Chapter Two

‘Oh, son, are you sure about this? You don’t have to marry them these days, you know. It’s a different world.’

Lenny Scott was embarrassed and it showed. ‘Honestly, Mr Johnson, I wanted to marry her anyway. It’s just a bit sooner than we anticipated, that’s all. We’ve been together four years now. She’s a good girl, my Sharon, and I love her.’

He was blushing to the roots of his hair, and Jack Johnson couldn’t help but smile. He liked Lenny Scott a lot; he was a good kid with plenty of nous, and he knew how to do a day’s collar. He was a heavy, but Jack felt he had a bit more going for him, young as he was. He could add up like a fucking calculator – he knew exactly how much a person owed on a loan, could work out the take in seconds if necessary. And he never tried to have anyone over. Jack Johnson had seen too many in Lenny’s position rip off the customers, swearing they hadn’t paid, when Jack knew they had, and expecting the poor fuckers to pay again. Jack might be a loan shark, but he prided himself on being a reasonably honest one. And this was a very lucrative business – some of the council estates were into him for hundreds of thousands of pounds.

Jack had plans for this lad. And now, with a baby in the mix, he wondered if it might make Lenny more amenable to learning the seamier side of the business. Always look for an angle – that was Jack Johnson’s mantra.

‘Well, son, I wish you all the best, then. As long as you are sure you’re doing the right thing, that’s all that matters, mate.’

Lenny grinned. ‘I’m sure. But the thing is, Mr Johnson, I need a few quid extra, like. I’ve got to get a place, with a baby on the way. You know the score.’

Jack Johnson was happy to help. ‘You’re preaching to the converted, son. I will be happy to sort something out for you.’

Lenny Scott was thrilled. ‘I can’t thank you enough, Mr Johnson. I will knock me pound out for you, I swear.’

Jack already knew that, and he smiled. ‘Once the kid arrives you will be knocking your pound out on a regular basis, mark my words. I wish you all the best and, I tell you what, I’ll give you a grand now to get the wedding underway. You’re a good kid, Lenny, and I think you will go far.’