I was seated at the dining table between Jake and Cameron, all of us clutching large Pret-a-Manger coffees. The canteen’s coffee machine had broken and none of us knew how to fix it. Pixie and Geraint were opposite us, their laptops in front of them, Pixie resplendent in a purple unicorn jumper and a feathered blue and green headband, Geraint rocking a grey T-shirt with what looked like a ketchup stain down the front.

Hattie looked round at us all. ‘Good work and well done, everyone. We now have enough intel that we have a decent shot at protecting Peng from the Coyote.’

We all exchanged glances. The sincerity in Hattie’s praise was still hard to get used to considering our previous unit leader only got as nice as: ‘Well, it seems you don’t have total shit for brains.’

‘Let’s start this update briefing with Peng’s movements over the next few days.’ Hattie motioned towards the whiteboard where Peng’s schedule was now projected. ‘Robin translated everything Peng and the delegation discussed on the Heathrow recordings. This is a fully up-to-date schedule.

‘While Peng is here in the UK she’s going to be heavily protected by Parliamentary and Diplomatic Protection Officers. I’ve cleared it with the Met Police for us all to have temporary IDs. It means we all now have an official reason to be in the vicinity of Peng at all times. Considering how tight security at both the Foreign Office and the Chinese Embassy is, it’s low risk the Coyote will strike at those locations. Robin is with Peng now at the Embassy.’

Jake looked round the room. ‘I thought it was surprisingly peaceful in here.’

Geraint cleared his throat. ‘Robin checked in a half-hour ago to say Peng’s first meeting had started and that none of the Protection Officers’ mobile phones work there. They must have some kind of signal blockers. It means if we ever need to make contact with anyone at the Embassy, use the police radio frequency only.’

‘This Wycombe shoot that’s on the schedule for Saturday’ – Jake motioned towards the whiteboard – ‘I’m guessing it isn’t in London.’

‘It’s at Cherwell Castle, Lord Wycombe’s estate in Oxfordshire. Lord Wycombe runs a hedge fund but the family business, in which he still has a substantial stake, is a plane-building company that is hoping to sign a joint venture with China. This is why he’s pulling out all the stops to give Peng the full English aristocratic experience of staying in a castle, shooting pheasant, and being guest of honour at a four-course black-tie dinner for a hundred and fifty people. Peng and the delegation drive back to London on Sunday morning and that afternoon attend an exhibition and auction of Asian contemporary artists at Christie’s before heading back to China on a ten p.m. flight.’