Amaz looked at her watch. It was 1.30 a.m.

‘You have anything up to four hours before the others come,’ Amaz said in Lao to the man. ‘They won’t take off in the dark. Too dangerous.’

‘Mao, mao!’ the guard said.

‘What? Oh, yes, they’ll be very drunk, except for the pilot.’

The guard laughed.

‘Rai mao!’ the guard said, and then produced some Laotian whisky. He offered the bottle to Amaz, who refused it. He took a hefty swig and offered it again.

‘No, thank you,’ Amaz said.

It seemed the Lao guard was intent on finishing the bottle.

‘Don’t fall asleep!’ Amaz said and made a sleeping action with her hands and head.

The guard laughed and then fell over as he tried to stand. When he was on his feet, he stumbled behind the plane to urinate.

Cavalier broke out of the bush and took the rifle.

‘Keys,’ he demanded of Amaz.

‘Don’t try to fly it in the dark,’ she warned. ‘There’s a crashed plane back there …’

‘Saw it.’

The guard returned. He put his hands up when he saw Cavalier brandishing a handgun at him.

‘Tie him up,’ Cavalier ordered Amaz.

‘What are you going to do?’ she asked. ‘The others will be here—’

‘Before dawn,’ he said, indicating that the guard lie on his front. Cavalier supervised the tying. His brain was racing. He couldn’t hope to capture the gang and take them back to Chiang Mai. It had not been his brief anyway. But he was now cornered. The best way out was by air. Flying had been a hobby since his training days in the airforce. He knew the Cessna.

‘You have a choice,’ Cavalier said as he slung his backpack into the cockpit. ‘Come with me or stay with the gang.’

‘You won’t fly this thing out of here!’ Amaz insisted.

Cavalier seemed oblivious of the warning. He hauled out a sack and, using a pocketknife, slit it open. Black rice sprayed on the ground. He burrowed his hands deep into the sack and pulled out small white bags. Cavalier slit open one. He put the white powder to his lips. He glanced around at Amaz.

‘Heroin,’ he said.

Cavalier circled the plane.

‘Too heavy,’ he mumbled. ‘If you come, I’ll throw out three more bags.’

‘I’m not going in that thing at night. Are you a pilot?’

Cavalier ignored her.

‘There’s a steep cliff after those trees. Even if you clear them, you won’t have the power—’

‘Suit yourself,’ he said. ‘But I’ll say it once more. Leave that pack of hyenas for good. You’ll only end up in big trouble if you don’t.’

Cavalier dragged the guard well clear of the plane and ordered Amaz to walk with him the length of the runway to the clump of trees at the end. They pushed through the undergrowth.