"Archer, Geoffrey - Sam Packer 02 - The Lucifer Network" - читать интересную книгу автора (Archer Geoffrey)

for the fun of it. Not for the money. I've got enough."

"I'm sure you have." Thousands of dead Africans had seen to that.

"But you're still confusing me, Harry. How does writing a letter to a
newspaper claiming the British government was involved in a bungled
African coup get you safe passage home?"

Jackman's eyes became deadly serious.

"Come on. Don't play the virgin with me. A warning shot, that's all
it was. I knew damn well that good-ole-boy Hampson wouldn't go into
print about Bodanga without the say-so of C or whatever you call him
these days."

"Meaning?"

Jackman hissed with exasperation.

"That I just wanted to show you what I could do if I was so minded."

"Oh. Is that what it was about?" Sam mocked, trying to get Jackman on
the back foot.

"You've miscalculated, old son. The people you're dealing with don't
take kindly to threats."

"Don't be daft. They need my co-operation as much as I need theirs.
The world's a dangerous place. You scratch my back .. ."

Sam gave up on his soup which tasted unpleasantly of the can it came
from, and pushed the plate away.

"So, spell it out to me, Harry. What exactly is it you want?"

"Immunity from any sort of prosecution."

Sam lifted his eyebrows.

"Come on," Jackman insisted.

"It's a small return for the services I've done for my country."

It was true there'd been other small jobs for SIS before last year's
arms deal. Smuggling people across borders and providing untraceable
funds to political groups that the government of the day was
embarrassed to be associated with.

"What sort of prosecutions did you have in mind?" Sam inquired sceptic
ally