Gallagher knew from bitter experience not to put his faith in MI5 or MI6. This was purely a quid pro quo arrangement, as the man had said, but that didn"t rule out a hidden agenda on the part of the spooks.
quid pro quo
* * *
Flic had hoped to hole up under Seb"s protection until she was ready to make her next move. Instead, she found herself in a run-down establishment in the Earls Court area that advertised itself beyond its capabilities. It seemed to her, as she did the crossword, lying on a bed with defeated springs and a faint smell of vomit, that changing the middle letter of the weathered sign "HOTEL" to a "V" would have been far more in keeping with trading standards.
It didn’t matter. The place was anonymous and full of international transients, many of whom no doubt, like h
