‘I know,’ said Sam.

Ryan had been the last; he’d have brought the team to the magic five they were looking for. If he’d made the grade with his skydiving then he’d have been told the truth about the team – and invited to join. Sam was sure Ryan would’ve jumped at the chance. He’d seemed perfect: independent, bright, driven, a natural skydiver, and with no family ties to speak of. So why the hell had he just vanished?

Sam was pissed off. Ryan’s disappearance meant he’d got it wrong. And Sam never got things wrong.

‘Did I say something funny?’

‘I doubt it,’ said Sam. Gabe had lots of qualities, he thought, but a sense of humour wasn’t one of them.

‘Then do it,’ Gabe continued. ‘Anyway, we had our eyes on two possibles originally. What about the other?’

‘I never had my eyes on two,’ said Sam. ‘You did. I found Ryan. You found Jake.’

‘So focus on Jake,’ said Gabe, like he wasn’t expecting an argument.

‘You’ve read my report?’

‘Of course I’ve read it,’ replied Gabe, sounding more than a little irritated. ‘And he’s ticking the boxes.’

‘But not necessarily the right ones,’ Sam cut back. ‘Jake’s too interested in himself. There’s no way I’m bringing him onto the team until I’m absolutely sure. You know that. And it’s my word on this – that’s the agreement.’

‘You saying I’m a bad judge of character?’

‘You picked me,’ said Sam, and the smile that flickered across his face was anything but warm.

For a moment, neither man spoke.

Sam broke the silence. ‘So what about Ryan?’

‘If he’s gone, he’s gone,’ came the reply. ‘Unsuitable. We’re better off knowing now than halfway through an operation. I’ll try and trace him, find out what happened. But he’s no longer your concern. Anything else?’