that you would allow me to run things on the ground as I saw fit. That includes whom I choose to put out there. Tesseract is extremely capable and utterly deniable. Anything about his history before he began working for us is irrelevant to me as long as he produces results.’
‘As long as he does.’
‘The point is,’ Procter continued, lowering his tone, ‘we needed him, we used him, and he pulled it off perfectly. We can’t ask for any more.’
‘But he is a risk to us, you can’t deny that.’
‘And I’m not. But his value outweighs the risk.’
‘For now,’ Clarke said. ‘But remember, however much of a risk heposes at present, that risk only increases over time. And all the while our ability to manage it diminishes.’
‘Then we’ll act before we get into the red.’
‘I hope so.’
‘You worry too much.’
‘You don’t worry enough.’
Procter smiled. ‘Which is why I have you,’ he said. ‘But let’s get back on track, yeah? You’ll be pleased to know Tesseract is in Berlin for the next phase of the operation.’
‘Good. Let’s see if your boy can keep us on a winning streak.’
‘He will,’ Procter said with the utmost confidence. ‘And with Xavier Callo now in our custody too, things are progressing nicely.’
‘What’s the strategy with Callo?’
‘I’ve left it up to the boys on the ground. I’m not going to play armchair interrogator from six thousand miles away. He’s spent the last forty-eight hours in a car trunk with only a few sips of water so he’ll to be pretty shaken by now. They’ll get him on site by tomorrow, I expect, and then leave him to stew in an unlit cell for a few hours. Then they’ll go in hard.’
‘Sounds delightful,’ Clarke said.
Procter leaned forward again. ‘No less than he deserves.’
He heaved himself out of the chair and walked to the window. Outside, early morning sunlight bathed the Virginia countryside. Procter loved this part of the country. If it were up to him, he’d move out of DC and get a nice rural house, maybe with a few acres for a horse. Patricia was too enamoured with city life though to give it up without one hell of a fight. Procter, a man who was always careful picking his battles, knew he wasn’t going to win that one just yet.
‘How sure are you he knows what we need?’ Clarke asked.
‘Oh, he knows all right. If there’s a better link out there to Ariff’s network then we’ll never find it. That Egyptian scumbag has done a mighty fine job of staying under the radar for a very long time now.’
‘Who’s going to be asking the questions?’ Clarke asked. ‘Because whoever is in that room with Callo is going to learn a lot of information. Information that, when all this is over, could end up being used as leverage over us.’
‘I think you’re overestimating who I’ve got in mind. There’ll be the British contractors you supplied and vouched for, of course, and they only know the barest of details. So no problems there. The guy overseeing it is Agency, and though he’s an ambitious little prick, he’s got balls of purest cookie dough. He won’t breathe a word to anyone, ever.’ Procter smiled. ‘He’s my own personal bitch. I’ve got enough shit on him I could ask him to cut a leg off for me and he’d say thank you for the privilege while he bled out. I keep him so strung out he doesn’t know whether I’m Jesus Christ or the devil himself.’
The last part prised something resembling a smile from Clarke. Procter said, ‘He’ll do what we need done and within forty-eight hours we’ll know enough to set up the next phase of the operation.’
Clarke seemed pleased for once. ‘Then everything is going exactly as planned.’
‘Exactly as planned,’ Procter echoed. ‘It’s going to be beautiful.’
CHAPTER 9
Berlin, Germany
According to the dossier, Adorján Farkas would be arriving in Berlin the next day for a maximum stay of seven days. He would then return to his native
‘As long as he does.’
‘The point is,’ Procter continued, lowering his tone, ‘we needed him, we used him, and he pulled it off perfectly. We can’t ask for any more.’
‘But he is a risk to us, you can’t deny that.’
‘And I’m not. But his value outweighs the risk.’
‘For now,’ Clarke said. ‘But remember, however much of a risk heposes at present, that risk only increases over time. And all the while our ability to manage it diminishes.’
‘Then we’ll act before we get into the red.’
‘I hope so.’
‘You worry too much.’
‘You don’t worry enough.’
Procter smiled. ‘Which is why I have you,’ he said. ‘But let’s get back on track, yeah? You’ll be pleased to know Tesseract is in Berlin for the next phase of the operation.’
‘Good. Let’s see if your boy can keep us on a winning streak.’
‘He will,’ Procter said with the utmost confidence. ‘And with Xavier Callo now in our custody too, things are progressing nicely.’
‘What’s the strategy with Callo?’
‘I’ve left it up to the boys on the ground. I’m not going to play armchair interrogator from six thousand miles away. He’s spent the last forty-eight hours in a car trunk with only a few sips of water so he’ll to be pretty shaken by now. They’ll get him on site by tomorrow, I expect, and then leave him to stew in an unlit cell for a few hours. Then they’ll go in hard.’
‘Sounds delightful,’ Clarke said.
Procter leaned forward again. ‘No less than he deserves.’
He heaved himself out of the chair and walked to the window. Outside, early morning sunlight bathed the Virginia countryside. Procter loved this part of the country. If it were up to him, he’d move out of DC and get a nice rural house, maybe with a few acres for a horse. Patricia was too enamoured with city life though to give it up without one hell of a fight. Procter, a man who was always careful picking his battles, knew he wasn’t going to win that one just yet.
‘How sure are you he knows what we need?’ Clarke asked.
‘Oh, he knows all right. If there’s a better link out there to Ariff’s network then we’ll never find it. That Egyptian scumbag has done a mighty fine job of staying under the radar for a very long time now.’
‘Who’s going to be asking the questions?’ Clarke asked. ‘Because whoever is in that room with Callo is going to learn a lot of information. Information that, when all this is over, could end up being used as leverage over us.’
‘I think you’re overestimating who I’ve got in mind. There’ll be the British contractors you supplied and vouched for, of course, and they only know the barest of details. So no problems there. The guy overseeing it is Agency, and though he’s an ambitious little prick, he’s got balls of purest cookie dough. He won’t breathe a word to anyone, ever.’ Procter smiled. ‘He’s my own personal bitch. I’ve got enough shit on him I could ask him to cut a leg off for me and he’d say thank you for the privilege while he bled out. I keep him so strung out he doesn’t know whether I’m Jesus Christ or the devil himself.’
The last part prised something resembling a smile from Clarke. Procter said, ‘He’ll do what we need done and within forty-eight hours we’ll know enough to set up the next phase of the operation.’
Clarke seemed pleased for once. ‘Then everything is going exactly as planned.’
‘Exactly as planned,’ Procter echoed. ‘It’s going to be beautiful.’
CHAPTER 9
Berlin, Germany
According to the dossier, Adorján Farkas would be arriving in Berlin the next day for a maximum stay of seven days. He would then return to his native
Similar Books
