Tommy ground his teeth together. Poking his head at the man before him, he said: ‘I don’t care if he’s bought the whole of the smoke. He’s a fucking dead man. And if he’s dead he can’t pay anyone anything, can he. I’ll piss all over his fireworks, you see if I don’t.’

Standing, Tommy walked through the back of the shop to where Jimmy was standing with Ruth. The girl’s sallow complexion was now white. Nodding to her, Tommy walked through the shop and out of the door with Jimmy. Outside he took a deep breath. Picking up a metal dustbin from the gutter, he threw it with all his strength through the shop window. People watched the spectacle with bright eyes. Dubronsky was not well liked, the Uncles never were really.

Jimmy smiled as they walked towards their car. Sometimes he wondered why the hell Tommy wanted him along. He was quite capable of taking on anyone by himself.

In the car Tommy said, ‘Home. Me and you are going to see the Olds tonight. There’s a bundle tonight at Victoria Park, and if I know Ronnie Olds, he’ll be there.’

Willy Bolger nodded at the man sitting behind him in the car. His face was set in a neutral expression and he coughed gently before he spoke.

‘Look, trust me. I’m not afraid of Briony Cavanagh or Tommy Lane. They’re history. Soon they’ll be out of the picture for good. Between us we’ll run their businesses. In six months’ time they’ll be folklore.’

The man in the back of the car whispered: ‘They’d better be. I’m paying you a lot of money to get this off the ground. I want Briony Cavanagh wiped off the face of the earth. I want everything she owns, and I want her out of the way once and for all.’

Willy grinned, showing his tiny pointed teeth. ‘It’s as good as done.’