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closed and bolts were drawn, sealing them in.
    Colin looked at Vijay. ‘I sure hope you know what you’re doing. These guys are no ordinary street thugs.
    Vijay didn’t hear him. He was lost in his thoughts as he stared at the printout Imtiaz had given him.
    ‘So uncle did leave clues in the emails,’ he mused. ‘And now we know what they were looking for in the study. A key, he said. What does that mean?’ He looked up suddenly at Colin. ‘But that can wait. We’ve got a few hours before dawn. This Farooq guy is the one who killed uncle. Right now, I don’t give a damn who he is or what he wants. We need to escape.’
    ‘How?’
    Vijay shrugged. ‘Let’s think. We have to work something out. If we can’t, we’re dead men.’
    They sat there for a while, thinking hard. Their eyes explored every corner of the room. Vijay stood up, still strapped to the chair. Their legs were free and the chair was light, so he was able to shuffle his way around the room as he explored the walls and the door. But there didn’t seem to be a way out.
    As Colin watched, a thought came to him. He looked closely at the ropes, which bound his wrists but not his hands and fingers.
    ‘I’ve got it.’
    Vijay turned and looked at his friend. ‘You have an idea?’ He shuffled back to Colin and sat down next to him. Colin rose and slowly moved closer to Vijay, positioning himself in such a way that their hands were touching and he could tug at the nylon rope tying Vijay’s hands.
    The minutes passed slowly, agonisingly. But the knot refused to oblige. Perspiration beaded Colin’s brow as he concentrated on the job.
    His hand began to ache and the rope binding him cut into his wrist as he stretched his hand, adding to the pain. But he persevered.
    They had no means to track the passage of time. There was no way of knowing when Farooq would come back, and desperation slowly began to get the better of them.
    Colin sighed with frustration. He knew that time was passing them by. It was beginning to look hopeless. He gritted his teeth and tugged at the knot, willing it to loosen.
    Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the door. The sound of the bolts being drawn came to their ears. Vijay froze as he realised that time was up. A cold terror gripped him, paralysing him with fear. Maroosh appeared in the doorway and Farooq was visible behind him. What would Farooq do when he discovered that, far from deciphering the emails, they had been trying to escape?
    Colin gave a cry. The knot had finally come undone because of his persistent efforts. Vijay’s right hand was free. Vijay quickly pulled at the rope binding his left hand. His right hand throbbed with pain and his fingers were numb, but a rush of adrenalin gave him the strength to free himself completely, just as Maroosh walked into the room followed by Farooq.
    Maroosh’s eyes widened as he realised that Vijay was free, but before he could react, Vijay launched himself at the large man in a classic rugby smother tackle, wrapping his arms around the big man’s arms, so that he was unable to use his gun. Maroosh went down heavily. His head hit the floor with a sickening thud and he went limp.
    At the same moment that Vijay tackled the guard, Colin, still bound to his chair, launched himself at a surprised Farooq, who had also just realised that his prisoners were free. Farooq crumpled to the floor as Colin landed heavily on him, knocking the wind out of him.
    ‘Can’t let you take all the credit.’ Colin grinned up at Vijay, who wrested Maroosh’s gun out of his hand and rushed to Farooq. He hesitated for a split second, then swung the butt of the Uzi against Farooq’s head, knocking him out.
    Vijay grinned back at his friend as he untied his ropes. But there was no time to linger. They had been lucky to overpower both men without an alarm being raised. There was no way of knowing if Imtiaz or any of the other guards were on their way here.
    Colin sprang out of the chair, massaging his