Angus was invited into Tony’s office, and Tony explained that he was a very busy man, and was thinking of hiring a foreman or some kind of overseer to look after things in the south of London. As much as Angus was large and scary, he was also as thick as a plank, and Tony and Jake squirmed as they watched Angus stroke his ginger beard, as though trying to think of someone to recommend.

Dear God, couldn’t this guy take a hint? They weren’t asking his advice, they both wanted him to ask for the job, or at least show some interest in it.

He shook his head, and said, ‘Dunno, boss, have to be someone you could trust, though.’ He was still stroking his beard.

In the end Jake had had enough. ‘What about you, Angus? You’re well respected around here, no one would mess with you and we both trust you a lot. After all, we’re all friends.’ Jake felt that was the simplest way of putting it, and hoped the suggestion might just seep into the man’s brain.

The surprised look on Angus’s face made Tony realise he had picked the right man for the job. As big and as scary as he looked, he was a modest, good man at heart who only wanted the best for his family. He looked even more surprised when Tony mentioned how much more money he would be earning. That seemed to be the icing on the cake.

‘I can’t do maths that well, boss, and I’m not so good at writing things down– the wife deals with all that kind of thing – but I would make damn sure your collections were made and no one would make any trouble, that’s for sure.’ Angus waved a tattooed fist in the air.

‘Don’t worry about that side of things, Angus, we’ll take care of all that. But here’s the thing; no one must ever know that you’re working for us. Even when you’ve had more than just a wee dram.’ Tony mimicked Angus’s Scottish accent, when he said the last bit. ‘If you ever mention Jake and I are your bosses, I don’t care how big you are, I, personally, will see to it that you never see daylight again.’

Angus knew Tony meant it. He’d seen Tony lose his temper, on occasion, and as much as he was a fighting man with a temper of his own, and even feared by his friends, he knew Tony was far worse. Angus got a little drunk and caused chaos, but Tony did it when he was stone cold sober and he seemed to enjoy it. That was the scary part – he hurt people with that charming smile on his face.

‘I’ll give it a try, boss, but all I am is muscle. I’m not clever, like you two, and as for telling anyone, why would I cut my nose off to spite my face? The wages you’re offering me would pay for a nice holiday for the wife and the wee ones. Aye, boss, I’ll give it a go. You do all the clever stuff and I’ll handle the rest.’ His face seemed to go even redder with embarrassment at having to admit he could hardly read or write. And yet, despite that, Tony was giving him a good wage, respect, and now a promotion as a boss, answerable only to Tony.