Shauna had never in her life before stayed in anything so good as a three-star hotel, but she quickly concluded that it wasn’t anything to write home about. All decent gypsy women kept their homes immaculate – her drunken old bint of a mother being the exception to the rule – and this place was far from that. She would tell Josh to book them into a four-star establishment next time. That would have to be better than this. She settled down, pulling a sheet up over to cover them both, and Josh started to snore.

Things weren’t so bad, she thought. She smiled, feeling quite happy. She had Josh by her side, even if he was – for now – still stewing over what could have happened to Claire Milo. But Josh would accept the situation in time. And they could earn handsomely. What more could anyone ask for?

Then he whispered something that sounded like ‘Claire’.

Damn it!

Who was she kidding? This Milo business was far from over. Yes, he was screwing her heartily, and indulging her with this hotel instead of a B & B. But he was still going to leave her without a backward glance and set off for Ireland in search of that bitch among the Milo relations over there in Moyross.

Somehow she had to get that fucking woman out of his brain once and for all.

24

24

Josh felt wound up, sick at heart and full of shame. But he met Linus Pole the next day down at the gym in the local town as agreed, even though he found it hard to focus on anything but Claire. He had to find her. Had to make everything right again between them. Being with Shauna only made him more aware of how much he missed Claire’s quiet, calming presence.

There were kids sparring in the rings and Josh – despite his turmoil – thought it looked a nice set-up, better than anything he had ever experienced. Very civilized, with head guards and boxing gloves. A man was sitting in the corner watching the fighters and their coaches with Linus. The man had swept-back grey hair and narrowed eyes. He looked about fifty and his skin had the grey-brown tinge of a smoker who fired up one cigarette off the back of another.

‘This is my mate, John Finlay,’ said Linus when Josh joined them. They shook hands, and again Josh focused on the nicotine-stained skin and bitten fingernails. John was a man under stress. Josh knew that feeling. ‘John, this is Josh.’

‘Quite the fighter, I hear,’ said John, his eyes moving over Josh’s lithe bulk.