JANUARY ISLAND, SOUTH CHINA SEA

2 HOURS AGO

‘Why don’t you come in, Dad?’

The Broker glanced up from the smartphone and watched his eldest son drag himself out of the pool, dripping on the expensive Italian tiles. Even this early, when the sun had barely risen, his children loved to be in the water.

‘Come on, don’t be so boring.’

Putting the smartphone on the glass-topped table, he shook his head. ‘You know me, David. I prefer to stay dry. Anyway, I’ve just had my breakfast.’ He indicated the lavish spread of fresh fruit and pastries on the poolside table in front of him – Chef always put out far too much and The Broker sometimes wondered if she was trying to make him fat. Or fatter. ‘And you know what they say about swimming too soon after you’ve eaten.’

‘That’s a myth.’ David smiled and flicked water across his father’s face. ‘Wimp.’

‘Careful.’ The Broker gave his son a fake stern look. ‘This is the shirt your mother gave me for our anniversary.’

‘And you’d better not ruin it.’ Sitting beside him, his wife, Natalia, spoke without taking her eyes off her Town and Country magazine. ‘That cost a fortune.’

David ignored her and flicked water at his dad again, spraying a line of dark spots across the deep red silk shirt.

‘Stop it. She’ll kill me if it gets ruined.’ The Broker cast a sly glance at his wife, pretending to be worried, but when David came closer, he cracked a smile that showed perfect white teeth. ‘Cheeky monkey.’ He leapt from his seat at the table and gave chase as his son made a quick getaway. ‘I’ll get you for that.’

The boy darted across the tiles and on to the well-tended grass. He dodged this way and that, but the Broker was quick despite his size. When the boy feinted left for the third time, The Broker caught his wrist in one powerful hand and pulled the boy towards him.

‘Now for your punishment!’ He bent at the knees and took his son’s leg in his other hand, hoisting him over his head. He strode towards the pool, went right to the edge, and threw the boy as far as he could.

The boy hit the middle of the swimming pool with a huge splash that sent waves filtering out in all directions.

‘I am invincible!’ The Broker raised his arms above his head and fist-pumped the air. ‘No one can—’

‘That’s what you think.’ His daughter had crept up behind him, ready to shove her father into the pool. But The Broker’s instincts were keen. Before she could put her hands on him, he twisted, snatched her arms towards him, and threw her in beside her brother.

‘It’ll take more than that to sneak up on me, young lady.’

‘How do you do that?’ she laughed. ‘How did you know?’

‘I’m always watching, Jennifer.’ He touched two fingers to his eyes, then pointed at her. ‘I see everything, remember.’

‘Next time.’ She splashed water at him. ‘I’ll get you, next time.’

The Broker stepped back to avoid being drenched, and stood admiring his children as they dived beneath the surface. He had so much to be grateful for. His wealth, his health, his family.

A faint ping interrupted his thoughts and he glanced back at the breakfast table. His wife peered over the top of her magazine and lowered her sunglasses. ‘No rest for the wicked, darling.’

‘No rest indeed,’ he said, returning to the table and sitting down to check the large smartphone. The name ‘Phoenix’ was displayed on the screen.

The Broker poured himself another pineapple juice, and picked up the phone.

‘I have an update for you, sir.’

‘I’m in a good mood, Phoenix. Please don’t spoil it.’ The Broker smiled to his wife. In turn, she reached across and rubbed the back of his hand.

‘Lazarovich is almost on site, sir. Everything is going according to schedule.’

‘Perfect.’

‘There is one, thing, though.’

The Broker narrowed his eyes and his smile dropped away. ‘Go on.’

‘If you take a look at the image I’ve sent through.’

‘Just a moment.’ The Broker took the phone from his ear. He clicked the icon that appeared, and the screen filled with a satellite image of the base. It was similar to the previous images, except for one or two things. One of those things was the small plane on the landing strip. He double-tapped it to zoom in for a better view and studied the image for a few seconds. When he was ready, he put the phone back to his ear. ‘Explain.’

‘It’s a Twin Otter, sir, flown in from the South Shetland Islands. The pilot goes by the name of Dimitri Alekseyevich Milanov. Records show he’s a failed military pilot. He’s of no concern to us. The plane was carrying four passengers, though – Drs Evelyn and Adam Reeves, and their two children, Zak and May.’

‘Shame.’

‘How do you wish us to proceed, sir?’

The Broker exchanged a glance with his wife, and then fixed his eyes on the pool where his children were still playing. He thought about the plane on the landing strip, and the five people it had contained. Drs Evelyn and Adam Reeves might be a valuable asset to his organization if he could find a way of arranging it so they didn’t know they were working for him – he had no interest in forcing them to work for him. Or, perhaps, he could sell them. But that was not the aim of this mission. The aim was to find out what BioMesa had discovered beneath the ice, and take control of it. The more he thought about it, the more convinced he was that they had found something of huge importance. Something of great value.

The Broker’s daughter burst from the surface of the pool and shook the water from her eyes, before raising a hand and waving. He returned the wave, feeling a surge of love for his children, then looked once more at the image on his smartphone. The plane on the runway.

No, the Reeves family was an unnecessary distraction.

He stood and walked a few paces away from the table. ‘Eliminate them,’ he said. ‘No one can know about this.’

‘All of them, sir?’

‘Yes. All of them.’ The Broker ended the call with a quick tap of his thumb, and returned to sit beside his wife. He leant over and kissed her on the cheek.

‘Work trouble?’ Natalia lowered her magazine and watched her husband.

‘In a manner of speaking.’

‘Nothing you can’t handle, I’m sure. Just don’t let it ruin your mood.’

The Broker smiled in agreement. ‘I won’t, Natalia. I promise. Everything will turn out fine.’ He kissed her again, then sat back and closed his eyes.

The sun was warm on his face.

It was going to be a glorious day.