‘Bloodsucking leech,’ Leon said cheerfully, wishing he didn’t have to leave her as he grabbed two crumpled five-pound notes from his jeans and passed them over.

‘Pleasure doing business,’ Rhea said, as Leon gave her a quick kiss, then grabbed his school pack and followed the others down the hallway towards the office.

Gurbir heard the three boys coming towards the exit and stepped out of his office, theatrically tapping the face of his watch.

‘No, no, no.’

‘It’s before curfew,’ Oli said. ‘We’re just going over to Morrisons. They’re doing Jaffa Cakes for a pound.’

‘Three of you?’ Gurbir said, as he reached around and thumped Daniel’s backpack. ‘With luggage? How stupid do I look?’

Oli smirked. ‘You always look pretty stupid, Gurb.’

Gurbir smiled and raised one finger. ‘One of you can go over to Morrisons. And you’d better run. Ten past nine at the latest.’

‘We’re allowed out before nine,’ Oli moaned. ‘You’re violating our human rights.’

‘You must think I’m some sort of—’

Before Gurbir could finish, Rhea made a piercing scream from inside the TV room. ‘They’re fighting. They’re fighting! Jono’s been stabbed!’

‘Stay,’ Gurbir said, eyeing the three boys firmly before darting off in a jangle of keys.

The instant he was out of sight, Leon dashed into the office and hammered a green button to unlock the exit door. By the time Gurbir reached the TV room, where a smiling Rhea told him that she was only joking, Leon, Oli and Daniel had vaulted the stairs and made it down the long corridor and out on to the street.

‘Nice,’ Daniel said, as outdoor air hit his lungs.

‘Ten more minutes,’ Leon moaned, as they started walking towards the main road. ‘I was that close to getting Rhea’s shirt off.’

‘Horny toad,’ Daniel sneered, as Oli led the way towards a battered Honda saloon with a phone number along the side. The driver looked suspicious as the three boys jumped in the back.

‘I booked you,’ Oli told the driver, waving a twenty-pound note, as Leon and Daniel looked out the back for any sign of Gurbir or one of the other Nurtrust staff. ‘Drive.’

It was a ten-minute ride in the dark. The destination was a little row of shops beneath offices and eight storeys of student accommodation. The twins’ eyes followed tattoos and a miniskirt into a busy Chinese takeaway. A convenience shop also seemed to be doing a good student trade, but the third shop in the row was boarded and the final shop was a dry cleaners’. Shuttered for the night, but with a couple working inside.

‘There’s a side gate,’ Oli said, as he led the way around.