Greed by Chris Ryan Page B

know that. Five can't make any guarantees. But think about it. A boat in the middle of the Med. No one can see or hear you. You kill all the al-Qaeda men on board, then you disappear into the night. How are they ever going to trace you?'

Matt looked around the room. He could see the men nodding, satisfied with the reply. They're hungry for the deal.

They don't want to hear about the risks, and, in truth, neither do I.

'We need to speak among ourselves,' said Matt. 'About Ivan.'

Alison nodded. 'We'll take a walk around the block,' she replied. 'But remember, I think it would be safer for Five to organise fencing the goods. I'll trade you Damien for Ivan.'

'It's not a game of swapsies, it's our lives,' said Matt sharply.

Ivan stood up and looked at each man in turn, his expression dignified, polite, but also questioning. 'I don't want to work with you boys any more than you want to work with me,' he said. 'But I reckon on our different battlefields we've all learnt some of the same lessons. In a crisis, you take your allies where you find them, and you deal with life as it is, not how you'd like it to be.' He turned towards the door, not looking back. 'And remember, a proud man is sometimes also a poor man.'

The door slammed shut. Matt stood silent. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he could see two million dollars slipping away from him. A proud man is sometimes also a poor man, he reflected.

I've been both, and I know which one I prefer.

'Tosser,' said Reid, his expression darkening. 'Stupid Provo tosser.'

'I reckon that's your vote then,' said Matt, trying to smile.

'Maybe she's bluffing,' said Reid. He bent down to pick up a packet of tobacco from the floor. 'I didn't like the look of her much either. Stuck-up, posh totty. I might shag her, but I don't want to take orders from her.'

'He's a bit smart, isn't he?' said Cooksley. 'It's not just that he's a Provo, there's something sly about him.'

'Tell her we'll do it ourselves,' said Reid. 'Four guys is plenty to take a boat if it's the right four men. That's us. We can learn how to blow a safe. There's plenty of Regiment guys can give us some lessons in explosives.'

'Your vote, mate,' said Matt, looking towards Cooksley.

Cooksley hesitated, his eyes rooted to the ground. 'It's the kids,' he said. 'I need this money. I'd team up with Saddam Hussein if I had to.'

'And you, Damien?'

'I'm the trade, aren't I?' said Damien

'We still listen to what you have to say,' said Matt. 'Everyone's voice counts.'

'No trust, no deal, that's my view. He's too different from the rest of us. That makes him a threat.'

'And where else does anyone suggest we're going to get this kind of money,' said Cooksley. 'We're all here for the same reason, we need this job. She knows it, and so does he.'

'No, we bluff her,' shouted Reid. 'She needs us as well.'

'OK,' said Matt. 'We'll bluff her, but in the end, we'll all make our own decisions.'

He made a round of teas, and waited in silence for Alison and Ivan to return. Nobody was saying anything.

They're all thinking. Thinking and making their choices. That's something a man has to do in silence.

 

'Well,' said Alison, standing in front of them, Ivan at her side. 'Have you made a decision?'

There was no hint of compromise in her voice, Matt noticed. Nothing to suggest she might bend to anyone else's will. 'It's no good,' he said, looking towards Ivan. 'It's not personal, but we don't think we can work with you. The trust won't be there.'

Alison stepped forward. 'You're an idiot, Matt,' she said softly. She glanced around the room. 'You are all idiots. Why? Because there are lots of men like you, I just have to keep working my way down the list. But there's only one of me. None of you is going to get another offer like this one.'

Matt glanced towards Reid. He reckoned he could see him wavering. He was thinking about going back to his hovel, about moving in with his mother-in-law when the house got repossessed. 'That's our