Hart is going to make sure there’s no comeback.’
‘There’s four of us,’ Victor said. ‘And one of him.’
‘Do you really think he’s going to try anything when we’re together? He’ll get us one by one. When we’re vulnerable.’
‘You’re a lot bigger than he is.’
Jaeger laughed. ‘Somehow I don’t think he’s going to try wrestling me. If you had to kill me, would you come at me head on?’
‘No.’
‘How would you do it?’
‘I’d prefer to keep that to myself.’
‘If you wouldn’t come at me head on why would Hart? He’s already got it all figured out. Three seconds after I first met him he’d worked out how he was going to kill me. Same with you.’
‘Why are you telling me this?’
‘So you can help me kill him, of course. I’m not here chatting for the sake of it. What do you think this is? It’s recruitment time, friend.’
‘Why would I want to help you?’
‘You want to stay alive, don’t you?’
‘I’m a lot harder to kill than I look.’
Jaeger smirked. ‘Is that because you face threats like Hart all on your lonesome? Maybe, but why would you if you don’t have to? And do you choose to fight on your enemy’s terms? No chance. It’s on your terms or not at all. You hide it well, but you’re a lot smarter than you want people to see. But I see it. You’re always watching. You never relax. You’re always working out what your next move is going to be well before you need to make it. That’s good. I like that. I know it means you’re not the kind of man who blindly rolls the dice. You stack the odds in your favour first. So I know you’d rather it was two against one.’
‘We could just walk away. No one is here to stop us.’
‘No, we can’t. My real name is Jaeger, just like you’re really Kooi. Leeson knows who we are. He knows everything about us. We run, and Hart will hunt us down one by one. Besides,’ Jaeger added. ‘If you help me on this then I can help you take care of Dietrich too.’
‘Why would I want to do that?’
Jaeger laughed. ‘Because you hate the prick. I don’t blame you.’
‘I don’t hate anyone.’
‘Then for self-preservation. Get him before he gets you. He’s no Hart, but do you really want to be looking over your shoulder for him all the time when you need to be watching out for Hart?’ He shook his head. ‘Of course you don’t. And don’t tell me you think that little scuffle was the end of it for you and Dietrich? That’s just the beginning. He’s going to come for you. Knowing Dietrich, sooner rather than later.’
‘How can you be so sure about that?’
‘Because he told me. People have always confided in me. I look like a trustworthy guy, don’t I? Plus, he wants me to help him.’
‘And will you?’
The wide shoulders shrugged. ‘That depends, doesn’t it?’
‘On whether I help you kill Hart?’
Jaeger rapped the knuckles of his right hand on the tabletop. ‘Told you I knew you were switched on.’
‘Why haven’t you asked Dietrich to help you instead? You’ve only known me a day.’
‘Because Dietrich is a dick. I wouldn’t trust him to tie his shoelaces so I’m sure as shit not going to trust him backing me up against Hart.’
‘Coughlin then?’
‘Are you joking? I tell him I want Hart dead, first thing he’s going to do is go straight to Hart to rat me out.’
‘How do you know I won’t?’
‘Several reasons.’
‘Which are?’
‘You’re the new guy, and after Hart, I’ve been here longest. Your word won’t mean shit compared to mine.’
‘That’s not enough of a reason.’
‘It’s a secondary consideration. The reason I know you won’t go to Hart is because you want Hart out of the way, just like I do. Only you’d want Hart gone even if I hadn’t told you he was bad news.’
‘Why?’
‘Because you want his woman.’
‘If you want my help so badly you’ll be happy to tell me what you’re working on in the barn.’
‘Oh, you’d just love to know that, wouldn’t you? But no deal. I’ll show you when this over. You wouldn’t believe me otherwise.’
‘How do I know this isn’t a setup?’
Jaeger laughed. ‘What if it is? This whole job is a setup. Haven’t you worked that out yet?’
‘How do you plan to do it?’
‘Leeson’s going to fill us in on the job tonight, right? After dinner, he told me. We’ll all be there, sitting around this here