Peter had learnt over the years that you had to put some thought behind your actions, and he wasn’t stupid enough to keep sacrificing his people in a war that no one would win. And although Peter didn’t like to think he was scared of repercussions, knowing Alan as he did, he feared that if he was pitched in a war with Alan then he might not come off the victor.

Peter was also worried about his own men. He knew Glynn was a threat, and that Glynn and Mike were tight. As their leader he had to demonstrate his authority. He had to let them know he wouldn’t be made a mug of. He’d already made a mistake in trying to appeal to Alan’s better nature. As a result he’d lost face in front of both Alan’s men and his own.

He cursed himself for taking Glynn and his men to the meeting. It would have been better if he and Alan had met one to one in private. Then he wouldn’t have had all those people witnessing his humiliation. And maybe, with no one around to impress, Alan might have been more reasonable.

Eventually, after a few days of deliberation, he did what he should have done in the first place, and approached Alan alone. They arranged a meeting, just the two of them, in a pub that none of their men frequented. As he took one last look at his watch and saw it was time to go, Peter tried to ignore the pang of disquiet that sat in the pit of his stomach.

When Peter arrived in the pub there was no sign of Alan so he bought himself a drink and sat and waited. And waited. Twenty minutes after their arranged time Alan finally breezed into the pub, appearing casual and unfazed. Peter knew it was an act, deliberately designed to throw him off kilter, but it still got to him.

Peter watched as Alan bought himself a drink then sauntered over to the table where he was sitting. He stood up to greet him but Alan slid into the chair opposite without any acknowledgement, then remained quiet and gazed around the room.

‘How’s things?’ asked Peter when the silence threatened to engulf him.

Alan sighed deeply. ‘Let’s just cut the crap and get on with it, shall we?’

Peter was taken aback but tried to hide it. Part of him wanted things to be like old times. Planning jobs together. The rush of excitement. The thrill of escape. The banter between him, Alan and Dave.

But he knew those days were gone and any attempt at friendly chat would be taken as a sign of weakness. So, instead, he did what he had come here to do. He reached under the table and pulled out the bag holding the money.