Ning saw the intensity in Ryan’s face. ‘You want me to go to Russia with you?’ she asked.

‘Nah,’ Ryan said. Not wanting to cry in front of James, he rattled the folder and headed for the exit. ‘I owe you a big one, James.’

Ning wondered when – or even if – she’d see Ryan again as he walked out, with a manila envelope in one hand, and the other smudging tears out of his eye.

She gave James Adams a look. It was the look his mum gave when he’d gotten in trouble at school, the look Lauren had before she kicked him for doing something dumb, the look on Kerry when she found him in bed shagging the pizza delivery chick …

‘You risked your whole career because Ryan’s crushing on a girl,’ Ning said, stifling a smile. ‘You look all grown up, but there’s still a mischievous twelve-year-old inside your skull.’

James shrugged. ‘You’d rather I was some guy in a grey suit, barking orders?’

Ning thought for a couple of seconds, then surprised James with a peck on the cheek. ‘Don’t ever grow up, James Adams,’ she told him. ‘The world wouldn’t be the same if you did.’

EPILOGUE

All information accurate as of December 2017

The Paedophile Hunting Network (PHN) video of NIGEL KINNEY was viewed over 160,000 times in its first three months online. During this period several people approached PHN with allegations of other sexual offences committed by Kinney.

Following a police investigation, Kinney was charged with eight serious sexual offences and found guilty of charges relating to six of them. After being assaulted by fellow prisoners, he is currently serving his twelve-year sentence in an isolation cell at York House prison on the Isle of Wight.

PHN actions have led to numerous similar paedophile convictions, though police and government continue to say that their brand of vigilante justice is dangerous and of limited use in obtaining real convictions of sex offenders.

OLIVER LAKSHMI, more commonly known as Oli, was moved to a foster home in North London following the robbery and vandalising of Uncle’s print shop. Despite numerous small altercations and some bullying incidents, Oli has now returned to normal schooling. He is doing reasonably well and his social worker reports that he has found a stable and age-appropriate friendship group for the first time in his life.

Police moved in to arrest MARTIN JONES aka UNCLE a few hours after James Adam’s glider rescue operation was completed. By this time MI5 had been investigating his operations for over a month. In all, twenty-six people involved in the smuggling of OME equipment were arrested. Two men linked to Uncle were also later charged with the drug-related murder of CHRIS CARLISLE.