hair that fascinated Zak; it was his right eye – or lack of it. The skin had grown over the empty socket, so it looked as if the eye had never been there.
‘Adan Ramirez,’ Michael said. ‘Nickname
Calaca
, which means “skeleton”. I wouldn’t call him that to his face, though. He’s Martinez’s head of security, the man who does his dirty work. Martinez is the business brain behind the operation, the kingpin. But Calaca’s the brawn. It’s impossible to say how many men he’s killed. Chances are that he doesn’t even know himself. I imagine you probably stop counting after the first couple of dozen.’
Calaca’s good eye stared out from the whiteboard. ‘He looks like a total psycho,’ Zak said.
‘That’s not a bad description,’ replied Michael. ‘He is well suited for the jobs Martinez gives him. But he shouldn’t be underestimated. Calaca is a very shrewd operator, in some ways shrewder than Martinez himself.’ Michael was staring at Zak, who felt a bit uncomfortable.
‘If Martinez is such a monster,’ he said, ‘why don’t the Mexican government do something about him?’
‘That’s a good question, Zak. The answer is pretty simple: corruption. Martinez is one of the richest men in the world. That puts him in a very powerful position because it means he can bribe high-ranking members of the government. For years now, both the British and Americans have put pressure on the Mexican government to bring Martinez to book. But he has them in his pocket. As long as he keeps greasing palms in Mexico City, he’s untouchable.’
‘That’s awful,’ Zak said.
‘Yes,’ Michael replied. ‘It is. Which is why something needs to be done about it.’
The old man stood up from his desk and started to pace the room between Zak and the whiteboard. ‘Tell me, Zak,’ he said. ‘Are you a keen student of Greek mythology?’
‘Er . . . no, not really.’
‘That’s a great shame. The ancients have a great deal to teach us. Let me tell you about the city of Troy. It’s said that the Greeks laid siege to it for ten years, but because its walls were so tall and sturdy, they couldn’t get into the city. So in the end, they stopped using force and started using their brains. One of their commanders was a man named Odysseus. He instructed his soldiers to build an enormous woodenhorse. It was hollow, so that some of the Greeks could hide inside it. When it was finished, they left it at the gates of Troy as a gift, then the entire Greek army – apart from those who were inside the horse – retreated from sight. The Trojans thought the Greeks had departed for good and they brought the horse into the city. That night, when everyone was in bed, the soldiers hidden inside the horse crept out and opened the city gates. The Greeks flooded in and put every last man in Troy to the sword.’
‘Messy,’ Zak said.
‘Yes. I rather think it would have been.’
‘What’s this got to do with Martinez?’
Michael raised one eyebrow slightly. ‘Martinez,’ he said, ‘is like the Trojans. He has a wall around him too, in the form of an extensive personal guard. He lives in a compound approximately three miles south of Mexico City and his security is more robust than any world leader. To lead an assault on the Martinez compound would be like sparking a small-scale war; not to mention breaking I don’t know how many international laws.’
He stared straight at Zak. ‘What we need,’ he said, ‘is a Trojan Horse.’
The moment he said that, Gabs stepped forward. She and Raf had been standing next to each other behind Michael’s desk, quietly listening to hispresentation. Now her face looked concerned. ‘Michael,’ she said, ‘you can’t be thinking of sending Zak in—’
‘
Gabriella!
’ Michael spoke like a teacher. ‘
Please!
’
Gabs looked down at the floor, but she couldn’t hide her anxiety. Nor could Raf who, although he had remained quiet, was frowning with uncertainty.
Michael
‘Adan Ramirez,’ Michael said. ‘Nickname
Calaca
, which means “skeleton”. I wouldn’t call him that to his face, though. He’s Martinez’s head of security, the man who does his dirty work. Martinez is the business brain behind the operation, the kingpin. But Calaca’s the brawn. It’s impossible to say how many men he’s killed. Chances are that he doesn’t even know himself. I imagine you probably stop counting after the first couple of dozen.’
Calaca’s good eye stared out from the whiteboard. ‘He looks like a total psycho,’ Zak said.
‘That’s not a bad description,’ replied Michael. ‘He is well suited for the jobs Martinez gives him. But he shouldn’t be underestimated. Calaca is a very shrewd operator, in some ways shrewder than Martinez himself.’ Michael was staring at Zak, who felt a bit uncomfortable.
‘If Martinez is such a monster,’ he said, ‘why don’t the Mexican government do something about him?’
‘That’s a good question, Zak. The answer is pretty simple: corruption. Martinez is one of the richest men in the world. That puts him in a very powerful position because it means he can bribe high-ranking members of the government. For years now, both the British and Americans have put pressure on the Mexican government to bring Martinez to book. But he has them in his pocket. As long as he keeps greasing palms in Mexico City, he’s untouchable.’
‘That’s awful,’ Zak said.
‘Yes,’ Michael replied. ‘It is. Which is why something needs to be done about it.’
The old man stood up from his desk and started to pace the room between Zak and the whiteboard. ‘Tell me, Zak,’ he said. ‘Are you a keen student of Greek mythology?’
‘Er . . . no, not really.’
‘That’s a great shame. The ancients have a great deal to teach us. Let me tell you about the city of Troy. It’s said that the Greeks laid siege to it for ten years, but because its walls were so tall and sturdy, they couldn’t get into the city. So in the end, they stopped using force and started using their brains. One of their commanders was a man named Odysseus. He instructed his soldiers to build an enormous woodenhorse. It was hollow, so that some of the Greeks could hide inside it. When it was finished, they left it at the gates of Troy as a gift, then the entire Greek army – apart from those who were inside the horse – retreated from sight. The Trojans thought the Greeks had departed for good and they brought the horse into the city. That night, when everyone was in bed, the soldiers hidden inside the horse crept out and opened the city gates. The Greeks flooded in and put every last man in Troy to the sword.’
‘Messy,’ Zak said.
‘Yes. I rather think it would have been.’
‘What’s this got to do with Martinez?’
Michael raised one eyebrow slightly. ‘Martinez,’ he said, ‘is like the Trojans. He has a wall around him too, in the form of an extensive personal guard. He lives in a compound approximately three miles south of Mexico City and his security is more robust than any world leader. To lead an assault on the Martinez compound would be like sparking a small-scale war; not to mention breaking I don’t know how many international laws.’
He stared straight at Zak. ‘What we need,’ he said, ‘is a Trojan Horse.’
The moment he said that, Gabs stepped forward. She and Raf had been standing next to each other behind Michael’s desk, quietly listening to hispresentation. Now her face looked concerned. ‘Michael,’ she said, ‘you can’t be thinking of sending Zak in—’
‘
Gabriella!
’ Michael spoke like a teacher. ‘
Please!
’
Gabs looked down at the floor, but she couldn’t hide her anxiety. Nor could Raf who, although he had remained quiet, was frowning with uncertainty.
Michael
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