Bailey felt an acute sense of isolation as the silent weight of their scrutiny bore down on her with a crushing oceanic pressure.

She was centre stage and the show was about to begin.

15

The baby-faced one placed his bottle of hand sanitiser on the table and stood up. He was short, almost to the point of being a midget. Walking into the centre of the room, he pulled a chair from one of the tables and spun it around so the back of it was facing her. He sat astride it, crossing his arms atop the back of it, his face no more than fifty centimetres from hers.

‘Take off your sunglasses,’ he ordered. His voice was squeaky and nasty sounding.

She did so and he stared into her face, peering directly into her eyes, examining her hard for what were several very long seconds.

‘Who are you?’ he said. His tone was sharp and aggressive. She could feel his hot breath on her face. She wanted to move her head away, but she forced herself to remain firm. The rest of them just watched, their faces cold and inscrutable.

‘My name’s Bailey Sharpe,’ she said in a measured tone.

He smiled in disbelief, his eyes flaring angrily. He shook his head slowly as if she’d given the wrong answer.

‘What’s your real name?’ he demanded, despite the fact he’d just examined her identification.

For a moment she wondered if her cover was already blown, if they somehow knew she was an undercover cop, or if her credentials were apparent to them as fakes. But then she pulled herself together. They were just trying to intimidate her. That was all. The old undercover mantra came back to her now. Never break cover. Whatever happens, whatever they might claim, you never break your cover.

‘That is my real name,’ she said.

‘I’ve never heard of you,’ said Rick. His voice, although soft in tone, emanated a very real sense of coiled menace.

She turned to face him. ‘I’m guessing you’re Rick,’ she said.

He made no attempt to affirm or deny her supposition. He just stared at her, cold and enigmatic, like a Sphinx.

‘He said he’s never heard of you,’ spat the baby-faced one.

Bailey ignored him and kept her attention fixed on Rick.

‘I generally try and stay below the radar,’ she said. ‘I find it works better that way.’

From what she knew about him, that was exactly the kind of philosophy Rick took, but if he concurred, he made no indication that way. He just looked at her with his impenetrable black eyes and said nothing.

She swallowed nervously. On closer inspection, she now noticed little skulls dotting his maroon tie and recognised it as Alexander McQueen. She would have complimented him on it but felt that now wasn’t quite the appropriate time.

‘How did you know Adrian?’ demanded Nancy in a husky smoker’s drawl, her eyes boring into Bailey.

Bailey calmly met her gaze. Nancy was her target today, the one whose confidence she ultimately had to win if she was to get in with them.