Jamie Brewer was laughing when the four men walked into the boozer. Desmond Dekker was on the jukebox and, within seconds, the pub was cleared of its usual clientele who all had a terrible urge to suddenly walk down the high street and finish their drinking elsewhere. It wouldn’t take Albert fucking Einstein to work out that some serious business was going down. For the first time Jamie felt a prickle of fear. His posse moved instinctively away from him, and he sensed the anticipation in the air. All his life his family had protected him. He had done exactly what he had wanted to and never had a thought for the consequences.

When his brother-in-law walked in and locked the doors of the pub he felt his stomach clench and he understood that he was on borrowed time. He looked up into the faces of Ray Donovan and Reggie Dornan and saw that they were determined to finish him.

‘Hello, Jamie.’ Reggie’s voice was soft but in the quiet of the pub it sounded like a gunshot.

Jamie looked at his crew and saw the same fear etched on to their faces. Barton King was smiling that easy smile of his and, going behind the bar, he started to set up some drinks. Then Ray Donovan took out a machete from under his coat and they all watched in fascination as Jamie Brewer was dismantled before their eyes.

David Bannerman was the first to shake Ray Donovan’s bloodstained hand and then a party atmosphere ensued. Jamie’s crew were told to pick up their mate and deliver him to his home. They were given black bags to carry him in. Then the men sat down and, while Ray cleaned himself up, they chatted amicably.

The only comeback from James Brewer was to take out the two heavies who should have protected his son. Minor cogs was how he saw them. That satisfied his revenge and kept him in good stead with his colleagues. Something had been done – or had been seen to be done anyway. He knew better than to try and take it too far; even he wouldn’t relish taking out his own daughter’s husband. But, if he was honest with himself, he never really liked David Bannerman after that night.

Chapter One Hundred and Four

Ray Donovan and Barton King became good friends after the murder of Jamie Brewer and they were regularly seen together drinking. Ray always laughed and said it was because he favoured a machete, which was often the weapon of choice for Jamaicans.