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.type.I’m a specialist in managing such entities.” A pause.“While you remain entangled, she will be manageable.And as long as she remains manageable, there will be no need to dispose of her.”I swallow.My tongue is dry and I can hear my pulse in my ears.This wasn’t supposed to happen; she was supposed to be back in the safe house, acting as a relay! McMurray nods at me knowingly.“Don’t underestimate your own usefulness to us, Mr.Howard,” he says.“You’re not just a useful lever.” There’s a discreet buzz from his belt pager: “Mr.Billington is on his way now.”The door behind the Desk opens.“Ah, Mr.B—Howard.” Billington walks in and plants himself firmly down on the black carbon-fiber Aeron chair behind the Desk.From the set of his shoulders and the tiny smile playing around his lips he’s in an expansive mood.“I’m so pleased you could be here this evening.I gather my wife’s party wasn’t entirely to your taste?”I stare at him.He’s an affable, self-satisfied bastard in a dinner jacket and for a moment I feel a nearly uncontrollable urge to punch him in the face.I manage to hold it in check: the gorilla behind me will ensure I’d only get one chance, and the consequences would hurt Ramona as much as they’d hurt me.Still, it’s a tempting thought.“I have a bid for your auction,” I say, very carefully keeping my face straight.“This abduction was unnecessary, and may cause my employers to reconsider their very generous offer.”Billington laughs.Actually, it’s more of a titter, high-pitched and unnerving.“Come now, Mr.Howard! Do you really think I don’t already know about your boss’s paltry little two-billion-pound baitworm? Please! I’m not stupid.I know all about you and your colleague Ms.Random, and the surveillance team in the safe house run by Jack Griffin.I even remember your boss, James, from back before he became quite so spectral and elevated.I know much more than you give me credit for.” He pauses.“In fact, I know everything.”Whoops.If he’s telling the truth, that would put a very bad complexion on things.“Then what am I doing here?” I ask, hoping like hell that he’s bluffing.“I mean, if you’re omnipotent and omniscient then just what is the point of abducting me—not to mention Ramona—and dragging us aboard your yacht?” (That’s a guess about Ramona, but I don’t see where else he might be keeping her.) “Don’t tell me you haven’t got better things to do with your time than gloat; you’re trying to close a multi-billion-dollar auction, aren’t you?” He just looks at me with those peculiar, slotted lizard eyes, and I have a sudden cold conviction that maybe making money is the last thing on his mind right now.“You’re here for several reasons,” he says, quite agreeably.“Hair of the dog?” He raises an eyebrow, and the gorilla hurries over to the sideboard.“I wouldn’t mind a glass of water,” I confess.“Hah.” He nods to himself.“The archetype hasn’t taken full effect yet, I see.”“Which archetype?”McMurray clears his throat.“Boss, do I need to know this?”Billington casts him a fish-eyed stare: “No, I don’t think you do.Quick thinking.”“I’ll just go and check in on Ramona then, shall I? Then I’ll go polish the binnacle and check for frigging in the rigging or something.” McMurray slithers out through the door at high speed.Billington nods thoughtfully.“He’s a smart subordinate.” He raises an eyebrow at me.“That’s half the problem, you know.”“Half what problem?”“The problem of running a tight ship.” The gorilla hands Billington a glass of whisky, then plants a glassful of mineral water in front of me before returning to his position by the door.“If they’re smart enough to be useful they get ideas about making themselves indispensable—ideas about getting above their station, as you Brits would put it.If they’re too dumb to be useful they’re a drain on your management time.All corporations are an economy of attention, from the top down.You should take McMurray as a role model, Mr.Howard, if you ever make it back to your petty little civil service cubicle farm.He’s a consummate senior field agent and a huge asset to his employers.No manager in their right mind would ever terminate him, but because he likes field-work he doesn’t spend enough time in the office to get a leg up the promotion ladder.And he knows it.” He falls silent.I take advantage of the break in his spiel to take a mouthful of water
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