At the hospital, they were told that Ted had been admitted, and that until he was stabilised, he couldn’t have visitors.

‘Stabilised?’

‘Are you related to Mr Wallis?’

‘He’s my father-in-law.’

Josie looked at her dad but said nothing.

‘He took a turn for the worse and they’re working on him now. There’s a waiting area on the fourth floor, near the ICU, or the restaurant is nice and warm; it’s on the mezzanine.’

‘Thank you. Is there a phone I could use?’

He called Kelly from a pay phone near the restaurant, but her phone went straight to voicemail.

Chapter 51

Jordan now knew what they’d been given by the police officer he recognised as Will: cash. In return for the address where Adam and Jason Cotton were hiding. He’d casually asked about the encounter, and the two men had bragged about their gains and how easy it was to get cash out of the pigs.

‘Everyone knows where they are anyway, just nobody told the cops, innit.’

Jordan had laughed along with everyone else.

‘They’re fucked, man. They had it coming.’ The young man who spoke had got away from Adam Cotton back at the warehouse. He was proud of himself, and the others thought him hard and gutsy.

Jordan had slipped away at his next opportunity. The two guys had given Will the information a couple of hours ago, so the chances were the place had been raided by now, but he had to make sure. He began walking.

Seeing his father had provoked a mixture of emotions inside him. He’d wanted to stop and go to him, check if he was all right. He felt mean making his dad chase him so far. That was why he’d stuck his thumb up.

But he couldn’t go back now. If he did, his father would try and talk him into giving up his plan, with the law-abiding drivel that had got their mother killed. She’d done everything right, and look what happened to her.

He had to hold onto his anger, to make sure he didn’t lose his edge. When the time came, he’d need it. The inevitable backlash – and the pain that would come with it – didn’t bother him; it was more how Millie would get on without him. Dad would cope. He coped with everything in his self-flagellating manner, almost religious in his stoicism. Dad would wear a brave face his whole life, but Millie was a different beast: she was a bag of emotions and she felt everything keenly. He’d thought long and hard about how his actions might affect her, but had reached the conclusion that Millie was an individual and shit happened in life. Nothing – absolutely fuck all – was guaranteed, and everybody had crushing bad news to deal with on a daily basis somewhere on this sorry planet they were stuck on.