Manhunter by Chris Ryan (the false prince series .TXT) 📗

this for the money. I’m doing what’s right for Ken, and the good people of Karatandu.’

‘That’s what you tell yourself at night, is it?’

‘Piss off.’

Bowman said, ‘It’s a good deal, but Seguma would never get away with it. He’s a war criminal. The Hague would arrest him sooner or later. He’d end up in jail.’

Lang gave a lopsided smile. ‘The Russians have thought of that. There’s a back-up plan. If it looks like things might go that way, they’ll whisk him off to Moscow. He’ll see out his days in a luxury dacha.’

‘When is the coup happening?’ asked the Voice.

‘I’m only the middleman, for fuck’s sake. They didn’t share the details of the operation with me.’

Mallet slapped a hand down on the table so hard the room seemed to shake. ‘You’ll have to do better than that, if you want our help.’

‘You must have some idea of the timeline, surely,’ the Voice said.

Lang sighed heavily. ‘Look, all I know is that the Russians told me it would be happening sometime tomorrow. They didn’t say exactly when. That’s it. I don’t know nothing else.’

‘What about troops, tactics, key targets?’

‘I don’t know none of that.’ He paused, wrinkled his brow. ‘The Russian ambassador did mention something about a few guys they were sending in to Karatandu.’

‘What guys?’

‘Special Forces. Military advisers. We got pissed on vodka and the Russian started bragging about them. Said some blokes were going in to whip the KUF into shape. Turn ’em into professional soldiers. He reckoned Ken’s army wouldn’t stand a chance against them.’

‘How many guys are we talking about?’ asked Casey.

‘I don’t know.’

‘They wouldn’t need many,’ Bowman commented. ‘A handful of Russian Special Forces to coordinate the rebel forces, capture the main targets and infrastructure. One troop might do it. Ten or twelve guys.’

‘Where are they now?’ Mallet said.

‘How the fuck should I know? Look, you’re asking the wrong bloke. I’m just the broker.’

‘You’re a traitor. You’ve been playing both sides, double-dipping with the Russians. Betraying your country.’

‘My loyalty is to Ken,’ Lang replied curtly. ‘No one else. I’m acting in his best interests.’

‘Convincing him to hand his country to the Kremlin on a plate? That’s hardly sound advice, Davey.’

‘It’s not as simple as that. Ken is backed into a corner. The new regime is taking over, whether he likes it or not. I’m trying to fix a deal that works for all parties.’

‘Rubbish. Your man Seguma has had his nose in the trough for twenty-four years. Now he wants out, and you’re going to make a percentage at both ends. Isn’t that right?’

‘I’m a businessman. I’ve got to have my taste.’

‘You’re a fucking crook,’ said Mallet. ‘And a crap one at that. An Essex boy with a shite haircut playing spy games. You thought you were being clever, but now you made one mistake, see.’

‘Yeah? What’s that?’

‘You trusted the Russians. Big no-no, that. Now they’re double-crossing you. That twat brother of yours is on life support, and you’ve got a big red target painted on your back.’

A spark of hatred flashed in Lang’s eyes, his lips twitched. He turned to Bowman. ‘Do you know something, son? I don’t think I like your mate. He’s got a terrible mouth on him.’

Bowman said, ‘Why are the Russians so keen to get involved in Karatandu?’

‘Cobalt.’ Lang sniffed.

‘Isn’t that the stuff they use in batteries to power electric cars, laptops, phones and so on?’

Lang nodded and said, ‘That shit is the new oil. There’s a massive rush on it. Everyone wants a piece of the action: the Yanks, the Chinese. Karatandu is sitting on huge reserves of the stuff.’

‘I thought most of that comes from the Congo.’

‘It does,’ the Voice cut in. ‘That’s where most of the high-grade cobalt is found. But the mining companies discovered large deposits in Karatandu last year.’

‘Clean technology,’ Lang said. ‘It’s the future. Oil and gas are history. Electric car batteries use several kilograms of cobalt. And the mineral is in short supply. Whoever gets their hands on the deposits in Karatandu will control the electric vehicle market. Which will be worth billions.’

‘That’s not the only reason the Russians are interested in Karatandu, though,’ Mallet put in. ‘Is it?’

Bowman looked towards the Scot as the latter went on.

‘If the Russians take control of Karatandu, they’re gaining a vital strategic foothold in Central Africa. Moscow would love that. Those bastards have been desperate for a slice of the action in the region. They could start making moves on the neighbouring countries. Like the old days, when the Soviet Union was a player in Africa.’

Lang shook his head vigorously. ‘I don’t know nothing about that. Look, I’ve told you everything I know, I swear.’

Mallet fixed his merciless gaze on him. The eyes of a born killer.

‘You’d better not be lying to us,’ he said. ‘Because if we find out that you’ve withheld information, or sold us a pack of lies, we’ll soon know about it.’

Bowman heard the clacking of fingers on a keyboard. Then the Voice said, ‘This interview is terminated. John, we’ll speak again later. Once we’ve consulted with our colleagues in the Foreign Office. In the meantime, sit tight.’

‘What about my deal?’ Lang demanded.

‘Our team will have to put together a protection package. That will take some time. We’ll be in touch.’

Bowman said, ‘What are we going to do about the Russians?’

‘Clearly, we cannot allow them to force President Seguma out of office. We’ll have to discuss the situation, figure out how to respond.’

‘How long will that take?’

‘Half an hour, perhaps. The Foreign Secretary is on the other line, waiting to be briefed. We’ll have something for you by ten o’clock.’

The call ended. Mallet closed the screen and turned to Bowman.

‘Check in with Tiny,’ he said. ‘Let him know we might be here for a while.’

‘We’ll need to update the others, too,’ Bowman said.

‘Later. Once we’ve heard back from Six.’

‘What about him?’ Bowman pointed to Lang.

‘Davey Boy can wait here with us.’ Mallet grinned at the mobster. ‘We don’t want you in the same