The door had opened quietly and a small figure had entered the room. It had then been closed again, all without Leach seeming to notice.

He noticed now.

Ellis and Tennant were on their feet within an instant of Ferris’s shout. Leach reacted just as quickly. Closer than the others, he moved towards the intruder without hesitation. No doubt keen to prove his value.

All three were stopped when Ferris spoke again. Anger had given way to confusion.

‘That ain’t you?’

It was not a question. Not really. Ferris would know that face anywhere. Especially the eyes. The cold, pale eyes.

‘It is you, ain’t it?’ he asked again.

No answer.

‘I asked you a question.’

Still no answer. Ferris was both irritated and amused. Conflicting reactions. He did not know which to follow.

Tennant, Ellis and Leach all remained rooted to the spot. None seemed sure of how to react, and Ferris knew why. An unremarkable man had walked into the office of their boss, unannounced and uninvited. A man who seemed unconcerned as he disrespected Ferris with his silence.

That just can’t happen, Ferris thought.

He moved around the desk. Annoyance had won.

‘You see this little bitch?’ Ferris moved slowly. Directing his words towards Tennant and Ellis. But his eyes never left the newcomer. ‘He was in Wandsworth with me. Until three years ago. Ain’t that right?’

No answer. Not a flicker of the pale eyes.

Ferris moved closer.

‘And do you know what we did with him in there?’

The room was silent until Ferris spoke again, emphasising every word and every pause between them.

‘Anything we fucking wanted.’ More slowly. More deliberately. ‘Whenever we wanted. Ain’t that right?’

No answer. Ferris was almost within reaching distance. Still the pale eyes held his stare.

‘And do you know why? Because this little bitch didn’t fight back.’ Ferris’s tone was now mocking. Full of the menace it takes to terrorise a prison. ‘And now he’s here. Standing his ground. Is that what you’re doing, is it?’

No answer. Ferris stepped in close. His spittle had barely inches to travel.

‘Or is it something else? That’s it, ain’t it, little bitch? You’re here for another go.’

Ferris smiled wide as he spoke. Disguising his intent. Then, without warning he lunged at the intruder.

Ferris was a big man. His hands large. Shovel-like. Their target was much smaller, inches below average height. His wiry build was no match for Ferris’s slabs of gym-honed muscle. Ferris expected to need no more than a single punch.

But Ferris was very wrong. Their past encounters had made him over-confident. Careless. Ferris had no reason to expect this occasion to be different to the others. A big man physically dominating a small one. And so the punch was powerful but slow.

The speed of the intruder would have surprised Ferris, if only he had had time to consider it. The smaller man was built for quick, agile movement, but nothing in their past had hinted that he could fulfil that potential. This time, though, he did not hesitate.