Kinimaka drove. Drake, in the passenger seat, was in charge of navigation. Michael Crouch had given them the address for Purves and a couple of other snippets of information. They drove up the hill towards Casino Square and then passed the casino itself, forced to slow to get through the crowds of people. Once past, they made better time and were soon making their way up a hill. Five minutes later they were sitting outside Purves’ house.

  Henry Purves was a top international criminal. He always got what he wanted. He was narcissistic, with tentacles everywhere and feelings of grandeur and kingship. Drake knew they would have to take him down several pegs to get their message across.

  They sat in the car across from his house, taking it all in.

  ‘So this is where he lives,’ Alicia said.

  It was a mock-Victorian mansion that sprawled for about half an acre. It had several entrances, lots of windows, and a curving gravelled driveway that led past the main entrance. There were several cars in the driveway, all of them expensive.

  The problem was evident.

  Drake saw many guards. There wasn’t just a man on the door, or a man standing in the grounds. There were droves of them walking in pairs everywhere. As he watched in the first ten minutes, he saw eight sets of guards on the grounds alone. He saw people staring out of the windows, coming and going through the front door. They were neatly dressed, and their hands were never far from their waists. He was sure they all carried weapons.

  ‘No way we’re getting into that house,’ Dahl said. ‘Purves has serious security.’

  Drake didn’t like it. He’d been hoping to wrap this up quickly. ‘Well, we can’t sit here all day,’ he said. ‘They appear to have people watching the street too.’

  Sure enough, there were two men on the gate, and they came out periodically to check the street. If they sat here much longer, they’d be spotted. Dahl started the car, and they drove away. The men at the gate watched them as they drove by.

  ‘All right, it’s a no-go,’ Drake said. ‘But if we can’t grab him at his house, there has to be another way.’

  ‘What other way?’ Alicia asked.

  The team drove to a parking area and started a conversation. It revolved around Purves, the house, and the guards. After an hour, they had exhausted all possibilities. Drake decided the only thing they could do was to call Michael Crouch.

  ‘Mate,’ he said. ‘We’re at Henry Purves’ place. He has enough security to guard Buckingham Palace. I need you to do a deep dive.’

  ‘On what?’

  ‘We need something else. Something big.’

  ‘Give me a clue.’

  ‘Okay. What else does he do? Does he have any habits? Is there anywhere he likes to go on a regular basis? Somewhere we could get close to him. That sort of thing.’

  ‘I understand. I can do that. Give me some time.’

  Drake ended the call. They were out of options. If the outside of Purves’ property was that well guarded, he could only imagine the inside would be the same. What they needed was a different angle.

  By the time Crouch rang them back, it was the middle of the afternoon. Drake answered the call.

  ‘Hey, it’s me,’ Crouch said. ‘I may have something for you.’

  Drake sat straight. ‘Really? Let’s hear it.’

  ‘Okay, Purves is a creature of habit. He orders the same food, drinks the same drinks, visits the same places, goes on the same holidays.’

  ‘That’s good,’ Drake said.

  ‘It is good. Because Purves also visits the same restaurant every week, once a week, in his favourite Rolls Royce.’

  Drake’s ears pricked up at that. ‘Interesting.’

  ‘It’s a weekly ritual. Never changes.’

  Crouch gave him a day and a time, which was three days away. Drake relayed everything he’d been told to the others.

  ‘Three days away?’ Dahl said. ‘That’s a bit crap.’

  Drake shook his head. ‘It gives us time to plan,’ he said.

  * * *

  Three days later, they were ready.

  They waited about a mile away from Purves’ house, out of sight, not attracting any attention from the guards. They knew the man’s special Rolls Royce was black with a gold stripe down the side, and they knew which way he would go.

  ‘There he is,’ Kenzie said.

  Sure enough, the big car swept by seconds later, quickly followed by a Range Rover, probably carrying a load of guards. Drake saw Purves was alone in his own car.

