‘Good. You’ve got a day. Six o’clock tomorrow morning, you’re going to surrender yourself to my boys down on the estate. In the same car park where you shot up my cash crew. They’ll be waiting for you. And they’ll be tooled. So no getting ideas about going out in a blaze of glory. Although of course you don’t have any weapons anymore. Do you? Because I emptied out your mate Martin’s little stash.’

He chuckled, and Mickey knew beyond any doubt he absolutely meant every word.

‘They’re going to bring you to me, my boys from the estate. And I’m going to be ready for you. With a video camera. And whatever assorted delights I decide to use to demonstrate the error of your ways. Not to you, of course, but to all the others. You’re going to be the star of a film that’ll show my rivals what happens to anyone who tries to tip me off my throne. Does that sound good to you?’

‘No.’

‘I thought not. You’d rather not walk onto the set of a snuff movie.’ Joe sounding almost chatty. Unable to hide his glee. ‘But you’re going to. Because the alternative ain’t worth even thinking about. Your wife. Roz, isn’t it?’

He paused. Forcing Mickey to answer.

‘Yes.’

‘Yeah, Roz. Not bad-looking for an older bird. My hacker located her for me, and I had her picked up outside the salon. Amazing how easy it is to break into a person’s phone these days. She’ll go down well with my rougher punters, once she’s drugged up and ready to be used. I reckon we’ll get two or three years’ use out of her before the smack kills her. It kills them all in the end, the ones we get properly hooked. You didn’t think it was all just imported kids did you? I have to cater to all tastes, Mickey. And your Roz will most definitely go down well on the ropes and bruises scene. Come to think about it, perhaps she’ll enjoy it more if we don’t bother with the drugs. And then there’s that reporter. Tamara.’

Again the silence.

‘Yes.’