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anything about it because Viktor won’t let him.’
    ‘You met Orlov?Did you make a better impression on him?’
    ‘It’s hard to tell.He’s different from the rest of them – he’s smart.He acted all friendly, but I could tell he was checking me out.’
    ‘Don’t be fooled by his appearance.Orlov’s just as dangerous as the rest of them, if not more so.’
    ‘You don’t have to tell me that.He’s organizing some kind of raid tomorrow.If I want to join the Eagles, I have to take part in it.I don’t know how I’m going to get out of it.Maybe I can say that I’m too hungover or something like that.I mean, obviously I can’t go on it …’
    He trailed off.Jordan said nothing.
    ‘You’re not saying I should do it?’ Alexei said incredulously.
    The American gave him a meaningful look.
    ‘You’ve got to be kidding me!’ Alexei shouted. ‘I’m not going to help these guys beat up some poor bastard just because he’s foreign!’
    For a few seconds Jordan did nothing.Then he nodded.‘I understand completely.’ Clapping his hands together,he called out in an echoing voice: ‘All right, people!Stop what you’re doing and pack it up! We’re done here!’
    ‘Hey!’ cried Alexei, grabbing the American’s arm. ‘What are you doing?’
    Jordan shrugged.‘If you don’t show the Eagles that you’re willing to fight with them, they’ll never trust you.This has all been a waste of time.’ He continued in a low, hard voice.‘You seem to be under the impression that this is some kind of school lesson that you can ask to be excused from.But this is real life, Alexei, and this is your mission.This raid tomorrow will go ahead whether you’re there or not.If you don’t go, maybe you’ll feel better about yourself, but Lena will still be in that hospital and the Eagles will still be out on the streets, free to do it again and again and again.’
    Alexei was stung by the sharpness of Jordan’s voice. ‘It’s easy for you to say,’ he said bitterly.‘You’re not the one who has to attack people.You’re not the one who has to get his hands dirty.You don’t have to do anything.’
    ‘You think I like that?You think it’s easy to ask young people like you to put themselves in danger?Don’t forget I know what this is like.I’ve seen things you couldn’t begin to imagine, and I’ve done things you wouldn’t want to.If there was any way I could infiltrate the Eagles I would, but I can’t.This is the only way we can stop them – no one else is going to do it for us.’
    ‘That still doesn’t make this right.’
    ‘You chose to join Trojan, Alexei,’ the American replied calmly.‘We didn’t force you.So what’s it going to be, son: are you in or out?’
    Alexei bit his lip, then nodded.
    ‘Good.Before you go to sleep, one of our operatives will interview you.Give them all the information you can.’
    Jordan strode out of the hall.Without looking back, he called out over his shoulder: ‘You did well today.Keep it up.’
    Alexei’s head was spinning.All he wanted to do was go to bed, but first he had to spend two hours giving detailed descriptions of the members of the Moscow Eagles.Exhausted and still drunk, when he finally crawled into his cot he instantly fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.
    The next morning, the Eagles’ gym was taut with anticipation.The skinheads spoke in low, terse sentences as they adjusted their rings and belt buckles, knife blades and screwdriver points glinting in the grimy half-light. Svetlana scurried around them, capturing the preparations on a digital camcorder.The girl’s expression of sulky disdain had vanished – she kissed Medved excitedly on the face and neck, looking tiny in his tree-trunk arms.
    By contrast, Alexei felt dreadful.His mouth was dry and his head was aching, his hangover only intensified by the dawning realization of what he had agreed to do.He wandered over to Marat, who was working one of the punchbags, the dragon tattoo on his neck