  They set off after him. They had scouted the most probable route to the restaurant, and were ready. It was about a half-hour drive. Drake stayed in touch with the Range Rover, following as closely as he dared. The road twisted through a residential area, descending a slight incline. Other cars came and went, turning off every now and again. Purves drove the Rolls carefully and courteously, taking his time.

  Drake had driven this route a dozen times. Soon, they entered a short dual carriageway, which he used to get ahead of Purves. He slotted in just in front of the black car. When the dual carriageway ended, they drove through a built-up area, but then entered a quieter area with no establishments. It stretched only for a short while. The team would have to be quick.

  Drake was right in front of Purves. He slammed on the brakes, making the other car stop. Instantly, he and his team were out of their car, running for the Range Rover. Its doors were flung open.

  Just as the team arrived.

  Drake reached in, grabbed arms and pulled. A man flew out headfirst, tumbling to the ground. He carried a gun, which went flying. Drake kicked him in the head. At the front of the car, Dahl grappled with the front-seat passenger, swiftly breaking his arm and then grabbing his gun. On the other side, Alicia was fighting with the driver. She hauled on the man’s jacket, dragging him out of the car. He swivelled, trying to bring his gun to bear, but couldn’t get it out fast enough. Alicia broke an arm and then knocked him unconscious.

  Kinimaka and Hayden were concentrating on the other guards. They had jumped in the back seat and were smashing fists into faces, bloodying them. It was tight, but they had the advantage. Kenzie and Mai had stayed to watch Purves. At first, the man tried to drive away, but there wasn’t enough room. Then he locked the door and stared at Kenzie, who promptly broke the window and reached in to grab his neck.

  Drake stopped his man from getting up by stomping on his head. The guy was getting weaker. Drake knelt on his back and used zip ties to bind his hands and legs together. When he looked up, Dahl was already doing the same to his own opponent before throwing the man to the ground.

  Alicia fell to the ground as her adversary swivelled and kicked out at her. He then flung himself on top of her, reaching for his own gun. She was there first, blocking it. The trouble with these guards was they were all reliant on their guns, always reaching for them and thus giving Drake and the others several seconds of opportunity to attack. Alicia felt a punch to her ribs, and another. She twisted the man’s gun away and then turned it on him.

  Smashed him in the face with it.

  As he fell back, she climbed lithely onto his back and then zip-tied him. By the time she looked up, she saw Drake and Dahl had also subdued their opponents.

  In the back of the car, Hayden and Kinimaka fought extreme close quarter combat. They slid and slipped and struggled and tried to target vulnerable areas. In hindsight, jumping in the car probably hadn’t been a good idea, but they were here now and had to make the best of it. Hayden jabbed her man in the throat, the eyes, and the solar plexus. He tried to cover up, but barely had space to move. He tried to buck her off, but she held on tight with her thighs. She had the advantage, being on top. The man was trapped. She punched and jabbed down at him until he started to struggle.

  Kinimaka was using brute strength. He twisted his enemy’s arm until he screamed and then threatened to break it. The man shook his head, yelling for mercy. Kinimaka brought out the zip ties, but then the man attacked with a headbutt, lunging forward. Kinimaka grunted, flinched back. The man tried to press his advantage by striking out. Kinimaka took the punches and then shook his head.

  ‘Fool,’ he said.

  He broke the arm, then zip-tied the man as he groaned. By now, Hayden had also defeated her opponent and had tied his hands in front of him. Together, the two hauled the guards out of the car, deposited them on the ground with the others.

  Drake looked up. It was time for Purves.

  CHAPTER FORTY

  Drake would have dragged Purves through the open window, but the man saw it coming and flung open the door. Drake stared him in the eye. The guy looked obstinate, angry, harsh. Drake ordered him out of the car.

  Purves climbed out and then stood with his back to the open door, glaring at them. ‘What do you want?’ he asked.

  Drake punched him in the stomach, doubling him over. He waited for the man to recover and then did it again. Purves’ legs shook.

  ‘This is a warning,’ Drake said. ‘We could hurt you, maim you, kill you. We could do anything we wanted. It was easy to get to you, Purves, and we could do it again anytime. Anywhere. Don’t make us come back here.’

