The Hidden Man - Charles Cumming [97]
‘What?’ Mark looked appalled. ‘What the fuckare you talking about?’
‘Just that. Just what I was saying.’
‘Have you done a line, brother?’
‘Of course I haven’t done a line. You think I’d do cokebefore something like this…?’
Mark was shaking his head, an exhausted, disappointed smile.
‘This was a big mistake, bringing you in on this. I didn’trealize how fucked you’d get. I don’t know what I was thinking…’
‘What?’
‘I should never have got you involved.’
Ben came towards him.
‘You got me involved because you can’t do this thing on your own. You need me to help you out, to do it for Dad…’
‘No.’ Mark was intractable. ‘I don’t need you to help me out. It’s not safe. I asked you along tonight so you could see the Russians for yourself, to prove to you that Bone’s letter was a fake. I didn’t get you along so that you could start playing I Spy like it’s a game or something. The two of us just being in here is bad enough. You shouldn’t have followed me from the table.’
Ben turned away, looking at his reflection in the mirror.
‘You’re drunk, brother,’ he said. ‘You’re paranoid.’
‘I am not drunk, Benjamin. I am not paranoid. You just need to calm down.’ Mark was very careful not to raise his voice. ‘Do you know anything about Duchev? Do you realize how dumb it would be to try to recruit someone like that? This is one of Kukushkin’s most trusted employees. This is a guy who, four years ago, tooka leading Moscow mafioso into the countryside in the boot of a car, found a nice isolated spot, chopped off his fingers, hammered out his teeth and then set fire to his vehicle. The bloke was still alive. That was just a job for Kukushkin, a favour. All in a day’s work. That’s what I’m dealing with, brother. This is the kind of person I’m up against.’
‘What about Tamarov?’
‘What about Tamarov? Go backto your paints and charcoals. He’s just sussing you out. Can’t you see that? He’s sussing both of us out. These guys, they value loyalty and honour above everything else. You make friends with him and he’ll become fucking depraved if he realizes what we’re up to. A man like Tamarov is either your best fucking friend in the world or the worst mistake you ever made. That’s what I need you to bear in mind so that you don’t fuckthis thing up.’
‘You should get out of this,’ Ben said calmly. ‘I can see you’re not…’
Mark flashed him a look of contempt.
‘Drop it,’ he hissed.
‘All I said was that d’Erlanger went to Moscow. That’sall I came in here to tell you.’
‘And?’ Mark’s hand was coiled into a fist, leaning on the bathroom sink. ‘You think that’s big news? What do you think MI5 do all day if they’re not tracking -‘
He did well to stop talking as quickly as he did. The internal door of the bathroom had shifted fractionally in a movement of air created by someone entering on the other side. When Tamarov came into the room his eyes narrowed in the brighter light and he stopped in his tracks. He looked first at Mark, then at Ben, and said, ‘Everything OK?’
Ben let his brother do the talking.
‘Oh, fine,’ Mark replied. ‘Fine. We’re just having a chat about one of the girls. You all right, Vladimir?’
‘Not too bad,’ Tamarov said, standing with his back to them at the urinal.
‘Good.’
‘So you like one of the girls?’
He had twisted his neckround and directed the question at Ben.
‘That’s right,’ Ben replied, falling gratefully in tothe lie. His pulse was sprinting like rain and he hardly dared lookat Mark. ‘Her name’s Ayesha. The one with Philippe. She’s nice, eh?’
‘Very beautiful, yes. I could tell you liked her. We are talking, Mark, and your brother is very interesting on the subject of modern art. But his eyes they keep moving to this girl. He cannot take them off her.’ Tamarov laughed, zipping up his flies. ‘But you have a problem, I think. Philippe is very drunk and he is carrying a lot of cash. You will have trouble persuading her to leave him.