She’d been back at home for an hour, and when she wasn’t worrying about someone bursting through the door at any minute, she was reliving her brother and Glynn’s words. She didn’t know what to do. If the circumstances had been different she would have gone straight to the police and no messing. But David and the other goon had threatened her because of something her brother was involved in. And she didn’t want to risk getting Peter in trouble with the law.

Adele’s mind was in a jumble. Glynn’s words ‘firm of crooks’ kept coming back to her. So did the fact that Glynn had viciously murdered Sam for betraying Peter. She’d read in the papers about gangs taking over nightclubs and injuring and threatening the bouncers. In some instances even the customers had been attacked. Surely that couldn’t be what Peter did! Could it?

Adele thought about her options. She really didn’t want to go back to work for Peter, not if what she suspected was right. But what else could she do? And who else would protect her? She couldn’t live in a place where she didn’t feel safe.

Maybe she should get away. But she couldn’t return to her mother’s house; David knew where that was, too. And there was no way she could bring trouble to her mother’s door after all she had already been through.

Perhaps she could get away altogether to somewhere no one would find her. But where would she go? If she stayed working for Peter, maybe David and his cronies would follow her home again. But if she moved to another part of the country, how would she manage? She couldn’t get work without references. And she’d already struggled, as it was, with her prison record.

In the end she decided to phone Peter. She needed to know more before she decided what to do. Maybe she would catch him when Glynn wasn’t there; she might get more sense out of him then.

Peter answered the phone on the third ring. ‘It’s Adele,’ she said, and she heard him let out a heavy sigh. ‘Peter, I’ve been going out of my fuckin’ mind with worry here. Just what the hell is going on? And why did you go along with Glynn when you know what he is?’

‘Look, Glynn had a point. I need you onside, Adele. I can’t have you running to the police. It might lead to all kinds of problems.’

‘Are you frightened they’ll find out about the protection racket or about your men killing Sam?’ she sniped.

‘Who mentioned a protection racket?’

‘It’s fuckin’ obvious, Peter. I’m not stupid. Or maybe you think I am; maybe that’s why you had me working for you in the first place.’

‘No, it’s not like that at all, Adele.’