man Louis is responsible?’ said Ilić. He looked even more ill than before, for which Radovan could not blame him. Apart from the Vuksans, Ilić was now the last of those who had been present for the killing of De Jaager and the women in Amsterdam. Unless the threat to them was dealt with quickly, Ilić would soon be keeping his deceased comrades company in whatever corner of hell they currently occupied.

‘No,’ said Radovan, ‘we don’t know for certain that this is his handiwork, but logic suggests it. Belgrade would not risk offending the Novákovi by carrying out a hit on one of their properties, and killing with a drone is not the Turks’ style. They prefer to cut throats.’

Spiridon might have been listening to his brother, but his attention was fixed on Zorya.

‘Aleksej and Luca were careless,’ said Spiridon. ‘We have been cautious.’

He seemed to be waiting for Zorya to confirm his thesis, but she did not. Instead she reached out her left hand to Ilić, and he responded by taking it in his right. Radovan saw his brother frown. Spiridon regarded Zorya as his personal property, even if Radovan doubted that Zorya saw their relationship in quite the same light. Radovan wondered if she and Ilić might not be sleeping with each other. The thought disturbed him, although whether because of how she looked at that moment – very young – or what she was – very old – he could not have said.

‘Not so cautious,’ said Radovan, ‘as to have kept Gavrilo and his wife from harm.’

‘That’s a different issue,’ said Spiridon.

‘Perhaps, but whoever killed Gavrilo and his woman is now on the way to Vienna, or may already be in the city. Now Louis is closing in on us. We can’t just sit here waiting for him or the Turks to track us down.’

‘Which of them concerns you more?’ said Spiridon.

‘Louis. We might still be able to reason with the Turks, even at this late stage, but we cannot reason with him.’