PC Smith is working undercover as a bodyguard for a South African drug importer named Tony Rourke. Rourke offers Smith a contract to kidnap and torture a senior police officer to find the location of a police informer they need kept quiet. Ordered by SO10's DCI Tasker to remain in place and find out more, Smith comes up with a plan to abduct the officer, who turns out to be Sun Hill's own DCI Meadows. Rourke and his right-hand man Jake begin to doubt Smithy's integrity, and end up executing his plan themselves. With DCI Meadows missing, a massive search is underway, until Smithy convinces Ken Stockley, the informant Rourke and his financier are after, to tell him not only Meadows' location but also the identity of Rourke's mysterious ""money man"" - Lucy Haslock, a City lawyer. SO19 raid the warehouse and recover Meadows, in bad shape but alive.