Seguma’s eyes narrowed, pulling his eyebrows together. ‘Someone tried to kill my double?’
‘It was kept out of the news. The police arrested an assassin near the wedding venue. He’s from Karatandu, but it looks like he was trained up and funded by the Russians.’
‘But why would they kill me? We had a deal.’
‘You’re one of the longest-serving leaders in Africa,’ Mallet said. ‘The last thing the Russians want is you making noises in the background, stirring things up. It could cause problems for the new man.’
‘But I promised them I would stay out of politics. I gave them my word.’
Mallet rooted through his pockets and pulled out a packet of smokes. ‘That doesn’t matter,’ he replied as he jammed a cigarette between his teeth and searched for a lighter. ‘The Russians will tell you whatever you want to hear, sir. But it’s safer if they scrub you out of existence.’
He patted himself down, found a lighter in his jacket and sparked up. Then he said, ‘We’re about to go live on a call with a senior officer at MI6. The British are going to make you an offer.’
Seguma’s expression tightened. ‘What offer?’
‘Something better than the one you had on the table from Russia.’ Mallet blew out smoke, looked round and tapped ash into a glass ashtray. ‘One that doesn’t end with you getting a bullet in the back of the head.’
The cigarette dangled from Mallet’s lips as he swiped a finger across the laptop touchpad. He pressed a key, the same musical ringtone filled the room, and a moment later the voice of the anonymous MI6 officer came over the speaker from six hundred miles away.
‘John? Is everyone present?’
‘We’re all here, ma’am.’
‘Have you explained the situation to Mr Seguma?’
‘I’ve told him what’s really going on, aye.’
The Voice said, ‘Mr Seguma, I’m afraid I’m going to have to make this very quick, because we don’t have a lot of time. In less than two hours, the Russians will realise that the meeting is off and initiate a military coup d’état. I’m sure you appreciate the urgency of the situation.’
‘Who am I speaking to?’ Seguma demanded. ‘Give me your name.’
‘That doesn’t concern you, Mr President. All you need to know is that I am speaking to you on behalf of the British government. I’ve been authorised to make you an offer.’
Seguma laughed mirthlessly. ‘Now you want to help me? Now, of all times? Surely this is a joke.’
‘We’re trying to help you out of this situation, Mr President.’
‘Your foreign secretary, he never returns my calls,’ Seguma said bitterly. ‘I ask for aid from your country, military help to deal with my enemies. It never comes. I tell you I have big problems, drought, my people are starving, you don’t care. But now, all of a sudden, the Russians take an interest in my country, and you pretend we are friends.’
‘I’m deeply sorry you feel that way.’
‘Lang was a fool for persuading me to do business with the Russians. But I had my reasons. You people never support me. It’s all just words, words. Give us some cash and tell us to go away.’
‘Britain considers you a dear friend,’ the Voice said. ‘We always have.’
‘If that is true, you have a very strange way of showing it.’
‘We’ve made mistakes. We’re prepared to admit that. But that’s all in the past, sir. Downing Street wants to start over. The government is keen to demonstrate its support . . . as long as you’re willing to pledge your loyalty to us.’
‘You are too late.’ Seguma shook his head slowly. ‘I cannot go back to Karatandu, not now.’
‘Mr President, you cannot allow the Russians to coerce you into stepping aside. They can’t be trusted. We both know that.’
Seguma spread his hands across the table, like a guy showing a weak hand in a high-stakes poker game.
‘How can I go back now? If I refuse the deal from the Russians, they will infiltrate my country anyway. I will lose everything.’
Mallet took a final drag on his cigarette and stubbed it out in the ashtray. ‘You’ll lose a lot more than that, if you go to that meeting,’ he said. ‘In fact, I doubt you’d make it out of there alive.’
‘They wouldn’t kill me. Surely?’
Mallet answered with a shrug.
The Voice said, ‘There is another way out of this situation, sir. One that doesn’t involve surrendering to Moscow.’
Seguma turned his head to one side. ‘How?’
‘If you agree to remain in office, we can help you quell the rebellion.’
‘With what? My army is poorly equipped, some of my generals cannot be trusted.’
‘The British government is ready to back you with the full weight of our Special Forces teams. We’re mobilising a squadron from the SAS, plus teams from the SBS and SFSG. They can be on the ground within the next twenty-four hours.’
Mallet said, ‘We’re talking about almost two hundred soldiers, plus weaponry and vehicles. Those lads will provide an immediate boost to your security forces. With their help, your troops will stand an excellent chance of defeating the enemy in detail.’
‘But what happens after your men leave? I will be at the mercy of my own people. What if they take to the streets again?’
‘We’ve discussed this with the Foreign Office. HMG is willing to increase its commitments to Karatandu,’ the Voice said.
‘It will need a big increase.’
‘Which is why we’re prepared to treble the current budget. We’ll also send in training teams to bring your forces up to scratch, provide them with state-of-the-art weaponry. You’ll be at the front of the queue from now on. Whatever you need, you’ll get it.’
Seguma tapped his cane against his foot as he mulled the offer. ‘It would have been better if you had made such a generous proposal before,’ he said. ‘None of this would have happened.’
‘We’re fully aware of that, sir.’
‘And why should I believe you? After all these years of broken promises?’
‘It’s in our mutual interest to fully support you,
