She nods, stricken, and begins to take the stairs two at a time. I follow her, hoping my body provides enough of a buffer between her and them. When I look behind me, the gang members aren’t following us, thank God.

‘How far up are you?’ I ask as we climb.

‘Fourth floor. Come on.’

Jesus. I’m more winded than I’d like by the fourth floor. With those wankers blocking the lifts, I suspect Marlowe and Tabby have to use the stairs more often than they’d like.

Marlowe puts her key in the lock and opens the door with a warning shh in my direction. I slide in behind her lest she try to shut me out. But the instant I’m in her flat, my stomach sinks like a stone, because, fuck. This is where she lives?

I mean, compared to the lobby it’s practically the Four Seasons, but it’s so small and shoddy. Not her furnishings or cleanliness level, but the actual build. You can tell just by looking at the walls that a well-aimed fist could punch straight through them. Her front door is flimsy as fuck. I can see damp from here on the ceiling over by the balcony, and I bet those windows are poorly sealed. They must let so much heat out in winter.

My internal property survey screeches to a halt, because next thing you know, a big Black guy in shorts and a t-shirt emerges into the living room. He has a smile as wide as his face and a body that says I lift old people in and out of bed all day and push serious weights all night.

‘Hi Robbie,’ Marlowe whispers, ignoring me. ‘How was she?’

He smiles. The guy is a walking dental ad. ‘Not too bad. She seems a bit under the weather, but I took her temperature a couple of times and it’s in the normal range. She complained of a headache and feeling a bit rubbish in general, so I administered a dose of paracetamol at seven-thirty. Otherwise, she was very sweet. Sounds like you guys have had an adventurous month.’

‘You can say that again,’ Marlowe says, digging in her handbag for some cash. I know she’d go ballistic if I tried to cover the sitter, so I don’t even try. She hands over a few notes. ‘Here you go. Thanks so much for looking after her. I’ll keep a close eye on her.’

He nods and takes the cash. ‘Cheers. And I wouldn’t worry too much. Probably just a summer cold. I’m sure she’ll work through it pretty quickly.’

‘Be careful, mate,’ I tell him. ‘There are a few unsavoury characters hanging out in the entrance hall. They just tried to pull a blade on us.’