Shadow Lives by Neil A White

Author:Neil A White
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: fiction, political thriller, expat, espionage, secret service, spies, Ukraine, Kyiv, interpreter, double life, mystery, kidnapping, drugs, organised crime, billionaire, underbelly, foreign correspondent, mission, John le Carre, Jack Reacher, James Bond, Argyle, Ben Macintyre
ISBN: 9781760689308
Publisher: Bonnier Books UK
Published: 2024-06-07T01:29:38+00:00

After two hours of maddeningly unproductive research, I headed home and slept fitfully. My brain was calling for reinforcements to quell the voices in my head in the form of a little white pill, but I resisted.

By morning I was paying the price. Dave Grohl was reliving his Nirvana days on drums and had camped out in my skull for rehearsals. I promised myself it would be the only pill for the day and washed it down with a glass of tap water. Only four pills remained – that is, if I trusted myself not to buy more on the street.

It took a moment to understand that Dave wasn’t banging away on the cymbals and that my phone was ringing. Ryan’s name flashed on the screen.

‘Matt. Marcus has something for you. How soon can you meet?’

Thirty minutes later I bustled into the Regency Café. Marcus was at the same table, beneath the poster of Ali, looking like a model from the Brooks Brothers catalogue. Ryan sat across from him and turned as I approached.

‘Here he is. Score another one for the Australians.’

Ryan was beaming like the Cheshire cat. Marcus, fingertips dancing on the tabletop, more resembled the Mad Hatter. I nodded a hello to Marcus and slid into the booth beside Ryan.

‘What do you mean? Score, how?’

Ryan pointed his chin towards Marcus.

‘You tell him. It’s your capture.’

‘Indeed! But we couldn’t have done it without the intel provided by your good friend sitting here.’

‘Agreed. Fucking brilliant stuff.’

My head swivelled back and forth at speed following the rapid-fire exchange.

‘Someone care to tell me what has you two giddy as a couple of schoolgirls at a Taylor Swift concert?’

‘Of course! But first, let me explain how it all unfolded.’

I wasn’t going to get a quick answer. Marcus was intent on playing this for all it was worth.

‘It began with your list. We ran a check on those company names. Not the easiest thing to sort through, but the folks at GCHQ are first rate. They once—’

‘Marcus, would you get to the point?’

‘Right, right. Oh, Suze, coffee for everyone, please.’

The appearance of Suze proved another distraction, like a passing butterfly, that Marcus was happy to follow.

Ryan, sensing my growing annoyance, filled the void.

‘The list you provided got MI5 searching down corporate document wormholes that led to the discovery. Marcus, you explain the rest.’

Discovery? Had they found a link to Nadiya?

‘Fascinating the way these folks can conjure up information most people would have thought dead and buried. Well, long story short, three layers deep in corporate paperwork, our boys found an anomaly.’

Ryan was smiling and shaking his head up and down as if a Springsteen concert had broken out. I leaned forward and waited for the payoff.

‘It seems a certain law firm that provided some of the incorporation handiwork for the Guernsey companies also has a link to a firm here on the mainland. Manchester, to be exact.’

I wasn’t sure how this related to Nadiya, but my patience hadn’t yet completely deserted me.

‘And this law firm’s work in Manchester is linked to Voronin?’

‘Well, not based on “what” they do.

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