The two men had bonded immediately. They saw themselves in one another, and that was something they understood the value of. It was important to have trust – without it they were doomed. It didn’t escape Michael’s notice that Salvatore had left his men outside the door, and he was glad that his decision to meet the man alone had paid off.

Michael sat down beside Salvatore. ‘I am so pleased that you came to England in person. I know how much that proves your belief in me. I wanted to show you that I have the money and the strength needed for such a venture – to not only finance this business arrangement, but also to police it and, more importantly, to guarantee you that there is nothing I am not prepared for.’

Salvatore nodded easily. ‘I know this. I have done my homework, as you say. I would never have ventured this far from my homeland, unless I was sure of that beforehand.’ He took a long drink of the brandy Michael had poured him, then he said honestly, ‘But I have to ask you this, Michael, face to face – how are you going to deal with the Russians? They have always had the monopoly in Europe. The Russians, and their counterparts the Eastern Europeans, are like us South Americans in many ways. They come from countries that are more corrupt than you could even imagine. They are ruthless, and they are here in London already. They don’t play by the rules. They also have their own suppliers. True, it’s always shit stuff – as you know, they are better with heroin and it’s a completely different market. That aside, I need to know that you can control them, and that you have already implemented plans to ensure that they can never interfere with our business should they decide to. This is not something I would enter into lightly, you know that. You have guaranteed that you have the monopoly in Europe, and I believe you. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have journeyed all this way. I just want you to reassure me that nothing and no one can interfere with our plans.’