Adele smiled as she looked at the figure on her computer screen. Yes! At last she’d managed to get it to agree with the total in the ledger. She was thrilled to have finally balanced this account, which had been a particularly tricky one.

As she switched off her computer, she looked at her watch – 6.45 p.m. That late? She started packing away her paperwork, intending to go down to the club and say goodbye to Peter before she left. If she was honest with herself, she was also hoping to catch a glimpse of Glynn, who was currently downstairs with Peter checking the stock before the staff and customers arrived. They were the only two other people in the building.

While she packed her things away, she began thinking about Glynn again, trying to picture him in her mind. She replayed his words when he’d called her ‘sweetheart’ and ‘gorgeous’, and a frisson of pleasure flowed through her. Then she checked herself; she was behaving like a love-struck teenager. Glynn would never be any good for her so it was best to try and put all thoughts of him out of her mind.

She was putting her files away in the cabinet when she heard a noise in the corridor. It sounded like footsteps coming from more than one person and they were coming fast. Her first thought was that it was Peter and Glynn, and the thrill of anticipation zipped through her at the thought of seeing her brother’s sidekick.

But then she realised that the sound was coming from the opposite end of the corridor. Neither Peter nor Glynn would come that way. If they came upstairs they would enter the corridor from the other end, passing Peter’s office before reaching the cash office where Adele worked. So it must be someone who had come through the back door and up the back stairs.

The sound of footsteps drew closer. She raised her head, staring at the office door, confused. Who would enter the building from the back door? Within no time she could hear them outside.

Then the door burst open. In ran a man. A complete stranger. Dark hair and skin. The image of Starsky from the TV cop show, but more menacing. Behind him was another stranger with a hefty physique. A third man sprinted up the corridor.

Adele felt the cold hand of fear grip her insides. She knew she was in trouble. Nobody would hear her screams from here.

‘Where’s the fuckin’ cash box?’ demanded Starsky.

He sped towards her and Adele saw a glint of metal as he pulled out a knife. He was now only a metre away, the knife pointing threateningly towards her. Adele’s autodefence mechanism kicked in. With a swift two-handed movement, she smacked her right hand into his forearm and her left into the back of his hand, disarming him. The knife catapulted across the room.