The footfalls drew closer. Zoe heard the heavy door of the room swing open and saw the beam of a flashlight playing over the walls. Eventually, it found her eyes. Behind it, she recognized the familiar silhouette of Jonas Brunner. He examined Mikhail with little concern, then tore the duct tape from Zoe’s mouth. She immediately began to scream for help. Brunner silenced her with two hard slaps across the face.

“What in God’s name are you doing, Jonas? This is—”

“Exactly what you and your friend deserve,” he said, cutting her off. “You’ve been lying to us, Zoe. And if you continue to lie, you’re only going to make your situation worse.”

“My situation? Are you mad, Jonas?”

Brunner only smiled.

“Where’s Martin?”

“Mr. Landesmann,” Brunner said pointedly, “is busy saying good night to his guests. He asked me to see you out. Both of you.”

“See us out? Look at my friend, Jonas. He’s unconscious. He needs a doctor.”

“So do several of my best men. And he’ll get a doctor when he tells us who he’s working for.”

“He works for himself, you idiot! He’s a millionaire.”

Brunner gave another smile. “You like men with money, don’t you, Zoe?”

“If it wasn’t for men with money, Jonas, you’d be writing parking tickets in some shitty little village in the Alps.”

Zoe never saw the blow coming. A sweeping backhand, it drove her head sideways into Mikhail’s blood-soaked neck. Mikhail seemed to stir, then went motionless again. Zoe’s cheek radiated with pain, and she could taste blood in her mouth. She closed her eyes, and for an instant it seemed Gabriel was speaking quietly into her ear. You’re Zoe Reed, he was saying. You make mincemeat of people like Martin Landesmann. No one tells you what to do. And no one ever lays a hand on you. She opened her eyes and saw Brunner’s face floating behind the glow of the flashlight.

“Who do you work for?” he asked.

“The Financial Journal of London. Which means you just slapped the wrong fucking girl, Jonas.”

“Tonight?” Brunner asked as if addressing a dull pupil. “Who are you working for tonight, Zoe?”

“I’m not working tonight, Jonas. I came here at Martin’s invitation. And I was having a wonderful time until you and your thugs grabbed me and locked me in this godforsaken room. What the hell is going on?”

Brunner studied her for a moment, then looked at Mikhail. “You’re here because this man is a spy. We found him in Mr. Landesmann’s office during the film. He was stealing material from Mr. Landesmann’s computer.”

“A spy? He’s a businessman. An oil trader of some sort.”

Brunner held a small silver object before her eyes. “Have you ever seen this before?”

“It’s a flash drive, Jonas. Most people have one.”