‘Yeah. Maybe it is. So what? Is this the life you see for yourself, Josh? Is it really? Living on a campsite ’til you die?’ Shauna looked at his face. ‘You’re king of the gypsy fighters now, Josh. You’ve made the break. All you got to do is accept it.’

Josh was staring at her. ‘Cold as fucking Christmas, ain’t you. I notice no one’s panicking over you going. Mostly because you’re always out on the tiles, ain’t you? Sometimes you’re gone for days, like a fucking alley cat. Your folks wouldn’t miss you.’

His words stung. But they were true. Everyone knew Shauna’s parents were shot away. Her mum had famously once knocked her husband out cold while he sat in his armchair by cracking a bottle full of whisky over his head. They both drank like fishes and fought like tigers, and it was pretty much known all around that Shauna had dragged herself up. So she had gone off, made her own amusements from an early age. Trotted off along the lane to the Cleaver place, where at least she was welcome. OK, she was welcome because she gave them uncomplicated sex, and they liked that. And what right did Josh Flynn have to criticize her? He’d liked her well enough too, in bed last night.

Shauna bit her tongue to stifle the angry words. One way or another she would make him forget Claire had ever existed.

Together, they could move on. She wanted more out of life than grubbing around for money, people spitting on the ground and calling her an effing pikey when they passed by. With Josh’s talents and her looks, they could go far. Provided he’d stop looking back and look toward the future instead.

‘So what are you doing here?’ asked Josh. His brain felt scrambled. Suddenly, his whole world was in chaos.

‘Looking for you, numbskull,’ said Shauna.

‘You thought I’d run out on you.’

‘And you fucking well did, didn’t you? And if she’d been here this morning and changed her mind about blowing you out, you’d have left me there to stew.’

‘I went to do a bit of business too,’ said Josh, his face troubled. Claire. Where the fuck was Claire? ‘I got a fight lined up for tonight.’

Shauna glanced at her watch. It was seven thirty in the morning and already it was hot.

‘Start the fucking car up then,’ she said irritably. ‘We got time to make it back to Crap Towers and get what passes for breakfast down our necks.’

Josh’s stomach rebelled at the thought of food. He had to find Claire. And Shauna was buzzing around his head like a mosquito, annoying the hell out of him.

‘Don’t look like that,’ said Shauna. ‘We’ve paid for it. We’re bloody well going to eat it.’

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