Harhund kept his eyes locked on Eddie’s. ‘Do not worry. I will shoot him dead before he can cut an artery.’

‘Yeah, but – but I’m in the way!’

‘The bullet will go straight through you, but then tumble and tear organs when it enters his body. You will probably survive.’

‘Probably doesn’t cut it!’

‘I’ll cut you if you don’t keep still,’ Eddie growled – but the situation was out of control. Despite Nina’s best efforts to resist, the other mercenary had hauled her to the doors, and it was now absolutely clear that while Miller had once been Harhund’s paymaster, he was no longer calling the shots.

Eddie backed towards the secondary exit. ‘Nina,’ he said, drawing his struggling wife’s attention to him – and giving her a look that after seventeen years together he hoped she would understand. Her small nod told him she did: distract him.

‘Watch her,’ Harhund warned his comrade, detecting the unspoken message but not knowing what it meant. The mercenary held Nina more tightly as he forced the doors open. The Scandinavian advanced, eyes flicking towards movement on the Sky Jump platform before locking back onto the Englishman.

Eddie continued his retreat, giving Nina the look she had been waiting for—

She kicked out hard, catching one of the doors and driving herself back against her captor.

He staggered against the other door, which hit the wall with a bang. Harhund’s head snapped around at the noise—

Eddie hurled the broken bottle at the mercenary leader’s face.

Harhund lunged sideways to dodge the jagged glass missile – and Eddie propelled Miller at him with a forceful kick. The two men collided and fell.

‘Nina, run!’ yelled the Yorkshireman as he darted to the other exit. He looked back, hoping she had broken free – but the other man had kept his hold on her.

Harhund recovered, gun rising—

Eddie threw himself through the doorway as he fired. The bullet struck just behind him. He slammed the door shut, then ran down the curving corridor.

Glass walls revealed the Sky Jump to his left, Auckland sprawling beyond it. A woman was outside on the platform, attendants readying her for the drop. Eddie had reconnoitred when he and Nina first arrived; apart from toilets beyond the Sky Jump’s entrance, the only accessible exit doubled back to the elevators in the central core. Harhund must have used a service door to enter the kitchens, but the Yorkshireman had no way to open it.

Not that he would even have time to reach it. The Norwegian charged into the corridor behind him.