‘Either you tell me what’s going on, Nick, or I call them right now.’

‘And tell them what?’ he demanded, rallying. ‘You hear argument … you don’t … know … what is about. Old man get punched …’ He shrugged. ‘You think they care?’ He gave the ghost of a chuckle. ‘Is just misunderstanding, Juno … is all right.’

I went to the window, threw up the sash, and looked up and down the street. I couldn’t see Vlad or Igor anywhere but that didn’t mean they weren’t lurking somewhere. They’d be back, I was sure of that. But Nick was deaf to all arguments. The mention of police only made him agitated and I didn’t want to make his condition worse than it already was. In the end, I promised I wouldn’t call them. Yet.

‘Is all right, Juno, they gone.’ Nick chuckled. ‘Angry goddess scare them away. You go now, huh?’

‘I’ll go when you’re fit enough to follow me down the stairs,’ I agreed reluctantly. ‘You lock and bolt the door after me. And don’t you let them in again, you promise me?’

Nick nodded. ‘I promise,’ he agreed meekly.

It was half an hour before I cracked open the front door. I peeped out cautiously, in case the two bogeymen were in the alley. When I was sure the coast was clear, I shut the door behind me and waited until I heard Nick push the bolts into place before I hurried across Shadow Lane and climbed into my van, locking the door after me. I sat for a moment, tapping my fingers on the steering wheel as the full idiocy of what I’d done came over me. I’d have been no match for either of those two if they’d decided to turn on me. And there’d been no mistaking the meaning of Vlad’s departing gesture. I could have ended up battered and bruised, and very possibly floating down the River Dart.

I considered breaking my promise and going straight to the police but there didn’t seem much point. I knew if they followed it up with Nick, he’d only downplay the incident, or even deny it took place at all. I sighed. I wasn’t happy, but there didn’t seem to be anything I could do. Reluctantly, I pulled away from the kerb.