‘I was not actually a hired gun then. I was on that project regardless of help.’

‘But you did take the money.’

‘I did. But I don’t intend to make it a habit. Then the work has no meaning.’

‘Big Brother would love you to help find Dubois, who they want for several murders, including three more of their agents. They think he’s lying low in Burma, Thailand or Cambodia.’

‘Forget it.’

‘You know Melody is about to be appointed CIA deputy director. Apparently Potus loves her. She’s in the new breed that have been moved in while the old deep staters are moved out.’

‘She is a very good choice. But I prefer to work alone.’

‘I’m sure she’d pay big-time again.’

‘That makes me a hired gun. Not on.’

‘So you’re not interested in me talking to Big Brother about you helping deal with Hollos, Leni, Castro and Dubois?’

‘No.’

‘Sweet Melody wants to team up with ASIS to square off for Deere’s death,’ Wombat said. ‘I think you could ask for a million a hit, plus the reward.’ He paused to stare at his companion. Cavalier did not react. ‘That’d be five or six million US.’

‘I’ve already said I’m not interested.’

‘Christ, Victor! You’d be a serious multi-millionaire!’

‘Without a soul!’

‘Yes, an arse-soul, for sure. But a very rich one!’ Wombat paused to swirl the ice in his glass. ‘You don’t even wish to avenge the death of our man Deere? And the girl Amaz?’

‘Tracing the killers would take years. That means I’d be drawn into dealing with the agencies. I won’t do it. I didn’t really need Melody on the Bangkok Express. I wouldn’t want to be dependent on her or anyone else.’

‘Is that because those agents shot you at Chiang Mai airport?’

‘No. But it does illustrate the problem of reliance on others, who let you down, even if accidentally.’

They paused again to watch the billiards game near them.

‘If I had your skills,’ Wombat mumbled, ‘I’d do it myself, for that money.’

‘As Al Haut says often: “Get thee behind me, Satan.”’

*

They had a second game of billiards before sitting down to chat more over coffee.

‘I see your eye is still “in”,’ Wombat remarked obliquely.

‘If you’re asking me about my other sporting “capacities”,’ Cavalier said, ‘they’re fine.’

‘So you’ve not given up on the other, entirely?’

‘Never say never.’

‘I’m sorry the Laos assignment ended the way it did.’

‘My fault, not yours. Once I had the information you needed, and I wanted for an article, I could have walked away. Depriving that nasty little gang of returns from their drug running was too tempting, especially as they were using a plane I could fly.’

‘Risk-taking is in your blood, Vic.’

‘And I lost a lot of it.’