‘Catching up with Fat Harry and English Bob later on, and I have made an appointment for us to view a place at four. A local estate agent is about to show us some sought-after property. I think it’s best if we fly up to Negros from here tomorrow—not Manila—change of plan.’

‘Why do you want to do that?’

‘There’s a big triad stronghold there. I think we have to check it out. We could find out more about CK and we might learn who’s holding Amy. But we have a couple of hours to kill before any of it starts, so I suggest we go and inspect the beach. You ready to check it out? And, one more thing,’ he shouted as he headed into the bathroom, ‘you can be as loving as you like to me, Becky, as newlyweds we’d better make our cover convincing.’ He came out once he’d changed into his board shorts and winked at her.

‘Yeah, you can bugger off.’ She hid a smile and carried on rummaging through her suitcase.

‘Okay, baby—see you on the beach in a few minutes.’ He ducked and dived out of the door as she threw a flip-flop at him.

He got outside the door. He didn’t like deceiving her. He had no intention of going to Negros, but he had to see where that lie would lead them. They definitely had a mole, someone had been aware of all their movements so far. Mann didn’t believe it was Becky, but he had to be sure. He checked his phone; he had a text message from Ng:

Alex Stamp no longer in Hong Kong. He didn’t board

a UK flight…Suggest he is in Philippines.

Then again, thought Mann, maybe Becky didn’t realise she was the mole.

50

‘He’s an arrogant fuck…’ Reese looked over to where the Teacher was sitting on a sun-lounger in the shade. ‘I’m sick of fucking nursemaiding him.’

They’d been on a whistle-stop tour of the Philippines, which should have been fun, except the Teacher spent his whole time hiding away. He hid from the sun and he hid from the fun. He was fast getting on Reese’s nerves. Now that Terry had joined them, things were a little better.

‘Stop complaining, Reese. Try and look like you’re having a good time.’

Terry came out to bring Reese another beer. Reese took it from him and continued his bitching. ‘I have people waiting for me back home, mate. I have a house, all geared up for a visiting group of Aussies. I have to be there when the kids are delivered, otherwise I’ll be cut out of the deal.’

Reese was a homebody. He was itching to get back to his house on the beach, his endless pursuit of new prey in his bed and his weed-smoking. He liked things to stay simple.

‘Relax. Stop stamping your foot like a girl. There’ll be plenty more deals, better ones. It’s time you looked at the bigger picture, Reese. Smarten up.’

‘I still don’t know why we need it, bro, we have everything here already.’

Reese didn’t know what had got into them all. He was still trying to work out how it would possibly benefit him to expand—his life was just perfect as it was.

‘Because…as I’ve already explained, nothing stays still in this world. We have to move with it or we will lose it all. If you don’t accept changes are coming, my friend, they will come anyway and you will be phased out.’

‘How? What the fuck is phased out?’

Jed’s and Laurence’s deaths had left him feeling very nervous. The Colonel had said it had to be done, and that they had been planning to take over the whole operation. Reese didn’t see it. Sure, they were ambitious, but not that much, and why did that add up to killing them? Greed was what it always seemed to come down to, and Reese didn’t feel the need to make money the way the others did. He was all about the other stuff: the sunshine, the beaches, the kids.

‘I don’t know why we need his money, this weirdo Blanco. He can’t even show himself in person—what’s with all this cloak-and-dagger shit? We’ve done all right as we are. Not sure I want it to get any bigger. It will be harder to control. In the end we might make less money. Anyway, who gives a shit? We have a nice lifestyle, don’t we, Terry?’

Terry knew that what Reese said was true, but he also knew they had no choice. The Colonel had been swept along by his delusions of being God. He saw this as his chance for world domination. Reese and Terry had been given the job of showing the Teacher how it all worked. They were taking him around and helping him spend his money buying up houses that they could turn into holiday lets to create new sex resorts in unspoilt areas. Equally, Reese knew Terry was making sense. Reese had nowhere else to go. He must go along with the rest of them. He could never return home. He was wanted back in Oz for buggering a small boy, and that meant it was too risky to go anywhere in the age of Interpol and eyeball ID. Reese’s world had narrowed to the seven thousand islands of the Philippines…just as well he liked it so much.

‘Anyway, we know nothing about this Blanco. We only know he’s the head of the White Circle, and we don’t know much about that. Why all the secrets? What is it he’s afraid of?’

‘He doesn’t want people to prejudge him—who he is, I suppose. He wants to be given the chance to prove himself first. He is waiting until everything is in place.’

‘Has the Colonel met him?’

‘I don’t think so. All communication comes through email and phone, or usually the Teacher; he is Blanco’s right-hand man.’

‘Yeah, well, that’s not looking so fucking hopeful, is it, Terry? The Teacher’s a psycho who is now killing us off one by one.’

‘Don’t exaggerate, Reese. Laurence and Jed spelled trouble. They would have disposed of you in time. The Teacher did us a favour. Anyway, make yourself indispensable. That’s what I intend doing. I have taken steps to cover my arse.’

‘How many more houses do we have to show him? He’s bought up half the bloody island anyway.’ Reese was watching Sophia play. She was dipping her toes into the pool and flicking the water out, seeing how far away it landed. Reese smiled as he watched her. He would like to join in the game. He would love to play with Sophia.

‘Reese! Take the Teacher and show him the latest house you’re buying with his money. Show him his investment…Reese!’ Terry was in his face now, blocking his view. ‘Wake up, you fucking dope-head.’

Reese wasn’t listening. He had switched to watching the young whore from Angeles. Terry followed his line of vision.

‘Cool it, bro. The Teacher’s finally startin’ to unwind. He’s about to get a lesson in Filipina.’ Reese grinned.

Terry followed Reese’s gaze and watched as the whore rubbed her crotch against Teacher’s knee. Terry smiled. ‘The thing about the Colonel’s whores is that you know they will cooperate. They were so accustomed to his violence…’

‘…and his massive cock…’

‘…that they are happy to settle for anything slightly less.’

They watched the pair disappear inside the villa.

‘Do him good to relax,’ said Reese.

Within ten minutes they heard the sound of the girl not finding the love-making session quite as loving as she had hoped. The Teacher emerged thirty minutes later with a fresh beer and a ghost of a smile on his face.

‘Let’s hope that did the trick.’

‘Go and check on the girl, Reese.’

‘Don’t think so, bro. Whatever he did, wherever he made her take it—it will be nothing to what we’ll get if we criticise. Anyway, she’s a whore. More than that, she was the Colonel’s whore, she’s used to it.’

Terry raised his bottle of beer in the direction of the Teacher, who raised one back as he lay on the sun-lounger again, under the large umbrella.

‘We’ve got him laid…’ Reese smiled and whispered under his breath ‘…now we need to work on his tan.’

Terry grinned. ‘That’s not gonna happen. He’s staying white at all costs.’