Part 36 (1/2)

He raised his hands, palms upwards. 'Why worry about being killed when you're already dead?'

'And you were pretty f.u.c.king sure you'd get two for the price of one.'

'Julian kept telling me how s.h.i.+t-f.u.c.king-hot you were. But I think it's safe to say that even you would never have found the girl in time if it hadn't been for that incredibly intelligent Russian woman of yours.'

'And you had to find Lily before Tarasov did. So maybe he's not such a great mate after all. He must have been pretty p.i.s.sed off when you rubbed out his two lads in Amsterdam. Rival traffickers? He just wanted his daughter back. I knew Bradley was talking s.h.i.+t.'

Tresillian was enjoying every minute of this. He was like a magician who couldn't wait to explain his best conjuring trick.

'You were never trying to find her so you could hand her over, were you? You were going to keep her. She's leverage.'

He looked at me like I was the village idiot. 'Just as you are now using her against me. Hector Tarasov is not yet a friend of ours - but he does have a rather important role in our immediate future. The deal we have in mind will take two more weeks to complete.'

'Just before a certain s.h.i.+pment leaves his factory for Iran.'

His expression clouded, just for a moment - but long enough for me to know that I'd pulled off a conjuring trick of my own.

'Our aircraft may well have to infiltrate Iranian air s.p.a.ce to destroy their nuclear power plants. We might have to fight alongside the French in Algeria to defend our oil and gas interests. We might have to fight alongside the Americans in West Africa to safeguard our energy supply against Muslim fundamentalism in the Niger delta. We need those motherboards ... adjusted. Very simply, Mr Tarasov needs to do as he is told if he ever wants to see that child again.'

'But you don't have Lily. I do.'

The light went out in his eyes. 'You are welcome to keep her, Mr Stone - as long as she doesn't go near her father. Can you guarantee that? If so, I may be able to accommodate you and your not only intelligent but very attractive Russian friend.'

'And Kleinmann, of course. He gets a pa.s.s. This time tomorrow he'll be back in LA with his mother, trying to dodge his ex-wife's lawyers.'

He raised a hand and slapped it back on the table. 'I imagine they'll deal with him rather more brutally than I would have.' He leant forward again, his forearms resting on the table. 'But you should be in no doubt, Mr Stone, I have a lot more plates than Mr Tarasov's to keep spinning, and I will do whatever the f.u.c.k it takes to meet my objectives.'

'So you keep saying. But what about f.u.c.king up Amsterdam? You didn't even know I was going to end up there.'

His eyes burnt into mine. 'Read the papers, follow the informed debate. The attack on the silo was carried out by Iranian-backed Muslim extremists. A number of innocent young girls would have been killed - if you hadn't suddenly turned into the Scarlet f.u.c.king Pimpernel - strengthening our country's resolve to fight and defeat them.

'The only truth that matters, Mr Stone, is the one that people want to believe. Am I right?' He didn't give me a chance to answer. 'My job is to attack them from every angle, at all times, with all means. There is no quarter for courageous restraint, Mr Stone. We are at war, and you are - or were - a casualty. Finding the girl was the objective, but along the way I saw an opportunity target and I attacked it. If the trail had led you to the centre of f.u.c.king Cheltenham and the same opportunity arose, I would have taken exactly the same action. I will always use everything in my power to protect the UK, its territories and dependencies, wherever I can, and whenever I can.'

'Which includes ramping up anti-Muslim rage?'

He wagged his finger like a headmaster. 'No, no, no. Don't be so naive. It's there to ensure the pro-Iranian factions understand the dangers we face. It was an opportunity that you brought to me and it worked.'

The leather squeaked as he sat back into his chair.

'Tell me, Mr Stone. Why did you save those young women? It served no purpose.'

I hesitated, but only because I'd just realized the answer to his question. 'Your DNA experiment did me a favour. It put me through a moral carwash. I wanted to sleep at night, particularly since I didn't have that many of them left.'

He didn't miss a beat. 'And having gone through this moral-f.u.c.king-carwash, I take it that you will not be serving your country again?'

'Correct. I'll leave it in your capable hands.'

'Do not underestimate me. If my operation against her father doesn't succeed because of you, I will retaliate.'

It was my turn to lean forward.

'No, you won't. I'll keep my end of the deal, but I have everything doc.u.mented, and it's sitting on a cloud. Everything - and I mean everything - will be there for anyone to download should anything happen to me, Kleinmann or the girls. So get on with your Tarasov stunt, but be quick about it. Lilian is pretty angry with her dad right now, but she might want to go home on day fifteen. Who knows? And by then that f.u.c.king cloud will contain a few more goodies - including this meeting.

'You'll deny it, of course. But everyone in our world knows there's no smoke without fire.'

If I had got to him, he didn't show it.

'Will that be all, Mr Stone? I need to get on with my life now. I want to go home - and I'm sure you want to do the same.'

Jules shook his head in disbelief. 'And you just let me stumble around in the dark?'

Tresillian stood and brushed a loose thread off his sleeve. 'There were certain things you simply did not need to know. If you ever get to sit in this chair, you can decide who knows what. Until that day, I will.'

It wasn't the answer Jules was after. He controlled his anger, but only just. 'You had me put my friend's life at risk. You were going to have him killed, for Christ's sake.'

Tresillian sat and stared. His voice was low and even. 'Julian, man up. What do you think we do for a living?'

I stood as well, to relieve the pain in my a.r.s.e wounds. 'I know I'm pond life, on the s.h.i.+t side of the fence, but isn't Jules supposed to be one of yours?'

Tresillian chuckled. 'Well, Julian, what side of the fence are are you on?' you on?'

Julian stayed put, his eyes fixed on the tabletop.

I turned and went outside. The smaller of the two heavies greeted me with a smile. 'We'll escort you to the station, sir. The first train to London on a Monday morning is in about six hours.'