Eddie knew that rounding the corner to face two enemies would be suicide – but he also knew the Chinese would act very soon, the urgency of Wu’s orders a giveaway. He advanced to just short of the junction and silently lay flat on his chest. Gun aimed up at the corner, he waited for the inevitable attack – which went right over his head. The MP7’s muzzle flash obscured him from the soldier’s sight . . . until it was too late.

Three armour-piercing rounds punched up through Liu’s stomach into his chest. He crashed to the red stone floor, his torch rolling away down the incline to wedge against a wall.

Eddie jumped up. Wu hadn’t yet turned on her light. He raised the MP7 and whirled around the corner. The sight flared as it found hot targets against cold stone—

An object was starkly silhouetted against the woman and the girl’s bright conjoined shapes. A gun – pointed at Macy’s head.

With his sights not zeroed, Eddie couldn’t risk taking a shot at Wu. He sidestepped for a better angle—

Too late. Wu’s tactical light clicked back on, illuminating the side of Macy’s face. The Chinese agent turned to pull her between them. ‘Drop the gun!’ she snarled.

‘Kill her and I kill you,’ he growled back.

‘And then you will kill yourself,’ she sneered. ‘Knowing you had let your only child die? You could not live with that.’

His lips curled in anger – and she responded with a small, cruel smile. ‘Where’s Sandra?’ he demanded.

‘Dead,’ came the cold reply.

‘She tried to run!’ said Macy, crying. ‘That man shot her!’

A desperate plan started to form. ‘Macy, everything’s going to be okay,’ said Eddie, fully aware that he had no way to guarantee that. He surreptitiously clicked the fire selector to single shot for maximum accuracy. ‘Just . . . think fast.’

Macy’s eyes widened in understanding – and she dropped—

Eddie fired. The bullet hit Wu’s right shoulder, knocking her backwards. She screamed. Macy broke from her hold. ‘Down!’ he yelled as the gun swung towards him. He fired again, but only clipped the woman’s upper arm—

Both he and Macy dived as Wu’s MP7 blazed. The Yorkshireman rolled down the sloping tunnel as bullets pounded the wall behind him.

The gunfire stopped. Eddie darted back to the corner, resetting his weapon to full auto. ‘Macy! To me!’ He lunged out to cover his daughter’s approach, finding his opponent—

Wu had retreated, dropping down behind a large barrel-shaped backpack on the floor. It wasn’t big enough to give her full cover. He grabbed Macy and pushed her around the corner, then fired a burst at Wu as he withdrew. The rounds cracked off rock and metal, but not flesh—

‘Daddy!’ Macy shrieked. ‘Don’t shoot! It’s a bomb!’