  ‘A warning?’

  ‘I hope you’re listening. You’ve gone too far, pushed your luck too much. We’re here to tell you to stop what you’re doing. To calm it all down. You’ve messed with the wrong people this time.’

  ‘This time?’

  ‘I will not tell you who sent us, but you’re in trouble.’ Drake punched the man again, making him fold. Purves retched. ‘This is your first and only warning. If you continue to commit crimes, we’ll come back here and kill you.’

  Purves was sweating and panting. He was holding his stomach. He looked at them in disbelief.

  ‘I don’t… I don’t…’ was all he could manage.

  ‘I can’t say it any clearer,’ Drake said. ‘You see your guards? You see yourself?’ Another punch. ‘We could kill you now. Do you understand me?’

  Purves now looked scared and flabbergasted. He didn’t know what to do, what to say. He stared from face to face, trying to measure the collective resolve.

  ‘You want me to give up my business?’

  ‘You’ve pushed it too far, Purves. You’re lucky to be alive. Listen to my orders. Stop your criminal ways.’

  ‘I can’t just stop.’

  Drake kicked the man this time, just a quick tap to the chest. Purves slammed back against the car, gasping. To the left, his men groaned and coughed into the dirt.

  ‘Do you want to die?’ Dahl grated.

  Purves stared at him. ‘Please,’ he said, all pretence at arrogance gone. ‘Don’t do this to me.’

  ‘You’re an evil bastard,’ Drake said. ‘One of the worst. You deserve everything you get. And this is us telling you to cease and desist. If you carry on, we will kill you. Now, do you understand what I am saying?’

  He squared up again. Purves flinched. The man’s eyes were wide, and he looked like he wanted to bolt. He was lost, with no idea what to do.

  ‘I… I… understand,’ he said. ‘But I can’t just stop. There are ongoing deals, commitments, services.’

  ‘You’ll have to back out slowly, I understand that. But, Purves, you’re done. If you continue to do business, you will not live another week.’

  Drake knew they’d done all they could. He turned to the others, nodded his head, and headed for the car. Purves had been given the hard word and now they had to wait and see if he listened to them.

  If he didn’t, they’d be back.

  CHAPTER FORTY ONE

  ‘And finally, to the Diamond Hunters,’ Dahl said.

  ‘The last scene of the play,’ Drake said. ‘How are we going to do it?’

  ‘We need to draw them out,’ Hayden said.

  They were sitting outside a restaurant in Paris. It was a lovely, bright day with no clouds in the sky and only the faintest whisper of a breeze. Their table was fenced off from the street, and they had a back corner for privacy.

  ‘How do you draw out a bunch of murderous thieves?’ Kinimaka asked.

  ‘There’s only one way to do it,’ Drake said. He looked around at the team. ‘We invent a job.’

  Mai looked surprised. ‘Are you kidding?’

  ‘How would we even do that?’ Kenzie asked. ‘Is it even possible?’

  ‘The crew will have an agent,’ Drake said. ‘A guy who finds and offers them jobs. We need to invent a job, track this guy down and offer it to him. Then hope the diamond hunters buy it.’

  ‘All right,’ Hayden said. ‘How do we track down his agent?’

  Drake was already holding his phone up. ‘A known and trusted ally,’ he said.

  Ten minutes later, Crouch was on the job and the team sat back. ‘Now,’ Drake said. ‘We have to come up with a tempting job.’

  ‘It has to be diamonds,’ Hayden said. ‘It’s what they do. They won’t be able to resist it.’

  The team talked and talked. They researched diamonds. They ate lunch and then started on a bottle of wine. It was a long, slow afternoon when all they did was talk and plan and relax, the first time they’d been completely out of danger in quite a while.

  By the time the afternoon came to an end, they had a plan. Drake then surfed page after page of rentable warehouse space, finally coming up with a suitable candidate. Next, they visited it, made sure it would look genuine and appealing to the diamond hunters. The warehouse had to look secure and vulnerable at the same time. It also had to look like it might contain diamonds. The team couldn’t do anything cosmetic, so they had to choose the right place from the start.

