‘Yes.’ Taylor’s Adam’s apple bobbed up and down. ‘You’re right. That’ll work. The money is all they want.’ He fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a crumpled piece of paper. His hands shook.

I raised my eyebrows. I’d expect this kind of reaction from Speck but Taylor was normally laid back to the point of being horizontal. He was the very definition of blasé. Whoever this scarred Wild Man was, he had Taylor seriously rattled.

‘Integrity, he was carrying a gun. And I’m certain he meant to use it.’

That troubled me. From the very beginning Taylor taught me that, no matter what we did, violence was not our gig. We didn’t carry anything on any job that could be construed as a weapon: we were thieves, not thugs. It was a concept I stringently adhered to. There was always an alternative to fighting, even if it meant doing nothing more than running away. We usually avoided getting mixed up with people who were liable to be violent. Taylor really had got involved with some dodgy people this time.

I smoothed out the paper and looked at the phone number scrawled on it. I cleared my throat and tried to stay calm. ‘I’ll call them now and tell them they’ll have their money within hours. Relax, Taylor.’

He pressed his lips together and nodded while I searched for my phone. Eventually finding it behind a wilting spider plant, I jabbed out the number. It rang three times before a disembodied voice answered, ‘Yes?’

I took a deep breath. ‘I’m calling on behalf of Andy Taylor,’ I said. ‘I have your money and I will send it to you now. You’ll get what you want so there’s no need to get all worked up.’

There was an almost imperceptible pause. Then the voice spoke again. ‘The payment is late. There is a penalty.’

My fingers tightened around the phone. Loan sharks had no damn shame. ‘How much?’

‘Double the original amount.’

I choked. ‘That’s ridiculous! He’s not that late.’

‘I take punctuality very seriously. Double the amount or a he’s a dead man walking.’

‘You’re being unreasonable,’ I began.

‘He owes me.’

I tried to think quickly. ‘We’ll need more time.’

‘You have seventy-two hours.’

I closed my eyes briefly. ‘Thank...’

‘Oh, and Integrity?’ the voice interrupted. ‘Tell Taylor that if he tries to run I’ll personally make sure that he never walks again.’

The phone clicked off. I pulled it slowly away from my ear and stared at it. ‘He knows my name,’ I whispered. I looked at Taylor. ‘Just who in hell have you got yourself mixed up with?’

He glanced up at me, misery etched into every line of his face. ‘I’m so sorry, Tegs. I’ve really screwed up.’

*

We went round and round in circles, trying to come up with a quick-fix solution.