I defied Dan to do his worst. So he did. Callie was almost knocked over while crossing the street to get to her law chambers. Within a couple of weeks of that happening, Troy was mugged by two young Noughts on his way home from school who pushed him against a wall, slapped him a couple of times and demanded, ‘What have you got for us, dagger?’ before taking his phone and smartwatch and running off.

The same night Troy was mugged, I drove round to see Dan at his club, Ava’s. Jarvis tried to stop me from going into Dan’s office, but I was so spitting mad I kneed him in his tenders and marched past while the beetle clutched his groin and rolled on the floor.

‘Dan, if you ever come near my children again, I swear I will kill you,’ I told him without preamble.

‘You can’t hold me responsible for incidents and accidents, Sephy,’ said Dan silkily. ‘Don’t blame me if you can’t or won’t take better care of your brats.’

The time for talk was over. Lips pursed, eyes blazing, I was about to leap across Dan’s desk to slap him into a new postcode when I was unexpectedly lifted off my feet and carried out of the room.

‘Ah, Jarvis. Had enough of rolling on the floor then? If one middle-aged, dried-up old trout can take you, maybe I need to rethink who should be my lieutenant. What d’you reckon?’

Jarvis’s arms tightened considerably round my waist. I should’ve kneed him harder.

‘Let me go!’ I yelled.

With Dan’s laughter pealing in my ears, Jarvis ignored me and carried me not just from the room, but from the club to dump me out back among the bins and the rats.

Two days later, Troy’s watch and phone were sent to me in the post with no letter, no note, no explanation. None was required. Dan was demonstrating just how easy it would be to get to Troy and do something worse than shove him into a wall a couple of times. And, to my shame, his actions were enough to make me capitulate. Capitulate, hell! I collapsed like a house of cards. And, as much as I despised Dan, I despised myself more for giving in to his threats.

But, Callum, what choice did I have?

From that moment on, when Jarvis turned up at the beginning of each month, there was an envelope waiting for him containing one-quarter of my restaurant’s monthly takings. And Jarvis wouldn’t let anyone but me hand it to him. Oh, Callum, if you only knew what giving that turd-weasel my money did to me each month. The absolute humiliation and seething, silent fury that ate away at me as Jarvis smirked before pocketing my cash.