  Drake was standing in front of a long, squat building with fancy windows and an oak front door. Though it was a warehouse, it looked like a house. It was perfect for them, and it stood on a street with other businesses, so that it blended in. Drake turned to Hayden.

  ‘This will do,’ he said.

  They rented a car. It was the next morning before Crouch called back. Drake gave him the information they’d concocted for the job and asked him if he’d managed to track down the diamond hunters’ handler.

  ‘Yes,’ Crouch said. ‘I can make tentative contact with him. I can offer him the job. But I have to do it anonymously. I don’t want this coming back on me.’

  ‘Offer him the job,’ Drake said. ‘Let’s see if they bite.’

  Later that afternoon, Crouch called back.

  ‘Do you have good news for me?’ Drake asked.

  ‘I’d call it mixed,’ Crouch said. ‘I spoke to their agent, their handler, and offered him the new job. Gave him a fair price. He was easy going enough. There is a slight wrinkle though.’

  Drake braced himself. ‘Which is?’

  ‘The diamond hunters’ leader always meets the seller. He insists on a face to face before he buys the job. He needs to satisfy himself that the job’s on the level.’

  Drake cursed. ‘I should have known it wouldn’t be easy.’

  ‘What do you want to do?’

  ‘Tell him the job’s in Paris and arrange a face to face. We can meet him here.’

  ‘Consider it done. I’ll contact you with the details.’

  Drake ended the call. He passed the new information on to the others. It was a waiting game now. It all came down to one meeting. They sat and talked and took their time over another long dinner.

  And then Crouch called back.

  CHAPTER FORTY TWO

  Drake sat on a seat at the back of a large Parisian café, alone. The team had decided that he was the one who would meet a man named Jon Steele and try to sell him the job. Drake had been sitting there for about ten minutes, carefully watching the place.

  The café was busy; the noise level high. People occupied every table. That was a good thing. Drake and Steele had underhanded things to talk about. Drake sat and watched the front door.

  It opened with a clatter, a discreet bell ringing. The woman behind the counter looked over. Drake saw a tall, broad man wearing a leather jacket. The man looked straight at Drake, nodded, and walked over.

  He stood directly in front of the table. ‘Are you Drake?’

  ‘Yeah. I guess you’re Steele.’

  The man took a seat without ordering. Drake sipped from his mug of coffee. ‘You want anything?’

  ‘I’m good. Why don’t you tell me about this job of yours?’

  Drake sat forward and spoke under the hubbub that filled the café. ‘I offer you four diamonds collectively known as the Richter Collection. They’re under lock and key in a little building in the Bastille area. I’ve done lots of recon. The front door’s got a top-line Yale; the windows have bars. The roof’s pantile. I’ve been inside. I can send you straight to the safe that houses the diamonds. That is a Chubb with a keypad. I don’t know the exact model. The place closes for business at six and opens the next day at eight. It doesn’t have any nighttime security.’

  Steele sat forward. ‘The Richter Collection. I’ve never heard of it.’

  ‘Very low-key. So low, it’s not even on the scale.’

  ‘Which will make stealing them safer.’

  ‘My thoughts exactly.’

  ‘Do you have an address?’

  ‘When you buy the job.’

  ‘Okay, I understand your caution. Do you have the staff routines?’

  ‘Yeah, during the day there’s lots of comings and goings, but always someone in the place. Often, several people. They have three vans they use, all parked on the street. I’ve staked it out for an entire week to be sure, both day and night. During the night there is no activity whatsoever.’

  ‘Is the boss evident?’

  Drake shook his head. ‘Barely see him. He remains in his office the entire day.’

  ‘Secretary’s? Assistants? Workers?’

  ‘Like I said, they come and go all the time.’

  ‘Cops,’ Steele said. ‘Where’s the nearest station?’

  ‘I have that,’ Drake said eagerly. ‘It’s nine point three miles to the east.’

 

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