and his moment of glory. Downed the glass in one.
His heart was beating. He’d done it. No more waiting. He topped up his glass and lay back on the sofa, barely able to contain his excitement. He aimed the remote at the giant TV and stabbed a couple of keys. His favourite satellite porn channel filled the screen, and he savoured that for a while as he polished off the Krug.
Then the phone rang. Slater muted the groans and gasps from the surround-sound speakers and picked up.
It was the associate ringing back.
‘It’s settled. Three days.’
‘Tell Herzog he’s a pro.’
‘I think he already knows that.’ The associate hung up.
Slater gulped down the last of the champagne, wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his silk shirt and dialled a number.
Jones answered on the third ring.
‘It’s me,’ Slater said.
‘No sign,’ Jones said, anticipating him. ‘But we’re searching. We’ll get them. It’s under control.’
‘I’ve heard that before. And when you do find them, I want them dead.’
‘All of them? Bradbury too?’
‘Bradbury too.’
‘But the ostraka -’
‘We’ve gone beyond that now,’ Slater interrupted. ‘The plan’s altered. Jerusalem is going ahead.’
‘Jesus Christ.’
‘Exactly. Hallelujah.’
‘How soon?’ Jones breathed.
‘Three days,’ Slater said. ‘So. You find them. And bury them.’
‘With pleasure.’
Chapter Forty-Five
Ben opened his eyes to the morning light and smelled roasting meat. Alex was squatting down next to the fire, and he saw that she’d built it up and was cooking a rabbit over it using two pronged sticks and a spit.
‘Something smells good,’ he said.
She glanced round at the sound of his voice, and there was genuine warmth in her smile. Her hair was tousled. ‘You’re hungry. That’s a good sign.’
He lay back against the cave wall, watching the way she was running the fire hot to minimise smoke. The juices from the rabbit were dripping fast into the flames, sizzling and popping. He let his eye wander down the curve of her body, noticing for the first time how attractive she was. She was tall and slender, with an athletic grace to her movements.
His gaze rested on the butt of the Beretta sticking out of the back pocket of her jeans.
She seemed to read his thoughts. ‘You can have it back, if you want. I hope you don’t mind that I took it from you while you were sleeping. But Zoe needs to eat. And so do you. You look pale.’
He sat up slowly. It felt like someone was sawing off his arm at the shoulder with an angle grinder. He reached for the codeine and popped two tablets in his mouth. ‘I don’t mind. You keep it.’
She smiled. ‘So you trust me now.’
‘Do I have a choice?’
‘Not really.’ She poked the serrated knife into the rabbit’s flank and drew it off the spit, laid the roasted carcass on a flat stone and started carving pieces off. She offered one to Zoe on the point of the knife.
Zoe wrinkled her face up in disgust. ‘I’m not eating that.’
Alex frowned. ‘You’ll need your strength. Looks like we have a lot of walking to do today.’
‘I’m vegetarian.’
‘Good,’ Ben said. ‘More for us. But if you think we’re going to carry you, you’re wrong.’
Zoe pointed at Alex. ‘I’m not going anywhere with her. It’s thanks to her that Dr Greenberg was killed.’
‘I didn’t want that to happen,’ Alex said. ‘There was nothing I could do to stop it.’
Zoe grunted and huddled tighter into her corner. She sat and watched them darkly as they ate.
‘Never mind her,’ Ben said. ‘If she wants to starve, that’s fine. This is good.’
‘I never shot a rabbit with a 9mm before,’ Alex replied. ‘I was scared there’d be nothing left.’ She wiped her mouth, got up, walked to the entrance of the cave and took out her phone.
‘Put that away,’ Ben said. ‘If there’s any signal up here, they’ll track us from it.’
‘OK. But as soon as I get to a landline I’m making a call.’
‘Yeah, right,’ Zoe burst out. ‘She’s going to call
‘No, little lady,’ Alex said sharply. ‘I’m going to have you taken into protective custody until we can get this whole thing sorted out.’
Ben shook his head. ‘No chance. She’s my responsibility. She’s not going anywhere near the CIA. I promised her family that I’d get her home safely. That’s what I aim to do.’
‘She has no papers. How the hell are you going to get her out of the US?’
‘By delivering her to the nearest British Consulate. Her parents can come and collect her.’
‘And then what?’
‘And then I’m going after the people who started all this.’
‘On your own? You think that’s the solution – killing more people?’
‘That’s not what I wanted,’ he said. ‘I wanted a life of peace. I didn’t ask to be brought back in.’
‘But now you’re here.’
‘And I mean to finish it.’
She shook her head. ‘It’s not going to work, Ben. You’re wanted for murdering two police officers. You’ll get picked up before you get anywhere near these people. You have to do this thing my way. I’m your only alibi, remember.’
‘You’re in just as much shit as I am,’ he said.
‘Try explaining to your superiors why you killed one of your fellow agents and aided a fugitive.’
Alex said nothing.
Ben turned to Zoe. She was slumped against the wall with a sulky expression, staring into space. ‘You have a lot of explaining to do,’ he said.
‘Me?’
‘Yes, you. Where are the ostraka?’
She huffed. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about.’
‘I thought Greenberg said you were making progress,’ Alex said. ‘You still don’t remember anything?’
Zoe screwed up her face and sank her head in her hands. ‘I want to go home.’
Ben stared at her. ‘How do you even know you have a home, if you don’t remember anything?’
Zoe looked up and fired a filthy look at him. ‘Piss off. Leave me alone.’
‘You have no idea what I’ve had to go through to find you. People have died because of your stupid little scheme.’
‘Easy on her, Ben,’ Alex said. ‘It’s been a tough time for her too.’
Ben was quiet for a moment. ‘All right. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to be hard on you.’
‘You almost broke my jaw last night,’ Zoe said, rubbing it.
‘I’m sorry about that too.’ He reached out and laid a hand on her arm. Pain stabbed through his shoulder with the movement. She pulled away from him.
‘We’d better make moves,’ Alex said. ‘This could be a long day.’
They killed the fire, wrapped the remnants of the rabbit in fresh leaves and stowed them in Ben’s bag. After
