‘I wasn’t supposed to,’ said Josh, putting the empty glass aside. ‘I was supposed to throw the fight. Cloudy had it all sorted. But I didn’t do it.’

‘Right,’ said Shauna.

‘It’s all over – me and Claire. That’s all off,’ said Josh.

‘Why’s it off, Josh?’ she asked. Christ, this was a miracle. It was a bloody gift. Tonight her and Jeb and Ciaran had done things – bad things, she supposed – and maybe they hadn’t needed to even bother. But no. It was better – neater – this way.

‘Claire don’t like the fight game. She can’t take it. And after tonight, not throwing the match, I suppose I could be in the shit. So I’ll clear out and things will cool down.’

‘I saw her there tonight. At the fight.’ And later.

‘Yeah. She don’t like it, Shauna. She hates it.’

Shauna saw raw pain in his eyes. He’d been with Claire all his life, he loved the silly bitch. Shauna couldn’t see why. Josh was a king in the making; Claire? She’d never measure up to him, not in a million years. Shauna was the one he should be with. And now – if she played her cards right – he would be. Everything was falling just right.

‘So where will you go then?’ she asked.

‘Far away from here as I can. No point staying.’

‘If you keep fighting, drawing a crowd, all those that lost money on the fight will come after you.’ The Cleavers hadn’t lost a penny. She knew that. But Josh didn’t.

Josh shrugged. ‘Once they cool down, they’ll forget it.’

‘Josh, you can’t just go.’

‘Watch me.’

‘Then . . . I’ll come with you.’

Josh blinked, seemed to focus on her properly. ‘You what?’

‘I’ll come too. Keep you company.’ There was no way Shauna was letting Josh just vanish out of her life now. Tonight was a turning point for both of them. Claire was history. They – she and Josh – would be a great match. All she had to do was make Josh see that.

‘Don’t be fucking daft,’ he said.

‘I’m serious, Josh. I got nothing to stay here for. Only Mum and Dad, and they’re off out every night getting pissed, they’re never here. They don’t give a shit about me. And I don’t give a shit about them.’

Josh stood there, staring at her. Then he shrugged, indifferent.

‘All right,’ he said. ‘If you want. Pack a bag. And hurry the fuck up.’

13

13

It was gone twelve by the time Josh parked up outside a tatty-looking little B & B with a vacancies sign up, on the outskirts of Andover.

‘You’d better stay here, let me go in first,’ said Shauna, picking up her handbag and carryall. ‘They take one look at that beat-up mug of yours, they’re going to slam the door in both our faces.’