‘I think Cuban and North Korean churches are under consideration, yes?’

Kisley smiled. ‘I think your spies are as good as mine!’ he said. Kisley turned to ask a barman to give them a bottle of gold-filtered Russian vodka. ‘This is the finest vodka in the world. Will you join me?’

They began to drink the smooth liquor. ‘You will not have a hangover with this,’ Kisley said. ‘The gold filters out impurities.’

After a third glass each, Kisley started asking questions about Conquer and what Haut thought about the giant oil producer.

‘Huh!’ Haut began with his faltering laugh. ‘They have tried to kill me.’

Kisley ignored this until they were on their fifth drink and had all but demolished the bottle.

‘Did they really try to murder you?’ he asked, his expression serious for the first time.

‘Oh, yeah. They sent three gentlemen and paid them thirty million dollars to do it.’

‘Hmm,’ Kisley said, ‘I would have thought that figure was a gross under-evaluation of you.’

Haut laughed. Kisley’s expression did not change. He called for another bottle of vodka. Pouring their sixth glass, he asked, ‘How did you manage to survive? You had bodyguards?’

Haut explained how Pinkerton had dropped their security for him.

‘Then how did you avoid being eliminated?’

‘God sent me a guardian angel.’

Kisley was taken aback at first, then he laughed.

‘And now you have American protection, again?’

‘Yes, well, Pinkerton returned to support me …’

‘And the CIA?’

‘I don’t know officially. But I assume it is them.’

Kisley scrutinised him with an amused expression. It prompted Haut to add, ‘The people who have been in the Roosevelt Hotel with me are from the US government. That is what I know. They have my interests at heart.’

‘You mean their interests,’ Kisley remarked without malice.

‘Both our interests.’

During the imbibing of the second bottle of vodka, Kisley spoke more quietly. ‘Vladimir wants to remove Conquer from Russia.’

‘Kick them out?’

Kisley nodded.

‘They control a huge field in Siberia,’ Haut said, surprised. ‘What is the problem?’

‘Problems, plural.’

‘Such as?’

‘They want to narrow down payments for the lease. They want a greater share of oil and gas production proceeds. Far greater than the original arrangement.’ Kisley sipped his drink. ‘Vladimir is not happy.’

‘Hmm. I know how he feels.’

Kisley threw back the glass’s contents and poured them both more.

‘Magnificent, isn’t it?’ he asked, indicating the vodka.

‘Yes.’ Haut chuckled.

‘We know you Aussies like a drink,’ Kisley said with a slap of Haut’s back. ‘Even the smaller ones!’

This elicited much mirth from him. Then, in a flash, his expression changed. ‘Vladimir wants to offer you a job.’

Haut waited.

‘Yes, a very big job,’ Kisley said, with a pulled face as if to emphasise the size. ‘The president wants you to take over the Conquer operation.’

Haut’s eyebrows went up.