‘Hey,’ she said, looking around. ‘Anyone with you?’

Bailey shook her head. Toni nodded slyly, flicked her cigarette away and motioned for Bailey to follow her.

‘We couldn’t really talk in the canteen. Too many ears, if you know what I mean.’ She glanced around the yard, her eyes resting for a moment on the CCTV mast. ‘Let’s go round here a second.’

Bailey hesitated for a moment, then followed her around the corner, out of sight of the cameras…

Where someone suddenly slammed hard into the side of her. She crashed up against the wall. Stunned. Winded.

She found herself pinned against the wall by her neck. The big one whose name she didn’t know was holding her with a giant meaty hand, staring at her with dead piggy eyes.

Next to her were Keisha and Rong. Rong was staring at her cross-eyed, one eye deceptively peering over Bailey’s left shoulder. Toni stood there, hands on hips, nodding slowly to herself and smiling.

‘I don’t think you’ve been properly introduced. This is Muscles,’ said Toni, gesturing at the big one who was holding Bailey. ‘I think it’s probably fairly self-evident why we call her that. She could rip you open like a bag of crisps. She doesn’t know her own strength, you see. That’s kind of why she’s in here. But she’s a gentle giant really. Except for the “gentle” part, maybe. And she does exactly what I tell her. Look…’ Toni tilted her head at Muscles. ‘Squeeze, Muscles.’

Muscles’ thick fingers began to squeeze Bailey’s neck.

‘Urghhh…’ choked Bailey. ‘Let… urgh… let go.’

‘A little bit more, Muscles.’

Muscles increased the force of her grip. Bailey flailed uselessly and started to feel herself going dizzy. She tried in vain to prise Muscles’ fingers from her neck, but it was no good. She batted at her huge thick forearms to no avail. Muscles’ face was expressionless.

‘She’s gone the colour of a tomato,’ said Rong with a snigger.

‘I think her eyes are going to pop right out of her head,’ said Keisha in a tone of mild observational interest.

‘Let go, Muscles,’ said Toni.

Muscles relaxed her grip and Bailey collapsed to her knees on the ground hyperventilating.

‘Pick her up, Muscles.’

Muscles gripped hold of Bailey’s collar and yanked her to her feet. Toni gestured for her to step back and Muscles stepped back and stood there, her huge arms slack by her side.

Toni stepped forward, right up close to Bailey, almost nose to nose.

‘Do you know what we call ourselves?’ she said.

‘You’re the Ace Blade Crew,’ said Bailey, fighting to keep her voice from stammering.

Toni nodded slowly, a thin smile spreading across her face as she reached behind her and pulled a home-made shank from her waistband. It was little more than a sharpened sliver of metal with the handle bound with tape, but Bailey could see that it was quite capable of inflicting serious damage.

Keisha and Rong both reached behind them and also pulled out knives. The three crudely fashioned blades sparkled in the sunlight. A thought flashed through Bailey’s mind – was this the last thing Alice had seen before she was murdered?