‘There’s not as much intel as I would like,’ Muir began, ‘but that’s why I need you to fill in the blanks. Once you make contact we have absolutely no idea what’s going to happen next. But I think we can assume that after you’ve been picked up at the airport you’ll be taken—’
‘If you’ve supplied me with all the facts you have there is nothing you can speculate on that I won’t consider myself.’
A pause, then, ‘Okay.’
‘If I’m blunt it is because we’re operating on a limited time frame, and, unless you’ve been withholding a significant amount of your personal history, I know more about this business than you do.’
She nodded. ‘Yes, of course. I understand. No offence taken.’
‘Good, then you also need to understand that once I accept a job I’m in charge. I’m not an employee. You supply me with all the intelligence you have and I’ll make the decisions on how to proceed with it. Agreed?’
‘Sounds perfectly fair. What I’m asking you to do is meet the broker and learn as much about him as you can. If that means accepting a job, great, I want to know about that too. I want this broker and the client too. So agree to anything he wants as long as it keeps him talking and gets you hired. Be his perfect assassin. You’ll need to wear a wire so we can record what he has to say and I’ll have some of my guys follow you from the airport.’
‘No.’
‘Excuse me?’
‘No wires. No guys. Whoever this broker is he isn’t stupid. He’s used Kooi before but he’s never met him in person. But he plans to now, because whatever this job is it’s big enough to require a face to face. He’s having someone else pick him up at an airport for a reason. He knows Kooi wouldn’t risk trying to carry a gun on a flight, and collecting him straight from the airport means he wouldn’t be able to get one on the ground. This broker is cautious. He’s careful. There’s a very good chance I’ll be searched or he’ll have electronic countermeasures. So no recording device of any kind. And your guys just aren’t good enough. I’m not having my life balancing on their skills at remaining unseen.’
Muir sighed and looked away. ‘Then it’s a no go. I can’t send you in without backup and if we don’t get anything useable on the broker then there’s no point going through with it.’
‘If I get hired the broker is going to tell me the target and the job specifications. With that you can work back to the client.’
‘Maybe.’
‘Yes, maybe. But that’s the risk you’re going to have to take.’
She stared back out at the river. ‘I don’t exactly have a lot of choice, do I?’
Victor remained silent.
‘Okay,’ she said eventually, ‘we’ll do it your way if that’s what it’s going to take.’ She turned back around. ‘You’re supposed to meet the contact tonight at 20:15, in Budapest. Which means you need to be on the 17:22 flight from Vienna International. We’ve already got you a ticket. We weren’t being presumptuous, just so you know. We didn’t want to risk the flight selling out. It’s business class, by the way, courtesy of the US government.’
‘Scrap it. I require an economy seat.’
‘There’s no need. We’ve already got the ticket. The price isn’t coming off your fee. Consider it a bonus, but it’s practical too. You’ll be more alert on arrival.’
‘Kooi used a charity as a cover for his contracts. A business class ticket costs several times that of an economy. No small charity is going to blow its budget sending employees business class. So neither would Kooi. If you don’t believe me check his flight history.’
Muir sucked in air through her teeth and grimaced. ‘You’re right. Damn. I should have considered that.’
‘Yes, you should. Because maybe this unidentified broker knows as much about Kooi as you do and has the resources to check on these things.’
‘I know, I’m sorry. I don’t know what else to say.’
‘Nothing more needs to be said on the matter. Everyone makes mistakes.’
‘Do you?’
‘You’ll get your answer if I return,’ Victor said. ‘And if I don’t.’
SIXTEEN
Andorra la Vella, Andorra
Peter Defraine loved school. He absolutely loved it. He had cried on his very first day because it was the first time he had ever been parted from his mother for any length of time. But that was ages ago and he hadn’t cried since. He