‘Jesus!’ said Peter, taken aback. ‘Yeah, I’d love to.’ Then he tried to curb his over-enthusiasm in view of Max’s poor health. ‘I mean, I wouldn’t want the club to get into the wrong hands and it would be much easier all round if I was the only one running the show. But I haven’t got that kind of cash to stump up just now.’

‘You don’t need to pay it all at once,’ said Max. ‘I’m happy to sign the bloody lot over to you now. Then you can pay me back monthly out of the profits. Call it a loan.’

‘I don’t know what to say,’ said Peter, genuinely taken aback. ‘That’s really generous of you.’

‘Think nothing of it,’ said Max. ‘I’ll still be around for a bit if you want any advice about anything but I’m too bloody ill to get involved. I like the way you run things, Pete, so I’d prefer you to take over ownership rather than any other bugger, if I’m honest. Besides, your loan repayments will give me some income to help me see out my days.’

‘Don’t talk like that, Max,’ said Peter. He’d grown quite fond of the old guy since he’d become part-owner of the Golden Bell.

‘Why not? It’s the bloody truth,’ Max replied. ‘No point beating about the bush. It is what it is.’ He paused for a moment, waiting for Peter’s response, but when he didn’t say anything, Max added, ‘Well, that’s that then. So, if we’re agreed, let’s sort out the figures and for Christ’s sake let’s have a drink to celebrate.’

Peter looked at Max and smiled. He was glad Max was being so matter-of-fact. He wasn’t given to big emotional displays himself and had struggled with how to react to Max’s sad news.

But Max had made it easy for him. Instead of being maudlin, Max had turned it into a celebration. And, in a way it was. Max was retiring and Peter was about to become 100 per cent owner of one of the most popular clubs in Manchester. That would help to cement his reputation on the Manchester nightclubbing scene as well as throughout the Manchester gangland fraternity.

Chapter 42

After a few days Peter reached a decision about Alan. Retaliation was pointless. They would just go on targeting each other’s businesses and employees, and where would that end? Nobody would come out as the winner. So Peter decided that the best way of dealing with things would be to have a meeting with Alan and see if they could sort things out, man to man. After all, he had once been a friend so maybe he could get him to see reason.